Anyone else have constant failing machines due to under extrusion or clogging?
I have two A1 mini that constantly fail.
Have done everything to try to mitigate, cleaning filament. brand new nozzles, factory resets, firmware upgrades, different filament types but the same two machines keep failing constantly and support will not replace the units even though they are less than 3 months old.
Support initially claimed that i should only use Bambu filament.
Using Eryone, ESun, Creality and Ziro.
I also have 2 A1 mini that run perfectly.
Need a little more info, like hotend temps for each PLA, PETG…etc
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Oooops
PLA only 220 deg
Mostly using pre sets with teaks on the speed to achieve shiny finish
I have just tried the Ziro filament (nice they include the filament cleaner) which i just received today after getting more failures with Eryone and it seems to be running ok ATM.
Just disappointing if you have to stick to certain filaments through trial and error and cannot swap and change which just makes printing more expensive overall.
Thanks for reply
Hi
i will give it a try
Thank you
Most of my filament is Ziro, never had an issue.
For PLA I mostly print at 210* & 215* for PLA+, Silks & Marble.
I would try resetting all the tweaks you did & just try the stock Generic Settings.
I don’t know if you printed anything before you started changing settings or not, but going back to stock seems like the place to start.
Also, use the .04 Nozzle.
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I have an 8 day old A1 mini was good until today when started under extruding and jumping on the extruder due to a clog.
The prints up till now have been very good and I was quite elated with the results and speed. I also have a Prusa mk3 S+ which is rock solid albeit slower and never had an issue with clogging in 3 years on the same nozzle.
Was using Creality CR PET-G , I thought it might be moisture but running the same reel on the Prusa and same print I had no issues. After some difficulty clearing the clog I ran some orange Prusa PET -G through which completed however not perfectly but fairly good and still hearing the very occasional extruder click.
My reason for buying the Mini was for rapid iterative prototyping , but todays job has taken a lot longer due to failures than the MK3S+
Maybe I should ditch the hot end for a new on but that does not seem right for something that’s a week or so old.
The shine has gone off the Mini a bit to be honest , but I still like it and it has some worthy features, however the MK3S+ even without input shaping proves to be a reliable thoroughbred and I appreciate it for dependability and it will stay in the stable for larger prints and when I absolutely have to have success.
Perhaps I have been a little unlucky but if I was reviewing the A1 mini this is what I would say.
"Fantastic industrial design with aesthetics to appeal to the consumer market on looks alone it separates itself from anything gone before. The fancy plastics cover the guts of what is on any 3D printer stepper motors and belts. But its not all show the speed when it works and the quality of the prints can be outstanding with PLA and PET-G. It is innovative and easy to get on with due to auto bed level , auto extrusion flow, and input shaping to allow faster printing. The integration of the slicer with WiFi is so much better than moving an SD card around . The hot end is a marvel for easy maintenance and a standard has been set here , its just as well because nozzle clogs may well be an issue with this machine from what I have experienced and read . The feature verses cost benefit is amazing so there is a lot of good here and I should mention linear rails too.
The A1 mini is the equivalent of a convertible fast sports car with all the latest gadgets, a dynamic ride and on a sunny day its fantastic. But there will be rainy days and the sunroof might leak and the traction might be slippery.
The old MK3S+ has big tyres heavy 4 wheel drive and an enormous fuel tank which it needs as its not as fast , its based on proven refined and reliable older technology and will get you there in all weather, and very few leak!
My gut feeling is that on mileage the A1 mini will fail first, but those issues will be refined along the way.
In its own right its ground breaking and great value and I am still glad to have it , that said some of the hype has been deflated .
Hi
Sorry i haven’t updated this thread with a conclusion and maybe can help as i spent countless hours trying to resolve these problems.
I had all the same issues as you, perfect prints first couple weeks then failure after failure and having to keep constantly manually removing filament from the hot end.
I have since solved all the problems by running cleaner filament through the hot ends once a week or so or when idle, oiling regularly and most importantly realising that unlike my old Elegoo and Anycubic machines these machines will only run certain types of filament effectively.
Ziro filament has given me zero issues (no pun intended) since changing and Eryone is hit and miss though the rainbow seems to work well also.
Creality filament was terrible and easily caused me the most the issues, i used it all up on an old Elegoo pro and will not touch again with a barge pole. Also anything in matte finish was really prone to clog and was very weak and the finished prints would break easily.
I now only use Ziro (which give u a length of cleaning filament with each spool) and Eryone and maintain them regularly.
Am i happy that my choice of filament is limited, not really as i sometimes print Cinderwing prints for sale and would therefore like to buy the cheapest filament available but TBH it beats the frustration and time wasted trying to fix.
Hope this helps and that you resolve these issues.
Ps i only print in PLA and PETG
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3D printers are always frustrating when they don’t work, but don’t give up on the mini! Once it’s dialed in, it just prints and does so with great speed and quality. Clogging is probably from temperature, cooling, or maybe just trying to print too fast so keep these in mind and try to figure it out.
I’m guessing the slicer may be new to you coming from Prusa so take some time to learn the settings and especially the built in calibrations. OrcaSlicer offers improved calibrations routines and is worth the switch, imo.
Also, post some of your settings, failed prints, etc and let the community help.
Well I purchased a new hot end , and the problem seems to be resolved for now .Also purchased some Bambulab PLA and PETG so if there are further issues it should make resolution easier.
Will take your advice and post to the community if it is not fixed. I don’t think I should have to buy a new hot end after a week, but they are not exactly expensive and its good fault finding step.
My A1 mini was doing that too. I finally got a drill bit and ran it in slowly. A small piece of filament came out. Haven’t need that problem again.
I’m using white PLA from Elegoo and halfway through the roll the printer is clogging every two prints ;/
I’ve tried to unclog it, I’ve used the tutorials from Bamboo and other people on YouTube, but the glogging always comes back.
my a1 mini have 2 weeks…
it can be a bad roll of filament, as long as you’ve dried it and tried differing temps etc. Ive got the same issue at the moment with Eryone Rainbow filaments constant clogs, soon as i pop another brand on their sweet as a nut… Very weird