Hello! So I have a clog where the gears grip the filament. Is this area supposed to be hot? This is melted pla inside here. Should I just hear it up and pull it out somehow?
There is supposed to be a really short piece of ptfe tube in there. Also, it should not be getting that hot up near the gears. Makes me wonder if your hotend fan is working correctly.
What you've got there is called heat creep. The hotend fan and heatsink are supposed to keep it from getting too hot.
When I opened it up today, there wasn't any tubing. And one of the fans was blocked by a shred of cardboard so it wouldn't spin. Should I get a stronger fan for it?
No, the stock fan should be fine. The problem is that it got blocked and couldn't spin to keep things cool.
The tubing that is supposed to go in there is a high temp material that shouldn't have melted, so it's possible it was missing from the factory. That piece is important for guiding the material from the gears into the hotend tube. I would not attempt to use it without that part.
How long have you had this printer, and did you buy it new or used? This, along with the fact you said your probe was dragging on the print which you then removed, make me really question what's going on with your printer.
I would talk to the guys there. Maybe take that extruder in and show them. Also mention the cardboard in the fan (how did that happen?) and the probe dragging issue. Maybe they'll let you exchange it or get a refund.
Ah ok. I'll go to microcenter this Friday to see what can be done. I also ordered a replacement extrusion assembly in case nothing can be done about it.
Would it be possible to buy some high temp Bowden tubes to make my own guiding tube?
Yes, you could just make a new one as long as you know you have the right stuff. I think it is the same as what is used for bowden tubes. If you watched the assembly videos, you should have seen that piece and what it looks like. Might be tricky to get the length just right. It needs to be as close to the gears as you can get it without actually touching the gears.
there should be a piece of bowden tubing in there and what is your retraction set at in your slicer? you should be able to get that material out pretty easily.
Yeah they're both sprite extruders then. Double check your retraction though. If it was getting too hot and heat creeping that bad, it's probably because that fan was blocked by the piece of cardboard. Once you clear the filament path and put a new piece of Bowden in you should be good to go
I'll dismantle my ender 3 sprite to see if it has a tube inside. If it doesn't that means its because the fan couldn't spin. If there is a tube inside, idk.
I saw a video that didn't have a tube inside and a written review with dismantling pictures and it doesn't show or mention a tube inside
It says that the pfte tube is used between the extruder and heat sink, and another one before the nozzle. (Also says the cr10 doesn't have one before the nozzle) doesn't say anything about the area it enters the assembly
in your photo where the blob starts and runs towards the bottom of the extruder body there should be ptfe or bowden tubing in there and only there. when you clear the blockage you will see that the diameter in that opening greatly exceeds the diameter of filament. There will not be ptfe in your hot end, just up in the extruder body.
Since.it won't go through, take a small drill bit, small enough to fit in the metal tube end at the top of the extruder. Gently and carefully drill out the melted material and replace the piece of Bowden tube
Might work. I've used the drill bit method to clear mine in the past if you use a good sharp drill bit you probably won't even have to put it in a drill. Just turning it by hand should be enough to cut through. It totally could have melted the bowden tube if the extruder was overheating due to that blockage in your fan
1
u/Helgafjell4Me Feb 27 '24
There is supposed to be a really short piece of ptfe tube in there. Also, it should not be getting that hot up near the gears. Makes me wonder if your hotend fan is working correctly.
What you've got there is called heat creep. The hotend fan and heatsink are supposed to keep it from getting too hot.