This is a common 3D printing problem, and thankfully, it is easy to solve. If your 3D printer does not extrude filament at the beginning, you might experience four causes. Diamondized Nozzles are an excellent choice that will improve the quality of your printing and help you avoid all these problems.
Prime Extruder Before Printing
This problem usually arises at the beginning of the pre-heating process. High temperatures might generate oozing from your nozzle and lose some plastic. This will eventually create a void, which will take a couple of seconds for your 3D printer to extrude plastic again. To solve the problem of your 3D printer not extruding, make sure that you prime your extruder before beginning a print so that the nozzle is full of plastic and ready to go.
What you can also do is print skirts. This will allow your extruder to align correctly before it prints your model. Sometimes, making one or two skirt lanes will help your extruder reach your desired outcome.
Nozzle too close to the bed
When the nozzle starts too close to the bed. If the printer does not extrude plastic for the first two layers but starts printing around the third or fourth, then you will most likely have this problem.
To solve it, you will need to adjust the Z offset (Z-axis position), by moving your nozzle in measures or 0.05mm further away from the bed, and keep increasing this value until there is enough space between the nozzle and the bed in order to the plastic to come out.
Driver Gear Settings
This 3D printing problem happens when the filament has been stripped against the driver gear. Most 3D printers use this gear to manipulate the filament. It controls the position of the filament by grabbing it with its teeth; pushing it back and forth. If you notice a lot of plastic particles, then possibly the gear removed too much plastic.
To solve this issue, dive deep into our Grinding Filament Troubleshooting guide.
Clogged Extruder
If nothing of the above worked so far, and your printer is not extruding filament, then you might have a clogged extruder. This usually happens because of incorrect printing temperature settings. Also, poor filament storage can cause your filament to catch dust, dirt, and humidity. Consider improving your filament storage methods. Keeping your filament dry is crucial for efficient printing.
Visit our Unblocking Clogged Print Nozzle guide to solve this problem fast.