Extrusion - Filament Grinding

Tangled Filament

If the filament on your spool for some reason becomes tangled or knotted up, it will eventually create tension and the extruder will not have enough power to pull it through.

Filament Latch too Loose

If there is not enough pressure on the hobbed bolt teeth from the filament latch.

Dirty Hob Bolt (Filament Feeder Gear)

After multiple uses, it is normal for filament to get stuck in the teeth of the feeder gear. This can make it unable to grip onto the filament.

Steps to clean your feeder gear

1. First, turn off your machine. Then, unscrew the tension screws on the filament thumb latch so it can lay down freely. Have a firm hold on the screw while you unscrew them as they are spring loaded.

2. Once it is off, you can either use a razor blade, or a wire brush to remove filament stuck in the gears’ teeth.

Or a wire brush.

Rotate the feeder gear by turning the large gear by hand and repeat steps until the entire feeder gear is cleaned. Once done, place the filament thumb latch back up and replace the tension screws back into your extruder assembly.