Hair balls aren't good

[scottfinchum]

OK. I just received my MakerGear. Got it to print. YAY!!. Print 5 things. Really good. Now all it does is where the filament comes out of the nozzle, it curls up and makes a little hair ball. Then, when it is printing that little perimeter it prints, it just makes a mess. Can't get it to make a straight line.
Took the nozzle (the brass piece) out. Blew it out with air, then I took tweezers and cleaned the best I could. Tried to search for this problem, but didn't find what is happening to me.

Any suggestions?

Thanks
Scott

[Jules]

The curling at the nozzle is generally caused by a partial blockage.....not necessarily a clog - usually it's just a little bit of hardened plastic left over on the nozzle that you didn't clean off after the previous print. The stuff on the exterior takes longer to melt, gets in the way, and causes that curling.

A little initial curling does not hurt anything...mine does it whenever I fail to clean off the nozzle - I just catch it with the tweezers and pull it off when the machine does the pre-print purge.

(If you want to clean off the nozzle.....do it while the machine is cooling off after the print finishes - just use the tweezers.)

i hope you were careful taking the nozzle off....you can break the neck on those hotends very easily if you are not careful. There is a video that shows how to remove them safely.

You never did answer the question I asked on your first post as to which machine you had, so I can't give you a specific link to the right one, but you should know that there is a Beginner's Guide for each of the M2 models in the How-To section of the forum. You should go read the one that applies to your machine.

[scottfinchum]

I have an M2 V4 REV.E Running Simplify3D
Printing MakerGear PLA.

I cleaned the end multiple times and no joy. I thought it might be a filament tightening screw issue. I tried 1/8 turns while extruding 10mm. Again, no joy. Just tried another print and all I get is hairballs and a spidery mess when it starts printing.

I've read the guide and can't find anything I haven't done. Or, checked.

Scott

[Jules]

Catch it with the tweezers and pull it off when the machine does the pre-print purge.

[scottfinchum]

I can pull it off with my fingers. Not a problem. The problem is that I get a thin stream like spider web that sticks where it wants to.

Hope pic helps

Scott

[Jules]

Yes, everybody's can do that.

One of the things that can help is to extrude a little slower....if you are using the default settings in S3D, they are ridiculously high - lower the default printing speed a bit. (under 4000 mm/min for PLA)

Another thing that contributes to wadding up is the extruder temp - if you print it at a lower temp, the filament is less sticky and less inclined to stick to itself, and to the hot nozzle. (i use 205-210 for the MakerGear PLA)

I'm just telling you, that might look unusual, but it's totally common. When it starts the purge, catch the wad and pull it down a bit with the tweezers...it usually just keeps on dropping.

[tks546]

It sounds like you are having an issue getting the first layer to stick.
Have you cleaned the build plate between prints and with what?
You also might want to double check the bed level to make sure something didn't shift when you pulled completed prints off the build plate.

-Tom

[scottfinchum]

I am cleaning with denatured alcohol

It just won't stick
Frustration is setting in

Scott

[Jules]

It just won't stick
Scott

Hairspray or gluestick. My personal preference is hairspray....it's easier to apply evenly for me. (Later you can move to PEI, which makes those unnecessary.)

[scottfinchum]

Tried hairspray - still same result

I don't get it. The first 5 prints went splendid. Now it's just crap.

I tried lowering the print speed. While it is making a circle, it makes a straight line with filament.

Scott