Qidi Tech 1 - Replicator 1 clone

[Talon 3D]

That is cool with me. I am still learning.
The Simplify 3D dual extrusion wizard helped so much. I did not have to mess around like I did in Makerware.
Everyone said get S3D and I would not be disappointed. I am definitely loving it. It has everything you need and more with great support.
I am wanting to dual print something else but until I get my dragon ready I will have to find another dual model that I like. Lucky my daughter likes tree frogs or I would not have printed this.

Pretty cool. I'll come asking questions when I get to the two color things.

[DaveB]

That is cool with me. I am still learning.
The Simplify 3D dual extrusion wizard helped so much. I did not have to mess around like I did in Makerware.
Everyone said get S3D and I would not be disappointed. I am definitely loving it. It has everything you need and more with great support.
I am wanting to dual print something else but until I get my dragon ready I will have to find another dual model that I like. Lucky my daughter likes tree frogs or I would not have printed this.

Here is another two color object. There is some actual utility, so use some colors that your SO will appreciate. Much simpler print than the Tree Frog, but it had its own set of challenges.
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1350796

[Talon 3D]

That is cool and interesting. I will play around with it.
Thank you.

Here is another two color object. There is some actual utility, so use some colors that your SO will appreciate. Much simpler print than the Tree Frog, but it had its own set of challenges.
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1350796

[Merijeek]

So....while unloading my right extruder I had the filament break off a good inch or so down into the hot end. Since that part refuses to melt, I'm guessing it's in the HDPE tube rather than being close enough to the hot end to be melted.

I've tried taking a pin vise to get a drill bit into the filament and pull it out, but that went nowhere. Did I hurt the HDPE? Who knows. So there may be some disassembly in my future.

Has anyone got brilliant suggestions apart from disassembly? And if disassembly is necessary, has anyone got good instructions to offer?

[Talon 3D]

I had that happen before too. What I did was thread the filament back in but not using the big tube. I heated up the extruder, clicked load filament and the slowly pushed the new filament in. It moved the broken piece down and then I let it keep loading filament for a bit. Then I unloaded it and all was good.

So....while unloading my right extruder I had the filament break off a good inch or so down into the hot end. Since that part refuses to melt, I'm guessing it's in the HDPE tube rather than being close enough to the hot end to be melted.

I've tried taking a pin vise to get a drill bit into the filament and pull it out, but that went nowhere. Did I hurt the HDPE? Who knows. So there may be some disassembly in my future.

Has anyone got brilliant suggestions apart from disassembly? And if disassembly is necessary, has anyone got good instructions to offer?

[DaveB]

I had that happen before too. What I did was thread the filament back in but not using the big tube. I heated up the extruder, clicked load filament and the slowly pushed the new filament in. It moved the broken piece down and then I let it keep loading filament for a bit. Then I unloaded it and all was good.

Many folks use that same technique to swap filament. Hope you didn't damage anything with the drill bit action.

[Merijeek]

Honestly, I don't see how I could have messed anything up with the drill bit action (I've since opened things up) but after I'd pulled the bit of filament by (but not in) the gears I still can't get anything through.

2016-09-26 19.18.41.jpg

Even if I'd done something fairly catastrophic with the drill bit, I'm still not getting through that tube and down to the gears. So there had to be more to it than that.

[DaveB]

Honestly, I don't see how I could have messed anything up with the drill bit action (I've since opened things up) but after I'd pulled the bit of filament by (but not in) the gears I still can't get anything through.

2016-09-26 19.18.41.jpg

Even if I'd done something fairly catastrophic with the drill bit, I'm still not getting through that tube and down to the gears. So there had to be more to it than that.

So it appears that the location of the jam is above the feed gear mechanism, and in the filament feeder tube leading from the top surface of the extruder carriage release lever going down toward the feed gear. If that's correct then turning on the heating cartridge and feeding filament in isn't going to do anything for you. I've not had this sort of jam happen to me before. IMO, using a drill bit seems appropriate, but I would be very careful about using one that was too large and inadvertently opening up that feed path too much. Given that you've already tried the drill bit, I would also consider heating it some with a hair dryer to get the jammed filament to soften a bit and hopefully release, possibly trying to "simply" push it back down toward the feed gear.

If you have questions about getting access to the mechanism, here are some relevant videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd9vnltm8Jg Shows removing the extruder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hWUJBXCMH4 Shows disassembling the extruder carriage

[Talon 3D]

That's higher than the jam I had.. At least their service is top notch.
They replaced my extruders when they were toast after the first print. Been running like a champ ever since.

Honestly, I don't see how I could have messed anything up with the drill bit action (I've since opened things up) but after I'd pulled the bit of filament by (but not in) the gears I still can't get anything through.

2016-09-26 19.18.41.jpg

Even if I'd done something fairly catastrophic with the drill bit, I'm still not getting through that tube and down to the gears. So there had to be more to it than that.

[Merijeek]

Got it all taken apart. Looks like QIDI is going to be generous on a replacement part. We'll see.