This happens infrequently these days but it does happen. If it happens to me, it is probably going to happen to someone starting out. Here is a walk-through on how to clear your hotend that has a blob, glob, mass, molten ball of plastic or whatever you might call it.
This process will help you clear a Creality Ender 3, Ender 3 Pro, Ender 5, CR-10 or CR-10S and probably any Creality 3D Printer that uses FDM. The process would be similar on most FDM Printers.
What you may need
Creality Compatible Silcone Sock – Amazon – eBay
Creality Ender 3 Fan Kit (24V) – Amazon – eBay
Creality CR-10 / CR-10S Fan Kit (12V) – Amazon – eBay
3D Solutech PLA 1.75mm (My go to filament) – Amazon
This typically happens when your bed is out of level or your filament is not adhering properly.
This blob was especially messy, it scoop up the Z axis cable, Broke the fan and destroyed the hotend insulation. To access the hotend, I removed the 2 M3 Screws from the shroud.
A better look at the aftermath.
Heat up the hotend to 240C.
Wait for it to get hot!
Start to wiggle the glob gently.
This was a mess…
After a bit of work I was able to break it free. Remember the filament is hot and will burn you if it gets on your skin. Notice the cotton hotend wrap is coated in PLA.
A real mess…
Somehow it managed to get the hotend wiring in the molten ball of plastic so I cut it free.
Hotend free and just about clean.
I used a pick to scrape off the excess PLA and the cotton head shielding.
I put a fresh Silicone sock on and reassembled. Additionally, I had to replace the fan as it had a broken blade. More on that in a future post.
Back in action!
There you have it..
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