Filament breaks between use

Hey all

I have build a I3 Boxframe printer and it works great thanks to a lot of you in this forum.

But every time i want to work with my printer, after a day or two, the filament has snapped somewhere between the spool and the extruder and i have to manually feed the extruder to get started.

I use 3mm PLA and have placed the spool on the top of the box frame. I have tried to give the the filament some slack, so it can "follow" it´s natural curves (does that makes sense?)

But no matter what the filament breaks after a couple of hours pause.

Does anyone have experience with that problem and/or does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks

Some say take it out.

See [reprap.org]

Sounds like cheap filament junk.
Its not black by chance is it? ive seen some issues popping up on the forums with black PLA

Is the filament breaking because it has tangled and jammed on the reel?

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Waitaki 3D Printer

Can yhou post a picture of where the spool is in relation to the printer? If it's too far back, you'll be putting stress on the filament in the opposite direction of its natural curl. I've had filament break in the same circumstances you describe and solved it by moving the spool closer to the printer to reduce the strain.

Hey all

Thank you for your answers and sorry for the late reply. I´ve been traveling for a couple of weeks!

Here is a picture


It´s not just black PLA, i´ve used other colors as well with the same results. My guess is the position of the spool, but i don´t know where to move it.

Thanks

I have the same issue with some green and yellow PLA, it's hard as glass, and if I don't remove it from the printer, it will snap within a day or two. However it gives very nice prints.

I'm in agreement with those saying it's bad PLA, I've had mine stored in all kinds of ways and never had an issue. Supplier more likely than anything. Where do you buy it from?
Personal preference is MatterHackers. Decent [not cheapest] prices and the best customer service I've come accross in the 3D printing world.

I bought it from Reprapworld.com, green and black 3mm PLA. It´s hard as glass.

I will try to buy PLA from another store in the EU next time...........

[reprap.org]
I wouldn't buy from there even if you gave me a good review.
If you were US, I'd be all over MatterHackers, but shipping I believe is $23 to EU. Best of luck, make sure you look up reviews outside of their own site before you buy.

I have the same problem with filament from Reprapworld..... It's even happening during prints. :-(

Reprapworld must be sourcing filament with a large amount of crappy cheap filler.

It would be nice if some one would make a wiki list of vendors, and manufactures selling subpar filament.
There are test that you can preform to give you a general idea of what crap they added, conduct a search if you're interested.

I always remove tension of the filament by sliding the extruder 'away' from the spool as far as possible when not in use.
But to start with I install the spool in such a way there is minimum of stress on the filament, remember PLA is rather stiff.
PLA filament can't be used up to the core of it's holder. So when the spool is about 2/3 used I completely remove it from it's holder, unwrap it and install it on a broomstick (with plastic coating..!)
This new 'holder' is mounted in such a way that the broomstick is almost thoughing the extruder. The broomstick is hanging freely so it follows the extruder in it's motion while printing.
This helps to use filament to the last millimeter without breaking at all.

Chris

About filament breaks between use:

This is all based on our customer feedback. We seldom get complains about 1.75mm. But last week, one Australia customer said PLA white 3mm get the same issue.
1) PLA is not very flexible, no matter it is Natural Work, or Hisun. Sometimes, too much pigment may make PLA more brittle.
2) The diameter of the spool whole is also very important. If it is too small, when coiling the filament, there is too much force to winding the filament,sometimes, meters of
filament are wasted. It is very easy understanding as winding machine uses torque principle.

Normally speaking,there shall be no breaks during use.
[www.aliexpress.com]

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China 3D Printing Filament Factory
0.05mm Tolerance/22 Colors/ Fast Delivery
Ana Lucia
Tel:0086-13418510805
www.ecoreprap.com
skype:ecoreprap