Tech Tips
Tuesday Tech Tip: The Cold Pull Technique
September 3rd, 2016 | Michael Sauers, Technology Manager
The folks over at Fabbaloo have a great article about a technique for cleaning out your 3D printer’s nozle when it gets clogged.
“The truth with a desktop 3D printer is that you will definitely be performing service on it. But there’s one easy technique you must master.
“The “cold pull” technique is one that I found long ago and have used on many different 3D printers with great success. It’s a method of clearing the extruder of debris…
“Simply ensure you have a length of filament inserted into the hot end. Cut off the filament as it sticks out of the hot end and keep it about three hand widths long.
“Heat the extruder so that you get a drip from the nozzle, or at least hot enough to do so. (It may not if it’s really clogged).
“Then turn off the heat and watch it cool down.
“Normally when the hot end is at operating temperature you can freely pull the filament out. When it’s cold the plastic is frozen in place and you cannot pull it out.
“The trick here is to wait until the temperature is just slightly below freezing level. At that point you can briskly pull the filament out and it should be mostly solid.
“And here’s the magic: when it is solidified, it captures random debris that happens to be in the hot end. You pull it out with the filament!”
Read the full article @ Fabbaloo.com.
