Creality Ender 3 Printer stops mid print

[jfisher 0]

I'm having some major issues with large prints on my Ender 3. 

 

Any file that I attempt to print that takes longer than about 7 hours causes my printer to crash. After crashing, I can power-cycle the printer, select resume print and most of the time it resumes right on point and the print finishes (sometimes I get terrible layer shifting but that's most likely another issue.)

 

Steps to recreate:

Save gcode file to sd card.

Plug in sd card to machine which is already on

Select refresh SD card and select print

Allow print to run for about five to seven hours

Printer makes a loud beeping/screeching noise

LCD screen flashes blank, between lit up and dark, briefly showing ender logo

Print head stops in place on the print

Everything starts cooling down

LCD screen remains backlit but with no text/other info

Printer sits and waits for me to rescue it

I power cycle the printer

Select to resume print

Nozzle etc reheats and print resumes

 

I've found in forums other people reporting this same behavior but so far no resolutions that have worked for me. Has anyone fixed this behavior before? Does it sound like a defect? 

I did accidentally sever one of the cables to the z axis at install, but repaired it. I don't think this is the problem as I'm not having any other electrical type issues with the product. In the beginning the printer could handle long prints and I've completed several of the same gcode file without issue before this began happening. 

 

Please let me know what specific additional information could be helpful and I will happily provide it. The printer has a lot of potential but this is kind of a killer for me and I need to figure out if I should just send it back and start over again. 

 

 

 

 

[jfisher 0]

One thing I just realized tinkering with this tonight - I have received several pretty sharp static shocks when touching the printer. I'm wondering if a buildup of static is causing the malfunction. If anyone has experience with this lmk. 

[Smithy 1,144]

I think this could be the reason and it is definitely not normal. So you should first solve this static issue and then check again if the print comes out ok. 

[jfisher 0]

Last night I unplugged it from my print cabinet and plugged it directly into the wall. The printer did not crash this time. It was still unsuccessful because the extrusion tip caught the edge of the print and displaced it, causing an offset for the remainder of the print. However there were no electronic malfunctions. 

 

I'm thinking that the surge protector I had this plugged into had an issue with the ground (it's pretty stinking old - going on 15 years old). I'm picking up a new one tonight. Just to be safe, I'm also going to run a grounding wire from things like the belt and wire mesh casings which aren't grounded and can build up static. Hopefully the combination of this will prevent any additional crashes (and damage to my machine). 

[Smithy 1,144]

26 minutes ago, jfisher said:

from my print cabinet

Do you have the printer in a full enclosure?

[jfisher 0]

Yep - it's an old, solid wood entertainment center with ventilation in the back. It's hard wired with a set of surge protected outlets that you then run to a wall plug (which are obviously no longer in use). I wanted to protect the prints from temp changes and pets in our house and the temp levels inside are pretty steady. 

[Smithy 1,144]

This can be also contra-productive if it gets too warm inside. Stepper motors can get too hot and a lot of other things can happen. Ventilation is good, but maybe not enough. Measure the inside temp which should not be higher than 30° C. If you get more during a longer print, you have not enough ventilation.