Printer Head Clogged - Fan Bracket stuck Half Way Open

[maclock 0]

Hi guys,  hopefully someone can advise how I can get out of my predicament.  Part way into a print job I must have had a clogging of a nozzle.  When I discovered the situation, the x-y axis was still "printing" like nothing was wrong, but a large blob of solidified PLA was stuck on the outlet of the nozzle,  and the fan bracket had popped about half way open.

 

I have removed the Bowden tube and gently removed the solidified blob from the outside of the nozzle.  I think the next step is to remove the clogged print core.  The problem is the fan bracket is not opening fully.  As mentioned above, I discovered it half open, but it seems stuck in that position.  I can see a blob of solidified PLA underneath the fan cover.  I do not want to use too much force to try to open it fully, for fear that I damage something.

 

Anybody encountered this situation and can suggest what I should do?

 

Thanks

[gr5 1,371]

1) First know that this is called a "head flood".  You can contact your reseller and they might fix it for you if you ask nice.  As a minimum it would be good to report the problem so that they have an idea how common this is.

2) Secondly know the cause.  It's never a leak - but there are 2 possible causes - the door fell open during a print (this is much less common).  When this is all over, check how much force it takes to open the door.  You might need to adjust your magnets or your door slightly to improve this.  MUCH MORE LIKELY - your print came loose from the glass.  When a print comes loose from the glass and the print is wider than it is tall, then the head will drag the print around on the glass like a hockey puck  And you get this massive blob as you described and it gets up into the head and then slowly over the next hour pushes the head open.

3) To fix your problem it's best to use a heat gun.  If you don't have one, buy one.  Or ask a friend.  This is the time in your life when it's time to ask for a favor because fixing this without a heat gun is a nightmare.  So locate a heat gun.  You will be glad you did.  Then using that and some tools such as pliers and screwdrivers and other metal tools or posicle sticks and what-have-you - you can pull the blobs off bit by bit.  Takes about a half hour.

[maclock 0]

Hi GR5.

 

I have started cleaning out the areain question using my wife's electric hair dryer.  With the door stuck in a single position, its a bit tricky getting the needle nosed pliers in the cofined space.  Hopefully mu continued hair dryer and continued picking away with the needle nosed pliers will eventually free up the hinge joint on the door.  

 

You are right, when I discovered it, the print was skating around  on the glass plate like a hockey puck.  

 

Thanks for the help on this one!

[IRobertI 454]

If you get rid of the plastic that sticks out through the opening at the bottom of the print head you can usually remove the fan shroud and front cover to get better access. Both of them will come off as one unit if you unscrew the four screws on top of the fan shroud. Be careful when you start pulling it off since the wires will still be connected at the back of the head and they might have been caught in the blob of plastic (unlikely).

 

Once you get the fan shroud out of the way it will be much easier to deal with the blob.