I have a Kossel Mini with Airtripper's Bowden Extruder and a Mk8 drive gear. I use PLA at ~210, with a 0.35mm J-head.
Recently I have been having issues with the filament either stripping regularly (a few times a minute) or, when I increase the tension to stop that, folding up and jamming the extruder. These issues started when I switched from SainSmart PLA to Push Plastic PLA, but I have printed with different Push Plastic filament in the past without issues.
I have tried raising the temperature, which helped a little but seems rather dangerous with a J-head. (Most people print at closer to 200, right?) I have tried adjusting the tension quite a bit, and I have found a place where the filament both strips and jams, so that isn't the solution. I don't think my hot end is jammed, since it's reasonably easy to push filament through by hand.
One hypothesis is that the drive gear is getting worn down. Another is that the new Push Plastic is softer, so it tends to flatten when the gear squashes it. A third is that the PP filament, which has a much rougher surface, has too much friction on the Bowden tube and in the nozzle. Do any of these sound like a common problem?
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/2014 06:58PM by epicepee.
