Extruder doesn't extrude sometimes
Hi so I'm having a problem with my prints recently. I've had the printer for about a year and done hundreds of prints on it and until recently it has worked quite well. What I'm having trouble with now is despite any first layer calibration, the nozzle seems to stop extruding for a small segment of time.
Troubleshooting steps I've taken:
Completely new calibration from scratch
First layer calibrations
Different filament
Adjusting PINDA probe and new calibrations from scratch
Cold pull and a needle through the nozzle to remove any blockages that may have existed
Loosened the screws on the extruder motor gear area
As you can see it just simply stops printing randomly. There's no balling up of material, it just simply doesn't extrude. Any help with this situation would be incredibly helpful!
Re: Extruder doesn't extrude sometimes
Are the 2 last pics in blue the same print? They look identical. Hard to say from the pics, but I think you're a bit close on your Live-Z and the nozzle is dragging at those spots.
Have you cleaned the nozzle itself? The nozzle and hotend can accumulate old filame t and cause random snags. I use a soft brass brush (avoiding the wires) but a paper towel with isopropyl alcohol can work with a warm hotend.
I'd try cleaning, then raising Live-Z 0.02mm and repeating to see if it improves.
I like to start high, then lower until lines don't dislodge with a rub of the finger. Do be sure your bed is really clean (dunk under the kitchen sink and wash with Dawn, and avoid touching the PEI) beforehand.
Good luck with it!
Re: Extruder doesn't extrude sometimes
Thank you for the reply! This happens when I'm super high and when I'm closer. The images actually different Z levels too. The blue is a higher one and the white is a lower one. The odd part about this problem is that when the print starts and draws the line on the front you can see that the extrusion is inconsistent. I believe this issue isn't with the Z since I've tried calibrations from -400 to -900 and all of them have the same skipping defect.