Hello Looking for some assistance.

[glass cobalt]

Hello I currently have a Creality CR-10 Smart Pro. I got it from a friend who moved over a year ago. For the longest time it was dialed in and working fine.

Recently It clogged and i replaced the direct drive with one i had for it laying around. it worked for a few prints no problem. one day i came home from work and it clogged again on a print that was going for 2 days. now it wont complete and prints. i have cleaned it out. i have replaced the filament. It just will not stop clogging. I do not know what else to do. its frustraing me and I just need some guidance on this.

Ill share all my settings and photos in a separate message

[fallen willow]

Hey @glass cobalt, thank you for contributing to this forum.
Please provide as much information (images, video, description) as you can. This will increase the chance that someone can help you with your issue.
Use the Close button when your issue is resolved.

[hidden idol]

I guess the hotend wasnt assembeld at max temp

And or incorrectly

[glass cobalt]

What temp should I do? I installed it at 200

[hidden idol]

mx temp

always max temp

then you dont have to worry about it when you change materials or temps

thermal expansion and so

[glass cobalt]

what is max temp im sorry still a little new to this.

[hidden idol]

the max your printer allows

it you have a teflon lined hotend though you should remove the lining befor

teflon fumes are not so nice

[glass cobalt]

noted ill look it up. and there should be a gap near the tip like in the image?

so im not supposed to tighten it too tight

[hidden idol]

no

there is a misconeptioin about how to tighten a hotend

you dont tighten against the heatblock

you tighten against the heatbreak

and for that to work the heatbreak threads need to be so far in the hotend that roughly .5 to 1mm threads of the nozzle are still visible

[glass cobalt]

im guessing the heatbreak is that rubber part

[hidden idol]

otherwise you get the gap in the image

no thats a sillicone sok

[glass cobalt]

again im super sorry for the dumb questions

[hidden idol]

sock

believe me there are way worse

my favourite was whats filament

[glass cobalt]

XD

ok so make sure there is a small gap and install at max temp. ill give that a shot tonight

[hidden idol]

but make sure to clean it out though. not that there is some plasic inbetwee

[glass cobalt]

of course. ill do a good clean and just completely replace the nozzle i have a jar full of new nozzles XD

[hidden idol]

id recommed a high quality one :=

diamondtip or a cht high flow and brozzl are amazing

they last usally long then the printer they are installed into

[glass cobalt]

noted. ill take a look for those. I really appreciate it. ill see how it works tonight!

do you have a link to one of those nozzles?

[hidden idol]

https://www.brozzl.com/

https://www.bondtech.se/product-category/nozzles/bondtech-nozzles/bondtech-cht/

https://store.micro-swiss.com/products/flowtech-diamondback-nozzles

they arent cheap but are really high quality

if you dont print abrasive materials the nicklplated copper one from brozzl is awesome too

[glass cobalt]

i only print PLA+

[hidden idol]

then nickl plated copper is fine

[glass cobalt]

So my new nozzle is on does this look fine.

I didn't tighten the nozzle all the way

Bit better image

[hidden idol]

Looks great to me 🙂

[glass cobalt]

Its still not extruding

[hidden idol]

Looks like you are too close too the bed

Did you adjust the z offset?

[glass cobalt]

No its still the same it was before when it worked

[hidden idol]

It can change when you work on the hotend

Maybe clean the bed with water and soap too. Ipa doesnt get all stuff that can get onto it

Also reattach the silicone sock its really important

[glass cobalt]

Just re cleaned it to be sure this much filament came out when I did

[hidden idol]

And its clogged now again @glass cobalt ?

[glass cobalt]

Yep

It will not extrude at all

Im gonna new to buy another new head aren't i?

[hidden idol]

There must be somethingelse wrong

The heatsink fan is running?

[glass cobalt]

The front one right?

[hidden idol]

No the one in the back that cools the heatsink

[glass cobalt]

This one yes is running

[hidden idol]

And if im honest i wouldnt buy another extruder... id go for a new printer.. the cr10 smart is a terrifying bad creality printer

Hmm okay

[glass cobalt]

Damn i dont have the money for another print that is this size

The front fan isn't moving at all

[hidden idol]

Okay. So dumb question

Is that the original extruder?

[glass cobalt]

No. This is a new one that I replaced it with. The old one was the exact same model

[hidden idol]

Hm

The thing is. It looks like heatcreep

But

If the Fan is running

It should not happen

[glass cobalt]

The odd thing is the front fan used to always spin. The back fan is fine the front one isn't moving

[hidden idol]

The front one is usally only on during printing

[glass cobalt]

It hasn't been

[hidden idol]

And often not during the first layer 😄

Can you still turn it on via printers menue?

[glass cobalt]

With the fan control

Its on right now but not spinning

This printer has been epic for me. I did hawkmoon, my master sword even my NCR armor with it with no prob.

Then my old Extruder died.

