How much pressure/tension should there be on the plastic going into the hotend?

3D Printing
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21

I’m working with abs for now. But I’ll keep that in mind.

22

Yeah, clogs, temperature, hobbed bolt teeth gunked up, and insufficient idler tension are things to check. Also make sure the filament isn’t pushing back up towards the filament as it heats. Some hotends have a heat break with a fan to prevent that.