By fixing the issue of insufficient extrusion, we prevent gaps and loss of details in finished product printing. If your 3D printer does not deposit enough wire during the printing process, there may be an issue of insufficient extrusion. When the printer should squeeze out a specific amount of consumables, it cannot reach that amount, resulting in various printing quality issues such as poor adhesion, wire drawing and leakage, and even surface defects. Insufficient squeezing may be caused by multiple factors, and you need to take the time to understand the root cause and address it. Below, we will focus on introducing different methods to solve the problem of insufficient extrusion. Method 1: Clean the nozzle of the 3D printerFirstly, check if there are any blockages in the nozzle and clean it. You can use a sharp needle or wire to see if the nozzle can be unblocked. If not, you can try the cold drawing method. Please follow the steps below to use this method. 1. Remove the Bowden tube from the extruder. 2. Heat the hot end to a temperature suitable for the type of filament you are using. For example, if you use PLA filament, it is 200-220C. 3. Cut a small piece of filament for cold drawing. Make sure it comes from the filament you will be using. 4. Insert the small filament into the hot end and wait until it starts to leak out. 5. Cool the hot end until it reaches around 60-90C. 6. Apply some pressure and quickly pull the filament out of the hot end. The goal is to ensure that the filament is in full contact with the nozzle wall in order to remove any debris when pulling out the filament. 7. Check the filament and inspect for any signs of debris. If there is residue at the tip of the nozzle, the cold pull has successfully cleaned the nozzle, but if there are more blockages, you can still repeat the process. The above method should solve the problem, but if it cannot, you should consider removing it and soaking it in a cleaning substance. Please follow the steps below. 1. As we did above, heat the thermal head to the normal printing temperature of the wire. 2. Soak the nozzle in a container containing a cleaning solution such as acetone. Then let it soak for a few minutes to loosen any blockages or residues that may have accumulated. 3. Wipe and dry the nozzle with a soft cloth, then reassemble it back to the hot end, ensuring it is properly seated and tightened. 4. Load the consumables into the extruder again and check if the extrusion is consistent. Method 2: Check the filament Check for any tangles or knots in the filaments, which may cause resistance and affect the smooth flow of the material. It is also important to ensure that the diameter of the filament you are using matches that of the nozzle. You can use a caliper or a fine wire gauge for measurement. Additionally, please ensure that the filament axis of the lamp is installed correctly to facilitate the smooth unfolding of the filament. In addition, you should ensure that the filament you are using is of high quality, as low-quality filaments may have irregular diameters and even inconsistent material compositions. Impurities can also lead to insufficient extrusion, so it is crucial to use clean filaments. In addition, please store the filament properly in a dry and dust-free environment, as moisture absorption can affect the performance of the filament. Consider using sealed containers or filament drying ovens to maintain optimal filament conditions. Method 3: Check if the Bowden tube is severely worn and delaminatedAny wear or damage to the Bowden tube can affect the flow of the impact wire, leading to insufficient extrusion. Although this is not a common cause of insufficient compression, it is important to take the time to check for any issues. You can check the entire length of the Bowden tube for any obvious signs of wear or cracks, while also paying attention to areas where the tube bends or enters the fittings. If possible, you can remove it and inspect it more carefully, ensuring that the inner diameter of the tube is smooth and free of any obstacles such as melted filaments or fragments. Any blockage will hinder the smooth flow of the filament. If you discover any serious issues, you should consider replacing them with new ones. If you try all the above techniques, you should be able to solve the problem. If not, you should consider replacing the entire extruder to see if the problem has been resolved and if the print quality has improved.

