Clogged head and fan running non stop

[Afonso Urbano @afonsurbano Portugal]

How do I fix a head that just doesnt extrude? I was going to try and open it, but after my previous attempts, I think Il do more harm than good. These heads are the perfect combination of very complex engineering with poor materials. Last time I tried to unscrew the nozlles from a head, one of them broke and rendered it unusable.

The last 3 heads I had all started leaking and eventually became unusable also. I think I wont be buying anymore printers from Cell, as I have lost months worth of work in repair, stopped time and waiting for replacement parts.

 

Also, the latest issue is the fam (the one on the back, not on the head) is always running now. Nothing seems to make it stop. Any idea whats going on?

• This topic was modified 5 days ago by  Afonso Urbano.

[BHudson @bhudson I have both RoboxDual and other Robox versions Arizona, USA]

@afonsurbano Have you done a manual purge? If not, I suggest you do so. I also suggest you open a support ticket. You should always start there with head issues.

DO NOT remove the nozzles as you will likely not get them back in the right place and the needle valves will not seal again. The Robox print head nozzles are not meant to be user changeable. The nozzles must be removed and installed hot or they will break. This is normal with all 3D printer nozzles.

Either I get only the very best print heads or there is something to do with how you use the print heads because I don’t get lots of failures. Most of my print heads last at least 500 hours, many have clocked over 1200 hours. I use a huge variety of materials, run long prints, and switch between materials with different print temperatures all the time and rarely have a problem.

The ambient fan running constantly, even when the printer is not printing, is due to a blown fan control MOSFET. The MOSFET must be replaced or the mainboard must be replaced.

I operate two Betas and four Production Robox.
I am the US/Canada Technical Support engineer for the Robox.
www.hudsondesignlabs.com

[Afonso Urbano @afonsurbano Portugal]

Hi @bhudson,

Thanks for the reply.

I would be glad if you could point to me what should I be doing that Im not in order to not get these problems (clogged nozzles or leaking material) with the heads. I tried the manual purge, no luck there.

The mainboard was replaced 2 weeks ago. I used the printer for 16 hours. It was a certified CEL distributor that repaired it. What should I do? I was told the warranty did not cover mainboard issues. Should I replace the MOSFET myself? Is there an istruction page on how to do it?

Maybe you are right, and there is something that Im doing wrong or Im just unlucky. But for the last couple of years Ive had so many issues (most small, some big) that took me so many hours of work (human and machine). When the printer is running, it prints amazingly well. But after so many bowden tubes being torn, so many failed prints because of slipping fillament and so many heads leaking or clogged, I am just frustrated with it. And I clean, lubricate and tighten it every 2 spools.

Sorry for the rant. Thanks again for the reply

[Charles Jackson @chazr33gtr I have a RoboxDual United Kingdom]

I don think your unlucky.. the materials and tolerances these heads are made to arent great.. see my post on Dual head failure again.. Ive had 6 heads fail. one with as little as 2hrs on it.. all oozing from the top and generally not the oring but the top insert supposedly being a screw threaded part but actually being a push fit at best..

 

 

Aerospace Engineer with a creative itch being scratched by Robox!

[BHudson @bhudson I have both RoboxDual and other Robox versions Arizona, USA]

@afonsurbano A printer mainboard replaced less than 90 days ago is under warranty if it was new. That is stated in the warranty.

Leaking from the valve is not repairable nor can you prevent it.

“Clogged” nozzles on a dual is always user error. What materials are you using ?

On a single material print head it is most often a failure to purge properly. ABS and PLA should be purged every 10-20 print hours or immediately at the end of a long print. Poor quality ABS will degrade in the unused nozzle much faster than higher quality ABS. For instance, I have to purge every 10-15 hours with CEL ABS, and I can push that to about 25 hours with TitanX.

PETG should be purged every 50-100 hours.

The Robox nozzles have a steel needle that keeps the nozzle from being clogged. If you are consistently getting what looks like a clogged nozzle, there are several possible things happening:

1. Poor quality filament that isn’t being purged enough with a SM or S2 single material head.
2. Wet filament that is swelling in the filament inlet and jamming.
3. Not purging enough even with high quality filament.
4. A weak or worn out extruder that isn’t pushing the filament hard enough.

For a dual, it is almost always using a low glass temp material with a high bed temp that overheats the low glass temp material and jams it in the head inlet.

The one head failure that will look like a clogged nozzle is a slipped valve actuator, though this can be fixed pretty easily by a trained tech.

I would open a ticket with CEL to get some help. The printer should not have had a fan control MOSFET fail after two weeks unless the installer didn’t check for something, installed it wrong, or the part is defective.

I operate two Betas and four Production Robox.
I am the US/Canada Technical Support engineer for the Robox.
www.hudsondesignlabs.com

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