1 Topic by scobo (edited by scobo 2015-06-24 16:14:57)

  • scobo
  • scobo
  • Member
  • Offline
  • From: Scotland - UK
  • Registered: 2014-08-09
  • Posts: 993

Topic: Extruder gears/stepper sounding very rough

So my extruder gears seems to have developed an issue recently, prints fine for a few minutes then starts making grinding/creaking/clicking noises.
I’m not actually sure whether the noise is coming from the gears or the stepper motor.
Strange thing is, it still seems to be printing fine but the noise is very annoying and something’s clearly not right.
A few things I’ve ruled out :-
It’s not jamming or clogging. I’ve taken it apart, checked and cleaned it. Filament is extruding fine during the noise.
It’s not filament related, I’m getting  this with all types including ABS.
It’s not a bed levelling issue, I have a 0.2mm gap all round the bed and the first layer prints fine.
This seems to be a different issue from when filament swells and jams. I’ve had that before when experimenting with PLA.
The fact it’s fine for a few minutes before the noise starts leads me to suspect a heat issue somewhere and/or possibly wear in the gears or the stepper.
I haven’t made any recent changes to my setup which has been fine for months.
Any thoughts ?

Davinci 1.0 with repetier firmware & E3D V6 Lite
Anycubic Photon DLP printer, Einscan-S 3D scanner
Simplify3d, 123D Design, Meshmixer
http://www.thingiverse.com/scobo/designs

2 Reply by Tomek

  • Tomek
  • Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2012-10-01
  • Posts: 710

Re: Extruder gears/stepper sounding very rough

Sounds to me like you're having a filament jam that is partially clear so there is still stuff coming out. The way you described the clicking sounds like the stepper motor is clicking then recovering.

Is this a new roll of filament? Sometimes different colors need +/- 5 degrees temperature, so go up 5 degrees if this is a new roll.

Does the Davinci have a cooling fan on the print head? Check if that is running well. If the cooling fan on the print head isn't working well them after a couple minutes heat could build up the hot end and cause swelling as a part where swelling is bad.

IDK, any other thoughts?

3 Reply by scobo

  • scobo
  • scobo
  • Member
  • Offline
  • From: Scotland - UK
  • Registered: 2014-08-09
  • Posts: 993

Re: Extruder gears/stepper sounding very rough

Haven't bought any new filament in a while and the stuff I'm using has been fine until now. I've done 73 hours of printing on my Da Vinci without this problem.
I thought I might have had a partial jam too but when I removed the nozzel and barrel and checked it, I couldn't find any sign of a blockage.
There is a fan on the extruder, it seems to be ok but I'll take a closer look later.
I do get the impression it's a heat issue though otherwise the problem would be there all the time but it's not, it's intermittant.

Davinci 1.0 with repetier firmware & E3D V6 Lite
Anycubic Photon DLP printer, Einscan-S 3D scanner
Simplify3d, 123D Design, Meshmixer
http://www.thingiverse.com/scobo/designs

4 Reply by scobo (edited by scobo 2015-06-27 15:17:23)

  • scobo
  • scobo
  • Member
  • Offline
  • From: Scotland - UK
  • Registered: 2014-08-09
  • Posts: 993

Re: Extruder gears/stepper sounding very rough

Finally solved it ! smile
I printed an ABS idler wheel and was about to replace the stock wheel but when I took it off, I noticed a lot of gunk (grease and dirt) behind it and on the shaft. So I cleaned it up and re-greased the shaft. I decided to bung the stock wheel back on to see if cleaning it had made any difference and hey presto, the clicking's gone. It's quiet as a mouse again, yay. smile

Davinci 1.0 with repetier firmware & E3D V6 Lite
Anycubic Photon DLP printer, Einscan-S 3D scanner
Simplify3d, 123D Design, Meshmixer
http://www.thingiverse.com/scobo/designs