Ultimaker S5 - one material appears to be empty

[Stefania Dinea 101]

Hello,

 

 

So I have this lovely issue with my new UMS5, as I am trying to print on it, it keeps popping up this warning and pauses my print:

 

- this error occurs both with native ultimaker materials and with other brands, 

- this error occurs both with flow sensor on and off

- this error is driving me crazy

- this error occurs with full rolls of filament

 

Any tips and tricks are welcomed

 

 

[WesleyE 14]

That does not look good. Can you check a few things to rule out some causes? Can you check if you're in the latest version of the firmware? We improved the end of filament detection a lot since the first launch. Also, has this always been the case with your S5, or did this behavior start recently?

[Stefania Dinea 101]

@Wesley I only started using it recently (went of vacation day after I got it) - so the behaviour did start recently but it is like this technically from the beginning. I did not update the firmware on it since I can't connect it to the web (office policies) and last time I did that I turned mine into a brick (so I am a little sensitive to software updates) - How do I disable the filament detection?

[kmanstudios 1,120]

On the main screen hit the gear icon. then go to the settings button. Flow sensor will be in there....second from top.

[Stefania Dinea 101]

Just now, kmanstudios said:

On the main screen hit the gear icon. then go to the settings button. Flow sensor will be in there....second from top.

 

 

yea --- did that - on and off, same issue - just have to update the firmare , after my 30h print is done --- if it will be done --- crossing fingers.

[kmanstudios 1,120]

Yes, definitely go with the firmware upgrade. I have not had the machine bricked yet on my end. And, it does make a difference in the performance of the machine.

[MattCCSSC 2]

Hey everyone.

 

Short version:

My printer started working fine after I disconnected it from the network. If your printer is connected to a network, try disconnecting it for a quick fix.

 

Longer version:

I made an account just to reply to this post.  I had the same exact issue with the error message and it pausing my print because of it.  The printers we have are only a few weeks old and have been working perfectly up until about a week ago.  One started throwing this error, but our second printer wasn't.  I was trying to figure out what changed over the course of a night, and all of you talking about firmware upgrades made it click.  A coworker hardwired one to our internal network.  Immediately after that is when the issue started. I have since disconnected it, and there is no longer an issue.

 

I'm not sure on the details of what was causing the network to cause this issue, but some setting somewhere was making the printer think it ran out of material.  If I discover anything else, I'll update  this post, but I thought I'd share this with all of you so it might put all of you on the right track to find the specific setting that triggers this error and to help anyone else frantically googling like I was.

 

Best of luck to you all and happy printing!

 

 

 

[aag 6]

Is there any update from the Ultimaker Team? I have set up my S5 today, and it is throwing this error all the time.

 

What is really bad, is that it does not even specify whether it is the extruder #1 or #2 that is raising the exception. The log files are infuriatingly useless, they contain a million irrelevant lines but nothing that would help debugging the issue.

 

Lastly, the "notification" is quite useless as well. The only notification I am getting is when the print starts (thank you very much, I started it myself), but when a pause occurs, no notification is sent. I mean, seriously?

[kmanstudios 1,120]

3 hours ago, aag said:

it does not even specify whether it is the extruder #1 or #2 that is raising the exception

If the switching arm (the lever that raises or lowers extruder 2) is facing the front of the printer, then it is Material one that is giving the error.

 

If it is facing the back of the printer then it is Material 2 that is the culprit.

 

3 hours ago, aag said:

but when a pause occurs, no notification is sent

Are you using the app?

 

And, I bet that the culprit is the extruder with PVA. Why? Because it is the usual suspect.

[aag 6]

I have followed the advice of MattCSCSCS and pulled the ethernet plug just before starting the print. Lo and behold, no more error messages! (I also switched off the flow control for good measure). I didn't really want to believe that this error could have anything to do with the ethernet connection, but here we are.

 

Dear Ultimaker team, this seems like something that you should look into. Lest you may get a lot of warranty returns...

[MattCCSSC 2]

Hey everyone,

 

Sorry I didn't update like I said I would, but I thought this thread would just get buried.  Since people are commenting still, I guess I'll come back.

 

So, after my last post, I thought the error was gone.  Nope.  A couple days later, it happened again.  It seems I was wrong about the network thing.  Sorry about that.

 

Aag, your print will continue not because of my advice, but because you turned off the flow sensor.  I also tried this.  Please be careful and watch your print.  The PVA material may stop extruding properly, and your printer will just print air.

 

This error only happens when I use PVA as support.  If I use extruder 1 with build material support, it always works fine.  I haven't found the exact source of the problem, but I have tried tweaking the feeder tension in both directions, and that hasn't changed anything.

 

I haven't printed anything requiring support recently, but if I find anything else, I'll update.  Again, sorry about the misinformation.  

 

Happy printing everyone!

