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So when I'm done printing with my E3D hotend, I have an issue. It seems almost impossible to get the filament out of it. In the on other extruders I've been able to just pull it out after heating. Now with this, I can't figure out how to get it to come out. Am I the only person in the world with this problem? Is there a tip or trick for getting it out?
In the heat break between the melt chamber and the heat sink the plastic will expand slightly. If any part of the filament channel in your extruder has a narrower diameter than the expanded filament you won't be able to back it out. What extruder do you have? You may be able to ream out the channel a bit (print spares first, though) with a drill bit. First, it might be worth while disconnecting the hot end from the extruder to check what I've said above is actually what's happening.
I'm using the E3D V6. So what do you suggest doing to prevent this from happening in the future?
E3d has a google group. You should try posting there to see what ither users are experiencing. I havent heard of anyone having that problem. I am running a v5
Can you pull any length of the filament out at all before it snags? If so, measure the length you can pull out. This will give you a reasonable indication of where it's snagging.
From what I can see of the E3D V6 design on their site, if you get 10mm then it's snagging where the bowden tube should be seated in the heat break, meaning the filament is expanding to a diameter larger than the internal diameter of the bowden. If you get 50mm it's snagging where your hot end is joined to your extruder, meaning the hole in your extruder the filament passes through is not large enough to let the expanded filament (about 2mm in diameter) through. If it's more than that, I'd need to know which extruder you're using.
Here is a trick I heard online. Get some 8" - 200mm long piece of bicycle brake cable and feed it through the open extruder. It should push it out.
Try some nylon filament. You can run it through your printer at a 220C temp and then let it cool down to about 150C. This should help remove the clog.
I've tried the nylon before and it still didn't work. Couldn't get it to go past the clog. Is there a specific method to doing this?