Using Z-PLA (not PLA-pro) with the M200

Hello, I relatively recently got my hands on an old M200. While buying material for it I bought a spool of Z-PLA which doesn’t seem to be supported by the printer of Z-suite base settings. Can I still use it with the M200 or did I essentially waste some money?

I tried one test run with it and the extruder got blocked, I’m unsure if this was just bad luck or an issue with the filament or the settings. I tried to run it on the PLA-pro preset.

Any tips or advice is appreciated.

Hello,
It is best to use the extruder for PLA in the V2 version with the classic Zortrax M200. In this configuration, Zortrax works much better with PLA.

Could you elaborate? ‘V2 version’ like a different Extruder head?

The 2nd generation hotend for the classic version, i.e., models M200/M300, handles filaments like PLA and PETG better. In the attachments, I’m sending you instructions on how to determine which version of the hotend you have installed.
Hotend v1
3b240f3c691554bec9284268f0df88c5f57bc424-2

Hotend v2
53e4d88a7b9d48012d1d962082b0d6b1fe75be51

Ohh thanks alot, it looks like my M200 came with the V2 already. So I assume it’s a settings thing. Are there differences in temparatures etc between Z-PLA and Z-PLA Pro?

Could you please let me know which version of Z Suite you are using?

Of course, it’s 2.32.0.0

Set the external material in Z Suite to PLA in the settings. Then use these parameters:

  • Extrusion temperature: 215°C
  • Bed temperature: 40°C
  • Retraction speed: 32 mm/s
  • Retraction distance: 1.5 mm

Let me know how the print goes with these settings. Best regards!

Thanks alot! I’m not home right now unfortunately, but will try as soon as I can.

I tried it to no avail. But it seemed like it was having issues feeding. You could see and hear the gear skipping. I haven’t had that issue with any other type of filament.

Please raise the temperature to around 240 degrees and repeatedly load the PLA filament a few times. This sometimes happens after printing with ABS or other high-temperature materials. Once you’ve done this, try printing according to the previous recommendations. After each failed attempt, you can increase the temperature by +5 degrees, up to a maximum of around 240. If this doesn’t help, it might be necessary to replace the hotend.