Help needed with prints stopping

[Andrew3dhubs44]

Hi guys,

I need some help with my printer that is ‘randomly’ stopping extruding during prints and I have tried everything that I can think of with no positive lasting results. I will be printing something and then it will stop extruding, sometimes it happens at the start of the print sometimes 90% through a print. Below image is the latest one that stop just before it was about to do the final few layers.

I have a Makerbot Replicator 2X (4th gen) and I generally only print with ABS, I have covered/sealed the sides and door of the printer to keep the enclosure nice and warm and I also point a lamp directly into it for extra heat. I use 230C for extrusion temp and 120C for bed temp and I found the extra bed temp reduced warping and gave better printing results. As for printer settings I generally run with 10% infill of some type, 2 layers and then the default parameters (extrusion speeds, travel speeds etc) in the Makerware software.

I have changed the extruder tension setup to a constant tension setup (not like the original set screw tension) which was an injection moulded version of this I think http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:79807 and I have swapped the thermocouples, heater elements and nozzle. I have adjusted the gap between the filament barrel and the extruder, I have also swapped out the toothed extruder bearing for a different one.

If a print fails I unload the filament and reload it and it works fine so the barrel/ nozzle isn’t jammed.

All of this has produced no consistent improvements, does anyone else have this problem or know what it may be? I just don’t know what to do and the Makerbot support says you have to pay per claim to open a support case?

Any help much appreciated

Cheers

Andrew

[Arnoldas]

Does the Makerbot support cost money? Really?

[3dpGeek]

Yes. It’s a rip off.

[3dpGeek]

I have had the same problems. It happening when using PLA and ABS. I found that I had to clean the extruder gears that plastic shards had built up on them. I also found abother time that the heat was to high. Not sure if this helps but best of luck to you! ,CB

[Acorn3D]

Wonderfully excellent day!

I had a similar problem with my older 2X when I moved it to the garage and the temperature changed with the seasons. In the winter I found I had to increase the extruder temp. and during the summer I had to either take the cover off or decrease the extruder temp. Filament color can also have an impact (more so with PLA) on the best temperature to extrude, although I have not yet written a cheat sheet for color vs. temp. Incidentally, I usually run my extruded at 240-245 for ABS to lower the viscosity and to make extrusion easier. Also, I found I do occasionally have to thoroughly clean (or replace) the nozzle even when it was extruding most of the time.

Cheers,

Doug

[lpercifield]

When you remove the filament after one of these events is the a small notch near the end? I have almost a 1000 hours on my 2X and have had that happen many times. The usual cause is the print file requires lots of small little movements and extrusions. This results in the printer feeding and retracting the filament many times over a small length of filament. The extruder gear basically eats a notch in the filament. You can bring the extruder temp up a little to make it easier for the gear and less likely to notch the filament, but that can also cause the filament to get softer near the gear and notch it more… I found that the screw type extruder works well when adjusted properly.

Good luck!

[linshih]

the wall is too think and make sure add more infill so it would hold the last few layers

[chanman]

I had this same problem with my rep 2, turned out to be what most people have commented on. Many small steps and movement, this causes the filament to be pushed and pulled back very quickly and the filament drive gear eats away at the filament so it can not move the filament anymore. I ended up replacing the thermal tape around the extruder to prevent heat from going into the feed tube and making the filament soft near the drive wheel and then turning down the extruder temperature by about 5 to 10 degrees depending on the filament that I was using. Hope this helps.

[Tramalot]

If it does not click then I doubt it’s a jam.

do you calibrate for density?

is your ext spring loaded? is your drive gear tight? does your spool drag?

[CC3D]

One modification I made to my R2X that has resulted in far fewer print failures (Actually can’t recall any since fitting this) was to move the filament reels from behind the machine to above on a bearing system. Does away with the guide tubes and reduces friction in the feed system. You can see it in this video http://www.chriscameron.co.nz/cc/cc-vlog-01-makerbot-mods/

(The spooling mod makes an appearance at 3:20)

[Daniel_Gray]

Heat the tips and make sure they are screwed in all the way. Some tips are not all the way and mushroom inside causing clogs. Also upgrade arms and get rid of the default maker it assembly.

[Lembach3D]

Hello Andrew

looks familiar.

I am just taking a wild guess.

You printing environment is a little warmer than usual?

Your enclosed chamber heats up over the time of one print?

The failing layers have much less material than the starting layers?

I guess your filament is warm and soft long before it enters the extruder.

Try without the lamp.

Most important: Try printing with open hood to cool down the chamber.

Your temp is already low, but maybe you need to go lower?

[Joe_Harper]

Makerbot charges a base cost of $100.oo to address a support question. that is after your 60 days of warranty coverage are up…

I actually wrote a scathing article about it when i dealt with an issue related to service after my bot was just 10 months old.

How to alienate your biggest fans: What happened to MakerBot?

[3dpGeek]

I had a problem with the software not loading on my computer because of an update and they wanted me to pay to open a case so they could tell me how to fix their software. This is why I hate makerbot

[Joe_Harper]

Yeah. You are basically on your own after about 60 days. So might as well just install sailfish firmware and get on with your life.

[Andrew3dhubs44]

Hi lpercifield,

Yes it has a notch on it where the extruder gear is eating into it, yeah I tend to agree that it is lots of little movements and extrusions. By screw type extruder you mean the one you can adjust with an allen key to change the tension?

Ok thanks I will try some stuff out and get back to you.

Cheers

Andrew

[Andrew3dhubs44]

Hi Doug,

Thats interesting, I found that I had to bump up the bed plate in winter to keep more heat in the enclosure to stop warping. Ok thanks, I will try a few of these suggestions out and get back to you.

Cheers

Andrew

[Andrew3dhubs44]

Yes I have to say I am less than impressed with their customer service and given the fact that their printers do not seem to be the best (look at Zortrax way outstripping them on the 3D hubs rankings) I don’t know how they think they are going to compete, maybe just flashy marketing. Anyway nice article Joe, thanks for the share.
Cheers

Andrew

[Andrew3dhubs44]

Hi Lembach3D,

Hmm I think I may get more warping of the part if I print without the enclosure (plus I like to keep the fumes away from me) but I’ll give it a go and let you know my results.

Cheers

Andrew

[Andrew3dhubs44]

Hi Daniel,

What do you mean by upgrade the arms and default maker it assembly? I’m pretty sure the tips are screwed in all the way, I am running one default tip and one upgraded to compare them and they seem to be the same so far.

Cheers

Andrew