# Taz 6 stock printer head stopping filament flow

**URL:** <https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/taz-6-stock-printer-head-stopping-filament-flow/25045>\
**Category:** LulzBot TAZ\
**Created:** [November 24, 2022, 5:51pm UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/taz-6-stock-printer-head-stopping-filament-flow/25045 "2022-11-24T17:51:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ranek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ba8739/32.png) [@ranek](https://forum.lulzbot.com/u/ranek)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2022, 5:51pm UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/taz-6-stock-printer-head-stopping-filament-flow/25045/1 "2022-11-24T17:51:19Z")

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Anyone else have the issue of occasionally having the printer head printing and then when you look back at it later, the filament is not being extruded from the printer head?

I did a couple of check where I either paused the print, restarted the print, changed the filament method, or just stopped the print completely and started a new print.

This issue keeps popping up occasionally. Please redirect the forum to another area if needed.

Thanks,

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**Author:** ![Wrathernaut](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.lulzbot.com/wrathernaut/32/13542_2.png) [@Wrathernaut](https://forum.lulzbot.com/u/Wrathernaut)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2022, 1:00am UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/taz-6-stock-printer-head-stopping-filament-flow/25045/2 "2022-11-25T01:00:19Z")

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Not much to go on, but what does the filament look like if you remove it?

Usually stripped filament due to a jam (nozzle not seated correctly) or heatcreep plugging it is to blame for random stops.

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**Author:** ![ranek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ba8739/32.png) [@ranek](https://forum.lulzbot.com/u/ranek)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2022, 3:44am UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/taz-6-stock-printer-head-stopping-filament-flow/25045/3 "2022-11-25T03:44:41Z")

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mmm, the filament has not been able to be removed through the printers method of unload filament or change filament.

kind of troubling since i sinched down the bolts so the springs were compressed enough that it engaged the filament.

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**Author:** ![b-morgan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.lulzbot.com/b-morgan/32/11517_2.png) [@b-morgan](https://forum.lulzbot.com/u/b-morgan)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2022, 2:11pm UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/taz-6-stock-printer-head-stopping-filament-flow/25045/4 "2022-11-25T14:11:24Z")

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![hotend en](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/uploads/lulzbot/original/2X/d/db63411e3055c946f35315b3f2229f56745832cc.jpeg)  
The extruder stepper motor can only move the filament if the hot zone is at a temperature that melts the filament and the cool zone doesn’t melt the filament.  
 ![hobbed-bolt](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/uploads/lulzbot/original/2X/4/4e82c5cab47ab9f8ca2eb6c66bddcac82be5cde9.jpeg)  
If either of these conditions are not met and the stepper motor continues to turn, then the hobbed bolt will grind the filament until it can’t move even if the conditions are met.

[Heat Creep](https://all3dp.com/2/3d-printer-heat-creep/) is the term used when the cold zone is heated by the hot zone enough that the filament starts to melt in the cold zone causing a jam.

If your tool head has suffered from heat creep and the filament is stuck it is often possible to remove the filament with a simple trick… heat the nozzle to the normal filament printing temperature and block (or stop) the cold zone fan (i.e. force heat creep to happen). After a few minutes, manually pull on the filament and it should come out. When it does, set the nozzle temperature to zero and unblock the cold zone fan.

If the above procedure was successful, then you probably can resume normal operations after both the cold zone and hot zone have cooled down.