Now what....?

[nrbelk]

I think I've found and started fixing some of the issues I've been having with layers not matching up or looking very concise. Then when I get home today I check on my newest print and I found an even stranger problem. A picture of the results is attached.

I found the problem though, I looked at the extruder and found white ABS dust all around it. I pulled it out a little and found one spot that had been completely chewed away. So barely any material was being melted and put onto the part. I also found that I can still turn the manual knob but the filament doesn't move when I do that.

Then, after getting rid of that piece, putting it all back together, it starts to chew it up again. The hot end isn't melting it or anything anymore. When I tell matter control to extrude 100mm, the extruder runs for that long but I barely get any plastic to come out the nozzle. Does anyone know what this is and how to fix it?

Thanks.

Here's the picture for fun:

[IMBoring25]

I wouldn't run the extruder motor anymore. Turning the extruder by hand (or even disconnecting the Bowden tube and pushing filament by hand) gives a much better impression of how much resistance is at the hot end. If you're still at the correct temperature your hot end is probably clogged. Nozzle clogs are common and there are a number of techniques to clear them. When I had this problem it wound up being a stopped-up PEEK section. I cleaned up the bore with a 2mm drill bit and haven't had a problem since.

[nrbelk]

I took off the nozzle (there should be more youtube videos on that, how to take off the nozzle without taking everything apart, I was so nervous I was breaking something) and found ABS stuck in the nozzle. Luckily I had a spare nozzle lying around (from when i thought I knew what I was doing and so ordered one before I even had the printer... lol) and started using that. Once I installed it and got it back to temperature, it extruded fine again.

Currently running through the PID process in case anything has changed with the new nozzle and will try another print. Now off to find what settings I need to change when using a .35mm nozzle instead of the standard .5mm nozzle.

[IMBoring25]

Other than fine-tuning, it should just be putting the new nozzle size in your slicer.

[JFettig]

You likely have crud stuck in your nozzle from the filament. I just had one jam up the other day and it wrecked a 9 hour print I was doing for someone. It had me baffled because it went from looking great to being an incomplete print. I have also had it do what you have. The fix was to get a pin small enough to stick into the nozzle, heat it up, push it backwards through it, then clean it all out. I saw another thing on the internet how someone had the same problem and they used natural PLA, pushed it through so it purged most of the previous material, dropped the nozzle temp to 80C then pulled it out, the chunk came with it. I plan to either dissolve it in Acetone(ABS) and/or push it out from the end with a pin.

[nrbelk]

I ended up heating it up with a blow torch and using a small wire (from a stranded 18 gauge wire I had) to work on the plastic inside the nozzle until I could put the wire all the way through again. I then put it back onto the printer, got it to temp, and extruded a lot at a higher temp until it seemed to be fine.