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I have had my printer for a few days now and am getting ready to change the color of my filament .It is the same brand of pla filament only a different color. Will black run at the same settings of the red I have been using?Also what do you think is the best way to extract the old to keep it from hanging up in the nozzle?
It is helpful to identify the printer model that you are using. Typically, a 3D printer will have a sequence for unloading the existing filament, via a front panel menu or similar interface. The same control system will also allow for inserting a different color filament and will run enough of the new filament into the extruder to purge the previous color.
If you think ahead with your printing plans, you will find the best method is to remove the filament after each job, unless you are certain you will be using the same color for the next job. If you choose not to perform that step, it is to your advantage to prevent clogs by feeding the existing color for a few millimeters, then extracting/unloading it when changing to a new color.
This is because some extruders will form a bit of a bulge right at the nozzle area, preventing a smooth removal if the hot end has cooled. Unloading the filament immediately after a print job is completed allows the bulge to be extracted while the nozzle is hot.
The above information would have greater validity (or less) depending on your specific printer and hot end configuration. Direct drive and bowden tube configurations may have different characteristics when it comes to problems with restrictions.
Our public library has a genuine Prusa i3 MK2s which occasionally gets stuck with filament change. Once the operators changed methods to removing filament while the nozzle is hot, those sticky moments vanished.
I have a Anet a8,I watched some YouTube videos and there are a bunch of different ways .I guess I will have to see which one works the best.Thanks
if your filamenty path is good you can just heat up the hotend and pull the filament out and then push the new one in.
If you've got a chamber build up anywhere, then push a little through before pulling it out.
Colour wise - different colours do print at different temps.
Black will probably need a slightly higher temp than red and won't flow quite as easily so usually needs tobe printed at a slower speed. Though that depends how fast you've been printing the red.
I generally print all pla at 210c, I'll up that to 215 if printing at 150mm/s and drop it to 200 if printing at 40-50mm/s
Black tends to be slightly more viscous than other colours, so keep your travel movement close to your print speed.
That said - different brands print differently anyway.
So initially keep the same settings, and then adjust if your have any issues :-)
I printed a filament guide that has 2 guide holes .That helped me get it changed in 2 or 3 minutes.I had been dreading it.Definitely a lot easier than I thought