The never ending saga of my 3D printer. I have a Creality 3D v2 printer. I have modified it several times including changing the extruder, upgrading the z axis with an additional lead screw and stepper motor. I’ve also replaced the printing bed with a removable magnetic type.
Additionally, I have added a probe which sets the level of the bed before each print. This creates a mesh which accounts for variations in the bed. You’d think this would have been enough to get me out of trouble and have smooth and easy printing time after time. However, recently I could hear a strange noise as I was printing. To my horror the wires to the secondary z axis stepper motor were rubbing against the bed levelling screws. This resulted in the bed screws unwinding. The result left the bed swinging side to side as it was printing.
Started printing again and several times the filament got jammed. I then had a print that was running very smoothly. However, it stopped or seemed to stop about halfway through the print and the printer just kept running.
The problem seemed to be the extruder I upgraded. It was actually grinding through the filament or it was catching. I left it overnight and then came back to it the next day. Sleep helps with problems. I then noticed that nearly all the screws on the extruder were loose. e. In fact, the two halves of the guide driver bushes were not lined up. This meant that the filament was being effectively ground as it was going through and then it would catch and just keep spinning until the filament was nearly broken. Preventing the filament from going into the tube that goes down to the hot end.
So I took it all apart. Cleaned it with a toothbrush and then reassembled it all. One of the problems was that the extruder had moved to a point where the filament was actually rubbing against the lead screw for the z axis. This is the original z axis lead screw which shouldn’t be a problem because I haven’t touched it since I assembled the machine initially. But I was very surprised to find that most of the screws were loose so I tightened everything up. Fingers crossed it will now print as it has been for a few months. Anyway, I’m sitting here next to it. Awaiting the outcome of the print. Nothing like waiting for a 3D printer to finish its work.
A few days later the same problem with the filament jamming occurred. I heard a clicking sort of sound as the printer was working. This time I noticed that the filament had indeed become jammed on the spool. Unjammed, the printer is now hopefully back where it was. In the end there were multiple problems with the printer. All good fun I suppose.
