Wow. I consider myself kinda experienced in 3D printing including print head management with complete reassemble time-to time for various reasons, including clogs/jams. And I think this video is awesome! It even provides some information outside of my previous knowledge.
I've just started 3D printing and already had my first clog I think. Been searching around forever for a good explanation and this has been by far the best I've found. Thanks!
I know this is 4 years old, but still this is the best I've seen from my extensive searches. You literally saved me on this. I got a clog in the heat break which was causing my prints to stop after about an hour of printing. And, because I took the whole thing apart and fixed that, I have not had an issue with the thermal runaway either. So just by fixing the clog, I have (fingers crossed) fixed the other issue as well. Thank you.
Nothing more can be said : this video has EVERYTHING. One day, if 3D printing is taught in class, this will be a video shown to the students. Thank You.
This was the most explanatory and in depth explanation I have found. I really liked the cross sections that you printed because I have been doing 3D printing for years but never actually knew how the hotends worked. Thank you for making this a available resource for all having this issue!🙏😃
I watched 3 useless videos before I found this and you helped more in 10 minutes than all those others combined. Thank you sir, I'm back up and running on all my printers.
Hi Joe. Clearest descriptions of nozzle/extruder fault vectors I've ever seen. The visuals (prints) nailed it! Nicely done. 👍 (Hope all is well with you. Happy New Year, Susi xx)
Great video just helped with filament not feeding halfway through print. feeder was skipping. The pipe needed to be pushed right upto the nozzle which stopped the blockage. awesome thanks
Absolutely perfect explanation. You saved both of my 3d printers which had similar heat creep issues, and going through each of your recommended steps recovered BOTH of them. Thank you!!!!!
filament jam on first day in dealing with major frustration on christmas morning here. I hope to follow these tasks and clear my printer out tomorrow. Thanks for the video
more people should watch this.... i loved it. I do not even have a problem and also knew this before, but this video is so great for beginners with cheap printers/parts. Doing this stuff since years but boy, that is the best video about this topic!
Awesome, this helped me. My cooling fan wasing blowing on my hotend. I was changing nozzles, hotends, checking my extruder, finally figured it out. Thanks!
Very good. And thanks for the cut away views. I found a way to keep the Bowden tube from fatiguing the push to connect fitting. I print a washer (of sorts) that has a flat bottom and a rounded chamfer on the bottom, and a hole with a 45 chamfer ID on the top. The rounded chamfer on the bottom helps to fit snug in the heat sink. The 45 chamfer on the top is to ease filament insertion, while the hole is just big enough to pass the expanded filament being unloaded. The PTFE tube is cut flat on both ends and sits between the washer and the nozzle. Now here is the trick in setting it up. Insert the washer and the push to fit connector to the top of the heat-sink. Bottom the push to fit connector and then back off two hex sides (1/3rd turn). Insert the PTFE tubing into the bottom of the heat break. Use the end of the heat break as a cut guide and cut the tube with a good razor blade, making sure to get a clean cut that is flush with the bottom of the heat break tube. Reassemble the hot end as normal saving the tightening of the push to connect fitting for last. Do NOT over tighten. Now insert the Bowden tube into the push to connect fitting. I also use the premium tubing for the heat break and the rest of the tubing can be what ever. Now the retractions will not stress the fitting. There is a flat positive seal between the nozzle and the heat break.
I'll add one more tip for the Mk10, when seating the PTFE tube leave the nozzle a little loose, push the tube all the way in until it hits the nozzle then tighten the nozzle to ensure a nice tight fit against the PTFE tube. About a half a turn does the trick for me. If you leave the nozzle too loose it will bend the PTFE tube and cause jams so don't over-do it.
This actually works! To sum up, if you have a micro-swiss or clone, disassemble and reassemble w/thermal paste between the hot block and nozzle, and the heat sink and heat break, but NOT between the heat break and the hot part. It really works!!!! Thank you!!!
Excellent description of the "killer-problem" I had this night with my printer after about 3 days of usage. This video is really best help. Now my Ender is working again. Thank you!
