Clogged nozzle: what should you check?
If little or no material comes out of the nozzle, the nozzle may not be completely blocked. Feed problems, low temperature, a deformed filament end or extruder issues can create similar symptoms. The first step is to identify where material flow stops.
Check the symptom
Possible signs:
- extruder clicking
- filament being ground away
- very little extrusion
- inconsistent extrusion
- missing lines or layers
Check the filament
Ask:
- is the filament deformed?
- is the correct material loaded?
- is it dry?
- is it feeding cleanly? (for TPU, pay special attention to the filament path)
Check temperature
If the nozzle is too cold for the material, extrusion can become difficult. Check the manufacturer profile.
Nozzle and hotend
Cleaning methods depend on the printer and hotend. Follow the printer manufacturer's instructions for cold pulls, cleaning needles or hotend disassembly.
Does it keep clogging?
Possible causes include:
- wrong material profile
- contaminated filament
- unsuitable nozzle
- heat creep
- overly aggressive retraction
- TPU feed-path problems