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Solved Clogged extruder

Discussion in 'Troubleshooting' started by twilk53, Nov 26, 2016.

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  1. twilk53

    twilk53 New Member

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    My extruder is clogged and I need to remove either the tip or the whole hot end to get it cleared. How do I go about this?
     
  2. TexasToon

    TexasToon New Member

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    i literally came here to post the same thing, is there a way to do this with minimal dismantling? I've taken out the two spring loaded screws and pulled back the guide, initially i could see the filament and could pull on it but it must have formed a bulb on the end which wouldn't let me pull it out so i thought plan B might be to attempt to push the filament down so i might be able to face some of it out of the extruder and then chase it all the way through with fresh filament but this was an epic fail and now its just totally out of view.

    So i guess i'm on the same boat as @twilk53

    so looking at the pic below, can i loosen the allen head screw circled and pull the nozzle down out of the head and unblock it?

    [​IMG]
     
  3. WheresWaldo

    WheresWaldo Volunteer ( ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°)
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    @TexasToon, no that won't work, but with two open end wrenches you can loosen the nozzle. Not the best video but it shows how things are put together.

     
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  4. TexasToon

    TexasToon New Member

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    Can can I unscrew the brass nozzle from the head without stripping down the whole assembly?
     
  5. WheresWaldo

    WheresWaldo Volunteer ( ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°)
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    You can I'd your careful and can see everything while in place.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk
     
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  6. TexasToon

    TexasToon New Member

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    FYI its a 7mm wrench for the nozzle and an 18mm to hold the heater block, i've removed the nozzle but i can't see any material, I've even used an inspection mirror and tried probing the whole (thats what she said) with a needle, i'm feeling resistance so i presume whatever is blocking my extruder is sufficiently away from the heater to not be melting it.

    Its looking like a full strip down.
     
  7. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    The structure of the hotend is (from top to bottom)

    Cold section (with fins and a fan)
    heat break (narrow neck)
    Heater block which contains:
    - the melt zone
    -the nozzle (usually brass)

    Internally the nozzle will be butted up to the threads of the heat break.

    The filament should only be melted in the melt zone. If the hotend fan (the one attached to the hotend) is not working or not working correctly the small all-metal ones will jam up since the melted filament back up into the cold section. This is called heat creep.
     
  8. Robert T Loewen

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    Which model do you have


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  9. TexasToon

    TexasToon New Member

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    I have the Robo3D R1 Plus and I'm noticing my extruder assembly is quite different from the one in thy youtube clip
     
  10. WizarDru

    WizarDru Member

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    If you want to remove the hot-end from the extruder, it's actually much easier on the R1+ than what that video shows.

    Step 1: look at the front of the extruder, you'll see a small access hole leading up into the extruder on the front-side. Look where the 'hot area' caution is and look beneath and behind that. The small screwdriver they provided you in the plastic kit-box you got when you bought the printer is then used to loosen a screw that holds it in place. Simply loosen that screw (but try not to loosen it so it falls out...not a crisis, but a hassle to put back).

    Step 2: Once you've loosened it, you'll notice a small horizontal hole on a black plastic piece above it on the left side. You grab that piece by the hole and swing it out the left. This a piece that pinches the hot-end in place. The screw locks it in position and when you slide it out, the hot-end will drop out UNLESS it's currently being held-in by some jammed filament. If so, then do:

    Step 3: Pull back the two screws or the slider that holds the filament tight when being fed into the extruder. If there is filament stuck in there, the hot-end will drop out once you release this.

    You can disconnect the electrical and sensor cables if you want, unless you need to turn it upside-down while under heat. If you're going to do that, you'll want some pliers or something to hold it while doing this.

    This video is not the greatest, but it shows the place where the screw is and the plastic arm I'm mentioning on the R1+:
     
    #10 WizarDru, Nov 28, 2016
    Last edited: Nov 28, 2016
  11. TexasToon

    TexasToon New Member

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    Thats perfect thank you.

    I've now got the hot-end out but the filament is snapped off flush at the top of the cooling block, any advice on what I can do or do i need to buy a new hot-end?
     
  12. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    If you are careful you can disassemble it (see this assembly video, disassembly is the reverse) just bear in mind that you need to break the nozzle free of the heater block with it hot.



    Or, buy a new one if you would rather :)
     
  13. WizarDru

    WizarDru Member

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    No need for that, yet. If you have tweezers or needle-nose pliers, you might be able to pull it out.

    Failing that, the simplest step is a 'cold pull'. Heat the hot-end to temp and push filament in if you can force it through past the heat break. If you can do that, you can then cool it down to say 140 and then yank it out.

    You could also try hearing it to temp and turn the hot end upside-down to get the melted filament to flow down into the unmelted, bonding it so you can then force it through.

    Next after that would be to disassemble the hot-end, which isn't as scary as it sounds.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  14. TexasToon

    TexasToon New Member

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    Ok I unblocked it, I heated up the hot-end and managed to force the filament through using a pick tool, wow it was stuck good !

    Lets hope I can get it all back together without having a mental breakdown.
     
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  15. Rick P.

    Rick P. New Member

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    I was able to run the new filament into the clog, then back off a bit. I then heated the head to max temp, and let it stay there for about 10 min. Then I ran the new filament into the clog, with the wheel, and forced it hard into the clog manually pushing with my left, while turning the wheel with my right. After a few seconds, the clog began to extrude, followed by the new filament. No disassembly required!
     
    mark tomlinson likes this.
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