MK3 Stopped Extruding Filament
Hello everyone. Everything was working fine with me and my printing until last night.
I was already several hours into the print when the filament gears in the idler door started clicking. I was hoping it would go away so I adjusted the idler door bolts and the clicking reduced. When I woke up my print had finished to about a half inch tall, but the printer thought it was still printing 3 inches above it.
Thinking it was a bug with 3.21 I've gone back to 3.13, but it still won't extrude filament. I can provide pressure, but it won't extrude.
I've run cleaning filament all the way through it with no issue "by hand". I switch back to regular PLA, adjusted the gear door and still it won't move the filament. I've also reinstalled fresh firmware and did a factory reset.
When I push down on the filament it starts extruding if I keep the pressure on it.
What else can cause this issue?
Re: MK3 Stopped Extruding Filament
I had this same problem occur. I have not found a solution and I suspect the cooling fan on the heat sink can't keep the heat sink cool enough to prevent the material from jamming, though I haven't confirmed this with evidence. Right now my MK3 is inoperable for this reason.
Re: MK3 Stopped Extruding Filament
I had this same problem occur. I have not found a solution and I suspect the cooling fan on the heat sink can't keep the heat sink cool enough to prevent the material from jamming, though I haven't confirmed this with evidence. Right now my MK3 is inoperable for this reason.
Ben, try my fix, just put things back together and started my print from Thursday night. The issue was the gear came loose from the extruder motor shaft.
I was working with David "good name" from online CHAT and as he was asking me questions and we were working at going through one thing at a time. I had already done these things so I went through them again with Support.
He had me adjusting the two screws that hold the idler door closed and the second gear tension. I decided to remove the door with gear so I could get a good look at the pathway.
Once I removed/opened the door and the second gear was out of the way I could see main shaft gear was not lined up with the filament. This told me the bolt for the gear was loose.
Just then I saw David from Support next question. "Check Extruder gear is tightened on the shaft."! I was one step ahead of him, but he had it on his list of things for me to check.
Hope you have good luck with your problem. See the below for the quickest way of checking the gears. You can try looking through the "Left/Right" side of the extruder, but the path is mostly covered. I discovered the problem this way.
1. NOTE the Position of the two screws that hold your Idler door shut and the second gear tension on the filament.
2. Do a pre-heat for unloading filament and unload any installed.
3. Loosen the two bolts with springs to open the Idler door. Open idler door. "loosen bolt that hinges idler door if necessary".
4. With an object "I used a small needle nose" check the gear to see if it's loose on the shaft.
5. Under the Settings menu I went to the "move axis" section and watched the gear as I engaged the Extruder motor. It moved, but I could stop it's advance.
6. Correctly position the Extruder gear, tighten the set screw and reassemble everything.
I'm now 35 minutes into the same 30 hour print and hope I wont have any more troubles. Good Luck!
Re: MK3 Stopped Extruding Filament
Stopped again with same issue after about 1/8th completed print. I'll have to tear it down again and look, but it either came loose again which I don't think happened or I over tightened and the set screw is stripped. We'll see.
Re: MK3 Stopped Extruding Filament
I'm off to the races again. I think I tightened the two spring loaded screws too much, but didn't think so. This time I could see where the gears ground into the filament so it wasn't that the gear set screw came loose or I had stripped it.
We'll see as the print continues.
Re: MK3 Stopped Extruding Filament
I had this problem yesterday all day.
What i have found:
1) The little screw to hold the bontech into the extruder was loose, i had to replace it because i can't tight it anymore, so i replace the thread and tight the bontech.
2) Better but still have problem, after some print time the extrusion stops, i checked the bontech again but this time it was fixed, so i have done about 6 cold pulls, but after the 3 the filament come clean
3) Retry but jams again! so i inspect again and i found that extruder idler axis was bent, i had to reprint the door on other printer
4) After reprint the door i found that bontech idler spacing was a bit less than my original beta part which solve another future issue
5) Print test again and when all seens good now it jams!
6) I was printing ABS with auto colling at 245ºc, my fan shroud was a bit deformed due to much abs print and the air was cooling the nozzle.
7) Print a new fan shroud
8) And finally i hope no more problems til now
Please check all that i have mention
Re: MK3 Stopped Extruding Filament
Thanks for the input, but these are not my problems. I suspect either cooling or a filament sensor failure as the printer will work fine until partway through the print and then it just stops.