Changing / Loading Filament - Anet A8 - 3D Printing - Tutorial - How To
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ต.ค. 2016
- In the video I show and explain how to most simply change filament. Then I pop the fan off our extruder and show what's going on inside there so we can better understand what we are trying to achieve.
I hope this helps.
The Anet A8 in the video:
www.gearbest.com/3d-printers-...
Awesome Sunlu Filaments available here: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...
Support us on Patreon: / jmwconcepts
**PLEASE SEE NEW VIDEO ON EXTRUDER SETUP HERE**
• Anet A8 3D Printer - M...
Comments welcome!
I first heard of the 'Cold Pull' technique on the Official Anet A8 / A6 Facebook page. Check it out if you haven't already!
Hi +Dan1029, I have been using a lot of Sunlu filaments. Good quality and nice and CHEAP! ;) You can check them out here: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NGT6BUS/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=jm0f5-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B01NGT6BUS&linkId=d87c801a0bb7fd5d333ddc93eae4be14
You are supposed to take of the brown paper on the acrylic
I'm having a terrible time with threading the filament into the extruder. I always have to pull the fan and heat sink off to get it down past the gear/pulley into the throat. The filament always wants go off to the side of the pulley (misaligned, maybe?). Plus, my filament has suddenly become brittle (like almost overnight), so any messing with it too much causes it to break, hence the constant need to reload it. Whenever I tear apart the extruder to reload the filament, I then have to re-level the bed, which usually causes the filament to break off at the extruder. I made several high-quality prints until this filament got brittle, but it's exposed the misalignment issue with the extruder pulley. None of this started happening until about 3 days ago, and I've only had the printer for 2 weeks! Most aggravating. But so far, it's been a good little inexpensive printer.
Hi Greg, how has your printer been treating you lately? Did you solve the brittle filament issue? This happened to me in very humid weather, all my exposed PLA became unusable. I had a busy few days away from my printers, both very hot, dry days and when I went back to the printers, the filament had sorted itself out.
I would try drying it out.
Thanks for replying. The problem did indeed seem to be moisture, despite the indoor relative humidity being around 30% right now. I put my spool of filament into a tub filled with silica gel for 2 days. Made a complete difference. I ended up with a very small short on one of the leveling springs under the heating element, so I'm in the middle of doing a wiring update along with using spring insulators that won't wear through to the heating element. But the filament worked fantastically, and I didn't have to tear apart the extruder to thread it into the nozzle after drying it.
This video was very helpful. There might be other videos as good, but this was the second one I found. The first one used a different method that seemed like it could be problematic and had no description. Thank you SO MUCH!
Hey +Mathew Langley, thanks for the kind words. As I mention in the video, it's not always easy but you do get better at it. 😊 I'm not sure if you've seen my extruder setup video yet but that might be helpful as well. You can check it here: th-cam.com/video/B71GGLBrQDU/w-d-xo.html
Feel free to subscribe for regular updates as well!
Thanks again!
-JMW.
3D printers help turn ideas into reality. This was a good video to watch.
They sure do @Invention Therapy! 😄
Thanks for the comment.
I was nervous about this maneuver, but not anymore. Thx.
Thanks for the comment @Dave Atwater! Changing filament can always be a bit tricky, even the most experienced 3D printers can still have trouble with it at times. Feel free to check out one of my other videos on extruder set up(link below). Following that will also make the process a little smoother.
Thanks again and I hope I can help again in the future(subscribe for regular updates). :)
Worked first try. Thanks!!!
What i found also help is cutting the end of the filament at a slight angle before you feed it in. It worked for me! Thanks!!
Hi Mark. That can certainly help as well. Thanks for the input!
first time , instant succes with the extra info of Revamped Outdoors by cutting the filament at an angle.
Thanks :)
I'm so glad +Stephan, it took me sooo long the first few times I changed filament. :P
Feel free to subscribe for updates. :)
Honestly this review review is so helpful thank you very much
Thanks Travis! Were you having problems loading filament? It drove me crazy as well for a while!