[hidden idol]

Okay if its not running reseat the wires (after turning it off and unplugging it)

I hope its just this and not that the breakoutboard (the pcb on the printout board) died.

[glass cobalt]

If its that its just GG isn't it

[hidden idol]

Thats usally a anycubic problem but its also not that rare on otherbrands

Maybe. Depending on the board you can do some black magic with a soldering iron or if you are really lucky they left a port unused you can use.

[glass cobalt]

So just reseating the wires here?

[hidden idol]

Yes and the wire that goes to the printer

[glass cobalt]

Better

[hidden idol]

Much better

[glass cobalt]

That's better too?

[hidden idol]

Hopefully

Now you can check if the front fan works again

[glass cobalt]

Its spinning

[hidden idol]

https://tenor.com/view/tom-o-regan-plague-doctor-plague-doctor-approved-gif-19870702

[glass cobalt]

Confined both are spunning. Gonna put in more pla to try again

[hidden idol]

I hope it works now because its 4am and i need sleep

[glass cobalt]

Rest up. Ill give updates and we can try again. I really appreciate your assistance

[hidden idol]

🙂 see you "tomorrow"

[glass cobalt]

We have printing!

Also noticed the fan control in the print screen was off. In this screen

[glass cobalt]

Half way in clogged again

That's not good

[tepid valve]

I had the same thing happen with my old ender 5 plus. I had to tighten the heartbreak into the heatblock outside of the printer while heating the heat block with a torch cause it broke loose while changing a nozzle.

[hidden idol]

That leak is what should have been fixed with the max temp assembly 😮

[glass cobalt]

so whats next? is it new extruder time? or can this be salvaged?

[hidden idol]

can be salvaged

you just need too remove all the plastic outside and inside

and this time you can try a 2 temp assembly

at first at 180c till its tight then you loosen it 3/4 of a full rotation... heat up to max and then tighten again

[glass cobalt]

sounds good ill give that a shot when i get home. again i appreciate it. you have been amazingly helpful.

[glass cobalt]

do i loosen after i cool it or loosen while its at 180?

[hidden idol]

at temp because i it moight be very tight cold

[glass cobalt]

i know its alot to look at i did share my settings. while im stuck at work is there any settings that could be changed that might help as well?

[hidden idol]

did you post yourretraction settings?

[glass cobalt]

i posted every setting i could find.

[hidden idol]

Looks fi e

[glass cobalt]

Cool just got home gonna try to clean off everything

This was the nozzle

[glass cobalt]

Should this be jiggling like this?

[glass cobalt]

just did the way you told me. installed the nozzle at 180. loosed it 3/4. turned temp to max. tighted it and nothing. it prints for a bit then cloggs again

this is becoming way to frustrating

[hidden idol]

No it should not be loose but in your video is no nozzlr

Did you install the teflon lining?

[hidden idol]

I meant that you only remove it for the max temp assembly to avoid damaging it. (The amout of flouride fumes released is far from dangerous but well ItS a NeUrOtOxIn... as if the people crying about have something too loose 😄

[glass cobalt]

That was before I installed the nozzle

And yes I put the headstock back on when I started printing.

[hidden idol]

hmm

im not talking about the sock

https://youtu.be/YYHWrRWKkGI?t=99 here you see what i mean

[glass cobalt]

i dont have a stock extruder.

i have a sprite extruder pro kit

[hidden idol]

Hm then its usually heatcreep

I have to ask. How is your heatsink fan installed?

Because the sprite has iton the right side i think a 4010 blower with a funnel that is directing all the air from the side into the heatsink cooling fan usually

[hidden idol]

If you have the Fan on the left side the bltouch might block the airflow

Unless you have none since the cr10smart used a loadcell

[glass cobalt]

so this is how it is. fan on the side and fan in front

[hidden idol]

Hm

Can you check if its spinning and correctly installed? The funnel is known for getting loose or falling off

[hidden idol]

Oh and can you take an image of your zaxis leadscrews? I think i spotted another problem there

[glass cobalt]

zaxis leadscrews?

These?

[hidden idol]

Yes

A d yes there is an issue. Do you see the irregular distribution of the lube? Thats a sign for z binding

[glass cobalt]

may i ask what z binding is?

[hidden idol]

Meaning that due the possibly bend or fixed mountings on both ends, the leadscrew gets "stuck "

[glass cobalt]

got it.

[hidden idol]

I remember that thrir e3 c3 was so badly designed that it automaticly bend the leadscrew

[glass cobalt]

also both fans are moving

[hidden idol]

Not only was the motormount 1 mm to close.. they also used injectionmolded parts which can't have a 90° angle due the process

[hidden idol]

Good and the funnel is still in place and no cable or so is blocking it?

[glass cobalt]

nope. all cables are out of the way

[hidden idol]

And the Fan if on blows air out of the right side?

