1 (edited by EnderV 2016-07-20 06:04:32)

Topic: Solidoodle Press struggling to extrude

My Solidoodle Press is struggling to push out filament.
I have already cleaned out the hot end, dipped it acetone, pushed out any remnants of plastic, etc.
As you can see from the video I attached, it just makes a clicking noise and tries to push but nothing..almost as if the motor is jammed/not strong enough.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCirUKV … e=youtu.be

2 (edited by madfalcon81 2016-07-22 22:26:12)

Re: Solidoodle Press struggling to extrude

Seems like some wire came loose (bad contact). make sure all wires are firmly in place. i dont think it has something to do with hot end itself.

Fat kids are harder to kidnap!

3

Re: Solidoodle Press struggling to extrude

What is your hot end temperature?  Sounds like your filament is not getting hot enough to be extruded, and the motor is trying to push it through but can't.

To print or, 3D print, that is the question...
SD3 printer w/too many mods,  Printrbot Simple Maker Ed.,  FormLabs Form 1+
AnyCubic Photon, Shining 3D EinScan-S & Atlas 3D scanners...
...and too much time on my hands.

4

Re: Solidoodle Press struggling to extrude

pirvan wrote:

What is your hot end temperature?  Sounds like your filament is not getting hot enough to be extruded, and the motor is trying to push it through but can't.

Look at the extruder, it makes back-and-forth movements. Generally, when it happened to me, it was because a bad contact.

Fat kids are harder to kidnap!

5

Re: Solidoodle Press struggling to extrude

You could be right.  I missed that subtle jitter from the extruder motor.

To print or, 3D print, that is the question...
SD3 printer w/too many mods,  Printrbot Simple Maker Ed.,  FormLabs Form 1+
AnyCubic Photon, Shining 3D EinScan-S & Atlas 3D scanners...
...and too much time on my hands.

6

Re: Solidoodle Press struggling to extrude

pirvan wrote:

What is your hot end temperature?  Sounds like your filament is not getting hot enough to be extruded, and the motor is trying to push it through but can't.

I am at about 240 I believe, it is hatchbox filament that I have used many times before so I doubt its that. When I heat up the extruder and just try to push it goes through smoothly.

7

Re: Solidoodle Press struggling to extrude

madfalcon81 wrote:
pirvan wrote:

What is your hot end temperature?  Sounds like your filament is not getting hot enough to be extruded, and the motor is trying to push it through but can't.

Look at the extruder, it makes back-and-forth movements. Generally, when it happened to me, it was because a bad contact.

I am leaning towards something like this.
Any clues on how I can figure out what ti is? If it is a bad contact, what are my options?

8 (edited by Tin Falcon 2016-07-22 10:08:35)

Re: Solidoodle Press struggling to extrude

Can you remove the filament and see if the motor turns freely with no load. I tend to draw a sharpie line on motor gears and shafts as a visual indicator.
Use a multimeter to check continuity  in both  phases of your stepper  including the cable also make sure the contacts in the connector are not pushed in.  You can still have good continuity but have a bad connection. I had this happen with a thermistor.

Remeber remove all power from the board before disconnecting or connecting components.

Tin

Soliddoodle 4 stock w glass bed------Folger Tech Prusa 2020 upgraded to and titan /aero extruder mirror bed
FT5 with titan/ E3D Aero------MP mini select w glass bed
MP Utimate maker pro-W bondtech extruder
Marlin/Repetier Host/ Slic3r and Cura

9

Re: Solidoodle Press struggling to extrude

I could also be the motor itself.  I've seen plenty motors that can turn freely as long as there's no load, but once you put a load, they can't do anything.

So, if the motor turn freely without the filament, grab the extruder gear by hand, and see if it stops.   You shouldn't be able to stop it easily, but if it does with the slightest pressure, then you might have a bad motor.

To print or, 3D print, that is the question...
SD3 printer w/too many mods,  Printrbot Simple Maker Ed.,  FormLabs Form 1+
AnyCubic Photon, Shining 3D EinScan-S & Atlas 3D scanners...
...and too much time on my hands.

10

Re: Solidoodle Press struggling to extrude

pirvan wrote:

I could also be the motor itself.  I've seen plenty motors that can turn freely as long as there's no load, but once you put a load, they can't do anything.

So, if the motor turn freely without the filament, grab the extruder gear by hand, and see if it stops.   You shouldn't be able to stop it easily, but if it does with the slightest pressure, then you might have a bad motor.

A bad motor is incredibly rare. Most likely the VREF is too low on that axis. If raising VREF doesn't help, it is more likely to be a bad driver. Although those SD PRESS extruder motors have had some issues with the wiring, it's easily fixed and you shouldn't have to replace the motor.

11

Re: Solidoodle Press struggling to extrude

Tin Falcon wrote:

Can you remove the filament and see if the motor turns freely with no load. I tend to draw a sharpie line on motor gears and shafts as a visual indicator.
Use a multimeter to check continuity  in both  phases of your stepper  including the cable also make sure the contacts in the connector are not pushed in.  You can still have good continuity but have a bad connection. I had this happen with a thermistor.

Remeber remove all power from the board before disconnecting or connecting components.

Tin

Yup, great tip. A Sharpie line on the extruder shaft and gear works great. You can see if the gear is slipping on the shaft, and how much retraction is happening. Also for light coloured filament I put the occasional Sharpie mark on the filament. Easy to see if it is moving into the print head properly or jammed.

12

Re: Solidoodle Press struggling to extrude

Huh. I just encountered a very similar problem to this. The stepper just wiggled back and forth (not like the usual thunking from stuck filament). Tin was right -- I had a loose connection on one of the four wires.