Change filaments during print - too much excess filament?
 
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P. Larsen
(@p-larsen)
Trusted Member
Change filaments during print - too much excess filament?

Now that my MK4 is operational (yay - that was a long 4 months wait!) I'm trying to get used to a new way of printing. Particular how the hot-end behaves when inserting/ejecting filament and how it initializes before a print. My big question is - how do I setup PrusaSlicer to make it "do the same" when you change filament during the print using vertical bar on the right after slicing.

Here's what happens right now - when the printer comes to the point of change, the extruder goes to the far right bottom of the print plate and a LOW beep is heard constantly. The printer has ejected the current filament without being prompted, and you remove that and click "ok" to having removed it. This filament needs to be cut to be used again but "different issue". When you now insert the replacement filament, you're asked if you see the color change in the filament ozing out (normal) - but here's the really annoying part - if you say yes the extruder immediately goes to the print area and starts printing with long strings hanging around.  EVEN if you remove the excess you see, more comes out before it starts printing and it makes a small mess on the printout.

What I would like it to do is "wipe the nozzle" like it does during the initial print. The MK4 wipe stripe is much better than the MK3S+ I have, it leaves the strining and excess behind before starting the print, but it doesn't happen after changing filament during the print.

Can this be changed? Is there a parameter I should set to improve this?

Napsal : 30/07/2023 8:56 pm
FoxRun3D
(@foxrun3d)
Famed Member
RE: Change filaments during print - too much excess filament?

 Not much you can do short of being ready with tweezers or needle-nosed pliers. Don't grab the dangling filament right away. Wait until it spurts out another piece on the way back to the model and pull it off at the last second. 

Formerly known on this forum as @fuchsr -- until all hell broke loose with the forum software...

Napsal : 30/07/2023 11:45 pm
P. Larsen
(@p-larsen)
Trusted Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: Change filaments during print - too much excess filament?

So Prusa doesn't have an issue/ticket system. It has no forum where you can file bugs or problems. There's a generic email that doesn't respond for weeks and doesn't give you a followup option. And now they're removing the ability for us to control our printers the way want want, and force a cloud-only feature to pay "because it's expensive to maintain".

I'm quickly losing faith in the future of my Prusa printers.

Posted by: @fuchsr

 Not much you can do short of being ready with tweezers or needle-nosed pliers. Don't grab the dangling filament right away. Wait until it spurts out another piece on the way back to the model and pull it off at the last second. 

To respond directly to this - there are two "spurts" when you replace filament during the print. One when you insert the filament to confirm it's all the way through, and another is started when the extruder is moved over the print to resume printing. Worse, it starts by putting the head straight onto the print, staying there for seconds leaving a mark and then continue. So there's no easy option. You can absolutely try while the head is on the print and do a last moment yank, it's a bit hit or miss. And there's still a black mark from the hotend sitting on print for seconds before continuing.

Bugs happen - particular just after release. I'm absolutely expecting this. But Prusa doesn't seem capable or willing to deal with it "being busy". Not having a back issue tracker like the basic ones that Github/Gitlab offers and directing customers there in lack of anything else, is just strange. I would very much need to see other issues filed, and add my issue to an existing one - just like we do in Open Source projects. It helps contributors to see what's most important.  THIS forum doesn't get us to a trackable issue. Something where Prusa can give temporary guidance while working on a fix.

And yes, I'm frustrated. VERY frustrated.

Napsal : 06/08/2023 6:12 pm
FoxRun3D
(@foxrun3d)
Famed Member
RE: Change filaments during print - too much excess filament?

So Prusa doesn't have an issue/ticket system. It has no forum where you can file bugs or problems.

Well they do, even though it's not the most user friendly and they could do a better job advertising it. Just Google for Prusa GitHub. The firmware-Buddy  repository is probably the best to file a report/suggestion along the lines you mentioned for issues related to the Mk4.
I'm certainly not suggesting it's a replacement for a ticket tracking system like you suggested, I just want to point you to a place that is actually on the radar screen of the developers, unlike these forums, which are purely user-to-user (with the exception of the PrusaConnect forums which are frequented by Prusa devs)  

force a cloud-only feature to pay

Not sure what that is referring to. I'm not paying for anything beyond my costs for the printer. 

Formerly known on this forum as @fuchsr -- until all hell broke loose with the forum software...

Napsal : 06/08/2023 8:16 pm
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