Hi there.
Any idea of how to tighten the pulley on the extruder? It’s not gripping and the filament doesn’t feed properly.
I have two printers in my print farm with this issue.
I appreciate your help.
Does it seem worn, or is the extruder gear caked with filament dust?
The extruder has a little arm you push/pull/lift (depending on it’s orientation). Just above that arm is a spring and through the spring there is a screw with the screw head opposite the arm. Looking down on the screw head, turn it counter-clockwise to increase the pressure on the arm (and by extension, the filament), clockwise to reduce the pressure.
Too little pressure and the filament slips. Too much pressure and you begin to deform the filament (make it oval instead of circular) which can create other problems. Way too much pressure and it can grind it’s way through the filament enough that, with rapid retraction/extension cycles, the filament will snap, although, snapping filament has other causes too, so don’t jump to conclusions if it happens to you.
One major word of caution: I can’t speak for the E3V2, but some Creality printers come with a plastic extruder assembly. That plastic will eventually develop a hairline crack. That crack prevents it from applying proper pressure to the filament, much as you’ve described.
So: Check the extruder - if it’s plastic, examine it very closely for cracks and, even if it isn’t cracked yet, it will eventually, so order an all-metal one. If you’re ordering one, note that there are left-handed and right-handed ones. Get the one that matches what you already have.
If it’s not plastic or you’re sure it’s not cracked, turn the screw counter-clockwise to increase the pressure on the extuder arm, Do this one or two turns at a time, but don’t go nuts. Keep re-testing it and re-tightening it until it works to your satisfaction but keep in mind what I said about damaging the filament.
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