Hi everyone. Ran into a problem with my new A1 and need some help. The short version: got an A1 + AMS Lite combo less than a month ago and been able to do several basic prints just fine in both Bambu’s PLA and PETG. During the print of last project, the print failed and the arm locked into place. Have tried several troubleshooting items (listed below) but nothing seems to have worked. Can’t move it up or down via any means (motor/mechanical/manual). Anyone else encounter this issue before?
More detailed breakdown:
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Printing Bambu Lab’s AMS Lite Top Mount with PETG HF (black) filament; with 0.4 mm hotend and modified settings for PETG (slower speeds, 0.2 mm layers, 2 walls, 15% infill, etc.). Made sure to clean the plate with soap and water before print. First plate printed just fine. Second plate was about 90% complete when it failed. A few parts came loose off the plate and began to get some stringing. At the same time, the Z-axis locks into place and cannot go up or down (both X and Y axes still can move normally). The printer then enters into the following loop:
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Toolhead moves to purge wiper;
- Poops/extrudes filament;
- Cuts and throws poop;
- Hotend moves back over project and tries to print; nozzle scrapes along existing printed area for about 3 seconds
- (assumingly because it can’t raise up on the z-axis);
- Toolhead moves to purge wiper; repeats.
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Based on the number of poops I found, it probably repeated this for about 30 minutes before I discovered it and stopped the print. After stopping, the printer did not return to its home position and I was not able to mechanically or manually move the rail up or down along the Z-axis. I was able to remove the plate, clear it, and clean it. I noted that the nozzle had PETG collecting around the outside of the nozzle (probably caused by scraping over printed area and the reason why it kept cycling to the purge wiper). Using touchscreen, I tried to move the toolhead up and was given an error message that it could not move the z-axis until all axes were zeroed. I then pressed the home button. Toolhead moves to center of plate along X and Y axes, but then am given an error message:
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“HMS_0300-1800-0001-0005: The Z axis motor got stuck during movement, please check if there is any foreign matter on the Z sliders or Z timing belt wheels, or if the extrusion force sensor is abnormal.”
Attempted troubleshooting:
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Tried all troubleshooting options on QR code’s page (Bambu Lab Wiki page for Error Code), including:
- Checked for foreign objects on the Z-axis motor pulley and slider (did not find any)
- Removed the metal base plate and inspected timing pulley and timing belt (did not find any)
- Replaced Hotend (see below)
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Turned on Maintenance Mode and cleaned Toolhead and hotend.
- Did a cold pull on 0.4 mm hotend, cleared exterior hotend nozzle, and checked to make sure filament hub was clear and not blocked.
- Tried both homing and recalibrating with cleaned hotend but got the same error message.
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Replaced hotend with a brand new hotend (0.2 mm hotend). Tried homing and recalibrating but got the same error message.
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Checked all wiring including rail and hotbed connector cables. No noticeable damage to any wires.
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Tried unplugging printer for 30 minutes and restarting. No change.
When trying to look for solutions online, I’ve found similar experiences, but nothing about the rail being completely locked and unable to move at all. I’ve submitted a ticket and waiting to here back, but thought I’d reach out and see if anyone encountered this problem before. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!