Extrusion Issues
There are several reasons why print head extrusion problems occur. The most common reason is often a clogged print head, which prevents plastic from being extruded smoothly or results in insufficient extrusion. This leads to uneven or slightly insufficient layer thickness during printing, a phenomenon we call "under extrusion."
Print head clogs or uneven extrusion are often caused by dirt or carbonized filament stuck inside the print head, or other reasons. You can follow the steps below to troubleshoot the problem.
Feeder Motor
When the feeder motor exhibits the phenomena described below, it indicates that you may encounter extrusion problems. For example, you might notice the machine's feeder motor making a "clicking" sound, and the feeder wheel inside the motor digging into the filament, deforming it or creating a hole. This situation will lead to extrusion problems. In this case, you must unload the filament, cut off the deformed section, and loosen the feeder motor pressure as much as possible (for adjustment methods, please refer to [3D Printer] Ultimaker2 - Maintenance and Care!). After adjusting, reload the filament.
Notes on changing filament: When changing filament, be sure to cut the feeding end at an angle to facilitate feeding. At the same time, when feeding, pay attention to inserting it as straight up as possible to avoid misplacement of the filament causing partial breakage and clogging the feeding motor, leading to malfunction.
Move Material
The Ultimaker 2 also offers a manual extrusion function, allowing you to easily clear blockages when the print head is clogged.
1. Turn the knob next to the panel to "Maintenance > Advanced > Move material" and press the knob.
2. Wait for the print head to heat up to the target temperature, then insert the cleaning 0.35mm needle into the print head for cleaning.
3. Rotate the knob to manually control the feeder motor to extrude material. During this process, you can also manually push the filament to aid feeding.
4. If the print head can extrude material smoothly, it means the blockage has been cleared, and you can now prepare for a new print.
Nozzle Cleaning Method
When there is larger dirt or carbonized filament inside the nozzle or heating block that cannot be removed by the methods above, it is recommended to use this method. Please refer to the nozzle cleaning method in the article [3D Printer] Ultimaker2 - Maintenance and Care! This is a simple but very effective method, and we also highly recommend using it to clean the nozzle when switching from filament that requires a high temperature to filament that requires a low temperature. (For example, when switching from ABS to PLA, this method is recommended.)
PTFE Tube
After prolonged use of the Ultimaker 2, the PTFE tube in the extruder may wear out due to continuous temperature and pressure from the heating block, leading to slight deformation or damage, as shown in the figure below: The left is a new PTFE tube, and the right is a PTFE tube after prolonged use. A damaged PTFE tube will rub against the filament, causing uneven extrusion. If the above methods cannot solve the uneven extrusion problem, it means you may need to remove the PTFE tube for inspection. For disassembly instructions, please refer to the article [3D Printer] Ultimaker 2 3D Printer Extruder Disassembly Begins!
Error Messages
If you encounter an ERROR message on the small screen when using your Ultimaker, you can follow the steps below to troubleshoot.
Note! Before beginning the troubleshooting steps below, always ensure the machine is powered off and the power cable is unplugged.
ERROR - STOPPED TEMP SENSOR
When this message appears on the screen, it indicates a problem with the PT100B temperature sensor wire in your machine, which is used to detect the print head temperature. When the temperature sensor wire cannot correctly record the temperature, the machine will stop heating the print head for safety reasons. This message usually appears because of poor contact between the sensor wire and the motherboard, or because the sensor wire is damaged. You can follow the steps below to check if there is poor contact between the motherboard and the sensor wire.
1. Lay the Ultimaker 2 on its side so you can access the bottom.
2. You will see a metal cover at the bottom. Loosen the two screws on the cover to remove it.
3. Once the cover is removed, you will see the motherboard. Please confirm that the temperature sensor wire (composed of two thin red wires and one thin white or gray wire) is properly connected to TEMP1, and that none of the three thin wires are loose.
If it still doesn't work, it means your temperature sensor wire is damaged. The best way to check is to use a multimeter. Normally, the resistance at room temperature should be close to 108 Ohm. If the sensor wire is damaged, the measured resistance may be close to 0 or infinite. In this case, the sensor wire must be replaced. For replacement instructions, please refer to the article [3D Printer] Ultimaker 2 3D Printer Extruder Disassembly Begins!
ERROR - STOPPED TEMP SENSOR BED
When this message appears on the screen, it indicates a problem with the temperature sensor wire of your heated bed. When the temperature sensor wire cannot correctly record the temperature, the heated bed will stop heating for safety reasons. This message usually appears because of poor contact between the sensor wire and the heated bed or motherboard, or because the sensor wire is damaged. You can follow the steps below to check. First, check the temperature sensor wire and the heated bed:
1. There are two small screws connecting the wires behind the heated bed.
2. Gently pull the wires by hand to check for any signs of looseness.
3. If the wires are loose, loosen the screws and reconnect them.
Check if there is poor contact between the temperature sensor wire and the motherboard:
1. Lay the Ultimaker 2 on its side so you can access the bottom.
2. You will see a metal cover at the bottom. Loosen the two screws on the cover to remove it.
3. Once the cover is removed, you will see the motherboard. Please confirm that the heated bed temperature sensor wire is properly connected to TEMP3.
