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Print stops or fails halfway through


origamimavin

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Posted · Print stops or fails halfway through

A couple days ago I ran a couple prints (tree frogs) with some new material i just bought, and everything went as it normally does. I then ran a print over night using 14.02-RC3 (same as the frogs), and when I woke up I saw it only made it about halfway through, but it looked the the nozzle had been moving properly. I ran it again the next day while sitting next to it, and I noticed that when it got to exactly the same spot, the nozzle stopped outputting plastic. It looked like the extruder would be moving much much slower than it should have been (but still doing retraction on jumps), and the temperatures were fine, but it stopped spitting out plastic. I tried to print it again with the newest version, 14.03, and it still stopped extruding at exactly the same place, about 50-60% through. I tried to then print a standard octopus, and it would then stop right around the start of the eyes, but this time the printer head would just stop moving and leave a big melt spot where it stopped. I tried another octopus print today using Cura version 13.03, and that printed just fine, not a problem at all. Then I went back to print a small keychain with Cura 14.03, and again the nozzle halted at about halfway through, melting the spot it came to rest in.

Anyone know why this is happening? I haven't had the issues before. The prints seem to come out so well, then just fail. I've restarted the computer and checked all my connections. I'm using a RepRap running Marlin, printing over USB.

CAM04274CAM04275CAM04276CAM04277CAM04278

 

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    Posted · Print stops or fails halfway through

    I've been able to get some prints to work, but not others. I keep getting this error message in cura as it's printing, sometimes as it messes up, sometimes it keeps printing:

    < Serial Error: Line Number is not Last Line Number+1, Last Line:2

    < Serial Error: Line Number is not Last Line Number+1, Last Line:2

    < Serial Error: Line Number is not Last Line Number+1, Last Line:3

    < Unknown command:

    < N4T0*30

    < Serial Error: Line Number is not Last Line Number+1, Last Line:2

    < Unknown command:

    < N4T0*30

    < Serial Error: Line Number is not Last Line Number+1, Last Line:5

     

    ^I'm getting these errors on just about all the prints. What could be causing this?

     

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    Posted · Print stops or fails halfway through

    Some thoughts:

    1) look at the gcode in cura layer view - did you do that? Pay especial attention where it fails.

    2) look at the gcdoe in repetier host. It's free software:

    http://www.repetier.com/download/

     

    3) Marlin has a temp cutoff - if the temp is below 170C (or some other cutoff temp) the extruder stops turning. Could you be below that cutoff?

    4) USB printing is pretty unreliable. Typically Marlin gets tons of checksum errors and the data is resent many times. That is what those errors are I think. Try changing cables, try turning off fluorescent lights, or things with motors. Don't touch any light switches in the room while printing. Try a different machine which might have a better USB port. Try a USB hub which might have a higher boost voltage for USB.

     

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    Posted · Print stops or fails halfway through

    thanks for the reply!

    1) i looked at the layer views a bit and didn't see anything that stood out. i can look a bit closer at it, but i'm guessing i won't find much.

    2) i can try repetier host, i haven't yet. i looked at the code in notepad and didn't see anything that stood out. i also tried printing it in pronterface and was having issues too. lots of checksum errors return.

    3) i usually print at 180deg. right after some of the prints stop, i would immediately check the temp, and it was still in the 178-185 range. i've glanced over the machine, nothing is hitting any endstops, nothing is interfering with the circuit board, etc. everything looks as it should.

    4) i have a microSD add-on board that i can try to solder on. i just haven't gotten around to it yet. from what i've read online, it sounds like that may fix the checksum errors, and it would be nice to be able to turn the computer off on long prints. only thing is, i'm about to run a bunch prints and change the color halfway through (logo keychains), and since i don't have any buttons or display on my printer, i don't think i can control that with a sd card (but i could be wrong?).

    in terms of the computer, nothing has changed. i brought the printer and computer to the midwest maker convention a couple weeks ago, but everything was fine there and fine when i got home, these issues seem to just have started to happen. i can try to change cables. i haven't added any appliences to the house, and the printer sits in the same place it always has. it's running off a usb 3.0 on a nice, modern workstation laptop, so i don't think that would be causing issues.

    i've never had these checksum errors before, and i've run some quite long prints in the past. could it be something with the new version of Cura, did something change? i haven't really used any other slicer, and really like Cura, but i can't print with problems like these..

    i appreciate any help anyone can offer!

