PA+CF filament blocking
Good evening. I have Prusa MK3S, about 2 years old, which works fine. I have succesfully printed many objects using PLA, PETG, ASA, Nylon, PP, PC, FLEX... However, I have difficulties printing with the Spectrum PA6+CF15 (nylon+carbon fiber) filament. I am using the hardened steel M6 nozzle. The printing starts fine but after some time (e.g. 30 minutes), the filament is blocked and stops flowing. To unload it, I need to open the extruder and remove the filament manually, since the filament is deformed by the extruder wheels and they can no longer get a good grip. I have tried increasing the temperature, reducing the speed, increasing the flow rate, loosening and tightening the extruder screw, switching off retraction, changing the spool holder and other things but I did not succeed. The same nozzle prints fine with other filaments such as PETG. Smaller objects print fine with the same filament (nylon+carbon).
Any idea where the problem might be?
Jan
Do you have a 0.8mm nozzle to try?
Cheerio,
RE: PA+CF filament blocking
No, 0.6mm is the largest I have.
One idea I got today was that it could be because of a wet filament, although it was stored properly. I will try to dry it.
Jan
I was assuming you were printing from a drybox, nylon is extremely hydroscopic and a couple of hours exposure is enough for trouble.
https://help.prusa3d.com/materials
The two standard fixes for a filled material clogging are a larger nozzle and try a few degrees hotter.
Cheerio,
RE: PA+CF filament blocking
I have solved the clogging issue. I have dried the filament (overnight, at about 50 degrees C) and the print completed successfully. Good to know.
Jan