ER61 - Material station failed to unload: filament still in print core

[RFrancis 0]

Firmware version: 6.5.1.0

 

I made my second print with CPE+ (and breakaway) overnight.

This morning the printer has an error ER61. I followed the linked troubleshooting guide, but this doesn't help because the cause is not covered. The material is still in the print core (both of them are actually).

 

The only choice on that screen is to reboot. After several mechanical noises suggesting it's trying again, it returns to the error page.

 

Power-cycling has the same end result. I can't access any other function and the trouble-shooting guide does not cover my case.

 

What can I do?

 

Thanks,

Richard

 

 

[RFrancis 0]

Forgot to mention it's the S5 Pro Bundle, but that's probably obvious, and also in the tag.

 

cheers,

Richard

 

[Carbon 28]

Heat both print cores manually to around 200°C.

 

Release both of the feeder clamps at the rear of the machine, turn off the printer (switch at rear) and remove the power cable from the material station, then simply pull the material through the tubes from the material station side.

 

Check both filaments for damage ( i'd just cut off what was in the tubes and start a fresh...).

 

Replace the material station power cord, turn on the S5 and it should be good to go.

 

Note: Speaking from experience, this may or may not be the correct procedure, but this has happened several times before and has worked every time.

[RFrancis 0]

Thanks for the tip. I'll try to do it. My first problem though is that the machine very rapidly goes to the error page and I can't access the menus to heat the print cores. There may be a small time window I can exploit though.

 

cheers,

Richard

 

[Carbon 28]

1 minute ago, RFrancis said:

Thanks for the tip. I'll try to do it. My first problem though is that the machine very rapidly goes to the error page and I can't access the menus to heat the print cores. There may be a small time window I can exploit though.

 

cheers,

Richard

 

 

In that case, cut off the material above the print core. Once you're back up and running, heat up the print cores manually to remove the cut off.

[RFrancis 0]

Again, thanks for your helpful comments. However, I have a bit of a problem. As the filament is stuck in the print core, and is fixed at the other end too, the Bowden tube won't move (with the filament inside it -- it's what Bowden tubes are for ;-). I can't raise it more than a millimetre from the print core (at which point the end is still inside the housing) and so can't cut the filament.

 

cheers,

Richard

 

[Szahari 30]

Hi Francis.

 

Have you opened a support ticket? Alternatively, I would be very curious in getting some images and videos to see what sort of scenario your stuck in.

 

As I understand, your struggling to retract and pull the material back when its cold? This could be because the filament is solidified within the print core nice and strong. 

 

In any case, you should be able to release a Bowden tube, and cut the filament out. When the feeder lever release, and the filament cut from the material station entry point, you should be able to just by hand, (with the pro bundle turned off), pull out the offending filament.

 

If you want, feel free to PM me with all sorts of additional pictures /info.

 

Best

[RFrancis 0]

Hi Szahari,

 

no I didn't open a support ticket -- I looked for somewhere on the website to do that since the machine is rather new: end-April for the S5 and Air Manager, end-June for the Material Station, and it spent >2 months of that time back at Ultimaker for a trivial repair (4 or 5 LEDs in the strip dead on arrival). But I still can't find where on your site to open a support ticket.

 

Anyway, here are 2 photos: the first shows the filament still in the print cores (it's switched off as I don't want to make it try to extract the material again), and second shows the spools in the material station. The one on the left is tight as it's trying to pull the stuck material.

 

I'll try the solution you suggest.

 

thanks,

Richard