Talk:Reasons Parts Fail (MakerBot)

There are a variety of reasons why a part may fail on the MakerBot. It is important to monitor the print regularly in order to catch potential failure. This page will list a few reasons why a part might fail and how the problem can be resolved.

{|
 * colspan="2"|
 * colspan="2"|

Tangled Filament
One of the most common causes of a failed print is tangled filament. When the filament gets stuck, the extruder no longer has any material to work with, and will continue on printing nothing. It is hard to catch this before it happens without sitting and watching the entire print (which is a waste of time). If this happens, stop the print and ensure the filament is feeding in such that it will not catch on anything when you attempt the print again.
 * }

Clogged Nozzle
A clogged nozzle will make the printer unable to extrude more plastic. To check if the nozzle is clogged, go to the LCD menu and run the Load script in Utilities > Change Filament. If the plastic curls up toward the extruded, the nozzle is probably clogged and needs to be unclogged.

If the nozzle is clogged, you should probably ask Person to help you fix the issue, but here are the steps you can take to fix it.


 * 1) Unload filament from extruder.
 * 2) Turn off the MakerBot.
 * 3) Loosen the two bolts on the front of the extruder, unplug the motor, and pull the motor out.
 * 4) Turn on the Makerbot and heat the nozzle by running preheat or load filament script.
 * 5) When the nozzle is hot enough, take some filament and push it through the tube manually.
 * 6) When the filament begins to extrude, pull it out and cut the end off.
 * 7) Repeat ~3-4 times until the nozzle seems unclogged.
 * 8) Cancel the script that is heating the nozzle, let the nozzle cool, and shut off the MakerBot.
 * 9) Reassemble the extruder and start the MakerBot up again.
 * 10) Test. If the extruder works normally, you're done!