Filament not coming out of the Extruder.
I had recently done a print using PLA. However, the printer was interrupted in between as the filament is emptied and the instrument was lef in ilde state for 2 days. After this, when I tried to insert a new filament, it's not extruding out of the extruder. I cleaned the heating knob at the bottom using a small needle and the needle could go inside upto 2 cm but not any further up. I have also tried the cold pull, but it is not working as the clogging seems to be way before the hotend. I tried to push the filament in, but its is not going past the position marked in the attached image (the rotating knobs at the top of the extruder). So someone help me out with this.
Thank you in advance for your help.
RE: Filament not coming out of the Extruder.
Normally:
- the filament goes trough a ptfe tube to the heatbreak (small connector between cooling part and heated block)
- the filament goes though the tube and comes in heatblock and melts there.
- it is pressed out of the nozzle. The pressure is changed by pushing the filament in and pulling out by the exruder motor.
What could have happened:
- A little bit of hot filament went up through the heatbreak into the ptfe tube (or more likely just in between) and is a clog now.
- Because of the cooling part, you cannot heat it up enough to melt, so a cold pull will probably not working.
- the filament now is broken inside the ptfe tube, so you cannot push it in (because of the clog) and you cannot pull it out, because it will not melt together.
You have to dissassemble the extruder. Search and read the very good documented instructions and manuals before you start.
It is not that hard to do this. After 3-4 times, you will think of this as an easy job. (30 minutes word or so).
We will do what we have always done. We will find hope in the impossible.