Hotend Problems

I'm currently using a E3D v6 hotend and the PLA doesn't go through the nozzle. I'm using 1.75mm filament and the temperature was originally 210 degress, but I set it higher because I thought that's why. The problem is that even at 240 degrees, the PLA still doesn't melt. Any tips? (I don't want to clean it first, I want other suggestions)

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/09/2015 03:04AM by Techly.

Do you have a hot end fan blowing air over the heatsink fins?

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Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

Hi,
what kind of extruder do you have? Did you try to push PLA through the heated nozzle by hand? Maybe the PLA doesn´t find the way into the nozzle? PTFE tube is crumpled or something else is blocking...
210°C is more than enough to melt PLA.

Good luck
Olaf

If you can't push it by hand then you have a blockage somewhere. I've found only way from there is dismantling to sort the problem.

@dc_42: Yes
@o_lampe: Wantai stepper motor with gear, yes, gonna check, gonna check, PTFE is fine.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 05/10/2015 02:24AM by Techly.

Are you sure your hot end is actually 210 degrees? Just because the LCD or Prontrface says it is does not make it so.

Get a second opinion You need a way to validate the temp reading. I use my multimeter with a K type thermocouple probe. I found that I was using the wrong thermister table and I was off by 16 degrees Testing other values, I could see variances from 75 degrees up to 5 degrees that I now have. Even though the entries say 100k blah blah, does not mean they are all equal. It is a dark science that I have yet to master. Also, thermistor tables can change the amount of variance at different temps. It could be dead on at 190 but off by 20 at 230.

Cheers,
Mark

Sounds like a jam. Pull the filament out and run a thin wire (like one strand from a normal power cable) through the hotend.