clogging issues with red PLA from RepRapper Tech

Hello everyone,

I have purchased a red PLA spool (1kg) from RepRapper Tech.
So far I have been experiencing a lot of clogging issues with this filament. I have tried:
- adjusting the driving strengths (with wheels spacing),
- lowering the extrusion temperature (thinking it would reduce the amount of fused filament within the heated zone),
- adjusting the Z offset,
- keeping the extrusion head very clean (using acetone, torch to burn residues).

But the clogging events seem to be unavoidable for the moment... so I would appreciate to have some feedbacks about this filament, or further suggestions to solve this issue.
Thank you a lot.

Have you used PLA before in your printer? What hotend you have? What temperature are you using? Was the package properly sealed and with disecant when you received it?

Thank you ggherbaz for your reply.
So far it is the only PLA I have used with this printer.
I have a full metal hot end, similar to the one from E3D Online.
I am using temperatures ranging from 190 to 230°C, corresponding to what is advised by RepRapper Tech (190-240°C). I am trying to use temperature lower than 220°C though, as I read that the decomposition temperature for this PLA is at about 230°C.
Well, the package was properly sealed, and with disecant inside, yes. I have opened the package since a while. However, the clogging issues have happened from the first day. That's why I preferred using ABS, still from RepRapper Tech.

Ok based on your answer, the problem most likely is in your hotend. PLA and all metal hotends are like water and oil, they can coexist but never mix....

Do you have a fan constantly running on the aluminum fins of your hotend?

Update: I have two hot ends in my printer. I have tried the left one, to extrudate PLA today.
It seems the extrusion is flawless with this one, contrary to the right hot end. Actually, I have cleaned the right hotend with a torch a few times.
Maybe the thermal cycling has degraded the metal parts... which sounds weird for me, as I always dismounted the parts and burned them separately (parts with uniform thermal expansion coefficients).
I have noticed though that when dismounting the parts after clogging, some PLA had leaked in between the nozzle and the heatbreak... so they were either screwed unproperly (not likely, as i checked more than twice...) or the torch cleaning had degraded the parts...
I have ordered a new hotend... to replace the right one.

I have indeed read that PLA sometimes sticks onto the metal walls of the hotend...
Yes i have a fan running the aluminium heat sink.

Does your heat break pipe have an inner PTFE liner? Or it is just metal?

If it have a liner, it might be deteriorated and needs to be changed. If it is all metal, put in in a pan and literally fry it with olive oil, let it cook for several minutes at medium heat, turn off the heat and let it cool in the pan, once cooled drain excess oil and torch it untill red hot, let it cool down. Depending on use, repeat this process every 2 to 3 months.

In addition to this, every time you put new filament, add a few drops of oil to the tip of the filament and run it through the hotend (run it higher than usual).

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/04/2015 10:16AM by ggherbaz.

Hi ggherbaz,
Sorry for the late reply.
My heatbreak is pure metal, no liner inside.
You mean add oil within the hot end with a pipette?
I have similar clogging issues with conductive filaments using PLA polymer matrix. I will try if oil helps.
Thanks again.

Not a pipette, dip the tip of the filament with oil and just extrude it at higher than normal temperatures, it will create a coating on the barrel that will help with preventing PLA to stick to the barrel.

I have been reading this with interest. I build a Mendel with my son this past winter, and after a few months of blissful printing, I find printing anything almost impossible. Did this solve your problem, cimballi? I use 2.85mm filament through a bowden extruder, are 1.75mm hotends less prone to clogging? Thank you for your time, Michael

Theres no problem using a metal hot end with pla.

I use the hexagon all metal and have no problem with pla.
Or ABS, ninjaflex, nylon.
I use 2.85mm and 3mm filament with a wades direct drive and between 0.3mm and 0.5mm nozzles.
Ive not had a single jam with any material.
The hot end heat sink has a permanently powered 12v fan that i dont turn off till the hot end has cooled.

Gordon

---

Gordon
Currently have a tweaked mendel prusa i2
About to build a P3Steel.
[scratchpad.thisandthose.org]

Printer for hire.
[www.3dhubs.com]

Member of South London Makerspace:
[southlondonmakerspace.org]

gordonendersby,

Yours is a good quality hotend, I have a Hexagon too and they are little beasts, well machined and assembled. Chinese clones are quite different story and do require some work to get them to function properly.

I was hoping this was quality:
[www.makergeeks.com]
It was $100.00., the heatBreak is stainless, so I don't believe "curing" it in hot oil will work.
Is changing out a hot end a normal thing to expect when printing on a regular basis?

I was referring to Cimbali hotend not yours.

Seasoning its useful on all metal hotends, specially the ones with poor polishing finishes.

No, isn't normal to comstantly change hotends, but it might happen if you need to print something that your regular hotend can't handle. You may say why not use a hotend that can handle all the materials? And the answer is simple, some hotends are better for one material than others.

BTW, I think you paid too much for that hotend, which is a copy of an e3d V5/V6, for that much you could get and original e3d V6.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/12/2015 08:25PM by ggherbaz.

I agree , I spent too much.
I guess to get to the root of my question, when i google e3d V6, I get hundreds of hits in a miriad of prices.
I chose the makerGeek hot end to replace a chinese hotend I picked up on e-bay. I assumed the higher price reflected a higher quality. It had a stainless heatbreak and 40w heater cartridge. (the hexagon is a 30w) I also wanted to patronize a U.S. company.
So, If I want a quality, original, e3d V6 what vendor would you recommend? I've only been in the 3d printing world since December and am trying yo feel my way through.- Thank you.

E3D is a British company. You can order direct, or they have a list of resellers on their website:

[e3d-online.com]

Thank you Fathers Day is coming, and I think I know what I want...

It is truly amazing what a little olive oil can do. thank you all for your help.