Cannot get filament to extrude consistently
My i3 Mk3 has been printing great for 6-7 months, and I use it a lot. I recently went to change the nozzle and broke the wires off of the heat block. I got a whole new heat element from the Prusa store and since I reassembled everything I just can't get filament to extrude consistently.
I've spent 7-8 hours scouring these forums and trying all of the different things I've seen.
Load Filament works great, as far as I can see. There's never a gap in extruding filament. But First Layer Calibration almost never prints all the way through - there are gaps everywhere. Setting the height around 650 is the best, but even that's not very good.
The spring screws aren't overly tight that they're creaking, nor do they appear to be too loose. I've adjusted them to just shy of squeaking.
Help!
Re: Cannot get filament to extrude consistently
Hello,
Have you tested your PINDA probe?
https://help.prusa3d.com/article/3tSXh6nWJd-pinda-probe-testing
Also would you mind posting a picture for the first level calibration?
3D Druck für Einsteiger leicht gemacht: www.3d-druck-lernen.de
Re: Cannot get filament to extrude consistently
Upload a photo of the bad L1 print ... the character of the filament contact / furball can often help identify what the most likely cause is.
Also - how you reassembled the nozzle into the heater block is critical. Did you use the 280c torque method? Or did you tightened it cold?
Did you verify the nozzle is bottoming out against the heat break and not the heater block? The hex portion should not be touching the heater block. Again, a good photo of the nozzle can help.
As for Bondtech gear tension, once you are a couple turns into the springs, that should be enough. Screws heads almost flush with the left side, and the two screw tips should be a bit less than flush with the idler door on the right side. At least for normal PLA.
Re: Cannot get filament to extrude consistently
https://e3d-online.dozuki.com/Guide/V6+Assembly/6
https://e3d-online.dozuki.com/Wiki/V6_Troubleshooting
Re: Cannot get filament to extrude consistently
@randolph.l, I took everything apart again and assembled it as per the v6 assembly video. Thanks!
@wieman01, I don't have a Show Pinda State under Calibrate. I'm sure it's just called something else and will look again tomorrow.
@tim.m30, after putting everything back together again, I can't do better than this for my 1st Level Calibration. Not only does it print unevenly, but it doesn't stick to the bed. I've tried multiple different filaments. Now I've kind of just got a mess.
Re: Cannot get filament to extrude consistently
Look up section 8 of the manual: and do the PID calibration at 215c.
Also - whenever I see that level of print rejection, I immediately think oily PEI sheet. It reminds me of the first time I washed my PEI sheet using my soapy household dish sponge: the PEI sheet came out dirtier (less sticky) than when I started.
Seriously - only three things make the PLA not stick to the PEI:
1: Cold PLA: extruder too cold or print fan is on (PLA even sticks to a cold bed).
2: Oils / contaminates on the sheet or on the filament (one fingerprint is enough, oils disperse over time).
--- oils dripping from the rails (seen it on some users printers); finger prints on the bed from removing parts; finger prints on the spool;
3: First Layer Calibration too high.
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Hot Water wash: as needed
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 antoi-bacterial, etc.). Rinse well in hot water - if you have very soft water, rince a bit longer.
Dry the bed with a fresh paper towel.
Handle the bed only by the edges.
Place bed on printer.
Alcohol rinse: every few prints
Once in a while, an alcohol rise is helpful.
Pour a 5 cm puddle of 91%+ alcohol in the middle of the bed, use a fresh paper towel to scrub the bed. Wipe up all the alcohol.
Streak test: when contamination is suspected and after a wash
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.
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.
Re: Cannot get filament to extrude consistently
@tim.m30 thanks much for the lengthy response. I did scrub with isopropyl (70%) immediately before this print, exactly as you mention (pour it on the bed and srub it out with a paper towel), but I can try acetone instead. I will also recalibrate the PID.
Re: Cannot get filament to extrude consistently
Tim, you make an excellent point, I wonder how many folks told to wash their plates with dish washing liquid went to the kitchen sink and grabbed their dishwashing sponge and just made things worse.
l dampen the pad of clean kitchen towel with warm water and put a dollop of Dawn on the pad and scrub (i do it twice at 90 deg to each other and on the powder coated sheet this scrubbing twice at 90 degrees seems to be a useful addition to the treatment)
I wonder how well the plates will do if run through the dishwasher???? when the plates become easily available from Prusa I will need to do a test with different automatic dishwasher products but I don't want to risk it with my only plate which is in almost constant use with PETG
Re: Cannot get filament to extrude consistently
Okay, I removed the bed and scrubbed it down with Dawn, then gave it another wash with 99% isopropyl alcohol. I also replaced the nozzle with a new one and leveled the bed, just for good measure. The first level calibration sticking reliably to the bed, and am back to the original problem where filament doesn't reliably come out, even though it appears to work fine when I do a Load Filament.
I didn't modify the Z-level at all during the entire print - it was set to -.970.
The bed is etched from previous print attempts where the head was too low, but you can see where the black filament only appears on part of the print.
Re: Cannot get filament to extrude consistently
Okay, I'm more or less back in business. After getting the prints to stick using the excellent instructions provided here, I had to adjust the tension screws to help it feed properly. It could still use a bit more tweaking, but thanks for all of the help!