Other than that, how do you find your Anet A8? 😄
Thx for teaching!
I like to cut a steep angle on the filament with side cutters before I push it through seems to help get it down through the gears. Make it nice and sharp like an arrow head. Awesome video going to switch filaments soon to PETG from PLA hopefully it's not a huge pain.
Thanks for adding that +16by80. Since making this video I too have started doing the same, it does seem to help. 👍🏻
I have a roll of PETG I need to do a review on, haven't tried it yet. The only thing we may need to change is the hot end out for an all-metal model. It will probably depend on how long/ large your PETG prints will be, small ones will likely be fine.
Good luck and let us know how you go!
You Sir, are a genius! Thank you so much! Solved my problem and saved my evening...
I moved my extruder up till it was just under the gear goes right in...Nice video good sound also...
Great advice. :)
thank you. you saved me lots of time and headache
Thanks for the message +Viet Nguyen, I have a few more printing tips on my channel so feel free to check them out. I also mention another small filament loading tip in this video(skip to where I am loading the wood filament). ;)
th-cam.com/video/QuGOtXsypwE/w-d-xo.html
Thanks again and happy 2017!
great. Thanks
Good music xD thx for the good tip.
Glad we could help +Impossible2500! Feel free to subscribe for updates and new projects. :)
Thank you, sir
Thank you so much for this technique. I've clogged up several hot ends until I followed your instructions. For the first time ever, its all gone perfectly - brilliant
great video :) this is the same method I use on my machines :D
Thanks SparkyFace5! :D
Changing filaments PLAGUED me until I worked out the fiddly bits. I still occasionally make a mess and need to do a disassemble and clean, but for the most part, she's smoooooth sailing now.
There is talk that you should never touch the screw and use the extruder motor to feed but I'm yet to get clarification or reasoning on this.
thank you so much!
I'm glad I could help, Samuel! 😀
Awesome!
Did it work +MMertens? :D
Hi! I bought an Anet A8 printer It was printing normally, but the thermistor dropped and when I saw it was coming out smoke from the printer, so I unplugged the plug. The problem is that when I try to print something the filament is coming out thick (even gushed) even with the temperature of 200 degrees that I used to use before the smoke happened. Help me, pleaseeeeee
I'm having a problem where when I try to pull the filament out, I do the push and pull but it comes out partly then gets stuck, I can't push it or pull it at all and I can't get it out? Any tips?
Hi Sad Duck, if this is happening it usually means that the plastic is melting to something inside and hardening before making it all the way out. Try doing the PULL part of the process a bit faster, I just about rip it out.. Push down for about 1 second and make sure it's extruding out the nozzle, the RIP it out like your pulling of a band aid. Lol.
If it keep happening then there may be something untoward on the inside of the extruder. You can check my 'extruder setup and disassembly' video, otherwise inspect your plastic tube on the inside of the throat tube, over time this can deteriorate and cause excess friction internally.
Let me know how you go!
Gut gemacht.:)
Danke mein Herr. :)
When ever I put the fillament in it ejects itself and I don't know how to get it in, any help appreciated.
That extruder is aweful... More like miss miss miss miss Miss miss hit
How much do you need to screw the tube with the thermal barrier into the housing? What should be the distance between it and the mounting plate?
my apologies for the late response. We have had a baby and moved house. I haven't made a lot of videos in a while but we are getting back to it! :) Did you get this sorted?
@@JMWConceptsTheOfficial How much do you need to screw the tube with the thermal barrier into the housing? What should be the distance between it and the mounting plate?
I have a piece of filament sticking out of the hole the filament goes in, do you know anyway of getting it out? I accidentally let the roll finish while inside the prinmter and it doesn't have anything for it to grab onto to push/pull it out.
You could try setting it to printing temperatures with the extruder removed and push the stuck filament with the new one until the new one starts coming out, and make sure you guide the new filament through the extruder intake (I guess that's what you call it), and then put it back together.
