I have a filament stuck in the printer head area. I am having trouble diagnosing the problem and need help with this.
Can someone give me the steps and or instructions to just use the lulzbot taz6 scroll wheel method? How do you document the work instructions for diagnosing this problem? Is there a area in the forums for technical documents and work instructions that I can add to the database?
Thanks!!!
If the rest of the printer and tool head is functional, then you need to heat the extruder using the LCD panel to the temperature range of the filament type. If unknown, assume PLA and use 200 degrees. ABS would require a higher temperature, maybe 240.
Grab the end of filament with some plyers and pull. If it doesn’t seem like it is going to move, then block the cooling fan with a piece of paper for 5-10 minutes and try again. Hopefully you will have successfully removed the filament by now.
Turn off the heat, unblock the fan and let things cooldown. You should now be able to load new filament and extrude it using the LCD. Raise the tool head to around 100mm so it is easy to see the filament flowing out of the nozzle and note that it should flow straight down without curling. If it curls then there may still be some of the previous filament stuck inside.
Clean the filament from the bottom of the nozzle (may need to do this multiple times) and cool the tool head to around 100-120 degrees. At this temperature, use your plyers and pull the filament out from the top. This is called a cold pull and if successful, the extracted filament end should be shaped like the inside of the nozzle, tapered to a .5mm point. There might also be some flakes of older filament imbedded in the sides of the filament.
I use cleaning filament to clean the tool head finishing with a cold pull. When done, I can shine a flashlight into the top of the tool head and with a mirror, I can see the light through the nozzle.
