M200 stopped extruding. Extuder motor still turns okay, does not slip. If I apply a bit of force to the filament, it comes out of the nozzle. Ideas?

Hey gang -

So during a routine (ABS) print on my m200 the other day, I first noticed quite a bit of plastic crumbs all over the top of my print. it was a flat square, about 12mm wide, and it had little bits of plastic all over the top of it. I think the hot end was a bit too low and might have been digging into the print a bit - I'm not certain. I walked away for a bit and when I came back an hour or two later, the print had "completed" but it did not print anything beyond the flat square base I had identified some issues with.

When I attempted to print it again, nothing came out of the hot end. The extruder motor still turns without issue, and the teeth on the gear do eventually start slipping against the filament - but they don't make any sort of clicking or ticking sound that you'll sometimes hear from the extruder if there's some blockage. You can see the teeth spinning against the filament and after a while it produces a small bit of shavings in the little motor area.

If I apply some force to the filament as it's going into the block, filament comes out of the hot end like normal. I can successfully swap filament this way, but again I have to apply force to the filament as the extruder motor is pulling it in.

I thought it might have been a calibration issue, so I did a did an auto calibration and tried printing a different model (ULTRAT this time) - no luck. 

Anybody got any ideas? Is it still possible to have a jam even though it's not jammed? Anybody ever dealt with an issue like this before?

I have an IR temperature sensor and it seems everything is coming up to the requisite heat. Running latest m200 firmware and z-suite.

update: I think it might be sort of fixed?

The screw on the thermocoupler had come loose and I was able to slide the entire thing out with my finger. There was no resistance whatsoever - it just slid right out. I tightened those up really good and put it back together.

Started another print and initially it started okay, but at one point stopped extruding during the first layer of the raft - but I think this may be a calibration error. I did remove the hot end for a bit while the thermocouple was out. After it's done printing I will run auto calibration again and see how the next raft goes. It's just about finished this one so we'll see how the print comes out in a couple hours.

update: yeah - does not seem to be fixed. still not extruding as it should be. Could it be some sort of blockage?

It may be the diameter of the filament that varies and becomes too thin. In this case, the pinion no longer carries the filament. I already had this problem : Try another filament spool

jpGrind, please make sure the small extruder bearing is fine: https://support.zortrax.com/extruder-bearing-replacement/

The extruder sprocket may be worn-out a bit as well. Take a look at it.

It may be the diameter of the filament that varies and becomes too thin. In this case, the pinion no longer carries the filament. I already had this problem : Try another filament spool

Thanks for the suggestion. I’ve tried two rolls, one ABS and one Ultrat. Same on both.

jpGrind, please make sure the small extruder bearing is fine: https://support.zortrax.com/extruder-bearing-replacement/

The extruder sprocket may be worn-out a bit as well. Take a look at it.

I will check that out this evening. Where can I order the replacement parts I’d need if it is the ball bearing and extruder sprocket? Thanks for the tip.

Well I don't think it's a hot-end issue. I have soaked both my nozzles in acetone over night. 

I'm starting to wonder if something in the extruder motor has worn out, or perhaps the ball bearing mentioned above. I'd like to purchase some replacement parts, but the zortrax online store doesn't list any of the items I need.

Anybody lend a hand?

Try Profound3D.com in Pennsylvania, I think.  I recently ordered some spare parts from them and had them within 2 or 3 days.  The prices seemed pretty reasonable to me, too.

Well I don't think it's a hot-end issue. I have soaked both my nozzles in acetone over night. 

I'm starting to wonder if something in the extruder motor has worn out, or perhaps the ball bearing mentioned above. I'd like to purchase some replacement parts, but the zortrax online store doesn't list any of the items I need.

Anybody lend a hand?

Yeah, it's totally possible.

However, I would go through the extruder maintenance first. Please pay special attention in assembling the extruder motor and the extruder motor cover correctly.

If the distance between the sprocket and the bearing is too big, the material cannot be pressed against these two components. In consequence, it cannot be transferred further.

https://support.zortrax.com/extruder-maintenance/

Try this one and let us know if it solves the issue.

I have taken apart the extruder motor, and it appears as though the bearing is totally shot. There was a bit of plastic collected in the gears of the motor, but it flaked away with ease and I don't suspect that was the issue.

Attached are some pics. Is the only way to acquire a replacement bearing through purchasing an entire extruder motor?

Many thanks for the help.

I have taken apart the extruder motor, and it appears as though the bearing is totally shot. There was a bit of plastic collected in the gears of the motor, but it flaked away with ease and I don't suspect that was the issue.

Attached are some pics. Is the only way to acquire a replacement bearing through purchasing an entire extruder motor?

Many thanks for the help.

You can find that bearing in any hardware/ DIY store. It's 683 zz 3mm bearing.

So a bit of an update -

I have replaced the bearing (with one of these) and successfully completed two prints. Believing the issue to be fixed, I swapped out the filament (ABS for Ultrat) but then stumbled upon a whole new set of problems.

When trying to load new filament, the gear pulls it part of the way in, but eventually just starts slipping and nothing extrudes. I cannot load different filament - not even the roll I had loaded previously.

I thought it might have been the hot end, as it did seem to get twisted from over-tightening the nozzle a bit, so I replaced the entire hot end with a brand new hot end v2 - no resolution and extruder gear still slipping. I'm thinking maybe the extruder gear needs to be slightly repositioned, however...

Now there's another minor snag - stripped screws on Aluminum Extruder Cover - I accidentally stripped one of the screws on the aluminum extruder cover and cannot seem to get it off. I've tried using a rubber glove around the end of the hex wrench but it will not budge. Hopefully I can remove it.

I checked the temperature of the hot end with my IR thermometer, and it seems to be hovering in the 350° F range. Is that the correct temperature for the hot end?

Any other ideas as to what could be causing my filament loading issues now?

Another update -

I've managed to get around the stripped screws so I could adjust the position of the extruder motor. I loosened it, slid it to the right as far as it would go, reassembled -> gear still slipped, though in a different manner. I'm guessing too far from the bearing.

Took it apart again and centered the motor as best I could. Reassembled and attempted to reload filament, but the gear still slipped. If I pushed it through it took it just fine. Curious to see how it would print, I loaded up a known working model and it's been printing just fine for about two hours now, so it seems to be okay at the moment. I am going to test a filament swap when it's finished and do another test print. I don't mind having to apply force to the filament to get it loaded if it still prints okay.

Could it be the replacement bearings I bought causing some tension issues, or should I keep adjusting the extruder motor until it will accept new filament without force into the block?

Another update -

I've managed to get around the stripped screws so I could adjust the position of the extruder motor. I loosened it, slid it to the right as far as it would go, reassembled -> gear still slipped, though in a different manner. I'm guessing too far from the bearing.

Took it apart again and centered the motor as best I could. Reassembled and attempted to reload filament, but the gear still slipped. If I pushed it through it took it just fine. Curious to see how it would print, I loaded up a known working model and it's been printing just fine for about two hours now, so it seems to be okay at the moment. I am going to test a filament swap when it's finished and do another test print. I don't mind having to apply force to the filament to get it loaded if it still prints okay.

Could it be the replacement bearings I bought causing some tension issues, or should I keep adjusting the extruder motor until it will accept new filament without force into the block?

The material loading temperature is a bit lower than most materials' extrusion temperature - it may cause some issues if the hotend is worn-out a little.