Guys
is there a way to know if printer is printing or not, is it consuming filament ? seems to be just making a thin layer then just moving for long time but I guess its not doing anything!
Prints are built up from really thin layers, so that’s kinda normal. If there’s a thread of plastic connecting the print head and the print at least part of the time while it’s moving around, you’re probably okay. If you’re seeing plastic spaghetti, or plastic is building up around the nozzle, you have a problem.
If you’re really concerned, and you’re printing something where a little discoloration won’t matter, use a permanent marker to draw a line on the filament above where it enters the print head, then check back in a couple of minutes to see whether it’s closer to the entry or has disappeared inside (obviously this won’t work with black plastic, though). If after ten minutes or so it doesn’t appear to have moved, the gear wheel arrangement inside the print head may not be feeding the filament through properly, or you may have a clogged nozzle. In that case, stop the print, unload the filament, chop a piece about the length of your little finger off the end of it, and reload it. Make sure that plastic dribbles out of the head during the load (you may have to press the on-screen loading button twice). If it doesn’t, and you can feel the vibration as the head grabs onto the plastic while you’re loading it, you probably have a clogged nozzle, so do a cold pull or replace the nozzle or hotend.
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Thanks Ellory for the comprehensive info, will try them
I had an issue where my filament reel had a problem where the current cord was binding against other parts of the reel. I had to spool out about 50m and re-spool it to get around the overlap/kinks in the wind. The problem happened half way through a 5 hr print. I now check all my spools before starting and recheck them constantly during the process.
Hope you figured it out!
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