     

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    Posted · Print stops or fails halfway through

    I think you should assume USB issues. So the SD card solution is good. You moved the printer, so maybe now the USB cable is close to another cable that is causing interference. It isn't relevant if the computer is brand new or old. Some computers just have a better signal. Ideally you want to use as short a USB cable as possible. And it should be shielded. An unshielded USB cable will work fine for the most part so it's hard to tell if it is properly shielded so you just have to try another one. The proper test would be to remove the insulation half way down the cable and check continuity from the braided shield there to the outside of the connectors (the metal part) on both ends.

    If there is no braid or it isn't connected to both outer metalic USB ends then it's not a good cable.

     

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    Posted · Print stops or fails halfway through

    As far as pausing prints, the gcode command M0 or M1 is supposed to pause the printer for example to change colors, but I don't know how to continue it - maybe pronterface can do that - not sure.

    Of course you can break up one gcode file into 2 files and run one, then run the other. That's tricky though and a pain and easy to screw it up.

     

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    Posted · Print stops or fails halfway through

    thanks for the info! it's just so weird that this started happening all of a sudden.. i'll try out another cable and make sure it isn't up against something that could be interfering with it. hopefully i can sit down and add the sd card reader sometime this week.

     

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    Posted · Print stops or fails halfway through

    Another theory:

    5) You used a plugin several prints ago and forgot to remove it. For example there is a "tweakAtZ" plugin where you can change the temp, fan speed or many other settings at a given height. If you used the plugin and then later forgot to remove it, it will continue in your profile settings for all future prints until you remove it.

     

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    Posted · Print stops or fails halfway through

    i haven't printed anything with plugins yet. i started looking into it and reading up some more on the wiki about it this weekend, but haven't implemented it because of all the basic print errors. eventually i'd like to use it for color changes, but it needs to first be capable of printing..

    didn't get a chance last night, i should be home earlier today after work to try some things out.

    thanks!

     

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    Posted · Print stops or fails halfway through

    i tried printing off some old gcode, and while i didn't get any checksum errors, the material stopped feeding, and it was printing nothing into air about halfway in, messing up the print. could this be a checksum error as well without it alerting me about it?

    i soldered on the sd card, but couldn't find any info about setting it up with marlin. i tried uploading a print to it, but it didn't do anything. since i know this is an ultimaker forum, i'm guessing i'll have to post elsewhere about finding help for that, though i'd appreciate anything anyone has to offer here.

     

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    Posted · Print stops or fails halfway through

    Hi all. I've been running into the above mentioned problem by the thread starter myself lately: when I'm printing a small Marvin robot with a specific filament (Ultimaker yellow PLA), the print always stops at the same spot (about 20% into the model), and the head just keeps moving normally, without extruding plastic. I've had the same behaviour in 3-4 tries. When I print the same model (with the same gcode) with any other filament, it prints just fine. What could be the problem that causes this exact filament to stop extruding? I've noticed this behaviour (extrusion stops but head keeps moving) in other prints as well, but I couldn't verify if it was a recurring thing or not.

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    Posted · Print stops or fails halfway through

    Fixed: after reading some of the comments in the community, I figured out that my rear fan was not running at all! I guess when I installed the Olsson block, some wires on the back were pressing the fan and didn't allow it to spin. After I gave it some room, everything was working smoothly once again.

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    Posted · Print stops or fails halfway through

    My does the same thing. It will stop half away through. I have not been able to do a full print yet. I then try saving it to my Sd Card and it will save but when put in my printer, everything will move like its getting ready to print but then say print is complete on my printer screen? Can someone help?

     

    Thank You

    Chris

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    Posted · Print stops or fails halfway through

    What printer and what firmware?

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    Posted · Print stops or fails halfway through

    Its a Labists ET4. V1.0.1

    Thank You

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    Posted · Print stops or fails halfway through

    Another question - does that printer have a heated bed?

    If you could post a gcode file here it would be very helpful.

