Clumping of filament/extruder curling filament (pictures)  

RE: Clumping of filament/extruder curling filament (pictures)

Oils on the bed are preventing the filament from sticking.  Do a soap and water wash of the bed and keep fingers away. 

Alcohol rinse: every few prints

• Gloves recommended.
• Once in a while, an alcohol rinse is helpful to remove PLA residue. It does not remove finger oils well.
• Pour a 5 cm puddle of 91%+ alcohol in the middle of the bed, with clean hands use a fresh paper towel to scrub the bed. Wipe up all the alcohol.

Acetone wash: infrequent

• Pour a 2 cm puddle of acetone on the bed, scrub it around with a fresh paper towel. It will evaporate fast as you clean. This step removes PEI oxides that form over time and with heat, and improves PLA adhesion to a like new state.

Hot Water wash: often, as needed, and after any of the above

• Handle the bed only by the edges.
• Wash the bed in hot water, use a fresh paper towel as a wash cloth, with a few drops of plain dish soap (Dawn, unscented, no anti-bacterial, etc.).
• Rinse well in hot water - if you have very soft water, rinse a bit longer.
• Dry the bed with a fresh paper towel.
• Handle the bed only by the edges.
• Place bed on printer.

Streak test: when contamination is suspected

• With a fresh piece of paper towel, and very clean fingers, dampen the towel with 91%+ alcohol, and wipe the bed side to side moving back to front, like you're painting it with alcohol. The alcohol should be thin enough on the towel it quickly evaporates. If you see any streaks, the bed is dirty and needs a wash.

RE: Clumping of filament/extruder curling filament (pictures)

And do a first layer calibration. Your live Z is way off.

RE: Clumping of filament/extruder curling filament (pictures)

Thanks for responding.

I tried the hot water wash and after did the alcohol wipe down...I'm still having the same issue.

I'll work on re-adjusting the probe and re-calibrating.

RE: Clumping of filament/extruder curling filament (pictures)

So, I tried the soap/hot water wash and wiped it down with alcohol. The calibration gets passed without a problem but when I try to print the first layer (calibration), I receive the error in the attached video. This only happens when trying to print something, doesnt happen when i try moving x,y,z axis. Not sure what's going on. Nozzle is clean, no debris on the bed. 

Any suggestions?

https://streamable.com/aa444

RE: Clumping of filament/extruder curling filament (pictures)

it's failing the bed leveling - have you flashed new firmware recently? 

  things to try

     rerun selftest

     rerun XYZ calibration

     if either of those have issues  = do a "factory reset with data clear"

     rerun selftest/XYZ calibration

RE: Clumping of filament/extruder curling filament (pictures)

I'm hearing a jam or belt hop - make sure your belts are tensioned and not slipping over the pulleys.  

Printer moves faster when printing and performing the mesh level. So sticky bearings, tight U-bolts, can create drag that only causes problems at the higher move speeds.

RE: Clumping of filament/extruder curling filament (pictures)

Oh - and if you used alcohol AFTER a soap and water wash, go back and wash again in soap and water. Alcohol is very good at taking the oils off your fingers and moving it to the PEI sheet.  The only way to avoid this is to use gloves, or simply use soap and water last.

RE: Clumping of filament/extruder curling filament (pictures)

So the factory reset and re-test/calibration worked but now there's another issue where the pending print will not stick to the heatbed completely. 

When trying to print the Prusa logo, I noticed the far left of the pending print lifts off the heatbed slightly. I'm not sure how to test if the bed is damaged. 

The images below show my 3 attempts at printing the prusa logo, in order from top-to-bottom, you will find the 1st-to-final attempt.

https://imgur.com/a/JVl1rMw

I appreciate all the responses and help thus far.