Hi +SlimeWithClass,
How annoying! I hate it when that happens. Ralakus has the right idea, first thing I would try would be to take the fan(not blower) off and remove the extruder(part with the gears). Now, with the extruder temp boosted up a bit(maybe 10-15°C above your normal printing temp), take the thinnest allen key that came with your printer and carefully insert it in where you would insert your filament. You may need to hold it with pliers to avoid burning yourself and to get the leverage to push the filament down and out. Once it is down in the nozzle, you can reassemble and insert your new filament.
Notes:
* Make sure you are supporting the bottom of the extruder carriage as you are pushing down with the allen key to avoid mis-shaping your rods.
* Try to turn the temp back down to normal and get your new filament in as quick as possible as it's when filament is left at high temps for periods of time that it tends to clog.
I hope this helps and good luck! Let us know how you go!
I'd like to see you do that with the PLA I use. It won't straighten, it spools off the real in a tight spiral. As soon as you try to straighten it, it snaps in your fingers. I have to disassemble the head every time I load it. It feeds into the extruder in a curve, riding along the edge, going under the tension roller, or hitting the wall of the throat. In 3 months I have never gotten it to go in without taking everything apart.
I'm sorry to hear +Jeff Kolman! What a pain!
I have a roll(clear PLA) that is a bit like how you describe, if I spend 30 seconds slowly working the end of the filament straight, running it between my fingers to warm it up a bit I can slowly reshape it straight.
Have you tried this?
-JMW.
JMW Concepts I believe I'm using a low quality brand, but it's only $5 for a .25kg spool, and a local merchant sells it down the street. I should rightly order better material off the web, but I have no idea of the diffrence between quality, as I've only used one manufacturer. I know MakerBot produces quality filament material, but I also know they charge three times the price. It's almost worth it to disassemble the extruder every time, but what a pain... If anyone here has a prefered brand, at reasonable cost, please suggest.
Quality vs price is dependant on location in my opinion. I have heard that cheaper filament will decay and become more brittle, more quickly. Where are you based?
JMW Concepts... Texas, but with internet commerce, we're all global, so it shouldn't matter... I actually saw a TH-cam video where a young man soaked a spool of PLA in warm water for a moment, making it as plyable as ABS. Many called him an idiot for doing so, as PLA is supposed to be kept dry as possible, but he then demonstrated printing without any negative effects in print quality. Who knows with this stuff? PLA isn't meant for long lasting durability in the first place. I just wish it was easier for me to load.
Hmm. Let me do some asking around, research and experimenting and get back to you. :)
Jesse,
-JMW Concepts.
How did you pre-heat. Why do people always think the most obvious thing is obvious?
Hi Goofyfoot2001, sorry I didn't mention this. This was one of my earlier videos and I may have missed a few details.
To pre-heat, you just turn your printer on and use the menu to manually set the nozzle temp to the required heat, or use the 'pre-heat PLA/ ABS' setting. Once the the nozzle is at the correct heat, go into the settings and select 'Cool Down'.
It's a manual process. :) I hope this helps!
Hi,
I just ordered this printer, and I cannot wait to receive it. I would just like to know, what filament should I be using? Like, brand, size, etc.
Hi Adrian, congratulations on the printer purchase! How exciting!
Filament-wise, you need to purchase some 1.75mm filament. Most of the time the printer will come with 10m of PLA in the box but this will be enough to get you started and that's it.
Your printer will be able to print a wide range of filaments however the most common ones you will probably come in contact with will be PLA and ABS. PLA is a much more approachable starting point in 3d printing as it doesn't contract and warp the same way ABS does. It also doesn't require the higher temperatures of ABS and will thus, stress your machine less.
Brands of filament will vary in price and availability depending on where in the world you are, I would recommend doing a little research on the brand you ar looking at prior to purchase as it can make a big difference to print quality. I have been having great success with a cheap chinese filament brand, SunLu.
I hope this helps! Feel free to subscribe for ongoing tips and tricks. :)
-JMW.
