3D Printer Freezes Mid Print: Troubleshooting Guide

Why 3D Printer Freezes Mid Print and how to solve this problem? We will learn it in this article.

A 3D print ruined because the 3D Printer has stopped in the middle of the printing process

3D Printer Freezes Mid Print: Introduction

What to do when the 3D printer freezed mid print, stopping the extrusion of plastic?

3D Printer Freezes Mid Print

At first your 3D printer works correctly and reliably, but then it stops abruptly and in the middle of 3D printing. In the following we explain the most common causes and you will get solutions for solving the most numerous problems. If your 3D printer has problems with material extrusion, please read the section on stopping the extrusion

3D Printer Freezes Mid Print: Troubleshooting

The filament is all

Granted, this problem is pretty obvious, but you should first check that there is enough filament in your 3D printer. If your spool of filament is empty, please insert a new material. In the best case, your 3D printer has a filament run-out sensor and detects a leakage of the filament, stops your 3D printing and you can insert a new spool.

Filament abrasion in places

During a 3D print, the extruder motor turns constantly. It conveys the filament and pushes it through a hole in the nozzle, which extrudes the liquefied plastic. If you are trying to print quickly, a lot of liquid plastic has to flow through the narrow hole. This can overload the extruder motor and drag away filament. This continues until there is no more material left for the drive wheel to grip. If the extruder motor is spinning but the filament is not being drawn in, grinding is probably the cause.

Clogged extruder

If none of the reasons mentioned above apply, the extruder is very likely blocked. Check the filament for cleanliness and make sure there is no dust on the spool or material. The large amount of dust on the filament can collect inside the nozzle and clog it. There are several other possible causes of a locked extruder.

The extruder motor driver has overheated

The extruder motor works incredibly hard during the 3D printing process. It constantly turns back and forth to push the filament in or out. These fast movements require a lot of electricity. If the electronics of the 3D printer are not sufficiently cooled, the motor driver electronics can overheat. The motor drivers mostly have thermal shutdowns, which switch off the motor at too high temperatures. In this case, the X and Y axis motors rotate and move the extruder tool head, but the extruder motor does not move at all. The only solution to this problem is to turn off the 3D printer and let the electronics cool down. Additional ventilation of the driver also helps to solve the problem.

3D Printer Freezes Mid Print: Conclusions

We hope we helped you solve the problem for which your 3D Printer freezes mid print 🙂

If you have any question or suggestion, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below

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