Hi Guys
Today I got my first 3D printer. Setting up was a breeze but I ran into major problems when the time came to load my first piece of filament.
I used the pre-heat function to get the temperature to 185C. Then I press down on the spring lever and push the filament through the hole into extruder, but then it just wont go any further.
I am trying to use the sample filament that came with the printer before I open any of my other rolls.
I’m not sure if this is the case with all Wanhao i3 Plus printers but it seems that were was some orange filament already in the nozzle and this slowly oozed out when I pre-heated the hot-end.
Is it possible that this other filament that was already in the machine may be blocking the tube that connects to the nozzle or that maybe the opening to that tube isn’t lined up properly with the hole you feed the filament into?
Any advice or assistance is greatly appreciated:)
-Chucka
Hi,
For a start, your extruder temperature needs to be a bit higher than that. My guess is they have provided you with PLA and the lowest extrusion temperature is 190C and to 220C, so just bump your extruder temp up a bit.
I have a very similar printer to the one you have and when it comes to loading the filament it isn’t straight forward. What I ended up doing was just putting the filament into the extruder a bit till it was biting on the stepper motor teeth, then just used the software to move axis and then extruder. It will move slowly but it’ll make it way out that nozzle.
If I had to guess, that orange filament is just some residual test material that Wanhao used to test the machine before sending it or something.
Sometimes filament can snap inside the extruder assembly in which case you just need to unscrew the two screws on the big fan and the extruder assembly will come out free revealing the possible snapped piece of filament.
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Hi Chucka,
Are you sure that the filament is making it into the hot end? I have a Wanhao 13 V2.1 and, I find that often, the filament misses the hole when trying to push it through manually. I usually get the gear to grip it and then use the extruder jog controls to load it further. I find this works 90% of the time. If this isn’t the problem it could be that the 185° is too low for the filament in the nozzle. Try cranking it up to 220/230 as it may be ABS they used to test the nozzle.
If not, let me know and I’ll get thinking on other solutions.
Ben @ 3DPrintworks
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HI, The filament can be a bit tricky to get into the hole sometimes so you could just keep trying. Try to straighten the filament and cut the end of it at an angle to help guide it in. If that doesn’t work then you might have to take the fan and feed assembly apart and check to see if there are any blockages, it’s only the 2 screws on the left fan that holds it all together so it’s a simple enough task. When you have that taken off you should be able to see down into the hole and tell if it’s blocked with some old filament.
hope this helps, let me know if your still stuck
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Hi, I’ve had similar issued in the past.
If you suspect there is a blockage then this should be confirmed and cleared. You can strip the fan off the side to confirm, but this isn’t always necessary and should really be a last resort. Most models now come with a metal rod that can be inserted though the feed location to push out any blockages. Pre head then push this through until you feel a hard stop. If material comes out then you had a blockage, if not your clear.
When feeding fresh material in you need to make sure the filament is straight, if it is not straight it can be near impossible to get it to locate. I’ve also found that cutting the filament to a point can help the feed.
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Thanks for all the advice guys. Since posting this I’ve tried pre-heating to 210C and this didn’t seem to help. Its almost like the filament hits something hard on the way through. The extruder gear does grab it sometimes but I think because it’s blocked it can’t push through and just clicks repeatedly and I can see where it’s gouged the filament when I pull it out again. I think I’ll have to take off the fan and cooling fins to see what’s going on inside. Thanks again for the response I’ll be sure to let you all know how it goes 
By the sound of it there’s a piece of snapped filament in the extruder. Unscrew the screws on the fan and pull out the piece of filament.
You have to put it in the hole really gently if this is its first time.
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Found our culprit!! Took out the screws in the fan and found a little piece of the orange filament stuck in the tube. Yanked it out and now we’re sorted 
Printing the pre-loaded OK hand and it’s working like a dream. I’ve said it already but thanks for the advice and quick response to my problem. I think I’m gonna enjoy my time in the 3D printing community
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