Plastic Extrusion Issue Troubleshooting Markforged Industrial & Desktop 3D Printers
Knowledge Base Article | May 31, 2024 | Share across your network:
Introduction
The following is a guide to troubleshooting the following Plastic Extrusion Issue error.
Note: This error only occurs on printers with A3648 extruders. These extruders are factory-installed on all Gen 2 Desktop and Industrial printers and can be installed as an upgrade on Gen 1 Industrial printers.
Confirm Material Status
This error most frequently occurs when the printer is out of material. Check the following steps first if this error occurs:
1
Check to see if the loaded plastic material has run out. When the end of the spool reaches the plastic extruder, the print will pause, and you may load more material to resume the print.
2
If the plastic material has not run out, check the dry box to verify that the plastic filament is not tangled and can run smoothly to the extruder. If there is a tangle, rewind the material onto the spool and proceed to the next step.
3
Perform the Unload Plastic and Load Plastic utilities to verify the filament runs to the nozzle correctly.
- For Precise PLA, use the composite purge rod to clean the inside of the printhead thoroughly.
- For Smooth TPU, follow the onscreen instructions to clean the print head with the Composite Purge Kit.
Further Troubleshooting
Once the above steps have been followed and any issues have been addressed, resume the print. If the error occurs again during the same print, quickly confirm that the material has not run out and or the filament is not tangled. Then continue to the following steps:
1
If the error occurs on the first layer of the print:
- Check the bed level. If the print bed is too close to the plastic nozzle, the plastic will not extrude properly. Perform the bed leveling procedure and restart the print.
- Industrial Only: Navigate to Menu > Settings > System Info and select the gear icon at the bottom of the screen. Verify that the Scan Bed Before Prints setting is enabled. If it is disabled, enable it and restart the print.
2
Review your part geometry and slicer settings.
- Verify that you are using the latest version of the slicer. New software releases may modify the Eiger slicer. Re-slice your part to ensure it utilizes the most up-to-date slicer version.
- Use the Composite Design Guide for best practices regarding part geometry and verify your part meets the guidelines. Part geometries outside the guidelines are not guaranteed to print successfully.
- If you are printing with a Solid Fill pattern, this may cause an increase in Plastic Extrusion Issues for certain parts. If you receive this error continuously while printing with a Solid Fill pattern, try Rectangular Fill with a lower density. Lower-density fill patterns allow the extruded plastic material to exit the nozzle easily.
- (Onyx materials and Nylon White Only) If you are printing with an Isotropic Fiber Fill pattern, full layers of fiber will be printed, and a layer of plastic will be printed on top. If the error occurs in the plastic layer above the Isotropic Fiber Fill, there may not be enough space for the plastic material to extrude properly from the nozzle. Try a lower-density plastic fill or Concentric Fiber Fill if possible.
3
Clear any jams in the printhead.
For Onyx or Nylon-based filaments:
Replace the plastic nozzle
- Unload the material and replace the plastic nozzle.
Note: The material MUST be unloaded before nozzle replacement, failure to do so may cause damage to the printer. - After replacement, load the plastic, level the print bed, and restart the printer.
Note: Bed leveling MUST be performed after plastic nozzle replacement to account for differences in nozzle heights. A plastic nozzle replacement is NOT recommended during a print, as this can result in a collision with the nozzle and printed part.
For Precise PLA:
Select Reload and perform the Unload Plastics and Load Plastic utilities to check that the material flows properly through the nozzle. When loading Precise PLA, use the purge rod to clean the inside of the printhead thoroughly.
Replace the plastic nozzle:
- Unload the material and replace the plastic nozzle.
Note: The material MUST be unloaded before nozzle replacement, failure to do so may cause damage to the printer. - After replacement, load the plastic, level the print bed, and restart the printer.
Note: Bed leveling MUST be performed after plastic nozzle replacement to account for differences in nozzle heights. A plastic nozzle replacement is NOT recommended during a print, as this can result in a collision with the nozzle and printed part.
For Smooth TPU:
Unload the material and navigate to Menu > Utilities > Maintenance > Print Head Maintenance > Clean Print Head. Perform the Clean Print Head utility following the instructions on the screen and with the Composite Purge Kit.
Replace the plastic nozzle:
- Unload the material and replace the plastic nozzle.
Note: The material MUST be unloaded before nozzle replacement, failure to do so may cause damage to the printer. - After replacement, load the plastic, level the print bed, and restart the printer.
Note: Bed leveling MUST be performed after plastic nozzle replacement to account for differences in nozzle heights. A plastic nozzle replacement is NOT recommended during a print, as this can result in a collision with the nozzle and printed part.