Extruder Clicking

[BLKKROW]

While running a test print my extruder begins to click and the filament stops extruding.

I am using a Prusa IV3 12" with the following:

1.75mm Hexagon Hot End
Printing PLA at 210*c
Bed at 60*c
Slicing with Simplify 3D

While printing, the first 5-7 layers will print just fine and then the extruder begins to click like the hobled bolt is having a hard time grabbing the filament.

Any ideas?

[JohnA136]

It is clicking because it can not push out the filament fast enough. Either the temp of the extruder is too low or the filament diameter is wrong in your slicer setting. I would suggest raising the extruder temp 5 degrees and if that does not help, re-slice with a LARGER diameter setting for your filament, maybe try .02mm larger as a start. Si if you measure the filament and set is at 1.73mm, try 1.75? Did you measure your filament diameter in several spots and put that in your slicer setting?

[BLKKROW]

It is clicking because it can not push out the filament fast enough. Either the temp of the extruder is too low or the filament diameter is wrong in your slicer setting. I would suggest raising the extruder temp 5 degrees and if that does not help, re-slice with a LARGER diameter setting for your filament, maybe try .02mm larger as a start. Si if you measure the filament and set is at 1.73mm, try 1.75? Did you measure your filament diameter in several spots and put that in your slicer setting?

Thank you! I do measure my filament in multiple places and I use an average of that in my slicing.

I will start raising my temperature and see if that helps. I used the settings from my old printer and ported them to the Prusa to begin somewhere so maybe this printer just needs more heat!

[jasay]

A (no where near exhaustive) list of things that can cause extruder skipping:

1) hexagon fan not running (heat travels up the filament increasing friction for the whole hotend instead of just the nozzle)
2) stepper motor too hot (loses torque)
3) stepper driver pot set too low (less torque)
4) extruder steps/mm incorrect (try to push too much filament)
5) idle springs/screws not tight enough to grip the filament
6) print temp (I've printed PLA at 195, I doubt you need to go higher than 210)
7) print speed (have to push more filament per second the faster you move the head)

[misquamacus]

It could be filament temp, but I doubt it. Try tightening the screws on your extruder's idler. If tightened correctly, the springs should measure just under 11mm in length.

[printbus]

For the 1.75mm hexagon, another very common problem people have had is with bumps or bulges in the filament. The feed tube of the 1.75mm hex is arguably narrower than it should be, making it very intolerant of filament that is on the large side or filament that is lumpy. When it stops extruding, ALWAYS look at the last few inches of filament when you pull it from the extruder. Look especially at the spot that would have been at right at the top of the hot end when it stopped. When I had trouble with this on some bad filament, I'd often be able to see or feel the bump there, or could see a faint ring around the filament showing where the top of the hot end had caught the filament and held it against the feed pressure.

I still have one roll that when I really have to use it because of color, I'll unroll the estimated filament length needed, feeding it through my fingers to feel for bumps before I feed it into the printer.

[BLKKROW]

I increased my hot end temperature to 220*c with the same issue. Next I am going to measure the voltage of the stepper driver and make sure it is receiving enough current.

My filament does not feel bumpy or inconsistent.
I have checked my idler tension and the springs are sitting around 10mm.
My print speed are the default within Simply 3D, so I believe it is not printing to fast.

Edit: My extruder is at 0.45V should I turn it up a little?

Update:

After a few hours of work I have it printing. I found the spool of filament I was originally using is oval, it measured from 1.7mm - 2.2mm's. So I swamped it out with another spool and it helped a lot!

I also chose to disassemble the extruder setup to make sure everything was tight but not too tight. With this and the new spool of filament the extruder worked perfectly.

Now, where can I find an index of G-Code so I can work with my beginning and ending G-Code?

[jasay]

Didn't see your edit. Glad to see things are working. G-codes are listed pretty thoroughly here: http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code

I'm sure people would be pretty willing to share start/end g-code samples as well (unfortunately at work I don't have access to my files).