Argh! This printer sucks big time right now. I started another print and it stopped extruding right in the middle of it. The filament was ground down to the point where the knurled bolt didn't have any grip. Upon removal the lower part of the filament broke off and the rest was stuck inside the extruder. So I had to take the extruder apart and clean the mess. I then adjusted the extruder tension back to factory settings (all the way up - no tension).
@gr5: I guess the test isn't necessary any more. The extruder is strong enough to grind filament down. Besides, I don't know what would happen if we find out that our extruders pull different weights. What would that mean? That my board was set to provide too little curent to the extruder motor?
By the way, after putting everything together and inserting new filament, I now see the phenomena you described earlier about filament curling at the nozzle tip. I don't see why a partial clog would occur right now, but who knows.
Oh and I ran another extrusion test. Fails at 7mm^3/s (no retraction) with the filament on the ball bearing spool holder.
So here I stand, axe in hand, ready to "fix" this thing for good :evil:
Recommended Posts
gr5 2,224
If your extruder clicks then it is probably assembled correctly and working correctly and the problem is more likely in the nozzle although I suppose you could increase the current. Supposedly the command to increase the current works now in the latest firmware. But I don't recommend it as you could start to get grinding of the filament.
I suppose one last test would be to insert the filament only a little ways into the bowden (not to the print head), then put weights pulling down on the filament and driver the extruder slowly until it suddenly slips out. If you do this test then I will repeat it on my machine. If you don't know the weight of your weights you can measure them after you find the right amount that makes the extruder slip backwards.
On the UM1, it can pull about 22 pounds.
Link to post
Share on other sites