When the nozzle of an FDM printer moves across open space to reach the next point, melted plastic may sometimes ooze out, solidify, and stick to the printed part. This is known as "stringing" in 3D printing, which creates spiderweb- or hair-like plastic threads on the 3D-printed component. In theory, when the nozzle moves in open air (also known as moving), plastic should not deposit. However, molten plastic often leaks onto components that should not leak, making the printed parts look like "whiskers".The main reasons for wire drawing in FDM printers are incorrect retraction settings and excessively high hot end temperature settings. For example, PETG requires relatively high temperatures to melt, making it prone to wire drawing. PLA and ABS also have this issue. IBOSS will learn five simple methods to solve 3D printing wire drawing with everyone, hoping that everyone can print perfect works. 1.Enable retraction Enabling retraction is the most commonly used method to solve the drawing problem of 3D printers. Enabling retraction means that when the extruder must pass through a certain space, the filament will be pulled back by the feeder (only slightly). This can prevent melted plastic from trailing when the printer head moves, as the "pull back" action can serve as a measure to prevent leakage. Once the extruder reaches the next position, the filament will be pushed out and resume printing from the nozzle again.In most slicing applications, such as Cura, rollback is typically enabled by default.However, if the retraction settings are turned on and you still encounter cable issues with the 3D printer, you may need to delve deeper into the specifics of the retraction settings: Retract distance: The retraction distance may be the most critical retraction setting, as it determines the distance traveled by the filament. Generally speaking, if your nozzle can be further retracted, it means that you are less likely to encounter 3D printer drawing. However, if you retract too far, the hot wire may not be able to be used at the hot end when you need to resume printing.To determine the correct retraction distance, you may need to perform a test print. Retraction speed:The retraction speed determines the speed at which the filament retracts. The faster retraction speed indicates that the possibility of 3D printer drawing is relatively small, as the filaments have been pulled back quickly enough before they begin to seep out. However, when the retraction speed is too fast, it may cause the filament to disconnect from other parts inside the nozzle. Even worse, the rapid movement of the driving gear may grind the molten plastic and clog the nozzle or create areas of non deposited filaments.Therefore, you should strive to find the optimal point (between slow and fast) where the retraction effect is best. This optimal point may vary depending on the printing material. Perform several test prints to determine the ideal shrinkage speed.           What settings should be used? Different retraction settings can significantly increase or decrease speckle To determine the optimal retraction value, it is necessary to first understand the extruder and printing material to be used.On direct drive extruders, materials such as ABS and PLA typically have a speed of 40 to 60 millimeters per second and a retraction distance of 0.5 to 1.0 millimeters. These numbers are not fixed and will vary depending on many variables.Some slicer programs, such as Simplify3D, come with "translation" and "wiping" parameters, which are powerful tools for further adjusting scaling values. As the name suggests, "wiping" is to move the nozzle against the outer wall to remove residual plastic, while "sliding" is to turn off the extruder at the last few millimeters of the printing line to reduce pressure accumulation and prevent large blocks or spots from appearing.In Cura, the 'minimum retraction stroke' setting prevents the print head from retracting unless it moves a certain distance. This can prevent the filament from being worn off. Another setting to consider is the 'combing mode', which can control the movement of the printer and avoid unnecessary retraction. All retraction settings can be found in Cura's' Move 'dropdown menu.Ultimately, if the retraction operation is correct, it can prevent wire drawing and give you more control over printing. Set the appropriate temperature: As the temperature increases, the printing material becomes more liquefied and more likely to drip from the nozzle, even after adjusting the retraction settings. A lower nozzle temperature will reduce this possibility. However, be sure not to set the temperature too low. Extremely low temperatures may prevent filament melting and cause extrusion problems.The ideal temperature depends on the printing material and other printing settings. However, once wire drawing is detected, it is usually recommended to lower the temperature. You can try lowering the nozzle temperature by 5 to 10 ° C, but do not lower the temperature below the manufacturer's minimum specifications. Here are some commonly recommended nozzle temperatures for the most popular consumables: PLA: 180-220℃ABS: 110-250 ° C (90-110 ° C printing bed)PETG: 220-250℃TPE: 110-260 ° C (20-110 ° C printing bed)PVA: 160-215 ° C (60 ° C printing bed)TPU: 110-230 ° C (30-60 ° C printing bed)Using a temperature calibration tower to test printing is a good way to determine the ideal temperature for each printing material. Adjust printing speed: Printing speed can also affect the drawing of 3D printers. For example, if the nozzle moves between two points for too long, it is likely to experience stringing because molten plastic has more time to seep out of the nozzle. But if the extruder moves at a fast speed, the short-term movement may be fast enough, and the filaments may not have enough time to seep out. Increasing the nozzle movement speed when not printing can reduce 3D printer stringing, but if the temperature is low and the printing speed is too high, insufficient extrusion may eventually occur because the plastic does not have enough time to drip. Generally speaking, speeds ranging from 190 to 200 millimeters per second are suitable for most printing materials. As a 3D printer, before making any adjustments, you need to confirm the speed at which the printer is being used. For example, the X/Y axis movement speed represents the movement speed from one side to the other, which is directly related to the length of time the nozzle moves in the blank space.     Thoroughly clean the nozzle before printing You can use a brush to clean the nozzle of the 3D printer When you use the printer for a long time, especially with single types of materials such as PETG, the filament will leave a thin layer of residue inside and outside the nozzle. This layer of residue can cause the 3D printer to become tangled, as the filament will attempt to stick to the surface of the printed component.To avoid this issue, please ensure that the nozzle is thoroughly cleaned before printing. Firstly, start from the outside of the nozzle and wipe it with a damp cloth while it is still hot. This can remove debris from the outside of the nozzle, but you may need to use a wire brush or small blade to remove any remaining material.Next, you need to deal with the inside of the nozzle and clean the debris blocking the output hole. The simplest method is to insert a small needle or drill bit into the nozzle. This can break down dirt and clean the nozzle. However, if this does not work, you can also try using cold drawing to remove the residual dirt on the previous wire. If there are still problems after cleaning using the above methods, you may need to replace the nozzle. Just make sure to heat the hot end, melt the material stuck inside, and remove the filament fed into the extruder. After removing all residual materials, the nozzle can be removed. Then, clean the hot end with a small metal pick before installing the new nozzle. Keep the filament moisture free: Water in the air can damage the filament and cause it to become tangled. Once moisture is present, plastic will turn into steam when heated. This steam will mix with plastic, increasing the possibility of leakage during non printing processes. Polylactic acid is the main culprit, as it tends to absorb more moisture compared to ABS and other materials. However, all FDM 3D printing filaments have moisture absorption to some extent.If there is a serious stringing phenomenon, it means that your filament is damp and needs to be dried and stored.

