Extruder gear not feeding filament
I have a MK3S and have been printing fine for a few months with it now. Tonight I went to fire up a new print and noticed no filament was being extruded. I assume the nozzle was clogged but it was fine. It turns out the gear attached to the extruder motor is not turning as it should, feeding the filament through the nozzle. I can preheat and move the extruder and feel the motor working, but I have to manually apply pressure for the gear to catch and move to feed the filament. My best guess is the IR sensor is bad, but it is reading OK. Any ideas?
Thanks
Best Answer by --:
The set screw has probably come loose. Make sure it is well aligned with the flat on the motor shaft before torquing it down. If not set flat on the shaft it will wiggle and come loose.
RE: Extruder gear not feeding filament
The set screw has probably come loose. Make sure it is well aligned with the flat on the motor shaft before torquing it down. If not set flat on the shaft it will wiggle and come loose.
RE: Extruder gear not feeding filament
That was exactly it. I had it stuck in my head that it had to be electrical for some reason. I appreciate it!
RE: Extruder gear not feeding filament
Following this thread. It looks like my set screw has come loose as well! It stopped extruding filament in the middle of a print today, and when I tried removing the filament, the gears would not turn. Opened the door and found one the gear loose on the shaft.
How do I get to the shaft to tighten the set screw? Do I have to take the entire extruder apart? Please help!
RE: Extruder gear not feeding filament
I found some more help and with the aid of the Prusa Facebook group, was able to re-tighten the set screw and everything is good to go!
RE: Extruder gear not feeding filament
@nealrogers
You power the printer up, use the menu Settings-MoveAxis-E to turn the motor until you see the shaft is perpendicular to the door. Align the gear, tighten the set screw. But make sure the gear is aligned and the set screw is flat to the shaft, otherwise it will just come loose again.
The shaft end of the set screw is flat, and if it contacts at an angle, it will bite and tighten, but not hold. So make sure it is flat against the shaft before you tighten.