If the filament is not loaded into the extruder, yet the printer is trying to pull the filament inside. It is usually a simple hardware problem, which we will fix in this article.
Ideal preparation checklist:
- Cut the tip of the filament at a 45-degree angle
- Filament goes straight around the pulley into the hotend PTFE tube - If the filament is bent slightly it may go around, especially flexible filaments are sometimes tricky to align perfectly!
- Make sure that there is as little deformation as possible of the filament which is being loaded in.
Make sure that you are using proper nozzle temperatures.
Mechanical problems:
- Loose pulley: ensure that the set screw of the extruder drive gear is secured against the flat side of the extruder motor shaft.
- Gummed up teeth: the extruder gear has teeth which bite into the filament, ensure that the teeth are clean and clear of any plastic. Clean the grooves in the gear if necessary.
- Extruder gear misalignment: the filament has to travel in a straight path, any sort of deviation will create friction and cause the extruder to either misdirect the filament or be unable to feed it properly. Visually check to see that the groove of the extruder gear passes directly in line with the top of the hotend PTFE tubing.
See the Re-aligning the Bondtech gears article. - Loose / Over-tightened Idler spring: The spring in the extruder is pressing the filament against the gears by pulling the idler gear or bearing. Make sure that the spring is not too loose, not too tight. See the Idler screw tension article for more info.
Would none of the above ease your problem. Please visit Clogged nozzle - MK2/MK3. There is a chance that you are dealing with a clogged nozzle, rather than Filament loading problems.
12 comments
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tigertrainer
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I think I am going to sell mine.Just going in circles with load problem Did everything and pretty much just over it .
DaddyFixIt
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Everything was working on my MK3 and printing fine. Then it started showing a message to upgrade firmware at every print. So, I upgraded the fw to 3.13.2, the latest at the time. Now it doesn't load filament at all. it gets to the point of insert filament, but when I insert nothing happens, when i pull out, suddenly the gear starts spinning so I re-insert quickly. It loads a bot of filament at a time. After about a dozen is color correct answered NOs, it finally extrudes the filament, so I press Yes, then it almost right away tells me to unload filament and the dance restarts. I've downgraded to 3.12.2 and 3.11.0 with no luck. tried facory reset, everything passes until i get to the insert filament test and the dance begins again and again. I wish I never upgraded the fw, but now what do I do? I need my printer back. :'(
tigertrainer
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I have basically same problem . It takes quite a few no's before it loads. Gears are clean and aligned. Nozzle not clogged! Nice cold pull. You are right. Every time I upgrade firmware it causes bad things to happen. My printer has not worked in months. I just get tired of messing with it.Played with different tensions etc. It is a paperweight right now.
Oliver
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There is another, serious issue why filament would eventually not load: Tangled filament.
This can happen either by the user - uncautious handling and some windings leave the spool sideways. Or it could be manufacturing error: Incorrectly wound spools. I even had this with one Prusament spool, actually the filament even changed direction on the spool!
Of course there is a limit to the force the extruder can pull, and so the nozzle can end up dry - in this case printing won't stop immediately. When later all limits are exceeded and printing does stop, your model cannot be rescued because the z axis is way too high now.
So always check proper winding of the spool, this is a SPOF.
This can happen either by the user - uncautious handling and some windings leave the spool sideways. Or it could be manufacturing error: Incorrectly wound spools. I even had this with one Prusament spool, actually the filament even changed direction on the spool!
Of course there is a limit to the force the extruder can pull, and so the nozzle can end up dry - in this case printing won't stop immediately. When later all limits are exceeded and printing does stop, your model cannot be rescued because the z axis is way too high now.
So always check proper winding of the spool, this is a SPOF.
Tom Anderson (The Real NEO)
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since upgraded to firmware 3.12.1.5686 with my mm2s now when it loads the filament after cal point tests it puts the nozzle against the heat bed tightly for its initial edge pass and then the filament jams, a glob develops on the nozzle and it clogs. You can hear the gears clatering on the filament and it builds to where i have to tear down the hotend to clear. Any solutions /suggestions? Seems to be doing on my Pusament filaments more. Kept them in the bags with the dessicant so dont believe its moisture, but happening with my orange and galaxy black
Giuliano - Official Prusa CS
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Hello. I doubt that it's about the firmware, but you might try to downgrade it for testing purposes. If that doesn't help, I advise to proceed with the maintenance of the hotend and to recalibrate the first layer.
Matcoil
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Hi. My problem with the stucked filament loading only occurs when there is the end of the filament coming through. The final part of the filament happens to stuck in the hotend where an interesting situation happens because of the filament being not caught by gears so you can't pull the filament out (you can't reach it) or make it go through the hotend and then the nozzle. The solution is to unscrew the spring-tensioned idler-screw, open the idler-door and with the tweezers or something similar get the rest of the filament out. This way you clean the hotend and you make a room for the new filament to load the standard way.