Filament curls around nozzle and doesn't stick

[Hedrus]

Hi I am new to Simplify 3D and filament extrusion printers. I recently bought a monoprice dual head extruder printer. I swapped out the nozzle it came with, with a .2mm one from Micro Swiss. My coworker has the exact same setup and he is having great results. He setup a test print for me to try. It was just a simple cube. It printed my first try perfectly. Then I added a mesh to the same file and deleted the cube so I could use the same settings. I had Simplify 3D generate supports and infill. When this print started it separated from the build plate after a few layers. I stopped the print. I tried to print the cube again just to make sure I didn't change anything. It didn't print. I eventually realized the nozzle was clogged. I had to take apart the head and pull out the stuck filament. I reassembled it.

Tried to print the cube again, but now the filament curls around the nozzle. It doesn't stick to the build plate. It just forms a big blob of plastic on the nozzle. When the printer is getting ready to print it lays down a line of plastic at the front of the plate to clean or prepare. That line always goes down more or less fine. I say more or less because sometimes it isn't perfect but it does lay it down. That line doesn't blob up on the nozzle.

Had the printer never worked I would just assume something is very wrong and maybe return it. But it printed perfect the first time. And my coworker has had none of these issues. I can upload video, photos or whatever else is needed to help find the problem. Thanks,

I am printing in PLA and most of the settings were done by my coworker which I think start from the monoprice settings simplify 3d comes with.

My settings are:(mm)

Nozzle diameter: .2
extrusion width: .24
retraction distance: 1
Retraction speed: 1200
Wipe nozzle distance 5

primary layer height: .05

extruder temp: 210

heated build platform temp: 60

Blob on nozzle

[CompoundCarl]

It's very common to need to adjust the positioning of the first layer to make sure the plastic sticks to the bed. Here's a few links that talk about this exact issue and how to resolve it:
https://www.simplify3d.com/support/prin ... to-the-bed
https://www.simplify3d.com/support/tuto ... rst-layer/

[KC_703]

Raise the nozzle 50-70mm off the bed and extrude 5mm of filament. Does it curl up? It should extrude directly down onto the bed with little to no curling.

If it does curl, the nozzle may still be partially clogged or the exterior may be dirty. Given the low bed temp, I'm assuming you're using PLA. SCIGRIP 4 solvent is known to dissolve PLA... like Acetone dissolves ABS. Disassemble and soak the nozzle overnight.

As a final (optional) measure, thread a strand of wire through the nozzle to ensure its clear... .2 is very fine. Maybe a few strands from multistranded connecting wire will work. But may not be stiff enough to clear any blockages. Do no stick a solid object like pin tip in the nozzle... it could damage it.

Hope that helps.

[Hedrus]

Thanks for the replies. I am very new to Simplify3D. I read all the tutorials on the site. I was not using simplify3d to actually control the printer but I have since connected the printer to my computer and now simplify3d is controlling the printer. I tried to do the leveling via Simplify3d but it is offset on X, Y so that to level the first 2 points they are off the print bed. I don't know how to realign the X and Y so that it is actually touching the print bed. I looked for a build plate define or something like that in tools but there isn't. I can jog the head around but I don't see a way to define where the actual ends of the print bed are or where actual center is.

Beyond that, I don't know how to get it to just start extruding pla to see if there is still curling. I wish there were video tutorials. I like the control that simplify3d has over the printer. Using the printer without a computer seems like there are very few controls. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Hedrus]

Ok I figured out how to get the printer to just extrude filament using Simplify3D. It must still be clogged because the filament does still curl. I even tried heating the nozzle more than needed from 210 to 240 and it still was curling. I ordered that solvent. Any ideas where I could get a firm enough wire to push through a .2 mm nozzle hole? Thanks again for the help.

[Fred B]

They make nozle cleaning drill bits that are handy for clearing out the tips.

You have to be super careful with the small diameter tips because they seem to be easy to damage. Bed leveling is critical to good prints with such a small tip and layer height.

I almost always print at at least 0.1mm thickness or more for the first layer.

[Hedrus]

@CompoundCarl- I read the links you posted. I am having trouble using Simplify3D to run the printer because when I use it's leveling feature it doesn't center properly and the first 2 points it wants me to level are off the print bed to the right. Is there a way to re-center the print bed area? It looks like it is offset by around an inch or so.


I will look into printing the first few layers thicker. I am very familiar with SLA printing with liquid resin. The first few layers I always print thicker and over cure to get better adhesion and balance any imperfections in leveling the bed. I haven't figured out how to do that yet with FDM using Simplify3d.

Thanks for the help. Of course all the parts I am messing around with right now are sold out everywhere. I was going to order a few more nozzles and a new dual extruder hot end but they both are out of stock for a week or 2. Just my luck.

[CompoundCarl]

If the leveling wizard is moving off the bed, then one of the following things is wrong
1) firmware offsets - the machine itself has settings for the homing and toolhead offsets. These can commonly get screwed up when doing things on the LCD or when installing alternate firmware like Sailfish. So it's possible that is what's causing your problem.
2) incorrect machine settings in software - the software also needs to know how your machine is setup. If you look on the G-Code tab in your process settings, you will see options for things like build volume, origin offsets, etc. Does the build volume that is specified there match your machine? The origin offsets should typically be half the build volume (so if your bed is 120x100mm, the origin offsets should be 60x50x0)