JMW Concepts Thank you so much, I truly appreciate it! You have earned my subscription.
Thanks Adrian Pimentel ! Get in contact any time if you have further questions. 👍
my extruder does not heat I checked the wires and the connections. Any help is appreciated thank you
Hi +GamingProductions, has it ever worked? Did anything change to make it stop? Does every other component work as it should and if this is a freshly built machine, did you test all electronics before assembly? Don't worry, we'll get it sorted!
Hey i see your Video. And i read lot's about, how to store the filament.
My question is: If i have removed the filament, can i cool down the nosle?
And did i not have any problem after then? Can i Easy refill the nosle?
I hope you understood it. =)
Hi +GatuzzuHD, as long as you have removed the filament cleanly and there is no plastic left in the nozzle, you can cool down the system and shut it down. Sometimes when removing filament, a small part of the melted plastic will snap off and stick to the inside of your extruder, hardening in the cooled area. This is a bit annoying but easy enough to fix. Let me know if you are having this problem.
Otherwise, when not using filament, its a good idea to keep it in a sealed container, away from moisture with some some silicon de-humidifiers in there.
I hope this helps!
Yes of Cours, it helps a lot!
I bougt my first 3D-Printer. Now i am building it. ( I never print anything)
I Read that i keep the filament like you said. Did you remove the filamten after printing? and Why or Why not?
+GattuzzuHD, I leave filament loaded in the printer as it does no harm. :)
What size filament can you use ? Or can you use any size filament ?
Hi mate, the Anet A8(and most desktop 3D printers take 1.75mm filament. I thinks it's mostly the larger format printers that use the 3mm.
I hope that helps. 👍
ok thanks for the information helps a lot cheers
A short machine screw that threads into the hole, drill out the middle then chamfer out a cone, check clearances to make a sort of guild/funnel to catch the filament
Is this how you have your set up +Jill Rob? Sounds like some more advanced metal-working skills than I possess may be required for this mod? Sounds very cool though!
I have a slightly newer video on extruder set up here: th-cam.com/video/B71GGLBrQDU/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for the input.
-JMW.
so far I am running a stock setup, but frustration of trying to load new filament has got my neurons sparking. actually from that additional video. the heat brake tube would just need a little love from a countersink bit to make the end more funnel like. if you have the space to do so, even file the ends out a bit to get it closer. It could be this simple ! I have a sketch of the idea but there is no way to post it here.
Interesting! I've seen this design before but I'm yet to try it. I need to crack out my flexibles for a few jobs soon so maybe it's time to give it a whirl! www.thingiverse.com/thing:1654883
Mine keeps extruding and curling then sticks to the nozzle . Any solutions ?
thanks dude. I need to know how deep I have to push in. ifUnowhatimean
Hey Choi Sukwon, do you mean how far the filament goes into the extruder? Its further than you may think, it has to go literally to the bottom of the nozzle so a good... 4cm maybe. I'm not with my printers now so I can check exactly but if your hot end is hot, you'll know when its starts extruding as you push.
I hope this helps!
yeah. I fixed my 'first printing-after setup' problem when I wrote that comment. I didn't realize that i had not pushed that filament far enough. have a good day!
My extruder ALWAYS gets clogged when I reload filament no matter how correctly I do it. Pisses me off such a terrible design
Do you pull it out rather quickly?
JMW Concepts thanks for responding and I did pull it out quickly. Do I wait a second before I pull up after extruding a little bit or pull down and extrude right away? Also the temperature is supposed to be high correct? 190 and up
Hi PCFanatic, no problems at all!
I have people give me mixed results with the exact temperature, cooling the hotend down about 40C from printing temp seems to work well for me but I have bypassed this step and pulled out at full temperature.
I find the key is to feed a little filament through and the immediately remove, straight up.
Let me know if this helps. :)
push about 2cm of filament through, right before puling it, to purge molten material, that would instantly harden in the colder throat tube.
remember kids: you gotta stick it in, before you can pull out! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Lol. Thanks Cuda. Good advice.
