Nozzle is not extruding
I am trying to recalibrate my printer, on which I had printed some PETG on a textured sheet, to print PLA on a PEI sheet.
Right now there's about a 2mm gap between the printer nozzle and the bed, and I've tried to insert a PLA filament (a gentle tug upward on the filament above the printhead does not dislodge the filament), but nothing is coming out of the nozzle. It's not glomming around the print nozzle like a failed print with too much space; there seems to be something coming out of the printhead.
Advice for what to do? Should I raise the printhead and then push a needle in the nozzle to dislodge blockage?
Thanks,
I invite you to visit my website at CJSHayward.com and my bookshelf at CJSHayward.com/books.
RE: Nozzle is not extruding
Heat the extruder to petg temperature, then unload filament, and reload pla and purge pla through nozzle to get the petg out of nozzle.
Then do a z-calibration.
Then try again.
RE: Nozzle is not extruding
@peter-m
Thank you.
I had the thought that I might have unmelted PETG gumming things up, so I told it to print a slice for PETG, expecting that it would emit a tangle of resin, and once that was out of the way, the nozzle would have nothing really besides PLA.
It didn't seem to make a difference. The nozzle is partway up in the middle of an attempted print, and the nozzle is unbudging.
Do you suggest that I specifically retry using the exact steps you mentioned?
I invite you to visit my website at CJSHayward.com and my bookshelf at CJSHayward.com/books.
RE: Nozzle is not extruding
@peter-m
I realized there was one part of your reply I didn't get.
How do I "purge PLA through nozzle"?
Thanks,
I invite you to visit my website at CJSHayward.com and my bookshelf at CJSHayward.com/books.
RE: Nozzle is not extruding
One P.S. that may turn up what I might have done to cause it:
I calibrated the printer, with PETG and a textured surface, to a Z adjustment of -2.500 or -2.600mm.
I thought to recalibrate, but not immediately. I tried printing an item I had available, without yet adjusting Z adjustment, and there is a thin ghost of a first layer visible on the PEI sheet:
I am concerned that I might have attempted a print with the nozzle too far down, and gotten the printhead to spring some kind of internal resin leak.
Does this guess make sense, and if so, what if anything can be done about it?
Thanks,
I invite you to visit my website at CJSHayward.com and my bookshelf at CJSHayward.com/books.
RE: Nozzle is not extruding
The pei sheet is thicker, and yes you need to adjust the live calibration.
Do first a z-calibration, then adjust the live z calibration.
You can also use the build in sheet numbers, then you can set the sheets in the printer and choose the sheet before printing, and height.
Remember, on every print start, look if the height is good, this is needed.
Purge nozzle i mean, extrude filament by hand.
RE: Nozzle is not extruding
If you print to low, then the first layers could look like there is no filament coming out.
Move extruder higher, and extrude by hand, in the setting of the printer you can move all motors.
RE: Nozzle is not extruding
Thank you.
What is the path, in the menus, to extrude by hand, and what is the option called? Or is it not done by selecting a menu path?
When I tried to run a PETG print to flush out any remaining PETG, it got up to .5cm-1.0cm between the extruder and the plastic, and it was still all air, with no extruded plastic. I tried it a couple of times, along with manually heating the extruder nozzle to 260.
It still hasn't extruded a droplet more, so far as I can tell.
I invite you to visit my website at CJSHayward.com and my bookshelf at CJSHayward.com/books.
RE: Nozzle is not extruding
(Clarification: I wrote "...extruder and the plastic..." when I meant "...extruder and the PEI sheet...")
I invite you to visit my website at CJSHayward.com and my bookshelf at CJSHayward.com/books.
RE: Nozzle is not extruding
In menu, "settings" - "move axis" - "extruder", then you can move the extruder, check on front of motor if the round axis is moving, and first heat up the nozzle.
You could have nozzle clogged, use very thin needle to unclog, or change nozzle.
You could try a cold pull, check prusa website on how to do this.
RE: Nozzle is not extruding
@peter-m
Thank you.
I heated it and tried to manually extrude settings > move axis > extruder. It didn't budge.
When I put the needle in, it came out with PETG (gold) instead of PLA (black). Is this a sign I'm closer to the right track?
Is this an area where I should continue prodding with tiny needles until they don't dislodge anything further?
Thanks,
I invite you to visit my website at CJSHayward.com and my bookshelf at CJSHayward.com/books.
RE: Nozzle is not extruding
I had a bad roll of filament, after cleaning with a needle for 10 times, it was good with a different roll of filament.
Do a cold pull(several times), search prusa website/forum on how to do this.
With a cold pull you will clean the inside, on the tip you pull out you will see different colors of old filament.
With a cold pull you can see if the nozzle heatbrake is good assembled.
Cold pull:(with pla)
If you can extrude, use pla, extrude a little, loosen(al the way) the spring holding the gears, now you can push the filament by hand.
Set temperature to 270, push filament, keep pushing, set temperature to 0(or use preheat to cool down), keep pushing till temperature is 170,
then let the printer cool down to room temperature, then set heat to 85, pull immediately(do not pull hard), keep pulling, then it will release with a copy on the inside of the extruder, do this a few times.
RE: Nozzle is not extruding
If nothing helps, exchange the nozzle.(is faster).
It could be a bad roll of filament, test with a different roll.