material not feeding

[toniszym 0]

Please help. I have a UM3+ and it has worked great for the past 2 years. Suddenly the PVA in printcore 2 is not extruding. Stopped working mid-print. I have 1) cleaned AND changed the print head 2) cleaned the feeder gears - even took the whole feeder assembly apart, cleaned it out and put it back together and 3) blew out the bowden tube with air. I am at my wit's end. I have searched all over the web and there are no possible solutions or even suggestions on how to re-assemble the feeder. I have a math camp starting next week and desperately need this to work.

 

Thanks!

Toni

[kmanstudios 1,120]

Maybe @fbrc8-erin may have some reference material she knows of.

[fbrc8-erin 272]

Does your PVA feel at all flexible? How long has this PVA been open? If you put your AA Print Core in Slot 2 and try to print PLA is it having the same issues you're having with the PVA?

When reassembling the feeder, have you set the tension to the mid-point? 

[toniszym 0]

I put the PLA in and changed the print core and it printed like a charm. So I am guessing the the PVA got too old and damp. Is the lesson to print what I need with PVA then take it off and store it? Thank you thank you thank you for your help. I was thinking the printer was ruined.

[fbrc8-erin 272]

Glad to help! Definitely sounds like the PVA is too damp. When you're not using it, store it in a sealed plastic bag or box with silica. You can try drying it out on the heated bed for a few hours at 55 or 60 C, but if it's too far gone, it may not be recoverable. If it gets too dried out trying to recover it, it can get brittle and snap in the bowden tube.