Underextruding with Flashforge + Maker Desktop but raft prints fine - PLEASE HELP OBI

[scienceelf]

Please help me Obi Wan, you are my only hope.

OK. So all of the sudden my Flashforge Creator Pro using Maker Desktop is not printing well at all. I have skinny strings instead of the little worms i usually get. I figured it was a gummed up hobbled bolt or hot end. The bolt was looking fine and the end was cleaned like new but didn't appeared to be plugged to start with. Then I figured it was just a bum part of a roll of filament so I tried different rolls of PLA, ABS and PETg. Same results. I tried hotter, then much hotter temps but same result. I tried different models, same result.

So. I figured I had a corrupted profile in Maker Desktop so I reset to defaults, same result.

Then I printed a raft on a whim. The raft came out perfectly, then the print went right back to barely stringing out. If rafts were chocolate I would be Willy Wonka, it was a good looking raft. It was the Brad Pitt of rafts. I assume this tells me that my printer is able to extrude correctly but something in my settings is telling it to underextrude on model but not raft.

Any advice to troubleshoot? I am 4 days into this nonsense and my students are getting unruly. Thanks in advance.


.3d print.jpg

[scienceelf]

Update - I decided to print out one of the sdcard samples to take my computer and Maker Desktop out of the mix. The sample printed fine. I am going to uninstall and reinstall maker desktop. I have no idea what I did to cause it to underextrude.

[PrintGuy]

I own a flashforge printer and this is what I believe the problem is as I have had similar issues:

There is teflon inside your extruder tip. Once that teflon becomes damaged you will continue to have a jammed nozzle. That said, I bet you are having the same problem again yes? It starts when say an ABS part peals up then the plastic gets pushed back in the extruder tip. This causes a jam and possibly damages the teflon inside your extruder tip... or maybe the teflon just wore out as it does in an old frying pan. So obviously you need that little bit of teflon coating inside the tip to keep the fillament flowing smoothly.

You can extend the life of your extruder a little if you clean it out well. I bought these little tiny drill bit cleaner things you can find on amazon for a few bucks. I put the printer in "preheat mode" so the plastic would flow. It was flowing slowly just like you described. I poked the tip with that drill bit cleaner thing and it popped like a pimple spewing filament out... so the slow flow indicates a clogged nozzle probably not a software issue. The problem has come up a few times since then and the same operation I just described fixed the problem. but like i said, i suspect a piece of teflon flaked off which is why it keeps happening. I bought some new tips but they were the wrong size.. dough! If you don't mind when you find the right sized tips for your flashforge please post to this thread. Also post what kind of flashforge model you have cuz I need to find me some the right size.

note, you don't put the "drill bit" bit cleaner thing in a drill.. you just carefully twist with your fingers into the extruder tip.

[Heflin]

Any luck with the resolution? I too was using the Makerbot software for our school's 2 creator pros and have had all kinds of trouble since end of Feb. I can print rafts with one nozzle and then the other side just sits there or does not print and the job claims comple.