3D Printing: Bulging filaments - How can catch them before they go in the printer (4 Solutions!)
Channel: Roel Van de Paar
Date: 2019-06-24

3D Printing: Bulging filaments - How can catch them before they go in the printer


The Question: After multiple jams from bulging filaments on two spools I'm getting
frustrated. One, right before a job was done.
Is there something I can do to prevent these bulges in filaments from ruining
jobs?
What can I do to prevent this from happening in the future before it's a
disaster?
He's a picture of one I found using google.
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Solutions Sample (Please watch the whole video to see all solutions, in order of how many people found them helpful)

== This solution helped 5 people ==
How to catch and fix these on the fly? That would be difficult..
But this is an issue you really should not have.
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/q/84/47
Or is it coming from the manufacturer with these bulges? If so, I would try
contacting ( you may have gotten a bad batch? ), or finding a new retailer if
this happens often.
I have gone through a lot of pounds of both ABS and PLA and never come across
this.

== This solution helped 3 people ==
Bottom line: The easiest way to prevent this is to avoid cheap filament.
You can get mid-grade filament for a few dollars more than the ultra cheap
stuff.
In other words I tried out some 10$ stuff from ebay, and while it might print
for a little while it notoriously clogged in any prints greater than 1hr.
20-25$ is the going rate for mid-grade filament on amazon and check the reviews
I've had good consistency there.

== This solution helped 3 people ==
There is a filament width sensor design at http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:
454584 -- cleverly, the author tweaked Marlin so it adjusts extrusion in real
time to correct for variations.
That said, I agree with several others that buying filament with better quality
control, and keeping it dry and unchewed by Labradors, should be enough. :)

With thanks & praise to God, and with thanks to the many people who have made this project possible! | Content (except music & images) licensed under cc by-sa 3.0 | Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music | Images: https://stocksnap.io/license & others | With thanks to user Tormod Haugene (https://askubuntu.com/users/115), user TextGeek (https://askubuntu.com/users/40), user Ryan Carlyle (https://askubuntu.com/users/298), user Pete (https://askubuntu.com/users/186), user Matt Clark (https://askubuntu.com/users/47), user Citizen (https://askubuntu.com/users/23), and the Stack Exchange Network (https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/239). Trademarks are property of their respective owners. Disclaimer: All information is provided "AS IS" without warranty of any kind. You are responsible for your own actions. Please contact me if anything is amiss at Roel D.OT VandePaar A.T gmail.com.