Noob, new to printing, new folger tech i3.... prints like garbage

So I'm about as new to printing as it gets.
I've tried searching for my issues but I'm not well versed enough to gather a decent starting point.

I bought a folger tech prusa i3.... after some horrendous shipping issues, I received it and assembled it EXACTLY as their instructions depict.
Using their EXACT RepitierHost and Slic3r settings.

First print came out nice.
So, I thought, lets print a fan shroud for the extruder fan. Came out well enough that I'm not going to complain.

Then I printed a spool holder. Works great......

Now......

My prints are utter garbage to the point where I'm so frustrated my 15lbs hammer seems like the best solution.
My extruder clicks/slips/skips/clunks etc like a mad man... I took it apart and there was no plastic clogging the drive gear.

I can't print anything now. The prints turn out so terribly that they usually break upon removal.



I'm asking for help/guidance.
I'm tired of wasting time on this thing and I'm not interested in spending another dime on it... I've spent more on shipping than half the cost of the machine.....

P.S.
I'm not sure if this is the right spot for this post.

Also, no matter what infill percentage I select it's always super stringy and and hardly infilled at all.

Ok, before we can help we need more info:

PLA or ABS? What temperature and speed? Did you took apart the whole extruder including the hotend or just cleaned the drive gear?

Stringy sounds like too hot of extrusion, but a bad retraction setting can lead to strings too.

Right now I'm using PLA.
I've tried temps as low as 185*C and as high as 230*C (which is where folger tech's instructions say to set it)
Current it's set to 210*C.

Speed of what? I've taken the recommended settings as sped them up and slowed them down by what should be highly noticeable increments, and it hardly does anything. At least in the Slic3r settings anyway.

For now I have the manual feed rate set at 90 in RepHost.

I did both. Initially just cleaned the gear, then took the whole thing apart and cleaned it that way.





I have since removed the fan shroud and this helped quite a bit, but the extruder still skips regardless of what I set the feed rate and flow rate to. (Even without the fan shroud, anything under 210*C results in no adhesion)

Try searching YouTube for RepRap Neo. He had a nice little video on calibrating your extrusion temperature that I found really helpful. I might start at 210 and go down from there as 230 seems really high for PLA unless the thermistor readings are way off.

Haven't tried it yet myself, next on my list, but try dipping the tip of your filament in Canola Oil. You don't need a lot, I assume you want to avoid any getting on in your extruder, but it should help lubricate the PTFE tube in your hotend.

I would accept the default Slic3r settings to start. If the extruder is skipping a lot, you might drop them slightly (60 steps per mm to something like 45). By default, I think the first layer will extrude at something like 20 steps per mm. Though if the first layer is skipping, then it probably isn't a speed issue.

Try to see if you have any issues manually extruding filament. Once your hotend is heated to the correct temperature, "bypass" the extruder and just try to push filament through by hand. It should come out relatively easily, in which case you can rule out a blockage in your hotend.

Finally, what are you printing on? Glass? Acrylic? A heated bed? I have had decent success with blue painters tape on the acrylic that came with my printer, though when I upgraded to glass, I found that the Elmers Purple Gluestick (dries clear) worked a lot better. Had to freeze the plate to get a couple prints off, even then it was still a pain sometimes. Cheap hairspray is also supposed to work, I wanna say AquaNet in the purple can? If you have a heated bed, I don't think you need anything, but try setting the temperature to 40-60 degrees.

I have set it down to 10 steps per mm for almost everything now... and everything skips like mad. And I' losing patience.


I have NO ISSUES manually extruding. I know It's not a blockage.

I'm printing on a heated bed with glass and 2090 blue painters tape.

I've tried heated bed setting from 40*c all the way to 110*c.


I have also tried a spare stepper driver and it yields identical results.

SCratch that.... Now I CAN'T manually extrude without skipping.

I WAS able to earlier today.

If your extruder is an MK8, disassemble it and check the stainless steel barrel for a PTFE liner. If it does have it, change it and clean the nozzle and extruder gear.

Calibrated the extruder. Was using 108mm per 100mm.

NOT ANY F**KING BETTER.

I'm at my whits end and this printer is about to reach it's own end.....

What else can I bloody do?

I took the WHOLE hot end apart AGAIN. Cleaned it thoroughly.

Same f**king result.

My extruder is an MK7

Sorry bout that misfortune mate, don't destroy the printer though! Try a Mk8 extruder?

What if you try to print a simple box?

I'll be sure not to buy the Folger...

When my stepper motors were skipping and clicking, it was at first due to a too high (or too low, not sure) current. I turned the pots down a bit, and the roblem went away. I also noticed that the z-axis would skip when the acceleration was set too high. It was set way too high in the firmware at first, and later I noticed that for some slicing software it would override the firmware acceleration setting when moving towards the home position, ie it would work fine when moving it towards home through pronterface, but when the gcode of a print started with a command to move home, it would skip like mad.

So you could check the current to your stepper motors, and check the maximum acceleration setting in the firmware. Good luck!

