I will continue to update this page as I discover other issues.
Maker Steve’s 3D Printing rules to live by..
UPDATE! Upgrade to an Aluminum Extruder.. especially on an Ender 3/Pro!
https://makersteve.com/2019/03/19/a-tale-of-eight-enders-aluminum-extruder-upgrade/
If you are getting a lot of hairs, stringing or filament is building up around your hotend, replace and tighten the nozzle, tighter.
I experienced this quite a bit recently. Thought it was a bad hotend, appears to be that I wasn’t willing to tighten the nozzle enough.
If your nozzle looks like this.. it is probably not tight enough.
If your hotend looks like this.. your nozzle is not tight enough.
Don’t let your printer dry run too long without filament
Look for shavings on your extruder
- It’s a good indicator there is a problem.
- It can clog your PTFE and prevents the proper amount of filament from getting to the hotend.
- Essentially, your filament is getting shaved down.
- Often it is because the extruder tension arm is too tight.
- The green arm below. Loosen the large screw if required.
Listen to your printer for odd sounds…
- vibration dampeners help you hear what matters. More detail on that here: https://makersteve.com/2018/03/24/silence-your-3d-printer-with-vibration-dampers/
- Your printer will tell you when it needs help.
- Loud Clicking indicates an extruder restriction.. I cover that in detail here. https://makersteve.com/2018/08/29/ultimate-guide-to-troubleshooting-underextrusion-ripples-waves-and-stringing-in-3d-printers/
- Squeaking usually indicates you need to lube the lead screws. I use White Lithium Grease to ensure the lead screws move freely.
Filament management
- Don’t let filament sit for a long time, it gets brittle and absorbs water.
- If you aren’t going to use your printer for a long time, pull the filament out.
- Store filament in dry boxes or drawers.
I use the silica packs from my filament and throw them in the box or cabinet to limit moisture. – see above
- Don’t let your filament run out during a print if you can avoid it.
- Find a good filament and stick with it as long as you can afford it. I am using dikale 3d Printer filament at this point, $17.99 a roll, great quality. I have been through more than a dozen rolls.
Use Threadlocker on your screws – especially the hotend.
- I use Loctite Blue Stick – Medium strength threadlocker
- Just a dab will do.
Print with a Brim
- They make the print take a little longer but almost always payoff in the long run.
- Brim’s are required for Squares or the corners tend to come up.
- Don’t be afraid to run a bigger brim. I typically run 8mm but to get all of the support material to connect sometimes I will 12mm as with the image below.
There is a ton of other useful stuff on Makersteve.com and more coming every week.
Be sure to check out my Ultimate Build Guide for Creality Ender 3
If you find this useful, please consider purchasing products through any of the links on the page, it’s free to you and I get a little something for my time. Or, just go shopping at Amazon or Ebay or Gearbest.
You can also support me through Patreon with as little as a dollar a month.
Happy Printing,
Steve