Why does my extruder keep jamming?
Filament jams happen when the extruder can’t push filament through the hot end. The extruder either grinds the filament until it’s so thin that the gear that advances the filament is no longer in contact with it or the motor that drives the extruder stalls because it’s overloaded.
How do you prevent extruder jams?
Make sure that your 3D filament is loading into the printer properly, with minimal tension outside of the extruder. Be sure that the spool of filament is mounted and is able to spin freely – often tension from the filament leading to the extruder can cause a printer to stop extruding.
How much retraction is too much?
If you retract too quickly, the filament may separate from the hot plastic inside the nozzle, or the quick movement of the drive gear may even grind away pieces of your filament. There is usually a sweet spot somewhere between 1200-6000 mm/min (20-100 mm/s) where retraction performs best.
How can I reduce my retraction time?
Combing Mode We recommend going for Within Infill. It will reduce your number of retractions by keeping the nozzle within the infill areas when moving from one point to another. This can increase your print time but will protect your filament.
Can a molten filament be retracted from a hot end?
Fact – Once filament has melted in the “melt zone” of your hot end, it cannot be retracted. Retraction does not create negative pressure. Hot ends are not sealed/airtight. If they were, then the negative pressure would “suck” molten filament back up through the hot end.
What happens to molten wax when you retract it?
While a small amount of wax will stick to the cylinder when you remove it, it does not pull the pool of molten wax up with it. In the same way, the solid filament above the melt zone does not retract the molten filament with it. Ok, so if retraction doesn’t pull filament back up through the nozzle, what does it do?
Is it true that retraction does not cause oozing?
Myth – Retraction “sucks” filament back up through the hot end. So, the more retraction you use, the less oozing you’ll get. Fact – Once filament has melted in the “melt zone” of your hot end, it cannot be retracted. Retraction does not create negative pressure.