Snapped Filament

What’s the Issue?

Snapping can happen at the beginning of the printing or in the middle. It will cause printing stops, printing nothing in mid-print or other issues.

Possible Causes

∙ Old or Cheap Filament

∙ Extruder Tension

∙ Nozzle Jammed

Troubleshooting Tips

Old or Cheap Filament

Generally speaking, filaments do last a long time. However, if they are kept in a wrong condition such as in direct sun light, then they can become brittle. Cheap filaments have lower purity or made of recycle materials, so that they are easier to be snapped. Another issue is the inconsistence of filament diameter.

REFEED THE FILAMENT

Once you found that the filament is snapped, you need to heat up the nozzle and remove the filament, so that you can refeed again. You will need to remove the feeding tube as well if the filament snapped inside the tube.

TRY ANOTHER FILAMENT

If the snapping happens again, use another filament to check if the snapped filament is too old or cheap that should be discarded.

Extruder Tension

In general, there is a tensioner in the extruder that provide a pressure to feed filament. If the tensioner is too tight, then some filament can snap under the pressure. If the new filament snaps, it is necessary to check the pressure of tensioner.

ADJUST EXTRUDER TENSION

Loose the tensioner a little bit and make sure there is no slippage of the filament while feeding.

Nozzle Jammed

Nozzle jammed can lead to snapped filament, especially old or cheap filament which is brittle. Check if the nozzle is jammed and give it a good clean.

Go to Nozzle Jammed section for more details of troubleshooting this issue.

CHECK TEMPERATURE AND FLOW RATE

Check that if the nozzle is getting hot and to the correct temperature. Also check that the flow rate of the filament is at 100% and not higher.