MakerBot Update – Extrusion Fail!

CCCKC MakerBot Ready for Extrusion Test

On Saturday the CCCKC MakerBot whirred to life, all three axes were moving freely, the extuder motor was up and running, and the heater was holding a steady temperature.  The plastic started flowing on command and it appeared that we would be printing in no time.  Then, approximately 1 minute and 18 seconds into extruder burn in, the plastic stopped flowing, and then panic set in...

Well maybe panic would be too strong a word, but it was a very disheartening sight.  After some troubleshooting, it was determined that we'd simply have to take the extruder head apart to find the problem.  After a soak in a bath of acetone overnight the head was disassembled to reveal a shaving of PTFE from the insulator in the ABS over the opening of the nozzle.  Hopefully everything will fit back together after a good cleaning and we can get back to extruding again.

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