1. Got a question or need help troubleshooting? Post to the troubleshooting forum or Search the forums!

Print head clicking

Discussion in 'Troubleshooting' started by danjomite, Jun 14, 2017.

  1. danjomite

    danjomite New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2014
    Messages:
    18
    Likes Received:
    1
    Hello,

    I just wanted to post this issue as it has been happening for me every once in a while and it has ruined longer prints:

    The print head will start to make a clicking noise because the feeder gear will occasionally start slipping and not grabbing on to the filament. This causes gaps between layers as the extruder doesn't get enough filament. I am currently running a 12hr+ print and it will not end up looking good because of it.

    I'm thinking the cause is the filament doesn't have a consistent diameter, so it may be getting stuck in the nylon tube and causing so much friction that the feeder can't pull it through. This filament does work just fine in my R1 printer, as it fed right into the print head, rather than through a tube.

    i'm trying to think of what to do to get this filament working with the R2 but haven't come up with any ideas yet.

    I will update with any fixes I find.
     
  2. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2013
    Messages:
    23,912
    Likes Received:
    7,338
    With a direct extruder that happens because there is too much back pressure. That can be due to bad filament as you suspect or a couple other less common problems.

    The R1 has geared extruder and those are much more forgiving... They generate a lot more torque.
     
    danjomite likes this.
  3. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2013
    Messages:
    23,912
    Likes Received:
    7,338
    My delta has a direct like the C2/R2 and it drove me crazy being so picky. These are not as bad since they are not pushing a four foot Bowden
     
    danjomite likes this.
  4. jwmueller

    jwmueller Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 5, 2017
    Messages:
    169
    Likes Received:
    51
    Agreed with above but will add:

    Prints with a ton of retractions will start to thin out the filament in a certain spot, so you can get around this by changing your retraction speed and how far it pulls the filament back out. (I have had other extruders of this type start skipping the stepper motor or the sound can be the hobbed gear skipping on the filament.)

    I like to draw a line on the extruder so I can see if it is still turning or if the stepper itself is skipping - that way I know if I have a back pressure issue vs chewed filament.

    Check your temps, remembering that all printers even the same model might not read the same temps to actual temp. Slight adjustments made on the screen can be helpful, go up a few * and you might hear the popping go away. If so note the temp, so you can modify your print settings for that machine.

    Check to make sure the spring pressure is strong (not a problem on the R2 that is for sure!).

    Make sure you do not have any binding, for example the filament pulling at an odd angle on the sensor block (back of the machine). If you have binding anywhere the machine will chew into the filament more, eventually enough to not extrude the filament.

    Make sure the filament path is aligned and the gears are clean.
     
    danjomite and mark tomlinson like this.
  5. danjomite

    danjomite New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2014
    Messages:
    18
    Likes Received:
    1
    Thanks everyone for the responses, I am going to try and build a filament holder to suspend the spool above the printer and feed it through a much shorter nylon tube (around 3-4 inches), while also skipping the filament detector. I wonder if that would resolve the issue.
     
  6. jwmueller

    jwmueller Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 5, 2017
    Messages:
    169
    Likes Received:
    51
    Everything is worth a try in 3D printing! If it fails you know what and try another setting. ;)

    I skip all the filament paths on my printers, even my Prusa machines are fed from an external sealed spool holder with the tube just running to the extruder. Short paths. I do have issues with the ColorFabb spool, they seem to like to really spin well on the bearings and will unwind and then wrap around the outside of the spool. DOH!

    My first print on the R2 was directly to the extruder, and I could not figure out why it kept telling me it had no filament....
     
    danjomite likes this.
  7. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2013
    Messages:
    23,912
    Likes Received:
    7,338
    Possibly, but like I said originally the skips are usually back pressure :)
    Not "I can't pull in the filament" but rather "I can't push out the filament"

    Worth trying, but may not be the solution
     
    Geof likes this.
  8. danjomite

    danjomite New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2014
    Messages:
    18
    Likes Received:
    1
    Agreed. I got the R1 Kickstarter edition and it took me a ton of time before I got it configured and working properly, and I definitely did have to do some work on it, so I'll have to play around with this some more. It's not really to any end, but more for my own satisfaction: I got cheap filament, that I'd like to use up rather than throw away lol.
     
  9. danjomite

    danjomite New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2014
    Messages:
    18
    Likes Received:
    1
    Ah okay, I was wondering what back pressure meant. I'll try some sort of temporary setup at least then and see because you may be right.
     
  10. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2013
    Messages:
    23,912
    Likes Received:
    7,338
    Downside of that is that on the R2/C2 there is precious little opportunity for backpressure. It is not caused by a long feed tube (there isn't one) although it could be caused by a nozzle partial clog (and PLA is rather good at doing that).
     
  11. danjomite

    danjomite New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2014
    Messages:
    18
    Likes Received:
    1
    Just wanted to report back with an update: I did build a temporary stand for the filament and it didn't fix the issue. Increasing the nozzle temperature seems to be the way to fix this problem, but this creates another issue: print edges curling at the top. Again, this is filament that prints completely normally on my R1 Kickstarter (with E3D v6 extruder) at about 200 degrees, but for the R2 I have to crank it up to 218 or 220.

