Extruded filament looks a bit thin... is this normal?
So I got the MK3S pre-assembled by Prusa and have been using it for a couple of weeks. The filament appears thin when it is being extruded, for example, during loading/changing filament. I decided to do a cold pull just to see if anything was left behind (see attached picture of the result). The end has a nice point to it, which is what the instructions said I should expect if I did it correctly. But you see where it gets thin? What could be causing this. Is it normal?
RE: Extruded filament looks a bit thin... is this normal?
well, I know when I have done some cold pulls, if the temperature is just right the filament will elongate as it is plasticky when I pull it out, it could be that is what happened... It does not happen every time I do a cold pull, sometimes it does and that looks like that a bit..
But the extruded filament in the air or on the build plate will be thinner than what it looks like on the spool since it is melted and extruded through the nozzle hole which is 0.4MM (with the stock nozzle but could be anywhere between 0.15mm and 1.0MM nozzle size if you changed it) and the filament on the spool is 1.75mm diameter so I would say that is normal.
As long as your prints are ok, I would not worry about it..
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RE: Extruded filament looks a bit thin... is this normal?
@jbinfl
Thanks for the reassurance. When I saw how thin the filament was coming out I assumed it due to a clog; hence, the cold pull. I was comparing it to an image I saw online of someone showing the different thickness of the filament as it was being extruded, but I can't seem to locate the image now.
RE: Extruded filament looks a bit thin... is this normal?
No problem. Happy printing!
Strange women, laying in ponds, distributing swords, is hardly a basis for a system of governance!
RE: Extruded filament looks a bit thin... is this normal?
Mine comes out exactly the same during a cold pull, it will differ slightly with different filament brands and is due to the filament still being soft and hot and stretching.
I've always done a cold pull as the temperature drops to 80 Deg, but I guess if I allowed it to go lower, it may not stretch as much, but then the danger of it pulling the PTFE tube up increases.
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