Print starts good - at some point begins to have extrusion issues

[glen4cindy 1]

I'm one of the many folks who got a 3D printer for Christmas. I'm learning there's a BIG learning curve when learning how to use one. I've been doing great and having more successes than failures so I guess that is a good thing.

 

I'll start by saying the filament I'm using here is old. It has been stored in its sealed plastic bag but without desiccant.

 

I had a print going that was going to take about 8 hours and about 2.5 hours or so in (could have been more) I began to notice the filament wasn't extruding. Sometimes very little, sometimes not at all.

The previous prints have come out fine so I don't think there is a clog.

I believe all of my settings are good but I'm still learning so I'm sure I may have missed something.

It doesn't look like the temperatures are going down and I'm not printing super fast.

I've included a photo of the print where I stopped it and my project file.

Help is appreciated.

CFFFP_lausanne-perpetual-pace-man-1.3mf

[Slashee_the_Cow 267]

I don't think it's the problem, but it wouldn't hurt to try drying the filament a bit - I've had PLA which has been laying around for years work reasonably well, but not all PLA is the same. Popular trick if you don't want to buy desiccant or a filament dryer is to set your printer's bed to about 60°, lay the spool of filament on the bed, cover it with a towel and give it an hour or two.

 

Have you tried printing again or just that one? It would be a good test to see if it works fine up to a certain height like that one, but then goes bad again, in which case you can probably rule out the filament as a problem.

 

Looking at your project file, I see you're printing at 190° - most PLA I print at 200-210, although most manufacturers put stickers or whatever on the side of the spool with recommended temperatures, speeds and such. If that says 190, then that's alright.

[gr5 2,173]

If it's PLA I doubt moisture is the issue as I have 10 year old PLA, never stored in a bag, works fine.

 

What kind of printer is this?  This kind of issue and the solution tends to be printer specific.  It's tricky to build hot ends that don't get stuck.

[Slashee_the_Cow 267]

48 minutes ago, gr5 said:

If it's PLA I doubt moisture is the issue as I have 10 year old PLA, never stored in a bag, works fine.

Likewise. But I like to throw in the kitchen sink before everything else.

Edited January 14 by Slashee_the_Cow

[glen4cindy 1]

I'm printing again right now. Everything is looking great. I'm using a different filament and I didn't make any changes to the file.

My printer is a Minga Magician X2.

[glen4cindy 1]

3 hours ago, gr5 said:

If it's PLA I doubt moisture is the issue as I have 10 year old PLA, never stored in a bag, works fine.

 

What kind of printer is this?  This kind of issue and the solution tends to be printer specific.  It's tricky to build hot ends that don't get stuck.

My printer is a Minga Magician X2.

 

•  Mark as Solution

[glen4cindy 1]

Thanks for all the responses.

 

I've printed with some other PLA spools that I "think" are from about the same time but I'm not sure. I'm borrowing some spools in an attempt to get another 3D printer working so I thought I would try this in my printer.

 

There's one spool of Hatchbox that has never given me an issue.

 

I had an issue with a spool I bought from Amazon. The rabbit code that came with the printer as a test printed fine but then I tried printing a larger item and it started to have extrusion issues too like it was not delivering enough filament.

 

Maybe adjusting the heat a bit higher will help.

 

 

[glen4cindy 1]

Here's how the final print came out.

Supports "Everywhere" seems to be a bad idea. However, letting Cura put supports where they are needed was leaving the entire arm "floating" and I wasn't sure how to add a manual support.

 

[gr5 2,173]

It looks fantastic.  No underextrusion.  Great surface finish.

[glen4cindy 1]

3 hours ago, gr5 said:

It looks fantastic.  No underextrusion.  Great surface finish.

Thank you.

This is why I'm confused about the issues with the other filament.

I tested another print with a never opened roll of filament that was a couple of years old.

As you can see below it doesn't look very good. The exact same file was printed with the black filament.

[gr5 2,173]

maybe it's slipping in your feeder?  Or grinding in your feeder?  Maybe the diameter is larger and it gets stuck somewhere (check with a caliper).  I don't know.  Ask on a forum just for your printer type.  Someone probably knows exactly what the issue is.