    So another question: would slowing down the extrusion speed help in this case? if it would help, how do I do it? I've tried turning down the extrusion multiplier to 80% and that doesn't help.

    I've also noticed the temperature varies by up to 2 or 3 degrees some times so that may cause the backpressure issue to crop up again momentarily. Anyone with more knowledge can hopefully shed more light on this issue.
     
  12. sgomes

    sgomes Active Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2016
    Messages:
    136
    Likes Received:
    57
    Are you printing with PLA-type material? You might be getting some kind of heat creep, like I did with ColorFabb PLA/PHA. Increasing the temperature will make it flow better at first, but you'll still end up with a clog.

    At ColorFabb's advice, I started printing with the door open and the heated bed off (except for the first 10 layer or so), and I haven't run into mid-print clogs since. Worth a shot!

    Make sure you clean the nozzle thoroughly before testing this, though, since it's very easy to get a partial clog when your print starts under-extruding mid-print. When things need a proper cleaning, I do the following:
    • First, a cold pull on the filament I have in there.
    • Then, I heat the nozzle up to PLA printing temps and clean the outside of it with some wire brush.
    • While still hot, I clean the inside of the nozzle by inserting a thin metal wire from the outside (apparently a lot of folks use acupuncture needles too).
    • I run some rigid.ink floss (a filament designed to clean nozzles, I think it's nylon-based) at the temperature of the filament I had in there before.
    • Finally, I insert the filament I want to print again and run it through until it comes out clean.
     
  13. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2013
    Messages:
    23,912
    Likes Received:
    7,338
    Completely different extruder as mentioned. The GregsWade the R1 style uses is nowhere near the same as the direct extruder on the R2/C2 -- things will work differently.

    IMHO the GregsWade being a strongly geared extruder is more forgiving than a direct extruder.
     
    Geof likes this.
  14. Geof

    Geof Volunteer Moderator
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2015
    Messages:
    6,757
    Likes Received:
    2,339
    very much so. Theres very little stopping the wade....a direct drive ....theres very little that wont stop it. Its like the pinto of extruders- cheap and....well cheap :D ;) lol.
     
    mark tomlinson likes this.
  15. Huski

    Huski New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 21, 2016
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    3
    I have had a similar problem with my R2 and seem to have sorted it as follows.... first off, my issue only seems to happen when I have filament loaded from a previous print, but never when loading a new reel. Now before every print I heat up the hot end and with the filament release button held down manually push an inch or so of filament through .... this seems to work well ! Bit of a nuisance, but better than trashing a print mid way. Hope you come right.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
    supercazzola likes this.
  16. AlienBeans

    AlienBeans Active Member

    Joined:
    May 19, 2016
    Messages:
    110
    Likes Received:
    27
    I am having this same problem. It's a random clicking sound, that I believe is coming from the print head. I removed the cover today and checked the allen screws in the front. They both appeared to be a little loose, so I tightened them a bit, but it didn't help. After the other print was done, I removed the cover again and checked the little set screw on the feed gear shaft in the front. It was quite loose. I tightened it down as well, but doing a print job now and the unit is still clicking. A print failed last night because it stopped extruding filament for some reason. I've got an email in to tech support to see if they can help me isolate the clicking noise. I'll post back here what I find out from them.

    edit: Scratch that. After this print finished, I did a little investigating and discovered the clicking is coming from the X Axis as the head moves left to right. I've checked all the allen screws and they are all tight. Anybody else got any ideas here? It's printing fine, just making that annoying clicking sound.
     
    #16 AlienBeans, Aug 20, 2017
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2017
  17. danjomite

    danjomite New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2014
    Messages:
    18
    Likes Received:
    1
    Sorry I should have said E3D V6 hotend.
     
  18. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2013
    Messages:
    23,912
    Likes Received:
    7,338
    Yea, I hear you .. but the extruder matters too :)
    The GW is geared and will be able to push filament along easier than a direct extruder. Just that alone (ignoring the hotend part) will make a difference. So the R1 and the R2/C2 will have completely different behaviors even if you use the same hotend.
     
  19. danjomite

    danjomite New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2014
    Messages:
    18
    Likes Received:
    1
    I do print with PLA. It tends to clog up with "lower" temperatures, but as I said if I do keep it at higher temps, it will work fine. That's okay for most prints, but edges will tend to curl up at times which to me is a ruined print. I'm really frustrated with this thing at this point as I'm not getting any use out of it.


    Interesting, my printer will just fail on lower temperatures constantly. I've also run a 10 hour print (the shaft from https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2375835/) with the first 10 hours running perfectly fine only to have it fail to extrude properly in the last 2 or 3 hour so the print gets ruined.
     
  20. danjomite

    danjomite New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2014
    Messages:
    18
    Likes Received:
    1
    Oh okay, fair enough. So at this point what are my options? It certainly doesn't seem like the printer is functioning normally. Can I slow down the filament feed rate (would that even help)? Can the printer have come with smaller nozzle than 0.4mm? I'm at my wit's end.
     

Share This Page