Replicator extrusion Fix

Do Not:
1:Work on the makerbot without reading this documentation.

2:Work on the makerbot without EDITING this documentation when you are DONE


 * -Sign the part you edited by adding four "~" at the end of the documentation

3:Leave the project in a taken apart state. that's how things get lost and broken. everything must be neat when you leave it.

Problem
The printer has intermittent 'jams' where it fails to properly feed the filament through the extruder tip, resulting in weak and misinformed parts.


 * SuperBlobMonster (discuss • contribs) 13:17, 12 September 2013 (UTC)

What's been done
I initially thought it was resistance in the system, so I took some of the maru oil and put it on the spool carrier, and in the housing for the filament, then wiped away the excess in the tube so that it is not driving any oil into the extruder itself.

That of course came to no avail, so I took apart the print head to see if there are any jams. The assembly is fairly simple, two bolts holding the print head to the X&Y axis, and two bolts holding the major components of the print head together.

I did remove a piece of plastic, but that was not the cause of the jamming.

Online doccumentation suggested loading and unloading the print head a few times to try and clear whatever might be the problem, but that also did not work.

Professor Foerster gave me a set of micro drill bits the size of the extruder nozzle, and I made sure the tip was clear of any obstructions with that, but it again, made no difference in performance.

Wound up replacing the brass tip with an old extruder tip we had, and there was no performance difference between the two, so the problem may not even reside in the tip, or both tips have the same issue

Lastly I played a bit with the software, tried upping the extrusion speed and increasing the temperature, but again. same result.


 * SuperBlobMonster (discuss • contribs) 13:17, 12 September 2013 (UTC)

Foerster informs me the brass tips are being sent to chem in order to try a solvent bath to clean them out.


 * 204.126.132.241 (discuss) 20:56, 12 September 2013 (UTC)

Active Cooling Fan work, September 28, 2013
Today I:


 * removed the active cooling fan and the motor cover/fan bracket, re routed the active cooling fan power wire, and re installed the top cover
 * dis-assembled the active cooling fan manifold tip to understand the role of a couple of parts I didn't understand
 * re attached the exhaust tip to the active cooling fan
 * found a picture by Flickr user Daniel Williams showing an excellent view of the original method of securing the cable harness to the print head, which I used as a guide for creating a new cable anchor
 * created a new cable anchor out of # 14 copper wire in an effort to create a re usable and recyclable alternative to to the one time use device made out of non renewable, non recyclable material

Pictures of all of this will come as I have time. Until then, it appears that people have been running the printer without the active cooling fan's tip in place, which I think could be most of, if not the entire cause of this problem.

Jstapko (discuss • contribs) 19:51, 28 September 2013 (UTC)

Next steps
Most likely solution I have stumbled upon (link below), is that the drive gear may be slipping. This may also not be the case because it does wear a grove into the filament where it gets stuck. None the less a point to check.

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/makerbot/hpIebvPqRiY

Better documentation on the print head assembly: http://www.makerbot.com/support/replicator2/documentation/maintenance/ under: Cleaning the drive gear

Another potential solution would be to blow torch the brass tip of the extruder and blast it with compressed air to remove the ash. Ask a professor for permission to use the blowtorch, remove the brass tip from the heater and clamp it in a vice.
 * SuperBlobMonster (discuss • contribs) 13:17, 12 September 2013 (UTC)

'''Let me repeat: If you work on this. Edit this page. '''

Next Steps, from Sep. 28 work
This may also not be an issue, but it's something to think about.
 * One problem caused by the new cable anchor is that one of the ends is digging into the plastic cover, which could cause scratches (it already has, actually). Ways we might be able to fix this includde:
 * trimming the end of the wire, or sand/polish it.
 * use a thinner magnet wire, and twist the ends together like a twistie tie, leaving them above the surface (not possible with #14).
 * give in ad use a plastic cable tie, per the original design
 * The red power wire to the active cooling fan tends to come out of the retaining slot, and I think it's solder joint to the motor is about ready to break off. Be very careful to not bend or strain that connection if you remove the active cooling fan for any reason.
 * I plan to look at the clogged nozzles under a microscope to try to see if anything in the nozzle might be the root of the problem.
 * I needed the large diagonal cutting -pliers and could not find them. I checked both of the shelves full of holes, so if anyone sees it could you please just put it on one of those tool holders.
 * The printer still needs a long term test to check the reliability/quality of the fan re-assembly

Jstapko (discuss • contribs) 20:06, 28 September 2013 (UTC)