Makergear M2 stops extruding after many hours midprint

[Fusion916]

Hi all,

I have been facing this issue for quite sometime and am seeking some assistance on what I can do to fix this. This usually happens for really big, long prints but there is definitely some sensitivity to the settings (I think speed and ooze control settings) because depending on the settings it can stop 30 mins into the print or with some tweaks with the settings it could stop 8 hours into the print (such as the print below). I have also played with the extruder grip tightening screw (both loosen and tighten). It's better than it was before but I can't get this entire print to go through (about a 14 hour print).

Here are pics of my latest attempt, it stopped about 7 hours into the print. The printer doesnt stop (it's still moving along the x/z axis, the motor doesnt stop (gear spins), just no plastic is coming out. This is printing abs, 255C extruder temp, 110C bed temp, I don't have adhesion issues as you can see. Also, my printer is in an enclosed box with temp controls at 135F. Any suggestions I can play with? I have my fff file attached.

[Fusion916]

Here is a close up of the filament drive. Is there some kind of dust/debris collection that is happening that is slowly clogging it or something? Not sure.

[airscapes]

There are filament filters on thingyvers that the filament goes through and it removes any plastic dust on the filament (I have stopped using them as I didn't print any as I got more and more rolls and have had no issue yet) The drive gear and planetary gears withing the extruder drive wear out, but don't think that is intermittent but it is worth pulling them out, clean and grease. The filament screw should be tightened so you get the proper bite, see this post viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2694
when the filament stops extruding, have you measured the diameter of the filament? If inconsistent enough, (too thin) you may be loosing tension and then the gear just slips. There is a post with a customized extruder housing that is spring loaded but I did not have much luck with it on my M2.
The only time now I think about it, that this has happened to me the filament was crossed on the spool causing it to stop and the gear to strip it out...
Hopefully someone else will have additional advice.. Extruder housings do wear out and can be printed from slt or purchased from MG.

[Fusion916]

Thanks for the help... not much activity but I'll provide an update and maybe someone can chime in. So I tried a few different things last night. Tightening the filament drive screw, loosening the filament drive screw, increasing the extruder temp. All seem to fail randomly (filament would stop extruding). I think a contributing factor is the cheapo shaxon abs filament I'm using so I plan to buy some abs filament from Makergear. Also I plan to just go nuclear and replace the extruder motor, hot end, and filament drive (or print a new one if I can). Also, I completely took apart the extruder motor and I think i have a clue maybe. I have cleaned the extruder motor gear before but after printing and it getting stuck during printing it seems the abs filament is flaking off and getting stuck in the teeth during print. Here is a few pics. This is with the filament drive screw very lose. Any clues as to why this is happening? I plan to take a part the gear, soak it in acetone and brush it with a steel brush, spray the entire motor with WD40. Any other suggestions?

[Gwhite]

If your filament drive tension is "loose" as you say, all the gear will do is chew off filament material. It needs to bite in and not slip. If you retract the filament, or observe it going into the hotend when it's running, you should see definite teeth marks when the tension is set right. Check out:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2694

[airscapes]

yes, check the planetary gear set inside.. Remove the 4 screws and there are more gears inside..
Here's a thread with pictures.. slightly different motor or maybe they just have aftermarket heat sinks stuck on, but guts look the same
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2544&start=10&hilit ... tor+grease
Make sure non of the gears are worn.

[Fusion916]

After the hotend stops extruding filament in the middle of the print but all that is required is a little manually pressure in the filament to get it extruding again what does that mean? The extruder motor is getting weak? Or that the filament drive needs to be tightened?

[airscapes]

any of the above.. warn gears in the planetary set, tension not set correctly, super inconstant filament diameter.. all of which have been mentioned.. did you measure the diameter of the filament with a digital micrometer when it stops working? Have you followed the instructions for setting the tension in the links provided? Have you taken apart the gear head to see if the planetary set it worn out?

[Fusion916]

Ok some updated info. I think there were multiple issues going on here. After some fine tuning with the temp, z axis distance, and other ooze control settings, I think it pretty consistently fails with the filament getting trapped in the filament drive housing. Where it fails even if I try to push it through its completely stuck. I have to retract or pull the filament drive housing. I have pics at the failure point below. I think at this point yes there is some filament issue with inconsistent diameter (I ordered makergear abs filament, ill give that a try), but also I have some suspicion the filament is randomly going in the filament drive slightly bent and is causing it to get caught. I'm not sure I what i can do about that other that completely modify the feeding mechanism. Any suggestions there?

[airscapes]

Looks way too tight.. did you read that thread where the notches should be 10 to 15% deep? If tension is too tight it can deform the filament and cause it to jam in the housing.. a BIG change from too loose to too tight is less than 3/4 of a turn.
But for $25 I would order a new drive from Maker Grear.
Good luck