what is causing this melting PLA at edge of extruder

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dhsu70
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what is causing this melting PLA at edge of extruder

Post by dhsu70 »

I recently purchased an Orion and have been doing some test prints and have noticed what I think is melted PLA building up around the upper brass part of the extruder.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dhsu/14581380174/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

(edit: sorry this might be a better picture since I homed the printer and had a flashlight handy)

what should normally be visible brass, I am seeing blue slowly covering the upper brass. I can wipe it away and it looks very liquified on the cloth. I assume that the extruder is too hot? (The Orion LED display says target temp of 188). Is there an underlying additional problem that might cause it to seep through the wood where the extruder is connected to the frame holding it?

I am using slic3r to generate the file and loading the PLA profile when getting ready to print.

thank you!
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PopolZ
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Re: what is causing this melting PLA at edge of extruder

Post by PopolZ »

Your nozzle might be a little loose. Heat the hotend to 230C and tight it up a little.
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Tinyhead
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Re: what is causing this melting PLA at edge of extruder

Post by Tinyhead »

Personally, I would pull that hot end apart. I would almost wonder if your PTFE tubing is missing inside or something. Leaking out the side like that is not normal. Were you still able to print properly?
dhsu70
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Re: what is causing this melting PLA at edge of extruder

Post by dhsu70 »

I'll look into taking it apart. I've had a lot of issues with the printer since getting it but I'm still new to printing so trying to figure things out gradually.

I've noticed gaps here and there alone the Z axis when doing prints (including a Makerbot model from Thingiverse as well as a replacement fan shroud), almost making a model look like it is perforated. I've managed to snap pieces along these gaps pretty cleanly with little force. I initially thought it had something to do with slic3r, but it seems to have gotten progressively worse with each print. I am starting to think I need to tighten one of the belts as I saw the whole printing mechanism jump at one point and then it looked like the print was shifted on both the X and Y values.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dhsu/sets ... 194338670/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

if you look at the feet of each of these robots, you can see the gaps I am trying to describe. Its not consistent between the models so that's why I think its a physical thing rather than software. The most recent two attempts I stopped midway because of the shift very early in the prints.

left-most model was my first print. the main issue with that one was what looked like spaghetti strands underneath the arms. You can see what I am referring to better here at https://www.flickr.com/photos/dhsu/sets ... 594789911/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

One other thing I noticed was the raised part of the body below the arm in that same picture. It should be a consistent block. I think (?) that might be due to cooling issues if I've been interpreting what I've read correctly.

This is all using the same PLA spool.

I hope this makes sense. Thank you both for the ideas. I will try to look again this weekend.
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Tinyhead
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Re: what is causing this melting PLA at edge of extruder

Post by Tinyhead »

The spaghetti you've got going there is due to the overhang and cooling. You need to get a fan on there to cool the PLA as it's extruded.

As I mentioned though, make sure to take apart that hot end. You might find something that's causing a lot of your gaps in the print. It does look like you're not extruding properly/enough.
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