Never had a clogged nozzle or extender myself, so I can’t speak to how often that happens. As far as the stuck extruder PTFE tube that’s new to me as well. Can’t say I’ve ever heard of that either. I just loaded up my extruder and was able to pull the PTFE tube right out.
Honestly, not sure what to suggest to get you back up and running. Maybe you can free the PTFE tube easier if you release the PTFE tube lock. Looks like the 2 screws is all that’s keeping it on the tool head. So, release the two screws, then the hot end and extruder screws and try to work on the PTFE tube in your hands instead of on the tool head.
One other thing to check, when you get the filament out, put some calipers on it and see if the thickness of the filament is more the 1.85mm. If you get close to 2mm that will get locked up in most printers.
It seems like a problem with the printer or the settings you configured to control the printer? There are literally an endless number of configurations in the slicer. And many of them can end in catastrophe.
FWIW, I tried copying many of the settings I’ve been using to print PETG for years on my MakerGear printers. That resulted in many failed/poor prints. It took me a while to get everything dialed in. So, if you’re doing the same (using the same settings you’ve been using for years and thinking all will be good), then you might be in the same boat as me.
And if you’re saying the first two prints were flawless and the third print failed after changing absolutely nothing, then perhaps the problem has nothing to do with slicer settings.
I used settings I got from a Reddit poster for Prusa PETG. But the first two prints failed to adhere. Actually, the very first print was the bed scraper sample with Bambu PLA and it was fine!
I’ve been reading about all the tuning people do for the Bambu. Maybe if I used Bambu filament I’d be fine. But I have a lot of Prusa PETG. Once I can get running again I suppose I will become intimate with volumetric speed and temperature of vitrification…
That makes sense. Those slicer settings are perfectly dialed in for both the filament and printer.
Right, there are some advantages there since Bambu Lab provides profiles for many of their filaments. Like you though, I’m used to using other filaments and would prefer to continue using those. If you haven’t checkout out Orca Slicer yet, it comes packed with many helpful calibrations that’ll help you get any filament dialed in.
People seem to think it’s normal to spend a lot of time “dialing in” settings for the X1C. I suppose the speed makes settings more critical. But my Prusa pretty much works with any filament I buy using the “generic PETG” or “Prusament PETG” settings. And either of those settings would work with either of the filaments. My clog was with a plain colored Prusament PETG which I figure is a better quality material, not a cheap economy filament. So I don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t know why it’s so difficult. Kind of reminds me of my first question, which was “Why is glue stick needed?”, because it isn’t on my Prusa.
People get annoyed when I say my Prusa seems better in these ways. But I bought an X1C instead of an MK4 because I wanted something more evolved than another RepRap.
I have watched videos of Orca Slicer and tried to get it, but am unable to understand exactly how to do that from the GitHub description.
I’m most surprised by the people thinking nothing needs to be dialed in – and everything should just work out of the box. I mean, that would be awesome, but it doesn’t seem reasonable.
For all of the printers I’ve owned, I’ve had to tweak slicer settings when changing filament types/brands. While many slicer settings can be reused, pretty much any settings involving speed or cooling is on the table for tweaking. And then changes of course will need to be made by model for supports and/or adhesion depending on how the model touches the build plate.
Well, the build plates are different. If you were able to use your Bambu Lab build plate on your Prusa, you’d probably find glue (or something else) would then be needed.
Exactly! But what I wish is that I could use my Prusa plate on the Bambu. So I ordered the PEI plate from Bambu and am eager to try it out when the Bambu is fixed.
Honestly, I seldom have to do any tuning or dialing in. I generally just set the appropriate filament profile (Bambu, Polymaker or Generic), and press send. Sometimes I do push the speed limits for the sake of trying, and yes, then I’ll do the volumetric test and tune in the volumetric speed, but I don’t generally do any other tests and tuning. I’ve never done a temp tower, or retraction test and have tried the flow test once and realized it wasn’t worth the effort. So, largely the printer just works.
Sorry you’re having all sorts of issues, but for me… the thing just works. I’ve only been printing since 2018 and have only ever own 4 printers. So, I don’t have a ton of outside knowledge of the various printers on the market, but this one is by far the closest to a “just press play” experience I’ve ever had.
In all honesty, I had very few problems with my first printer (an Ender 3), just wanted a more versatile and faster printer, otherwise I’d likely still be using it. In my 5 or so years of prints, I’ve never had to clear a clog (other than to reverse the extruder up by a few millimeters), had stuck filament, or any real adhesion issues. Never had to use glue stick on any printer or filament combo, including the Bambu.
If I’m fully being upfront, I’d say my experience is probably not normal because I did take the time to really learn the reasons people run in to problems, that way I could avoid them. I am mechanically inclined and understand the intricacies and limitations of the hardware I have, so I rarely find myself breaking things. When I design things, I do so with the expectation of 3D printing, so issues are largely mitigated in the design process. All this really makes for a smooth experience, but even so, the Bambu Lab experience has definitely been special. It stands out as the most tuning free high-performance setup I’ve used.
OK, here’s what is probably a very stupid question. I’m a complete novice–just got the X1 Carbon. Question: Do you have to apply the glue stick again for each print? I just printed the Benchy on the cool plate using PLA, and it worked like a charm–do I need to reapply for the next print?
No, typically you can go maybe 3-10 prints before washing and reapplying. YMMV based on what you are printing - surface area, material, placement of objects around the plate between jobs, and observed performance or degradation of adherence and release characteristics.
You generally should not apply more glue without thoroughly washing the plate. Don’t apply on top of existing glue - you want a thin even single layer.
Or switch to a plate that does not require glue for most materials like the Bambu textured pei or 3rd party options like Wham Bam pex and Lightyear 3d G10/Garolite plates.
I wish i could have wrote this. This is my experience also. Except i had MK3S+ and a CR10S. Sold the Prusa and kept the CR10S for big prints. It’s also heavily modified.
Happy as h3ll with my experience with Bambu Lab products.
It depends upon your filament, bed temp, etc. WhamBam has some specific profile tweaks, seems to work well. But, they also say some PETG brands might stick too well, enough to damage the plate. Do a test print in a corner before you decide to not use glue stick. Even with the Bambu textured plate, I have occasional adhesion issues. Keep that one clean, clean, clean.
Ok so keep in mind I have not read through this whole thread so I may be repeating whats already been said but I want to provide my input because I was concerned about this when I got my X1C.
I got all 4 plates with mine, and also the liquid glue stick thing they sell in their store. The liquid is the key, I have never even opened the glue stick.
In my experience, the textured plate just needs to be wiped down with alchohol after touching any area that you’re going to print on, Other than that, it hasn’t needed any kind of treatment. The technique I’ve been using for the other three plates are as follows:
use the liquid glue stick to make a quick crosshatch pattern on the sheet. And by quick I mean like it takes 10-15 seconds. You don’t have to cover the whole surface. Then spray it down with some alchohol and spread all of that around with the same cloth you use to clean your bed. That has, in my experience, left enough of a residue for it to do its job for quite a few prints. If you notice it getting too strong, just do that again. I never really have to wash mine in a sink or anything. Also this seems to make the liquid glue stick last basically forever.
Hello, I’m interested in this story of avoiding glue for prints, using alcohol spray you avoid glue??
Today how do you avoid glue, you don’t put any and that’s enough? or did you change settings?
Currently I am doing a test with a bed at 55°C, the info comes from this page: No need for glue on the cold plate. Change the 1st layer height
Otherwise why Bambu puts back the glue, I don’t know but in terms of marketing it sells tubes and bed diapers.