If the error cannot be resolved after following the above steps, it is possible that your heated bed temperature sensor wire or the heated bed itself is damaged. In this case, please contact us.
ERROR - HEATER ERROR
When the screen displays a "heater error" message, it means the print head's temperature sensor is not detecting a stable (heating) temperature signal. This could be due to poor contact of the print head's heating wire or other reasons. To prevent the print head from overheating, the machine will disable the heating function of the heating wire. Here are some steps to help you inspect and resolve the error:
1. Confirm that your Ultimaker 2's firmware is updated to the latest version.
2. Check if the metal covers at the front ends of the heating wire and the PT100B temperature sensor wire are fully inserted into the heating block.
3. Check that the print head is not touching the fan shroud. It should not be touching it, as contact with the fan shroud would dissipate heat from the print head.
4. If this error message appears when you are printing a large flat surface, it is possible that the fan's airflow is reflecting back from the flat surface, causing the print head to cool down. In this case, you can lower the fan speed to resolve this issue.
If the error cannot be resolved after following the above steps, please contact us.
X OR Y SWITCH BROKEN
This message indicates that when the print head is at the home position, the limit switch for the X or Y axis (located in the upper left rear corner inside the machine, there are two small lever-like metal pieces) is not functioning correctly. In this case, please check the following:
1. Manually move the print head to the rear left of the machine and see if it can press the small metal piece of the limit switch to make a "click" sound. If any limit switch is not functioning correctly, you can manually bend the metal piece slightly so that the print head can press the small metal piece of the limit switch to make a "click" sound.
2. If the print head cannot move to the home position in the rear left, it is possible that the X/Y axis pulleys that move the print head are loose. You just need to tighten them.
Z-SWITCH BROKEN OR Z-SWITCH STUCK
If either of these two messages appears on the screen, it indicates that your Z-axis limit switch is not functioning correctly. In this case, you can follow these points to check and troubleshoot:
1. First, there is a small downward-protruding metal rod located near the back panel under the print bed. This rod will contact the Z-axis limit switch placed in the hole when the bed lowers to its lowest point to home the bed.
2. Check if there are any foreign objects under the bed that prevent it from fully descending to the lowest position, or if there are any foreign objects blocking the small hole where the Z-axis limit switch is located.
3. You can manually bend the metal piece slightly so that the print head can press the small metal piece of the limit switch to make a "click" sound and operate normally without any issues.
Cannot Update Firmware
If Cura indicates that it cannot recognize your Ultimaker 2 when you try to update the firmware, it means you may be experiencing a software or hardware connection problem. You can easily identify and resolve the problem by following these steps.
Check Connection
1. Please ensure that the Ultimaker 2's power cable is properly connected and the power is turned on.
2. Please ensure that the USB cable connecting the Ultimaker 2 to the computer is properly connected, or you can try replacing the USB cable to confirm if it is working correctly.
Software
Software issues could be a bug in Cura itself, or your computer's operating system might be too old. We recommend the following two solutions:
1. Update Cura on your computer to the latest version.
2. Connect to another computer with a more updated operating system.
If the above two methods do not resolve the issue, it is possible that the Ultimaker 2's motherboard has a bug. In this situation, please contact us.
Printed Object Cannot Adhere to the Print Bed
When your printed object doesn't adhere well to the print bed, there are usually two reasons: first, the first layer of the print doesn't adhere well to the print bed; second, the plastic itself tends to shrink as it cools. If the plastic you're using has a high shrinkage rate (like ABS), it can cause warping at the bottom, especially at the corners of the object. Here are a few methods to help you improve these types of problems.
Heated Bed Temperature
Setting the heated bed to the correct temperature is crucial for providing good adhesion to the object, preventing the first layer from cooling too quickly and shrinking excessively. Generally, for PLA, the temperature is set to 60°C, and for ABS, it's 90°C. These are the default values for Ultimaker 2, and you can, of course, adjust them within a certain range.
Print Bed Leveling
It's very important for the first layer to extrude well and adhere to the print bed. If the distance between the bed and the nozzle is too far, the extruded filament will not adhere well to the bed; if the distance between the bed and the nozzle is too close, the filament will not be able to extrude from the nozzle. For bed leveling, please refer to Print Bed Leveling in the article [3D Printer] Ultimaker2 - Basic Operation!
Glass Plate
When printing larger PLA objects, it is recommended to apply a thin layer of glue stick to the glass plate. For printing ABS objects, you can refer to the article [3D Printing Material] Choose the Right Material to Solve Your ABS Warping Problem! Of course, cleaning the glass plate itself is also very important. For glass plate cleaning, you can refer to Cleaning the Glass Plate in the article [3D Printer] Ultimaker2 - Maintenance and Care!
Set Brim and Raft in Cura
For setup instructions, please refer to points one and two in the article [3D Printing Material] Choose the Right Material to Solve Your ABS Warping Problem!
Article source: https://ultimaker.com/en/support/11704-extrusion-problems
Translator: 3DMART Ltd.