Makerbot Extruder is being rubbish

[rickjames]

We've had a Makerbot Replicator for about 8/9 months now and for the most part it's been absolutely fine. However recently it's been playing up with doing a bunch of designs made by our year 8s. Essentially the filament is not extruding properly and it's churning out very thin bits of it than usual and whilst it thinks it's printing the job will just start wrapping itself around the nozzle.

 

I've opened the extruder up and can't see anything blocking/interfering which suggests its the inside of the nozzle that's clogged. Only problem is that it doesn't look particularly easy to take off and looks like it's properly attached to what I think is the heating element of it.

 

Anyone had a similar problem? Before I go messing about with returns and all that, ICT teacher wants to print off a load of stuff before term ends...

 

Thanks

[difinity]

Does this help ? Clogged MakerBot Nozzle

[rickjames]

That's a different one I'm afraid, our extruder is the one below

 

http://intentional3d.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/DSCN9498.jpg

 

As you can see the nozzle is attached to that metal bit and I really don't want to get pliers on it and risk it breaking...

[pcstru]

It does sound like it is getting blocked so you probably only have two options - clean it or replace it. Cleaning it will be a similar procedure to the link difinity posted - you need to heat it, get the nozzle off and clear any blockage and then reassemble. Once you heat it the nozzle should come off reasonably easily. If you heat so the plastic is plyable but not actually runny (temp will depend on the type of filament you are using), you can sometimes pull the dirt out with the plastic - easier to see if you are using a clear plastic. You can also clean up a nozzle when off the hot end (!) by heating it with a blowtorch. The plastic will burn off and any dirt will then usually drop out. Having some spare nozzles is always useful.

[difinity]

I think you can use the same principle of heating it up to free off the end and using the correct sized spanner instead if pliers for batter grip. It will also stop the hardened teeth damaging the softer brass.

[rickjames]

Heated it up and got it off with a pair of pliers, excellent. What about the heating element of it though? From peeping through I can still see a fair bit of filament, not sure if just poking a stick through will be enough

[pcstru]

Heated it up and got it off with a pair of pliers, excellent. What about the heating element of it though? From peeping through I can still see a fair bit of filament, not sure if just poking a stick through will be enough

 

What type of filament is it?

[rickjames]

PLA filament

[pcstru]

If you have the nozzle off, you should be able to feed filament through the extruder a little, cut off any blob that has formed and then you can retract it. You can clear the filament out of the nozzle by burning it off with a blowtorch or Bunsen (in a fume cupboard) - just let the metal glow red and you should be left with no residue but if there is a little soot, just give it a wash off after that and it should be ok (or you will be able to see any dirt/particles which are causing the blockage). Nozzle blockages are reasonably common so it does pay to have a spare or two.

 

[ETA - I can sometimes clear a block by heating the nozzle and then pushing filament through, allowing it to cool a little and then pulling it out. PLA doesn't tend to stick to the metal better than itself, so you don't get left with residue. On the other hand, it's a bit hit and miss as a procedure and finding out you didn't quite clear the block 2 hours into your next print is always tiresome!]

Edited June 29, 2015 by pcstru

[Arthur]

Essentially the filament is not extruding properly and it's churning out very thin bits of it than usual and whilst it thinks it's printing the job will just start wrapping itself around the nozzle.

Related perhaps?

 

Lawsuit claims MakerBot knowingly sold glitchy 3D printers

 

If you bought one of MakerBot's fifth-generation 3D printers only to have trouble running it, you're not alone. A recently filed class action lawsuit alleges that MakerBot and its parent company Stratasys committed a "fraudulent scheme" by knowingly shipping these Replicator printers with flawed extruders (the part that melts and deposits filament) that tend to clog. Supposedly, management was bragging about rapid growth to investors at the same time it was skimping on quality control and dealing with loads of returns and repairs. By the time MakerBot was starting to lay off workers and otherwise admit that things had gone off the rails, shareholders had lost millions of dollars.