Extruder motor not working
Hi there,
New owner here. Was super excited to use my printer after patiently putting it together. Got a few prints out of it before I got a clogged extruder. I attempted the atomic method to remove but eventually took the unit apart. I removed the clog and reassembled the printer. It started printing again but then stopped extruding part way through. I tried to pull out the filament but it was really stuck. I disassembled the printer again (ugh!), removed the filament, reassembled and ran the self-test (pass), calibration, etc. I once again tried to print but no extrusion. Note: I did preheat before loading the filament (250 degrees for PLA) and the filament appeared to move easily when I inserted it manually. When I tried to load the filament without the filament I noticed that the stepper motor wasn't moving. I read on the forum that to test if the motor is working you can switch power ports. I switched Y with E and both motors responded as expected. So...
Any idea why my extruder fails to work?
Thanks so much.
Jason
Re: Extruder motor not working
Some thoughts...
Make sure the filament sensor is active.
Is Bondtech pulley correctly mounted on the motor shaft (stop screw)?
Rotates the motor shaft if you activate it manually (Settings / Move axis / Extruder)
Are extruder screws correctly installed (see picture below).
If you open the idler door and manually push the filament through the heated extruder, will it come out filament through the nozzle?
Bear MK3 with Bondtech extruder
Re: Extruder motor not working
Thanks so much for your reply.
Things are looking up as I can now get the extruder to load and unload. The filament is melting too. My new problem however is that I have a new Self-test error related to the filament wiring. I've check and rechecked to make sure things are in the correct place and all looks good. I didn't disconnect any of the wiring so I'm not sure why this would be a new issue. I also upgraded the firmware but this error appeared before the upgrade. I take it that the filament sensor is very important so I'm wondering what my next step should be. Do I need a new sensor?
Thank again for your help.
Best,
Jason
Re: Extruder motor not working
If you have access to a multimeter, measure the cable to see if it is broken. Bend it slightly back and forth to check if there is a gap in it.
If the cable is unbroken, contact Prusa support (chat) and they should send you a new sensor.
Bear MK3 with Bondtech extruder