Filament Stuck in the Nozzle (not clogged)

[MartinA 0]

Hi,

 

I have recently purchased an Ultimaker 2+. I have had a lot of difficulty printing successfully. I have tried multiple filaments, and print settings, and have purchased the refresh kit, which is a new print bed, and heater, thermocouple, fans, nozzle, ect. 

I have tried different layer height, infill, retraction, ect. I have noticed that for some prints material will not even come out of the print head. I will always try to 'move material' right before a print to see if the filament is set correctly and I get material to come out of the nozzle so I know its not clogged. What happens is when the print starts it does a slight retraction and when that happens the material gets stuck on something before it is able to make it to the nozzle. So there is no material that comes out after I start a print, but I can get material to come out when I 'move material' right before I try to print. 

I don't know why the filament gets stuck. Is there a mod or something I can do to keep the filament from getting stuck right before it enters the nozzle.. 

[Smithy 1,141]

You can check if the Bowden tube is seated correctly in the print head. If there is a small gap between Bowden and the PTFE coupler it could be possible that the filament stucks there.

[reibuehl 41]

Also check the feeder tension screw if it is too loose or too tight. The filament should only show very light to no markings from the feeder. If slips or grinds here, that could be an issue. Also check the diameter of your filament. On some brands, the filament is too thick for the bowden.

Did you already replace the PTFE coupler? If that one is too old, you might see similar issues.

But as @Smithy says, the bowden tube should be the first to check.

[MartinA 0]

So update on the progress,

 

I removed the aluminum collar above the PTFE tube in the picture. With it out of the way I was able to notice that I was not inserting the Bowden tube all of the way into the PTFE tube. Then I checked the feeder gear and cleaned of all the debris. 

 

I gave had a successful print since these changes. Thank you Smithy and reibuehl. I know its been a while since I posted this question. I really appreciate your quick response. I dot get to use the machine all that often right now. But now that I got it working I am looking forward to it.   

[Smithy 1,141]

I am glad it works again! 
Thanks for the feedback.