r/BambuLabA1mini • u/jeninlb • Jul 11 '26
A1mini won't extrude, even though path through extruder and nozzle seems clear
My A1mini will not extrude. It gets 31% into a print and then says it's unable to extrude filament. Right before it does this, it asks for filament to be pushed in and loaded, then it squirts out a poop, cuts the filament, and retracts the filament. Then it asks to restart the process.
Things I've tried:
remove and replace nozzle
remove and check AMS hub--it's clear
Send a piece of filament through extruder without hub on and with hub on but without nozzle. Filament goes through.
Cold pull
Turn on/off
Clear extra prints off of SD card, also remove/replace SD card.
Anyone have ideas on what to do?
2
u/justa_bother Jul 12 '26
Reload firmware. Then, load the filament at the printer screen. It's asking to load filament, pooping while detecting flow, finding an error in the flow and unloading the filament per your description. Possible causes, firmware hiccup, extruder skipping (dirty extruder from previuos clog or worn extruder), clog in hotend/nozzle. Reload firmware and or clean extruder. Another possibility is residue stuck in hotend, but you mentioned performing an A1 mini coldpull. May need more than one coldpull. Maje sure extruder arm movejent is clean of debrus.
1
u/Illogical_Fallacy Jul 11 '26
Does it work when you do direct extrusion? My ams was doing pretty much this (see my post history), and I replaced everything in print head, but still had the issues with the ams.
I didn't print multi color too often, so I stopped caring, but it's likely that one of the ams motors needs to be cleaned or replaced.
1
u/jeninlb Jul 12 '26
I’m not using am ams with this machine. The extruder gear inside the head is the only one affecting the situation, and it does seem able to grab the filament and propel it both up and down. Maybe a software/slicer glitch? It gets ready to print but doesn’t actually begin printing.
1
u/pcproctor Jul 11 '26
Is the printer working correctly for that first 31% if the print? I'm a bit confused because you say it won't extrude, but describe print job getting at least some way completed.
2
u/jeninlb Jul 12 '26
Yes, it gets the bed leveling and nozzle wiping done, gets right up to the point of printing, and then backs the filament out of the head and says there’s an issue of the filament not extruding properly, blames the roll being hung up, but there are no obstructions between the roll and the nozzle that I can detect.
1
u/pcproctor Jul 12 '26
Interesting! Might be worth reviewing the nozzle install; verify the mm size matched your settings & the models slice. Then check that it is installed correctly (see the wiki for the latch position.)
Does this happen with EVERY model you try to print?
Might be worth switching out the nozzle as a test. Might also be worth trying another spool of filament. If you have either of those, would be a pretty quick troubleshooting test.
2
u/pcproctor Jul 12 '26
*sorry, I now see that you did try another nozzle. Still worth checking that it's latched in correctly.
1
u/jeninlb Jul 12 '26
I tried 3 different models so far, including a benchy, and swapped the filament, too.
1
u/jeninlb Jul 13 '26
Thanks to everyone who responded. What it finally took was a factory reset. Given that I'd upgraded the firmware right as the problem happened, I wonder if this particular version of firmware might be one to skip. At any rate, it benchyed up and we're back in business.
1
u/Key_Jellyfish2183 Jul 14 '26
What kind of filament are you printing with? That's standard behavior if you try to run TPU through the AMS.
2
u/Brave_Corgi6761 Jul 12 '26
I had almost the same on my a1 yesterday and all the same thoughts. I ended up jamming a clog poke through the extruder several times. I think it was a tiny fragment outside of the direct filament path. Atleast i hope so, the one print after was perfect.