How to Fix 3D Printer Extruder Not Feeding Filament
Filament feeding problem can happen due to long time printing or incorrect operation of your 3D printer. The Anet A8 Plus, A8 and A6 3D printer have similar filament feeder on their extruder kit. When the extruder on these 3D printers doesn’t feeds filament properly, we should consider below possible causes and solve it accordingly.
Loose Copper Gear on Feeder
Loose copper gear installation inside the extruder is the most common reason that filament feeding problem happens.
Sometimes, the two set screws that fasten the copper gear onto the motor shaft might be not well tightened. The copper gear becomes loose and moves to the end of the motor shaft while feeding filament for a while. And the extruder won’t be able to feed filament into the hot end any more.
Solutions:
Push extruder handle inward to release the copper gear with the silver driven gear. Then slide the copper gear back into the right position and refasten the two set screws to fix the copper gear tight onto the motor shaft.
Worn gears inside the Extruder
Worn gears inside the extruder can be a rarely seem reason that your Anet A8, A8 Plus or A6 3D printer doesn’t feed filament well.
This can be cause by long time operation. If you observe some defects on the gears, don’t hesitate to replace them with new gears.
Too strong spring or copper gear tension
If you install your extruder too tight, too strong tension happens on the spring and the copper gear. The copper gear won’t be rotate smoothly and eats the filament.
This problem can be easily detected and the solution is to loose extruder install a little.
Other possible reasons result in incorrect filament feeding
1. Too high retraction settings
Too high retraction settings can be another reason leads to filament feeding problem.
It’s recommended to set retraction length at 2mm and speed at 40mm/s first and do trial prints to figure out the most appropriate retraction values for your A8, A8 Plus or A6 3D printer.
2. Filament clogging the nozzle
Filament clogging inside the nozzle is also a common problem that leads to filament feeding issue.
Jammed nozzle won’t deposit filament properly and leaves less or no room for the extruder to feed filament in.
If it happens, remove jammed filament inside the nozzle and try extruding filament again until it works properly again.
More about filament jamming, please read this referral guide:
https://shop.anet3d.com/blogs/others/prevent-filament-jamming
3. Not well leveled print bed
Not well leveled print bed means the print bed is leveled too close to the nozzle. Nozzle can extrude fewer filaments to form a complete layer, which means filament is clogging inside the nozzle. The nozzle jams at last and results in improper filament feeding.
Bed leveling guidance:
It’s better to put an A4 paper underneath the nozzle while adjust bed height of your Anet A8, A8 Plus or A6 3D printer. When sliding the paper, you should feel a slight friction between the paper and the nozzle. That can be good for the filament to deposit.
Also, you can do a test print to check if your 3D printer is well leveled.
Read below link and learn detailed guidance on 3D printer manual bed leveling:
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