How do I keep my nozzle running smoothly?
Sometimes the filament is transported neatly into your printer, but it doesn’t flow out of your nozzle. It accumulates in the print head. Why does this happen? And of course: how can you prevent it?
Accumulation in the nozzle
When the nozzle is blocked, the molten material cannot leave the nozzle. It will then accumulate with molten filament. The blockage can be caused by burning dirt or filament, especially with a small nozzle. Burning of dirt can happen in a dirty environment, such as a workshop where wood, stone or dust is swirling around. Therefore, make sure the printer is in a clean environment.
The filament itself can also burn. If the temperature of the nozzle is set too high, the material will burn instead of melt. This can happen, for example, when you want to print much faster. When the printing speed increases, the temperature should also go up. This way the material can flow through the nozzle fast enough. But be careful not to raise the temperature too high so that the filament does not burn away.
Accumulation in the print head
Sometimes the print head is not clogged with molten material, but with cold filament. This is also a matter of temperature, but in this case room temperature. If the printer is in a warm room, the material softens before it enters the print head. The extruder wheel that guides the filament through the print head will cause a dent in the material. This allows the material to bend and go back into the print head. Here it will pile up until there is no more room. We therefore recommend putting the printer in a conditioned area, such as the server room.
Conclusion: A print head can become clogged by cold or melted material. In any case, temperature is usually the cause: a too high nozzle or room temperature causes problems. So put your printer in a clean, conditioned room and don’t set the nozzle temperature too high.
