The second stage of technical operations with a printer that does not feed filament.
This article is a continuation of the post ‘Printer does not feed filament’. - make sure you have followed all the steps described there!
With the extruder unscrewed and the hotend removed, the printer still does not feed filament - if this description fits your printer follow the instructions below.
To carry out the following activities you will need:
- protective gloves
- pliers
- Allen keys (from the printer set)
- a small container for the screws
- a piece of filament (approx. 20cm)
To begin, the extruder motor must be unscrewed. To do this, unplug the motor power cable, unscrew the four screws holding the motor (2mm Allen spanner) and then slide the extruder motor backwards. The video below shows you how to do this:
With the motor removed, take a piece of filament and try to insert it from the bottom - where the hotend was mounted. The filament should pass freely through to the exit, or you can try inserting the filament from the top.
The purpose of passing the filament is to possibly ‘push through’ the fragments blocking the flow of heated material - do not give up on inserting the filament when there is slight resistance. If the filament has passed through - twist the printer components together, connect all necessary cables and tapes and attempt to load the filament.
If you have not been able to get the material through, you will need to unscrew another part of the printer - the bracket that holds the extruder motor. On the back of the extruder there are two holes where the screws are located. These need to be unscrewed (using the same spanner - 2mm).
Please note, there is limited access to the screws, which can make it difficult to determine if they are loosened. Once both screws are loosened, it is a good idea to hold the head with the other hand to be able to control the handle and when to remove it properly from the connector.
Once the holder is removed, we have full access to the filament feed channel to the hotend. This is the last place where excess material could have accumulated preventing the extruder from running smoothly. Check the passage of the channel with a piece of filament. If the filament does not pass through, unclog the channel with the spanner that was used to unscrew the screws. After unclogging the channel with the spanner, check that the filament can be repositioned.
Assemble the extruder making sure to tighten all screws. Take care not to bend the hotend. When connecting the cable to the extruder motor, you can help yourself with a spanner - it may not be possible to tighten the cable with your fingers due to the small space.
Remember to calibrate the tabletop after the work is completed and the printer is up and running!
If the printer is still not feeding the material correctly, please contact us at support@skriware.com.