The productivity and creativity of 3D printers are amazing, but behind their brilliant success, there are inevitably countless failures. Watching others smoothly produce beautiful 3D printed products, one is still dissatisfied: the color is not good, the shape is not satisfactory, the surface is not smooth, and even there is thread drawing... where exactly is the problem? How to self check these conditions? How can we solve these problems on our own? Don't worry, iBOSS has listed 13 common problems that occur during the 3D printing process and provided you with an exclusive troubleshooting guide. 1. Edge warping The bottom of the 3D printed model is curved upwards and not level with the printing platform, which can cause horizontal cracks in the upper part. Warping "- caused by the natural properties of plastic materials, is common in the 3D printing process. When ABS or PLA filaments cool, they begin to shrink very slightly, and if the plastic cools too quickly, a "warping" phenomenon may occur. How to solve: Use a heated printing platform; Add adhesive on the printing platform; Use adhesive printing bed; Calibrate the printing bed. 2. Thread drawing There are unsightly plastic lines between the components of the model. When the print head moves on the open area, some filaments drip from the nozzle and cool, causing this situation. How to solve: Enable the 'recall' function; Adjust the nozzle operation amplitude to the minimum before starting the "withdrawal" process; Use a surgical knife to cleanly hang it off. 3. Insufficient extrusion of 3D printing materials Underextrusion refers to the inability of the printer to provide the required materials (or printing speed too fast to follow up). This situation can result in thin layers, unnecessary gap layers, and complete loss of layers (see 3D printing issue 5: missing layers). There are several possible reasons: firstly, the diameter of the filament used does not match the diameter set in the slicing software. Secondly, there are defects in the software settings of the slicer, and the amount of extruded material is too low. Finally, the material is limited by dirt in the nozzle during extrusion. How to solve: Check the diameter of the filament; Measure the diameter of the filament using a caliper; Check if the hot end is clean; Adjust the extrusion ratio at 5% intervals. 4. Shift layer There are various reasons for the displacement layer, which can be attributed to bending or misalignment of the nozzle, or slight movement of the printing platform caused by the nozzle during the movement process. How to solve: Check if the printer base is stable; Check if the printing base is secure; Pay attention to the warped upper layer; The printing speed is too fast; Check the belt; Check the drive pulley; Add lubricating oil. 5. nozzle blockage At the beginning of 3D printing, the nozzle was unable to extrude the material properly, and rearranging the material was also ineffective. Perhaps it is because, after replacing the spool, there is a small piece of filament left in the nozzle, which is usually due to the filament being broken at the end. When loading new filaments, an old filament left in the nozzle will hinder the passage of the new filament. Alternatively, the accumulated molten plastic at the nozzle end has hardened and needs to be manually removed. How to solve: Heat the nozzle and clean it with a needle and brass brush; Remove the feeding tube and try pushing the old material wire inside with another piece of material wire; Open the hot end and see if the blocked material can be removed. 6. Materials are prone to breakage The material scroll looks abundant, but there are filaments in the feeding tube that cannot be squeezed out from the nozzle. This is only due to the use of old or inexpensive printing materials. Although most long filaments such as PLA and ABS can indeed last for a long time, they can become very brittle if they are continuously exposed to direct sunlight, which can cause the aforementioned problems once placed in a 3D printer. How to solve: Check if the materials have expired; Check the diameter of the material; Adjust the tension of the idler gear; Check if the hot end is clean and has reached the correct temperature; Set the traffic to 100%.