I don't know how you do it. I've been always change the filament like that and it takes me a lot of time to insert the filament.
The first thing I'd suggest would be to make sure your throat tube(threaded tube) is threaded up as far as it can go into the extruder, it needs to be clear of all moving parts but if it's nice and far up, there's less space for the filament to go rogue on the way through. :)
do u have any preference on which filament to use on this machine?
Hi +Dan1029, I have been using a lot of Sunlu filaments. Good quality and nice and CHEAP! ;) You can check them out here: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NGT6BUS/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=jm0f5-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B01NGT6BUS&linkId=d87c801a0bb7fd5d333ddc93eae4be14
JMW Concepts thanks
No worries! What filaments have you tried so far?
JMW Concepts I was thinking about buying the Anet A8 and I didn't know what filament would work good on it.
Oh dude, get it! :D
Such an awesome printer.
You can print almost any 1.75mm filament no problems.
www.gearbest.com/3d-printers-3d-printer-kits/pp_337314.html?wid=21&lkid=10558912&lkid=10558926
Don't pull the filament out like this. If you do it just right, great, but if you (most likely) don't, be prepared to disassemble the extruder. This method can allow the filament to harden inside and become stuck. I have much better luck snipping the filament off flush and pushing it through with the new filament. YMMV.
Wow a wooden 3D printer! How do you like it? I’ve heard lots of complaints
This is actually acrylic but it still has the protective paper on it as I was too lazy to remove it on this printer. :P
@@JMWConceptsTheOfficial I can understand that. Took me ages to get it off.
hey my base is running backwards any help? pleasee
Hi mate, did you get this sorted?
you can ditch the little heatsink, and actually make your life easier.
the A8's hefty aluminium head mount can easily dissipate the bit of heat, creeping up the tube. with a dab of thermal grease, and the fan casually above the motor, my cold block barely gets warm, even with the fan turned off.
Hi Cuda FX,
There are certain filaments that I do this with(especially with smaller prints) but here in Oz my printer gets hot! A couple of hours without the fan the other day had the top of my extruder warm/ hot to touch so I gotta watch it.
There are a few mods I'll be doing soon that will make things easier.
...Just gotta find the time! 😜
uhhmmm do you know you have to pull that protection foil off the acryl?
Hi Kim, yes you can if you want to or leave it on for extra strength(think tint on a car windscreen). I haven't bothered on my A8's because they are just the work horses but I did on the Tarantula I just built(video coming soon!). 😃
You can watch a tip on removing it here if you want. 👍🏻 th-cam.com/video/-_8vSV5ZJUQ/w-d-xo.html
ok its realy a pain in the ass to get that stuff off :D
Especially when you bite all your finger nails off, waiting for prints to finish! 😂😂😂
:D
Success--thanks!
Awesome! Glad it worked! Feel free to subscribe for ongoing tips, tricks, reviews etc. 😊
i removed the fan and heatsink completely on my anet, it's useless its not realy cooling anything, it barely makes contact with the block and it's much easier to load filament when you see what you doing.
This is going to be a stupid comment, but please bear with me. I'm a newbie and I've already managed to clog everything twice and had to replace throat and nozzle, so the idea of removing my filament is kind of terrifying. :) I thought doing this with the extruder motor - feeding a couple cm and then having it back up - was enough, but it clearly made a mess as it was too slow. So let me ask you three very stupid questions, which hopefully will help other newbies as well... :)
1) If I want to remove PLA, preheating to PLA temperature (190-200) should be fine, correct? I mean, you preheated to ABS temperature because you use ABS, not just because it's higher. Is that right?
2) What happens if you do the "push and pull" maneuver while at peak temperature for your material, without the cooldown part? I mean, is it absolutely necessary to let it cool down a bit, or is there any reason not to do it at peak temperature?
3) At the end you heat the hotend again to put the filament back in. If you just wanted to leave the printer without any filament (e.g. to move it, store it, whatever) would that still be helpful somehow, like help melt the remaining filament in the nozzle, or would it be entirely pointless in that case?
