My printer has hiccups
Hi guys,
I have a problem with my i3 Mk2. The extruder stepper motor does not take the filament in a smooth way. It takes the filament and the suddenly pushes it back. It results in uneven layers of the filament and failed prints.
Here's the video of what's going on (you can hear the "hiccup" sound):
And here's a photo of that line the printer puts before starting the proper print: 
?dl=0 It should be uniform line, but it isn't.
I tried to unload and load the filament, using other filaments (I was using FormFutura EasyFill filament) and testing different print settings. Everytime I was getting the "hiccups".
Does anyone know what causes this problem and have an idea how to fix it?
Re: My printer has hiccups
if you use different types of filament or not good quality perhaps you have partially block nozzle
Re: My printer has hiccups
Is something "holding on" to the filament before it enters the extruder? (for example different kinds of spool holders)
If the filament is allowed to move freely in to the extruder, then it means that the two screws with the springs in them are too tight.
Here is my personal way of handling this: (read it through 2-3 times before you do anything and visualize it.)
The point is to find the right tightness on the screws. by slowly making tighter and tighter. and when its tight enough = STOP
Do the following:
*heat up to print temperature.
*pull out filament.
*open the two screws, then open the hatch which the screws are holding closed.
*start extruding (yes with no filament in) (this is just to get the feeder wheel rotating).
*while its rotating, take an old tootbrush you no longer need and scrub away all the plastic debris that has built up on the feeder wheel. blow a little to really get rid of any last particles.
*once its clean, make sure that the extruder is still hot enough to print.
*also make sure that the extruder wheel is still turning to print out plastic
*close the hatch, screw the screws in very very lightly, just enough so that they stay in place but do not exert pressure.
*put the filament back. guide it as far into the hole as possible with your hand.
*screw the screws slowly until the pressure is right and the filament gets sucked into the hole.
If this does not solve the problem, you are using shitty filament.
I have found by experience that prusa shop filament works after doing the above steps.
I used filament from a third party and it did not work even after I did the above.
this is because some cheaper/bad filaments have too much variation in the thickness. (also known as diameter)
this means that one moment the screw tightness is just right, but when the filament gets slimmer/fatter, the screw tightness is not good anymore.
The printer requires that the filament thickness stays CONSTANT. (or atleast very little variation)
Also make sure that you are using the correct temperatures for the filament.
Sometimes when the package says 220-240 one must still experiment a bit to find a good temperature.
and PS if youre new to 3d printing, and youre gonna be using alot of filament, looking into home filament production is a wise investment.
for example http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-your-own-3d-printing-filament-factory-Filame/ or filastruder. (hope i wont get flagged for spam by mentioning filastruder 😛 )
Re: My printer has hiccups
did you fix it?
Re: My printer has hiccups
It looks like I fixed it. I needed to clean the nozzle plus I loosen the screws holding the hatch. It's printing now the whistle from the SD card for 15 minutes and there were no hiccups so far.
Thanks all for looking on the problem!