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So I recently installed a genuine E3D V6 (direct) on my AM8 (Anet a8 with upgraded frame). I have already been able to fix most of the print quality problems. But the last one is a hard one for me.

It prints super fine up until a certain height. Then the extruder starts slipping and starts making weird noises like its clogged but I will be able to push through filament properly after cancelling the print. I thought it was heat creep but when touching the spiral heat break it is just a tad warm. I can comfortably put my finger on it and keep it there.

I also tried two different brands of filament and it seems to happen roughly at the same spot.

I tried PID tuning (the temps are literally perfect and super straight with no fluctuations), I tried cleaning the extruder gear and checked if it was worn or anything. Then I tightened everything on the extruder, making sure everything was nice and snug.

I am not exactly a newbie when it comes to fixing my own printer and troubleshooting the problems but this one I have never seen or had before.

Do you guys have any tips for me to point me in the right direction?

Running Marlin 1.1.8. I have a BLTouch on it and an AnyCubic UltraBase.

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  • $\begingroup$ do you have the filament feed in a teflon tube to extruder? maybe it bends extensively and extruder has trouble to pull? $\endgroup$
    – profesor79
    Commented May 14, 2018 at 19:04
  • $\begingroup$ Is your extruder stepper getting really hot? $\endgroup$
    – 0scar ♦
    Commented May 14, 2018 at 21:36
  • $\begingroup$ I had a similar issue, but probably not your issue. Either way, in case it is, I would check the wiring for the extruder. Maybe when it reaches a certain height, a fault in the wire itself causes disconnects and hence a extruder stopping/being weak. I tested by pulling/dancing the wires as I manually set extrusion. Seemed to stop when wires were stretched. Sounds weird but I redid my wiring and the extruder wouldn't start acting up halfway through anymore. Let us know if you figure it out. Good luck. $\endgroup$
    – Athanasios Karagiannis
    Commented May 15, 2018 at 0:57
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    $\begingroup$ @Granny Can you upload an image to see how is installed your E3DV6? every thing close to the motor extruder. $\endgroup$
    – Fernando Baltazar
    Commented May 16, 2018 at 16:12
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    $\begingroup$ @FernandoBaltazar I currently do not have a photo of anything. But I did however solve my problem. The heatbreak was a all-metal variant. For some odd reason my printer did not like this one bit. I solved it by using one with PTFE tube inside the heatbreak. $\endgroup$
    – Granny
    Commented May 22, 2018 at 7:20

2 Answers 2

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I used a different heat break with a PFTE lining inside. After that it ran smoothly.

Probably what was happening was that my filament was getting too hot and started to stick on the full metal heat break.

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I have had some similar problems as you describe with my custom build CoreXY printer. I used an all-metal heat break for my 2.85 mm diameter filament. The heat break clogged up. I found that the inner diameter of the heatbreak, although specifically designed for 3 mm filament, narrowed down having a ledge inside. I replaced the heat break with a spare with a teflon tube inside, and never had any problems again.

Since then I scoured the internet to find some proper all metal heat breaks and order a few that do not seem to have that deficiency. I have not tried these (while hot, but when cold the filament also moves better through it and does not get stuck on a ledge like the first one), but will when I print POM and ColorFabb PA-CF Low Warp with my soon to arrive Olsson Ruby nozzle.

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