Nightmare start

[d43d]

All looks clean.. and the set screw seems nice and tight.. yes there's a flat..

I wonder if this might be a good opportunity to upgrade the extruder... as I hear clogs happen more frequently with these type of extruders with teflon tubes.. Maybe an all metal is the way to go.. or even something like the E3D-v6 perhaps? I'd love to be able to print faster if it's at all possible..

[Geoff]

All looks clean.. and the set screw seems nice and tight.. yes there's a flat..

I wonder if this might be a good opportunity to upgrade the extruder... as I hear clogs happen more frequently with these type of extruders with teflon tubes.. Maybe an all metal is the way to go.. or even something like the E3D-v6 perhaps? I'd love to be able to print faster if it's at all possible..

It's not the extruder, this the cruddy pipes they use. I am swapping mine out for teflon coated pipes. My printer blocks daily.

Why they would skimp on a $2 part god knows.

Oh that's right "from online videos we have seen, it's not necessary" well, I can tell you, it is - but I think you have already figured that out hey d43d

[d43d]

Which pipe did you order? I replaced the extruder feeder with a spring loaded one and now it just clicks.. I can force filament through with my hand but by itself it just clicks as filament comes through erratically. I also changed the PTFE tubing but no luck.. At this stage I'm thinking an all metal hotend could be in order? But how do I know if it'll fit the CTC? Are they standard? Any recommendations from people who have swapped one out?

[EagleSeven]

Which pipe did you order? I replaced the extruder feeder with a spring loaded one and now it just clicks.. I can force filament through with my hand but by itself it just clicks as filament comes through erratically. I also changed the PTFE tubing but no luck.. At this stage I'm thinking an all metal hotend could be in order? But how do I know if it'll fit the CTC? Are they standard? Any recommendations from people who have swapped one out?

Are you sure the feeder Gears are the correct size and type ?
There are many different sizes, that are only slightly different.
(needs to be type with straight teeth, Not type with Groove in gear)
We do not have that problem with our CTC,
which has spring type extruders and no inserts in tubes !

click pic for larger view, of type we use :

ExtruderUpgrade2.jpg

[d43d]

Thanks for the help.. The extruder in your pic there is the same as the one I bought.
The brass gear though is different to the one that came with my printer.
I have three here.. I've just put back in the one that came with the printer (the silver coloured one - I cleaned it up of course)


Could the state of the original gear hold the clue to what's happening?


I've tried two different gears and the slightly bigger/sharper one clicks more often. The original one waits a 30 seconds or so and then clicks.




gear.jpg

[EagleSeven]

Thanks for the help.. The extruder in your pic there is the same as the one I bought.
The brass gear though is different to the one that came with my printer.
I have three here.. I've just put back in the one that came with the printer (the silver coloured one - I cleaned it up of course)


Could the state of the original gear hold the clue to what's happening?


I've tried two different gears and the slightly bigger/sharper one clicks more often. The original one waits a 30 seconds or so and then clicks.




gear.jpg

The original gear pictured Definitely Needed Cleaning !
The gear size and type must Match the design of the extruder and the Pulley in it.
The brass gear pictured has larger and Fewer teeth than the brass gears that came with ours
but I don't know if that makes much difference or not.
I think More teeth would help though.

The brass gear appears to have slightly larger outside diameter ?
If so, then I doubt the original gear would fit the new spring type extruder ?

Does the Gear Hit the Pulley ?
They should not touch each other when filament is going thru,
but should fit tightly together when No filament is between them.

[d43d]

It's about 0.2mm bigger in diameter. The spring extruders didn't actually come with gears.. The brass ones I have came with two other spring extruders which didn't fit.

I've taken the nozzle off again now and cleaned the nozzle out with a small drill bit.. A quick test on the filament load program for 30 seconds hasn't clicked yet but I will try again tomorrow to see how it is.. a little late for 3d printer noise here unfortunately..

EDIT: It fits tightly when no filament yes.. however I didn't check to see what it was like when filament was loaded.. I had put the fan back on by then.. Can do tomorrow..

[d43d]

No luck. Just the same thing.. clicks then it even stopped extruding all together.. when I pushed hard i would extrude.. then after a while it started again.. with clicking..
Any ideas what could be wrong or what I need to check/replace next?
Whilst it's clicking, if I pinch the filament it still extrudes.. so I don't think it's slipping as such..