Solved Need help

Hello everyone Im back with some more troubles today. So I think my hot end might be jammed/clogged. Im trying to feed filament in and it just doesnt seem to be extruding out. How do I go about taking it apart to clean it? Also on a somewhat similar note, I have a question about loading filament, Should I really be having difficulty trying to load it in? I move the latch back feed it through the hole so the gear inside can grab it but it takes a bit of effort to try and feed 2 inches worth into it like it says in the manual. Also It seems to me like this printer is a 2 man job currently with the trouble I am having with it. Should this printer be able to be maintained by one person or should I have a second person be able to assist with feeding filament in while the other person tries to extrude at the computer? Sorry If this is hard to follow, I am not very good at wording things.

 

A couple of thoughts on your issues:
1 - What model printer do you have? Is it an R1+? If so, simply loosen the screw underneath the front part of the carriage and pull out the quick release lever. Your hotend should drop out (assuming the filament is not being held by the hobbed bolt).
2 - You should easily be able to take care of this printer by yourself once you have learned a little bit and get comfortable. The folks on here will be happy to help you out as well.
3 - The filament should go in easily. If it isn't, it is likely you have some measure of a clog. Clear our your clog and you should be good to go.

 

Yeah its an R1+. Do you happen to have a pic of the screw I need to be looking for? I think I know which one, but its better to be safe than sorry.

 

Sorry for the late reply guys. Thanks for the help and for the links. Going to attempt to take this beast apart once my sister's boyfriend gets here. He has more knowledge about 3D printers than me, and i would feel better taking it apart if he was here so i dont mess up.

 

I don't know if you are supposed to or not, but whenever I load filament I find it is easier just to turn the extruder gear slowly. That could make it easier in the future, but it does sound like you have something clogged.
Also, I recommend putting something like a towel on your heated bed while taking the hotend out. I chipped a small piece off right in the middle of my bed once. Granted, it was a small piece, but still. Better safe than sorry.

 

Thanks for the tip. I will make sure i have a towel ready on the heat bed as well. I currently keep a towel over my R1+ because my cat likes to be curious and was caught rubbing her face on parts she shouldnt have been rubbing against.

 

Also sorry for the double post but I just thought of another question. When trying to remove the screws for the hot end, is it wise to completely remove the Hot end from the rods? If that made sense. Dont know the technical terms for each of the parts since im fairly new to 3D printing

 

Alrighty thanks for the speedy replies everyone. Cant wait to get started on this as soon as possible so I can start printing some of the sword designs I have been working on the past couple of days.

 

Again sorry for the double post, but I was also wondering, do I need to unplug anything on the hot end before i start to unscrew the one screw?

 

Ok so i got the hot end out and mostly unclogged. There feels like there might be more inside but I am unsure of how to get to it to remove the rest. Also how can i tell if the nozzle is clogged too or does that not matter as it will clear out when it gets heated?

 

Dont have a butane torch, but i do have a needle nose pin for the nozzle. And yeah i figured out i had to remove the nozzle to get access to the rest. got the jam cleared just a few min ago and now putting everything back together as i type this.

 

Will do. Im going to call it a night for tonight and do a test print in the morning. I will update this thread then if i succeed or something horribly goes wrong and explodes.

 

Ok so i did the calibration circle as a test and everything works finally. Currently doing another test print but with something i designed. Its a Medabots Medal for those who know what that is XD