Folger Tech recommends a voltage of 0.35v going to the the extruder motor. I have a spare stepper driver and switched them around and set the voltages accordingly.
I have since switched back to the original stepper driver and set the voltage, however I did play around with the voltage, but only slightly.


I'll look into the maximum accel.




On a side note. I managed to print some USB holders. The motor skipped a lot in the first 3-4 layers, then as it filled the rest it stopped until the last 4 layers where it skipped like crazy again.

After 6 hours down the drain the results were less than impressive. With poor lines and delamination.


In response to the suggestion about buying an MK8.

I have gone WAY over budget on this printer with surprise shipping costs and tool purchases that were only discovered in the instructions of the build and not on the product page.
So at the moment, spending anymore money on this printer is not going to happen. I pay way too much in taxes to throw my money around.

You clean it, but did you checked the Teflon liner? Does it have one? My CTC printer with an Mk7 extruder will click, skip and print crap if the liner deteriorates. Also how did you cleaned the nozzle? Did you submerge it in acetone for few hours and then run a drill bit or wire through it and did you burn all residue with a torch?

The PTFE liner does not appear to have any defects.
I'd be very upset if the liner was deteriorated after only a few days (less than a working week) in my possession.

Burn off what residue? there's nothing left to burn after a bath in acetone.



I don't want to have to babysit this.


Ugh.... Now there's black residue seeping up through the top of the hot end aluminum block....


I really don't have time for all this.

Quote

Ugh.... Now there's black residue seeping up through the top of the hot end aluminum block....

That residue....................

I always torch the aluminum block and the nozzle after an acetone bath and then I do a second bath.

The residue just started today when I posted.

What is causing this?

If you don't have a perfect fit between nozzle and barrel, melted filament will leak and deposit on the threads of the heater block, once you create enough pressure as you start printing those burnt deposits plus new filament will leak either from top or bottom of the heater block.

Your PTFE liner might be good, but maybe was cut short and you have a gap between nozzle and liner, that can cause you lots of trouble.

Was the liner flush with the end of the barrel?

To be completely honest, I didn't pay any attention to that part.

Well it's flush now.

No change.

I don't know what to do. This clicking is driving me up the f**king wall....


I can print. And it comes okay if I print as slow as possible.

But I'm not really impressed with a 10 hour print for a simple 2''x3'' part that barely has satisfactory results.



Every click is one click closer to my BFH.

Should my filament be expanding to the inside diameter of the PTFE tubing and discolouring?

Yes your filament should expand in the hot zone of the extruder to the inner diameter of the liner or barrel, this is called "the plug" and it should be few mm long. The longer you keep the hotend at temperature without extruding, this plug will increase in size and can reach the cold zone and then will jam it.

Now no discoloration should happened to the filament, but a darkening of it due to deterioration of the polymer.

Thanks for the clarification.


And now the SOB won't manually extrude.

You need to go back to basics and start from hardware then firmware then software, so first you need to find out what amps your motors rated for so you can set the drivers for instance I have 70oz in motors rated at 2.5 amps but for my axis's but I don't drive full current as im not needing 70oz in always use a multimeter too adjust your pots accordingly, with the clicking noises sounds like power issues. The firmware check acceleration settings I'm using marlin I'd paste my config but using phone at work to type this message, if your using a lcd panel make sure that any changes made is also saved to you eeprom, ill try and give u as much help as I can. Don't give up its a long process I've had my i3 for 2yrs and when you feel your making headway something else pops up

---

Check my rubbish blog for my prusa i3

up and running
[3dimetech.blogspot.co.uk]

I have a 20mm cube printing as I type this.

Layer 30/100 and no clicks.... Yet.

So I'll see how this goes. If this goes well I'll trying something a little more elaborate and report back.

Cube was quite a success.... Just one small minor detail at the end of the print.

Just need to figure out how to post pics

Just an update. Printer is printing without clicking.

Here's what I've done in addition to the main list.

1. Adjusted my steps per mm down a few steps (3.333) from where it should be set to properly extrude 100mm of filament. I was initially at 90. Needed to be at 83.333 for a proper 100mm but still clicked. Dropped down to 80.

2. I've loosened the two screws that hold the extruder body together. They are just slightly beyond finger tight.

3. I re-adjusted the PTFE tube. First I threaded in the PTFE holding tube while leaving over 1/4 of the PTFE tubing sticking out of the bottom. Then I threaded in the nozzle, pushing the PTFE to where ever it needs to be.

4. Re-installed my fan shroud but have focused more on the heater block.

I did have an issue with air prints on my last print for one particular layer.

Without trying to make another thread.....




I'm back where I started. Made a couple parts and the clicking/skipping started again...



If I had a shotgun right now this printer would be the target......




What is going on with this printer?

Change driver first, if continue change motor, if continue adjust driver trimpod, if continue use higher torque motor or change hotend.

If you have done already the first 3 and nothing has changed, one other thing that you need to consider is your power supply might be underpowered.

Can you take some pictures of your extruder, wiring and power unit and attach them here so we can take a look at them to further help you. Also attach your configuration h file.