Aerostruder Tool Head Partial Jams

On my Aerostruder tool head for a Taz 6, PLA filament is looping immediately as it comes out of the nozzle. I assumed that there was a some kind of partial jam in the hot end, so I have attempted numerous cold pulls with cleaning filament to try and get any residue or bits of PLA that might by lodged in the extrusion path. I’ve done enough cold pulls such that the cleaning filament is now coming out clean, but the pulls are still lacking the perfect conical shape that they should.

I have read on the forums that it is apparently pretty difficult to do cold pulls on the Aerostruder, so my question is, is there another way (other than cold pulls) to remove partial blocks on the Aerostruder? I am not really familiar with Lulzbots and havent been using the Taz 6 for very long, so it is likely that I am missing something. Still, I assume that this is a somewhat common problem with the Aerostruder. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

You can try setting the extrusion temp to 240, scrubbing the nozzle tip with blue or green Scotchbrite and extruding 100 or more mm of filament. Sometimes the extra heat will allow the blockage to come out. Pushing a small wire into the nozzle tip can also help. Otherwise, remove the nozzle and replace it or clean it with heat or Scigrip 4 solvent.

Would you be willing to go into a bit more depth on how to “clean it with heat”? The residue is on the inside of the nozzle, and I am not familiar with how heating it would help remove it. Thank you

If you take the nozzle off, you can heat it with a torch or heat gun in an attempt to remove what ever contamination is causing the problem. You can also soak the nozzle in Scigrip 4 solvent to get all the plastic and gunk out of it. Or, you can just install a new nozzle.

To be honest, I can’t remember the last time I had to remove a nozzle to clear it. Extruding at a higher temp and probing the orifice with a small wire will generally clear the obstruction.