I recently run into problems with my Printrbot Simple Makers Edition. After some successfull prints I got two problems:
The extruder makes clicking noise when drawing long straight lines and it seems it is retracting or slipping (see video for sound an at 0:40 you can see the axis even “bouncing backwards”. Because of that the filament extrusion is not sufficient.
On the other hand the surface quality is getting really ugly on top surfaces. It seems that layers are not sticking to the ones beneath them…
Before this happend I successfully printed with the same settings and the same filament. Then I experimented with flexible filament and installed a filament guide (I deinstalled it afterwards).
I had a similar problem with my (October 2013 - original wooden extruder) simple as well - skipping filament and/or slipping driver.
I managed to get over it by re-tightening the little screw on the filament driver. Use a half a drop of loctite 648 on that screw but don’t overtighten it or you might run into more troubles. I did and then couldn’t remove the original screw ( the loctite made things even worse ). I managed to completely remove the original screw and replaced it with a new one I found around.
My biggest problem was driver slipping on the motor axis though, so I got over THAT problem by inserting a metal spacer in between the two wooden layers of the extruder on the outer side and some more spacers between the driver and the motor, so to place the driver exactly where I needed it to be. (Tip: If you do so, don’t forget to use a touch of grease between spacers.) Also, I was never convinced that the extruder is strong enough to pull the filament from its spool, so I manually spin it every little while.
If I were you, I would begin tinkering it one step at a time until I get it working as it should.
If that’s the root of the problem, then you will have found the solution to both of your question’s parts.
Ok I have a number of PBs of different models. Try to adjust the current on the POT and the tension on the screw on the extruder. Also, if you touch the extruder motor when it starts clicking is it hot? I also found that clipping a small piece of paper towel or napkin around the filament right above where it enters the extruder with a little olive oil or 4 in 1 motor oil the skipping stops completely.
That’s how I cleaned it out when switch from ninja flex. The only thing I can think of is to make sure you are purging the nozzle at the extrusion temp for the flexible filament (it is usually higher than PLA) and run PLA through at that temp for a bit before loweri g the temp for use with PLA.
It may be that there isn’t enough current to extrude. This would be especially true if it’s a little clogged. My current is just past the 12 o’clock mark.
Your extrusion issues and your layers not bonding issues are the same problem: Melt rate in the HotEnd not high enough to get enough plastic to temp for proper extrusion.
What material and temperature? Being a PB i would imagine PLA, so I would prescribe simply turning up the temperature by 10-15 degrees.
If you can extrude fine on the smaller slower extrusion parts of your prints your motor current/torque is probably fine, but tuning it to a higher current certainly won’t hurt as long as your motor isn’t overheating.
I had clicking and skipping sounds on my Simple. Remove and clean the teeth, they are most likely clogged so the motor tries to push filament but it skips due to clogging. To make sure I was not stopped by this again I ordered 2 spare ones.
i run my printrbot simple 2013 @
50mm/s perim, 80mm/s on infills, 100mm/s on travels. ( with belt mods ) with no issues. but i would recommend upping the temp to clear the flex out.
You can also get that problem if your print head is too close to the build plate. If you raise z up and send an extrude command and DONT get the clicking, it’s probably that you need to raise your z end stop something tiny like .1mm
@Sanjay_Mortimer It might be a different problem: if the extruder is skipping because of a clog or a kink or insufficient drive-gear pressure or whatever, then there’s simply not enough melted filament coming out to make a complete layer. I’ve found, alas, that having the temp too high can also do this, because the melt zone travels upward and you get a big blob above the head…
Check the extruder motor and see if it’s too hot. You can put a heatsink on the extruder motor or even a fan on it to keep it cool. The only thing I didn’t like about the Printrbot aluminum extruder is that it transfers heat from the Ubis to the motor causing it to overheat and skips.
I got the skips under control, I think. I cleaned the bolt, realigned bolt and filament guidance and at the moment its ok. The extruder motor isn’t even warm. But the surface quality is still bad.
Make sure you calibrate your extruder. 205-210 for PLA. Pot at 1 o’clock should be good. Clicking is almost always too low temp or too high pot- the later is ruled out. To clean barrel, remove tip and manually push filament through. Black filament is often leaving residue behind in barrel. Never heat up hotend empty or leave it sitting at temp to avoid charring. Transparent PLA has less issues. Cheap filament (non-PrintrBot or trusted brands) can have bad fillers that don’t play nice.
Upon a closer inspection on my replaced direct drive gear I see that some of the cut teeth are not a s deep as the rest of them. My motor runs a bit hot and a 50mm computer-fan helps a lot. No issues since…
