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Filament not feeding - extruder jammed?

Discussion in 'Troubleshooting' started by BrianP, Apr 30, 2014.

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  1. BrianP

    BrianP New Member

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    I haven't been able to get a print to work, at all. I'm using the ABS filament that came with the printer and have attempted to use 220 and 230 temperatures.

    When the printing process begins, a small gob of plastic sometimes comes out and that's it (photo attached). The printer continues to move around as if it's laying down material, so that part is fine.

    After canceling the print job, I lightly pull on the filament and it easily just comes out, tapered to a very thin wisp (photo attached).

    I've tried shining a light from above to see if the extruder is blocked. The light doesn't get through, but I can't tell if it's gobbed up.

    Adding to my frustration, there's a screw that is not connected to anything sitting in a slot at the very top of the extruder apparatus (photo attached). I can't tell if it screws into that slot or goes somewhere else entirely.

    Any help would be appreciated. I'm in the DC/MD area so if there's anyone local that could help I'd be grateful.
    ROBO01.jpg ROBO02.jpg ROBO03.jpg
     
    #1 BrianP, Apr 30, 2014
  2. tesseract

    tesseract Moderator
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    First of all you should really try using PLA as it is much easier to print with ABS will have some other characteristics you will have to figure out the you won't have to with PLA.

    The first thing you need to do is to try and feed the filament through manually and ss if you are actually getting filament through the system. You should open up the top (be careful with the screws they are spring loaded and WILL fly off easily) and then see if you can manually push filament through while the hot end is heated if it does then you are ok so far in that area. I assume you have done all the setup with the x axis and getting it level and then setting the proper Z height, if not then I would go through the forums and find the videos on that procedure and complete it. The proper initial z height is the hardest part and also the most crucial if not done properly the filament could have a hard time sticking to the bed or it could cause an actual jam in your hot end.

    If you can make a print try one with a skirt of two loops set about 5-10mm outside of the print and upload an image of that skirt and we can help you get set up further.

    As far as that screw I believe it does NOT belong there as it is the first time I have seen it there and have heard nothing about it being something new.
     
    #2 tesseract, Apr 30, 2014
  3. anoble66

    anoble66 New Member

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    Hi Brian,

    No, that screw does not belong in there. Remove it and then look around to see if you can find where it should be, or it may of just been dropped in accidentally and you have a spare.

    Are you sure your using ABS? I believe Robo usually sends PLA sample and not ABS which only requires temps of 195/200c to extrude. Completely remove the 2 x spring /screws ( be careful it does not spring out as the washer will go flying) holding the filament latch on top of the extruder and insert your filament in past the hobbed bolt and into the little hole. With a little force you should be able to push through some filament and get it to extrude easily? If so, now close up the latch with the spring screws (just until the end of the screw comes through the nut). Now If you try to manually extrude from within MatterControl or Repetier Host does it work?
     
    #3 anoble66, Apr 30, 2014
  4. anoble66

    anoble66 New Member

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    ^ sorry didnt see the reply from tesseract
     
    #4 anoble66, Apr 30, 2014
  5. Peter Krska

    Peter Krska Active Member

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    Try taking a bobby pin, heat the tip red hot and stick it down the extruder hole. See if it sticks to anything. Put some pressure on it as it goes down. Make sure the tip is red hot. It cools quickly. Once down there if you feel it going into anything, wait a sec or two and then pull out the filament. It might have to be repeated if you don't get all of it in one shot. And the tip will not stick to anything or go into the filament unless it's really hot. I heat it right next to the hole so I can shove it down that hole right away. I really works good to capture that left behind filament!
     
    #5 Peter Krska, May 7, 2014
  6. BrianP

    BrianP New Member

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    For the Z axis calibration, how close does it need to be? Right now I can slide a business card between the extruder and the heat bed, and there's a little space. How snug should it be?
     
    #6 BrianP, May 8, 2014
  7. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Closer than that.
    That is a good starting point for tweaking it in, but really a sheet of paper is about as thick as it really needs to be (even that is not an exact measurement, but close). You have to examine the skirt as it prints to get it exact. Pick a small test print and it goes quicker.

    Once done you seldom need to mess with it again unless you have to move the bed/print arm or something mechanical.
     
    #7 mark tomlinson, May 8, 2014
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  8. tesseract

    tesseract Moderator
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    Mark is right the paper is a great place to start and should be considered a medium level tuning for fine tuning you need to actually look at the skirt of the print.
     
    #8 tesseract, May 8, 2014
  9. BrianP

    BrianP New Member

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    I moved the print bed so it is very close to the extruder. Also, not being sure whether the included blue filament was PLA or ABS, I put that aside and threaded in some ABS that I purchased.

    When the filament is pushed through the heated extruder it comes out in a thin wisp much like in the installation video on YouTube. So good there.

    But when printing, the result is the same. The filament doesn't feed onto the bed. With no effort it pulls out from the top, ending in a fine inch-long taper.

    Thoughts:
    Are the spring screws too tight? (filament squeezed too much to advance) Or..
    Are the spring screws too loose? (not enough grip to advance) Or..
    Is the cog that advances the filament not grippy enough?
     
    #9 BrianP, May 14, 2014
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