 

[aag 6]

indeed, no support PVA was printed. However, I am totally new to 3D printing and I thought that I might have made some mistake. I assume that the ragged undersurfaces indicate the absence of much-needed support, right?
See:

 

 

[aag 6]

Also, Matt, I am sorry but I do not understand your sentence "If I use extruder 1 with build material support". Do you mean that you use only one extruder and you alternate PLA and PVA? This must be horribly boring, if you have to unload and load different filaments a dozen times...

[MattCCSSC 2]

In Ultimaker Cura, if you check the "generate support" box, it will give you options of which extruder to use.  If you select extruder 1, your printer will print support with your PLA material that is also being used for the item you are printing.  It works well and breaks off easily.  There is no material swapping involved.  

[aag 6]

ahhh, great, I will try that, thanks. Since we are at it, what is your opinion about the awfully ragged undersurfaces that I got (see my pics)?

[kmanstudios 1,120]

Sometimes, a lot of difficult clean up. Also, depending on crevasses and spindly parts, may be a real problem. I suggest solving your PVA issues for those parts.

 

But, in a nutshell, PVA works great if you can keep it dry. This really may not be possible in certain environments. I do have an occasional failure in an area or two, but some people just have a constant failure and I chalk it up to not being able to keep the stuff dry. It is a pain to work with.

[MattCCSSC 2]

Always make sure to print with some sort of support.  Either PLA or PVA support works great. 3D printers are awesome, but, like I tell my students, we can't print on air ?

 

Happy printing!

[aag 6]

3 minutes ago, kmanstudios said:

But, in a nutshell, PVA works great if you can keep it dry. This really may not be possible in certain environments. I do have an occasional failure in an area or two, but some people just have a constant failure and I chalk it up to not being able to keep the stuff dry. It is a pain to work with.

 

Dry as in 30% relative humidity? If so, that may be a tough one...  Also, somebody told me that one can regenerate PVA by dehydrating it somehow - but I do not remember how. Maybe oven at 40°C or something?

[kmanstudios 1,120]

11 minutes ago, MattCCSSC said:

Always make sure to print with some sort of support.  Either PLA or PVA support works great. 3D printers are awesome, but, like I tell my students, we can't print on air ?

 

Happy printing!

I would not say always. Here would be the thought behind that.

 

Find out what angle your printer can do without supports. For instance, this is a two colour print without supports.

 

I printed several 'overhang tests' from Thingiverse when I got the printer to find out what I could get away with.

 

But, I will completely concur that you cannot print on air....

[kmanstudios 1,120]

13 minutes ago, aag said:

 

Dry as in 30% relative humidity? If so, that may be a tough one...  Also, somebody told me that one can regenerate PVA by dehydrating it somehow - but I do not remember how. Maybe oven at 40°C or something?

I find about 57% - 62% is ok in general. But humidity is a bit of a misnomer. I have not taken time to calculate an actual dew point that would be more accurate.

[MarcM 0]

@Stefania Dinea -- I am wondering if you were able to overcome this problem from back in August (if so, how?).  I got a brand new S5 and started printing at the beginning of September, and yesterday encountered this very problem for the first time.  I have no idea why.  It is updated to the latest firmware (5.1.7.20181023).  The representative who sold me the machine suggested switching off the "flow sensor", as others in this thread have suggested, but that is not a permanent solution, just a work-around.  When it is printing, the prints look absolutely normal (not as though it is under-extruding).  The spool is not bound.  I am quite surprised that there has been only one response from Team Ultimaker in this thread.  At the moment it is printing again, but I have low hopes of actually printing through the weekend.

[Stefania Dinea 101]

4 hours ago, MarcM said:

@Stefania Dinea -- I am wondering if you were able to overcome this problem from back in August (if so, how?).  I got a brand new S5 and started printing at the beginning of September, and yesterday encountered this very problem for the first time.  I have no idea why.  It is updated to the latest firmware (5.1.7.20181023).  The representative who sold me the machine suggested switching off the "flow sensor", as others in this thread have suggested, but that is not a permanent solution, just a work-around.  When it is printing, the prints look absolutely normal (not as though it is under-extruding).  The spool is not bound.  I am quite surprised that there has been only one response from Team Ultimaker in this thread.  At the moment it is printing again, but I have low hopes of actually printing through the weekend.

 

 

I got support from our on site ultimaker representative. It was a challenge for them too. We had it with the factory firmare and couldn’t get it to work to the latest, so first we updated to an earlier version of updates - can’t remember which one and then to the latest!

[Spentys 1]

Hi @Stefania Dinea, 

We've just got 5 new S5's for one week now, 

And for the moment 3 of them have displayed this same message... ("one material appears to be empty...")

 

Have you got any update from Ultimaker? 

Or any solution to propose? 

 

Thanks in advance for your answer :) 

[SandervG 1,521]

Hi @Spentys , welcome to the community! Have you followed the recommendations from this thread and update your firmware? Can you share with me which version you are using atm? 

 

Thanks!

[aag 6]

I think that it is very unfortunate that UM does not even bother to display which one of the two extruders is down. It doesn't seem too much to ask.