My extruder stops printing during a project

My extruder stops printing during a project

When you are working on a 3D print, it is possible that during the process the 3D printer stops extruding or pressing out filament. Several problems can be the cause of this. The solutions on this page are aimed at stopping printing during the printing process. If you already have problems with this from the start of the print, we refer you to the page 'No filament at start of print'. 

Most common solutions

• The filament has run out

  As simple as it may seem, this is often the problem when no filament comes out of the print head while printing 3D objects. You can overlook that there is not enough filament on the spool to finish the print. So before you investigate the other problems, check whether the filament is not exhausted.

• The drive gear has damaged the filament

  During 3D printing, the extruder's motor is constantly squeezing filament through the nozzle, also known as the print head. If you want to print too fast, or if you try to squeeze out too much filament, the filament can get stuck. Because the drive gear (the drive gear for the filament) continues to rotate, parts of the filament can scrape away. This can damage the filament in such a way that there is not enough filament left for the drive gear to pick up. This is the case when the extruder motor continues to run, but the filament does not move. Another thing to check is the small grub screws that lock the gear on to the motor shaft, these can come loose causing the gear to not turn with the motor. Check out our 'Damaged filament' page for possible solutions to this problem.

• The extruder is clogged

  If the above suggestions do not solve the problem, it is also possible that the extruder is clogged. It can become clogged when dirt has entered the nozzle, i.e. the print head, or because of hot plastic that has been in the extruder for too long. Another reason for clogging can be that the extruder's thermal cooling is not working properly, causing the filament to begin to soften already outside the desired melting zone. See the 'Clogged nozzle' page for some ways to unclog the nozzle and extruder. If unblocking does not work, you can also order a new one from 123-3D.

• The extruder motor is overheated

  During printing, the motor of the extruder works very hard and consumes a lot of power. If the extruder motor is not cooled sufficiently, the risk of overheating is enormous. These motors are generally equipped with temperature protection, whereby the motor switches off as soon as it reaches too high of a temperature. When this happens, the X and Y axis motors continue to rotate and the extruder tool head moves. However, the motor of the extruder itself has stalled and has stopped moving because of this. The only solution to this is to switch off the equipment and let it cool down. If it becomes a common problem, you can purchase an additional cooling fan. 
  
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