I’ve practically given up using my m300 dual in dual extrusion mode… it continually has blocked extruders … particularly it would seem with utrat plus but also with the z support premium. why is this ? I spend most of my time with this printer stripping the head right down unblocking the extruder, cleaning it all out etc rebuilding head… setting up for print and then a couple of hours in…blocked extruder again …Agh…!
so much so as I say only use the machine now in single extruder mode
also if I don’t run axis check before every print there is still a potential layer shift problem to worry about ruining my print.
why is the machine so unreliable ?
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Hello,
So indeed I often had this problem of extruder clogged for support.
My concern was that the support coil was too old, it certainly absorbed moisture. I bought a new coil and now no more problems.
In addition, the printer requires a lot of care, such as greasing the slides, checking the axis axis (see maintenance), clean nozzle nose …
But also an alignment of the nozzles especially in Dual mode.
yep I get all that
don’t understand why I keep getting layer shift though on biggish prints as I say if I run an axis check before every print it seems ok
also as I mentioned with my machine the z ultrat plus clogs as much if not more than the z support
Ok I understand, but it seems really bizarre to me that even the main filament gets blocked in the buze.
Are your filaments old? Did you buy the used machine?
If the machine is new, and the wiring too, I advise you to request Zortrax assistance.
Me my machine runs almost 24H / 24H and I have no problem.
Yes I bought the machine new last March when it came out
The filaments are not old. And there’s definitely no moisture in my workshop at the moment … it’s sunny and warm
I run all the maintenance frequently I still get this continual problem with the extruder. Zortrax just advise me to do the routine stuff. Which I do
But it’s still problematic. Hence now why I just use it in single extruded mode. Then it’s no problem. No blockages of extruder a
I’m so bored of it I’m thinking of getting rid and getting an m300 plus instead
so you say your run 24/24 most of the time how many hours do you have on the machine?
I have 1225 h surely not much? my old m200’s have 3000 on each
Ok, so indeed in this case, you really have to force Zortrax to help you better.
Yes, I make impressions which last approximately between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Currently my machine at around 2600-2800 hours.
I have the same problem, after 5 or 8% of printing it stops due to material jam in the extruder
Hi @uptec2019,
Does the material jam occur while printing with the support material only? This could mean the hotend module is clogged with material residues or the support filament has not been stored properly, and it is too wet to be extruded properly.
Once the error occurs - does resuming the print help? If yes, and the support material extrudes properly then - this could mean the encoder is malfunctioning. To confirm that - you can disable the material jam detection (menu -> working options) and check if you can successfully finish a print then.
Best regards,
Karolina
Can you hear characteristic clicking when the hotend gets clogged? You should hear that when the extruder is really clogged (it’s the sound made by gear pushing the filament when sliding). I had such a problem. After changing (or regenerating hotend) the problem was gone.
If you do not hear sliding gear than I would suppose that the hotend is not getting clogged but the material switch is not positioned correctly and the printer detects material jam. I experienced this problem. It appears only when printing in dual material mode. The printer changes the material by pushing material switch (in the head) on the bumpers on the left and right side of printer (I don’t know how they name officially these elements in Zortrax…). I noticed that the printer do not push this switch to the end. The material switch is not fully pressed. Sometimes the printer starts to extrude properly but the material switch may pop out in any moment, than the material could not be extruded and the printer shows error (material jam). Sometimes the printer could not extrude at all (the material switch is in the middle), printer show material jam.
You can easily check that: When the printer stops with the error message you can check if the material switch in the extruder is fully pressed right or left or not. If it is more or less in the middle than you have the problem with switching.
This problem is connected with X-axis layer shifting. Wrong positioning of the printer head makes both problems with layer shifting and correct material switching.
You can try “hotend switch calibration” procedure (Settings > Working options > Hotend switch calibration). In my case this procedure does not help.
I hope I copped with this problem by axes maintenance procedures. This one: https://support.zortrax.com/axes-maintenance-m300-dual/ I had some misalignment of printing guides (detected with use of jigs - guides were not paralel). I corrected it by this procedure: https://support.zortrax.com/m300-axes-maintenance-with-jigs/. I also tightened the screws on the gears on which the belts work. Now the problem is probably gone (I have still some other problem but the material is switched and extruded correctly).
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