Makerbot 2 Continual Clogging

[DanielDC88]

I have a Makerbot Replicator 2 printer and it seems to keep clogging up every time I try to print something. Then it clogs up I can’t pull the filament out or push it in. I have to disassemble the hot end and only then can I pull it out of the nozzle. I can’t work out where exactly it’s getting stuck as when I disassemble it, all the parts come apart easily enough.

Any help or advice for this printer would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[Andrew_247]

Sounds like you may have a small clog somewhere in the hot end. It could be in the heat break or the nozzle. Have you

tried replacing either or both?

[DanielDC88]

Thanks very much for your response. I haven’t tried replacing these but I do have a replacement nozzle I could use if need be. Every time I unclog it, it works for some time and then clogs up again. Since the filament can’t be easily lifted out of the nozzle, wouldn’t this imply there isn’t a problem with the nozzle but somewhere else? Thanks!

[SHoutzager]

Do you have a real old model or do you have the upgraded extruder with the spring loader?

[hyppyayonico]

you need to check the PTFE tube inside the extruder, clean the nozzle, and tray to keep fresh the part upside the metal bar

[wayne]

How old is the filament? Is it very brittle?

[CircuitGrind]

For me, it’s the metal tube always clogging. Try getting a new one. You’ll want to make sure the fans are correctly positioned, you’re using “quality” (minimal brands of eSun/Inland, Hatchbox, or Makerbot) filament, and your hotend is insulated. I also upgraded my extruder driver, I did have problems with my print speed and extruder strength in the past. If you use normal settings this shouldn’t be an issue though.

[Animalhouse]

What type of filament are you using? Not all filament is the same. I say his since I have gotten some really crappy filament that met all the requirements BUT it was like glue or just leaked out the hot end.

[Joseph_1]

Sounds to me like a deformed nozzle. Try switching for another and see if that makes the problem go away.

[paul_15]

this is most likely a one of a few issues or all of them. 1) the nozzle has a jam… i generally have to clean / recycle the nozzle every ~200 hours. or 2) preheat streching. This often is seen in frequent retraction printing, in enviroments that are above 90F, or when the fan/heatsink aren’t working. Note if you haven’t already replaced the extruder tension body with the new design… do it. 3) filament quality.

1) replace the nozzle and see how it goes. the old one can be cleaned with chemicals / ultrasonic or with a drill etc.

2a) try a vase like model and see if it’s better… if so use advanced settings to decrease the retraction.

2b) air conditioning?

2c) replace the fan if it is making noises, clean the fuzz out of the heatsink, I upgraded to a metal carrage and don’t have this issue anymore.

3) try some other filament from another manufacture… cheap filament isn’t worth it.

[carlosap]

check you feed rate it might be too fast. also try to print 5 degrees hotter. Is the material black by any chance?

also sometimes when you pull the plastic out in a change it leaves little strings along so the filament gets stuck

[paul_15]

it’s all metal… no PTFE

[SantiRivera]

I’ve had such problems (ABS printing) until doing a complete renew of some parts of my Replicator 2X.

I think it’s an insulation/refrigeration problem and the cold end of thermal barrier is overheated. First of all I think my old fans couldn’t cold enough. My machine has about 1000 use hours. The only way to print was to open door and remove plastic top cover. But frecuently this didn’t work. In a few words, overheated, the thermal barrier transmits the heat up to the cold end, filament begins to expand being its diameter higher than the inner thermal barrier so filament gets stuck inside the cold end and don’t get down to fuse inside the nozzle.

As I had a broken thermocouple as well, the I decide to renew the following components:

1.- Fans

2.- Themocouples

3.- Nozzles

4.- Silicone Heater Block (Fargo 3d Printing)

Now things seems to go fine, not more clogging.

[ABSandNylon]

Check the filament to make sure it is 1.75mm I bought some filament that had sections that were 1.95mm It just wouldn’t fit and it looked like a clog until I checked with my digital calipers. Hope you get it going again.

[paul_15]

to avoid material being left in the chamber… Use a method of “load” from the menu, push on the tension lever, then PUSH the filament in, then quickly extract the filament. This will remove most of the plastic in the chamber and keep it attached to the filament. Cut the blob off then end.

[danielconner84]

Hi Daniel,

I have a replicator 5th gen and had this problem constantly when I was first got my printer.

Here are a few things I did to fix the issue:

1. Check the printer temperature and make sure it is set right for your material you are using.

2. It is possible that there is a clog in the nozzle, safely remove the nozzle when it is warm and see if you can pry out any clogged filament that may be hardened in just the nozzle, preventing you from pushing fresh filament through, even if the extruder is at temp.

3. There is a gear at the top of the makerbot extruders that feeds the filament into the extruder and sometimes gets debris built up into the teeth and can cause the teeth to slip and not grab the incoming filament, simply clean it off if it is dirty.

4. Ensure the filament going into the extruder is not dirty/dusty.

5. I have had 2 of the original makerbot extruders and have had consistent issues, once I went to the makerbot smart extruder all the random clogs and jams stopped immediately.

8. In my opinion not all filament is created equal. Some filament has inconsistent quality. Here are a few brands that I like using and have no issues with prints regardless of color:

A. Inland filament

B. Filament outlet

Please let me know if you have any questions or need help!

Thanks!

[Andrew_247]

It does. The heat break is right above, and could have a small clog. I can’t remember if you have an all-metal heatbreak, but if you don’t, the PTFE liner tube in the heatbreak could need replacing.

[KrazyJim]

I have a Replicator 2X and after a lot of printing, I had the same problem. It is probably the nozzle. The best solution I have found is the plated nozzles from Performance 3 D. They have 3 different grades of nozzle. The basic Elite series seem to work very well.

Order 0.4mm for the default size. If experimenting you may want 0.5mm for Flexible plastics. Or 0.3mm for trying ultra smooth high resolution parts.

Another step I took was to increase the length of the area of the thermal barrier tube that is a smaller diameter. This smaller diameter is to reduce the heat conduction. Making it longer improves the heat barrier effect.

The same supplier has replacement filament tubes, also called thermal barrier tubes. They have 2 styles, step drilled and straight through. I would choose straight through.

The steps for you to follow might be a) Order a new nozzle and a spare. b) Drill out the existing filament tube that is clogged and very carefully clean it by making the drill rub against the sides. c) Order a thermal barrier tube. It is plated with the same plating as the nozzles.

I recently had to take these very same steps to repair a Replicator at a public library. They had tried to get it fixed for 18 months. It is now printing just fine for hours at a time. So the nozzle is the key.

[Fargo3D]

It sounds like you have an issue with heat creep.

[MrMusashi]

High there. my name is Musashi an I use my MakerBot 5th gen everyday all day.when you say replicator 2 are you saying the 5th gen or the dual extrude version 2x? which nozzle type are you using? the regular extruder or a Smart Plus. How old is the nozzle an how many hours has it used? Do you play with retraction settings at all? These questions all play a small part in me being able to answer you better to the best of my knowledge.

I printed 1500 hours last year an went through 4 nozzles. this year I’m at 900 an have used 1 nozzle. Bad filament can shorten your life on it. I have stuck to using MakerBot, Inland, and Shaxon filament.