Thank you in advance, your videos are great!
Hi +Daniele, let me answer in order. :)
1) That is correct.
2) The reason is to let the filament in the hotend cool down just enough that it doesn't stick to anything on the way out and create clogs. Also, the idea of allowing it to very slightly cool in the nozzle before wuickly pulling it out is that the liquid filament will harden around any bits of dust or residue in the nozzle and bring that with it, thus cleaning the nozzle.
3) Following the 'cold-pull' method(or any of it's other names) will bring all plastic out of the nozzle and hotend system, leaving it empty and ready to re-load. If you were moving or storing, you would skip this final step and leave the printer cool and empty.
I hope that helps!
Thank you very much for this! I'm going to follow your advice and hopefully not have to take everything apart again (which I did following your other video, by the way). :)
Fingers crossed this solves the issue. If you continue to have blockages and snags, there's likely an underlying problem creating them. :)
WTH dude! your hot end is so low! you should have threaded the hot end tube deeper up into the cradle, thats how you prevent miss feeds
Thanks for the feedback my man! :)
thats not so good always my filament stucks when i do it so
I'm sorry to hear that. Are you sure you're not missing a step? Maybe try keeping the temp up a little higher.
Mr. printer video sir, please get down here and explain yourself now. Why is there still paper on your printer!?
Hi @gelisob, the paper stays for a few reasons. Firstly I have dealt with black acrylic items before and the finger prints and scratches drive me crazy. I have also heard that it can add a tiny bit of extra stability to the frame. Finally, once the printer was built, the last thing I wanted to do was pick paper off it, I wanted to print! 😉
Thanks for the funny message!
-JMW.
and the buttons are easier to see
I like this reason as well. 😉
you didnt take your paper off
1. I'm lazy.
2. Someone told me it adds more rigidity(sort of like tint on a car window).
3. I'm lazy. 😂
I did take it off my Tarantula.. ;)
th-cam.com/video/-_8vSV5ZJUQ/w-d-xo.html
The music is so distracting
Thanks, you have to be really quick, eh
Hi ArcanePath360, do you mean in the removal of the filament?
Yes, if you don't pull it out quickly it gets stuck. I just pulled out my ABS for the first time and let it cool before putting PLA back later. Then I found the ABS had broken off at the top of the thread and wouldn't melt out. Had to take it all apart and use a lighter on the end of the bolt to melt out the blockage, hooking it out.
Should I not let the nozzle cool empty?
Yes that can be the case. If too slowly, the filament will have time to stick to the sides.
Sometimes when you get a snap-off inside the top of the throat tube, you can take the finest allen key that came with your printer and carefully insert it down(as you would load filament) between the extruder gears and use that to push the blockage down, into the heated area and get it melting.
I have gripped the allen key with pliers for a better grip and managed it a few times, it just saves having to dismantle each time. Just make sure you use the hand that is holding the extruder screw to support your downward force to avoid bending/ warping your x-rails.
I hope this might help in some way. 😄
-JMW.
I never thought of heating up a metal object to insert into it, that may prove useful at some point. Otherwise it's a pain taking it apart and re-setting the nozzle screw and levelling the bed again. I used some force with a metal point but it was in there good. I had to burn it out.
Yes it saves a lot of time, I actually just did it then. Haha. You don't even need to heat your 'poker' up, just the extruder(hot end) so it can melt through. Gotta love the little tips that save a lot of work!
-JMW.
first thing i did was change the extruder... because its shit.
Hey G Dogg, thanks for the comment. I have only dealt with the MK8 thus far so can't really comment too much. I di d print a smaller, more compact version but it had a little too much friction so I switched back to the original.
After adjusting the height of the throat tube(see here: th-cam.com/video/B71GGLBrQDU/w-d-xo.html ), I haven't had any issues including printing with flexible filaments.
What do you dislike about it?
I didnt understood shit...
Sorry +TheOddRaspu FPV, what do you mean? Do you mean you couldn't understand the video?