After a couple of weeks of successful printing, really cranking out stuff all the time I have developed a problem that I think is related to the Hotend, and not sure if I need to take apart the extruder and clean it. When printing after the first few layers the plastic stops flowing from the hotend. I have to stop the print and then retract the plastic, wherein the end is totally mangled, it looks like to me that the bolt is pushing but not enough plastic gets out, so that a jam occurs. If I clear it out and then load new plastic in, it will work, but the plastic coming out isn't smooth. By this I mean that if I extrude at anything but the slowest speeds the plastic coming out vibrates/wobbles back and forth and when you look at it isn't a round shape, but rather groved, it has tiny ridges up and down the plastic. I can try and take a picture of it, but I don't think it will come out. I am guessing (and just guessing here) that something is preventing the plastic from flowing smoothly out of the hotend. Thoughts? https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,319697#msg-319697 Thu, 10 Sep 2026 10:24:54 -0400 Phorum 5.2.23 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,320796#msg-320796 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,320796#msg-320796 Ralph.Hilton Mendel90 Thu, 06 Mar 2014 14:05:23 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,320752#msg-320752 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,320752#msg-320752 academicdave Mendel90 Thu, 06 Mar 2014 12:17:16 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,320730#msg-320730 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,320730#msg-320730 forum.e3d-online.com]]]> Ralph.Hilton Mendel90 Thu, 06 Mar 2014 11:46:23 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,320614#msg-320614 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,320614#msg-320614 academicdave Mendel90 Thu, 06 Mar 2014 08:04:38 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,320480#msg-320480 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,320480#msg-320480 [e3d-online.com] .]]> Ralph.Hilton Mendel90 Thu, 06 Mar 2014 01:48:19 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,320450#msg-320450 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,320450#msg-320450 academicdave Mendel90 Wed, 05 Mar 2014 22:47:53 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,319965#msg-319965 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,319965#msg-319965
I use a long 3mm drill to rake out plastic while the hot end is hot. I remove it from the extruder and hold the cold end in one hand and twist the drill with my fingers.

I unblock nozzles with a 0.4mm drill, also while hot, again twisting by hand with a pin vice. It is easy to break the drill and leave a bit in the nozzle. You then yet two spiral steams of plastic!

Don't use a drill on a cold hot end because PLA is very hard so it tends to make the drill wander into the brass or the PTFE liner and damage it.]]> nophead Mendel90 Wed, 05 Mar 2014 03:49:15 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,319893#msg-319893 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,319893#msg-319893
It is clear to me that the flow isn't even, and the gear will skip a few times.]]> academicdave Mendel90 Tue, 04 Mar 2014 21:42:52 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,319875#msg-319875 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,319875#msg-319875
It doesn't work as well with ABS because that is more like chewing gum above Tg, but it can still pull out crap.]]> nophead Mendel90 Tue, 04 Mar 2014 20:21:22 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,319737#msg-319737 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,319737#msg-319737 Nilez Mendel90 Tue, 04 Mar 2014 15:34:59 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,319726#msg-319726 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,319726#msg-319726 academicdave Mendel90 Tue, 04 Mar 2014 15:13:10 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,319719#msg-319719 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,319719#msg-319719 Nilez Mendel90 Tue, 04 Mar 2014 15:06:40 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,319709#msg-319709 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,319709#msg-319709
You mean heat it to 80C and put filament in then pull it back out? (Saw this method discussed elsewhere, just making sure this is what you mean)
It's PLA haven't been willing to brave ABS yet, still trying to get the PLA down before leveling up to ABS.]]> academicdave Mendel90 Tue, 04 Mar 2014 14:45:40 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,319707#msg-319707 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,319707#msg-319707 nophead Mendel90 Tue, 04 Mar 2014 14:43:04 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,319697#msg-319697 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?292,319697,319697#msg-319697
When printing after the first few layers the plastic stops flowing from the hotend. I have to stop the print and then retract the plastic, wherein the end is totally mangled, it looks like to me that the bolt is pushing but not enough plastic gets out, so that a jam occurs. If I clear it out and then load new plastic in, it will work, but the plastic coming out isn't smooth. By this I mean that if I extrude at anything but the slowest speeds the plastic coming out vibrates/wobbles back and forth and when you look at it isn't a round shape, but rather groved, it has tiny ridges up and down the plastic. I can try and take a picture of it, but I don't think it will come out. I am guessing (and just guessing here) that something is preventing the plastic from flowing smoothly out of the hotend. Thoughts?]]> academicdave Mendel90 Tue, 04 Mar 2014 14:20:27 -0500