(UPDATE BELOW FIXED) I don't know why I didn't watch this video sooner. I've been looking through scattered information on this topic for over a week now. If I had seen this earlier I would have progressed a lot faster. I keep getting jams mid print. (It's really frustrating when I see one print finish and another fail misprint) But now that I can see what goes on inside the hot end. I believe I should be able to diagnose what's happening. Just throwing out a bunch of solutions to a possible issue is just frustrating and a waste of time. Your video actually showed me and explained what the issues are and how it should actually run. Thank you!!!!
UPDATE: Got it working! Interesting this video helped me realize there wasn't a problem with my hotend. I did trim the bowden tube to make it more flush. However, I was finally able to stop focusing on the hotend and look at the extruder where I found the real culprit... the ridged metal part meant to feed the filament was missing one screw! So I found a spare and tightened. So far so good!!
If I may add on the V6 hotend, the jam normally happens on my 3d printer on the ptfe tube after the heatbreak . The heat during the print will soften the teflon tube eventually , then during the retraction the melted plastic will go up there and unable to move back. This is the reason why the higher temp teflon tube is best for this application. My fix for this problem on my bondtech style extruder with v6 hotend is I use 2mm ID aluminum tube with ptfe sleeve on the outside, from the heatbreak to the lower part of the extruder. This fix works for me, no more jams since I made this fix. I also do this fix to my IDEX printer and so far so good. This is now my go to fix for v6 hotend.
Here is a tip if you don't want to disassemble the head: As explained in the video, the PTFE tube needs to be flush with the heat break and if it isn't plastic could get stuck here. But because there is small chamfer on the heat break, plastic could get stuck here even if the PTFE tube is flush and installed correctly. While you should probably dismantle the head to make sure it's installed correctly... there is a much easier way to get your printer running again without the pain of disassembly. Simply crank up the heat (275 works well for PLA) and manually run the extruder motor until the blockage melts and filament feeds. As soon as it's clear, cool down the heat block to stop the heat from creeping up too much.
AWESOME content! I've been suffering with clogs and jams like every couple of prints. This helped me to fully understand how my hotend should've been assembled, what is probably causing the clogs and jams, and how to fix it properly.
2 days into my 3D printing career, I got a clogged nozzle. This video helped me understand the why and how to fix it. Thank you for helping out us newbies.
Thanks, this helped me diagnose "creep" up the hot end that had been annoying me more so long. This was so well explain that immediatly I was able to diagnose my problem. The 3D models where super visual tools. Thank you again!
This is a very professional and informative video. Thanks for not only showing how to resolve clogging issues but what tools are needed to make the job easier.....the next time.
Holy crap! This is a fantastic explanation and I loved the cross section! I absolutely had the last issue just because I didn't know what the inside of the heat sink looked like. Now I both understand what happened (how I was stupid) and was able to fix it in 2 minutes! Can't thank you enough for the video and explaination!
thank you! I bought a 3d printer used a while back and just got filament for it and I definitely have a jam. hopefully with this new knowledge I'll be able to finally to do a test print
This vid was super helpful and I was able to clear the clog in my system as a result. Thanks! You've earned a sub. Love the 3d printed visual aids too, cool stuff.
I needed this detailed explanation of jams and clogs. My printer has started having these problems more and more lately and now I know the “why” and best way to fix and minimise it happening again. A really helpful video. The props were fantastic. Thank you.
You are the man. I think you just helped me figure out why a used Ender 3 pro I bought keeps clogging. I've done many cold pulls, replaced the nozzle, and replaced the PTFE tube. You're comment about the heat sink fan not cooling as efficiently as it could tipped me off. When I turn the fan on after it's been off for a few hours the heat sank fan screams like a banshee for at least the 1st minute or two. This has me thinking even when it comes down noise wise it still may not be spinning as fast as it should.
Just had to unclog my hotend and thought I check if I took all the right steps. I must say, this is the best video regarding this topic I've seen so far! Great visual aid, clear explanation and actually showing how it's done. Big kudos!
I got my 3D printer about a year ago. Sure enough, swapping filaments caused a jam. This video was very helpful! I really liked the cut-away models and they helped me understand better how to take care of the issue. I have to wait for some new Boron Nitride thermal paste to reassemble my hotend. But I was able to remove the jam with the help offered here!
Wow that was brilliant. I have been having issues with my Creality hot end and your video has just solved them. I would never have thought to check the PTFE only how tight the nozzle was. Many thanks for a very informative video.
