Ultimaker S3 - Crushes PLA, will not feed the printhead

[w_bronkhorst 0]

Yesterday I received a new S3. Excited to print my first object. However over and over the printer fails. There is not enough material in the printhead. Reloading the material shows that the PLA is chrushed in the feeder. The adjustment screw is in the middle.  

 

What is normal procedure for the S3?

 

Reading this link:        Material is ground down by the feeder – Ultimaker Support 

 

I read that:

• Ultimaker S5 and Ultimaker S3: On the Ultimaker S5 and Ultimaker S3 this is less likely to happen, since the flow sensor will prevent further grinding of material in the feeder. When there is still an issue with the filament, this is easy to fix. Release the feeder tension by lifting the lever at the side of the feeder. This will create extra space in the feeder, allowing the material to be easily moved through it.

 

So there a flow sensor, I assume that that is the sensor that told me there is no material in the printhead. 

 

I am bit disappointed that this happend with a new printer and new material.

 

What is the right procedure for adjusting the tension? 

 

 

Walter

 

[Smithy 987]

You mix a few things and we have to check some things to get the big pictures why you have these problems.

The feeder tension in its middle position is fine, don't touch it. The sensor is working in my opinion because it also detects when the filament don't move in the feeder and that's the case you have.

 

So we have to check if the filament can extrude through the nozzle. What happens when you unload/load the filament. During the load procedure it should extrude until you press the button, is that working fine?

[Carla_Birch 106]

What filament is that you are using btw? Not sure if just camera but it seems like its got gliter of something in it, what can easy block a 0.4 printcore.

 

Note like smithy says the tension set to the middle is fine.

Have you tired to do a hot and cold pull to check the nozzle is not blocked? If its blocked you will crush the filament each time you load it as soon it hits the blockage it will crush the filament.

[UlrichC-DE 79]

3 hours ago, Carla_Birch said:

What filament is that you are using btw? Not sure if just camera but it seems like its got gliter of something in it, what can easy block a 0.4 printcore.

If this is a filament with steel (this is also described as PLA in the print settings at colorFAB), you should set the nozzle diameter to 0.8. With 04, such wood, bronze and steel filaments only cause trouble. If it is really steel, I would use the CC 0.6 core. Otherwise your brass pressure nozzle will wear out.

Many greetings

[w_bronkhorst 0]

The issue has been resolved by losen the adjustment screw of the feeder

[Smithy 987]

I don't think that this has really resolved your problem, the root cause is probably somewhere else. You just solved the problem that the feeder will not grab anymore into the filament, but there must be a reason why he did it. 

 

But when you can print at the moment and everything is fine, it is ok, just don't wonder if you get under extrusion or similar issues, then you should remember that there was something with the feeder 🙂