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    Posted · Print stops or fails halfway through

    I have had some prints that stop about halfway through the print - several hours into it. I have been using CURA 5.1 since it was available, and am currently running the same print (which quit) using an earlier CURA (4.12).  I will be curious to see if I have the same problem. The extruder simply stops extruding and I can see the gear wheel is not turning. I have attached an image of the failed print, it is PETG, 240 C nozzle 70 C bed, printed on a Mingda Rock 3 Pro which was upgraded with a Mosquito hot end and Bondtech extruder.  It has printed many solid items in the past.

    Stay tuned...

    Tray Image.jpg

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    Posted (edited) · Print stops or fails halfway through

    I have investigated a couple of reports of extruders stopping mid-print.  I haven't found a problem in the gcode yet.

    That behavior has been a printer problem in the 3 or 4 that I looked at.  When it's a bad SD card the entire print comes to a stop and not just the extruder.

    If you post the "bad" gcode file and let me know the approximate Z height that it stopped extruding - I can dump it into Excel to analyze it.

    Edited by GregValiant
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    Posted · Print stops or fails halfway through

    Thanks Greg, I appreciate the help.  It has stopped at about 6.5 mm into the print and you should be able to tell approximately where that was from the image in the last post and the file in this one.  

    Jim K.

    MRPETG_Tray for 2 Pot plus RaisersLowQual11H34M.gcode

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    Posted · Print stops or fails halfway through
    33 minutes ago, kennedyjm said:

    Thanks Greg, I appreciate the help.  It has stopped at about 6.5 mm into the print and you should be able to tell approximately where that was from the image in the last post and the file in this one.  

    Jim K.

    MRPETG_Tray for 2 Pot plus

    Quote

    I'm going to guess around level 30...

    RaisersLowQual11H34M.gcode 4.31 MB · 0 downloads

     

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    Posted · Print stops or fails halfway through
    47 minutes ago, kennedyjm said:

    Thanks Greg, I appreciate the help.  It has stopped at about 6.5 mm into the print and you should be able to tell approximately where that was from the image in the last post and the file in this one.  

    Jim K.

    MRPETG_Tray for 2 Pot plus

    Quote

    I'm going to guess around level 30...

    RaisersLowQual11H34M.gcode 4.31 MB · 0 downloads

    Well the older CURA (4.12)  failed as well and I think it failed a few layers earlier which you can see from the image attached - I am also attaching an image of the control window when it quit extruding.
    Jim K.image.thumb.jpeg.7f0e308e4c081283bd57e499114e93d8.jpeg

    Screen shot.jpg

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    Posted · Print stops or fails halfway through
    4 minutes ago, kennedyjm said:

    Well the older CURA (4.12)  failed as well and I think it failed a few layers earlier which you can see from the image attached - I am also attaching an image of the control window when it quit extruding.
    Jim K.image.thumb.jpeg.7f0e308e4c081283bd57e499114e93d8.jpeg

    Screen shot.jpg

     

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    Posted · Print stops or fails halfway through

    Here is the file I was printing from on the last failure:

    MRPETG_CURA12LowQualTray alone Latest11H49M.gcode

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    Posted · Print stops or fails halfway through

    I don't see anything in either gcode file that would cause the printer to quit extruding.  All the E values are properly in the code so it should just keep putting down plastic.

    I see in your image of the LCD that the temperature of the hot end is still extrudable at 239°.  That likely lets the hot end and thermistor off the hook.  There are no M104 or M109 lines within the file (that would cause a temperature change).  Just at startup and ending.

    If there was a problem with the E driver over-heating on the mainboard it could cause this as it could stop sending info to the extruder motor.

    Speaking of the extruder motor - After changing to the Bondtech did you happen to adjust the Vref?  Is the extruder getting hot?  You should be able to grip it comfortably with your fingers while a print is running.  A hot stepper motor could be a problem if it has an internal thermal breaker.  It gets hot, quits, then cools off and acts like nothing happened.

     

     

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    Posted · Print stops or fails halfway through

    I did put in a heat sink and built a new cage around the extruder motor after the first time this happened (about a month ago). Since I communicated with you I have tried changing the line width (from .44 to .35) - had another failure.  Then I changed the wall thickness from 1.76 to 1.2, had another failure.  Then I selected the "Recommended" settings in CURA 5.1 - cannot find what they are - and it printed fine.  I now have another one on the printer at the Recommended setting, will let you know if it completes. Jim K.

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