[glass cobalt]

yep

[hidden idol]

https://tenor.com/view/spearhyunho-gif-17038186950213244823

Hmmm

[glass cobalt]

its starting to feel i might need to just get a new extruder and try and start again.

like i said i cant get a new printer atm. especially one at this bed size

[hidden idol]

No no no the sprite pro is known for horrible heatcreeo

Creep

The reason why creality has a watercooling solution for it

So that i asked it. The small piece of ptfe tube between extruder and backside of the heatbreak is correctly installed?

[glass cobalt]

so the issue is i cant even get to that. one of the screws were not unscrewing. like it was stripped

[hidden idol]

You mean the grub screws?

[glass cobalt]

the ones at the bottom of the heating block

[hidden idol]

Okay. You can acces it in a different way

https://youtu.be/wiArDmcCTWs

[glass cobalt]

ill give that a shot here in a sec

[hidden idol]

Dont know whats his fix is but the disassemble instructions are good

Im off to sleep again 4 am 😄

See you tomorrow

[glass cobalt]

so noticed that there was something odd in the gear area. and then the gears look rough.

[hidden idol]

I agree thats odd.

And how long is the ptfe piece?

[hidden idol]

In your set up it should go roughly 4 mm or so deep

If its not that... you can try a old trick

https://youtu.be/IRVB9E3XjlY

[glass cobalt]

something ive noticed. took a day to look at it @hidden idol is the gears look extreamly gunked up. like there is melted filament in the gears

[hidden idol]

You can clean then up but i don't think it will help alot

[glass cobalt]

im honestly thinking just waiting till friday to buy a new one and start fresh. i dont think there is a much i can do to save this

[hidden idol]

Its frustrating yes but im worried that you buy a new one and the problem remains :/

[glass cobalt]

i dont have much options nothing we have done has worked. there is no filament anywhere in the tube. the only place i see filament is on the gears

[glass cobalt]

i put it back together going to see, but im thinking its the gears that push the filament through. i think they are so coverd in filament that they are not grabbing it well

[hidden idol]

then they would rather slip then cause a clog

if you want in roughly 60 i can make space for a video call and you can demonstray how you would assemble the hotend and so. havent done that in a while so i might forgot something

[glass cobalt]

I have no words atm.

Just did a perfect print

like i dont get it. what made it work this time?

ok not 100% perfect. had some stringing but it completed. no clog

[hidden idol]

okay

you can print a hollow single wall cylinder too check if it happens at a certain height or if its fixed now

[glass cobalt]

how tall should i make the wall cylinder?

[hidden idol]

if you want to test for additional issue close to the max the printer allows

like zbinding or vibrations

[glass cobalt]

Yea no idea. It clogged now

Im so over this stupid print head

[hidden idol]

Understandable

Do you need the 300c? You could install the 260c heatbreak

[glass cobalt]

no i dont. all i do is PLA+

i do props and one day Armor. (still need to get better at that XD)

[hidden idol]

Hm

I mean 260 would still allow petg

[hidden idol]

did you try the oiler btw?

[glass cobalt]

i did not.

[hidden idol]

You can still try it. In worst case its like homeopathy. It doesnt do anything 😄

[hidden idol]

No success 😦 ?

@cyan junco if you want to have fun. We have a very very cursed ender 3 v3 se here

[glass cobalt]

@hidden idol I'm at a store that has some nozzles and heat blocks anything I should look at?

They have high nozzle flow kits and hardened steel nozzles

Which would be a better option

[hidden idol]

Im not sure these fit.

Creality bambustyle nozzles have some proprietary things if i dont miss remember

[glass cobalt]

Only reason cause my Extruder is creality

[hidden idol]

Do you reallythink all their printers use the same?:D

[glass cobalt]

No but thought the nozzles would just work the same

[hidden idol]

The once on the right maybe fit but you have heatcreep already and for steel you need to update the temp

[glass cobalt]

I understand. So probably still a better idea to just get a new Extruder and start from scratch.

[hidden idol]

At first id just get a new heatbreak one thats teflonlined

It has a reason why creality made a water cooling solution for the sprite pro :/

[glass cobalt]

Is there a heatbreak you would recommend that I could order. They dont have anything here

[hidden idol]

Just the normal creality one

If the prize is okay

[glass cobalt]

And we are looking for a heat break not heat block

[hidden idol]

Exactly

[glass cobalt]

Got it so this isn't it

[hidden idol]

Thats the hotend ofthe ender 3v3 se aka the unicornnozle

One of the things creality copied and made it worse

[glass cobalt]

Yea they have heating blocks here but no heat break. It might be an online thing i have to find

[hidden idol]

You have 2 options

Either a teflonlined one or a bimetal copper one.

The later would allow you the use of thr 300c but i cant gurantee that the heatcreep is gone

[glass cobalt]

So it sounds like Teflon would be better

[hidden idol]

Thats at least the one that should work yes

[glass cobalt]

Ok ill take a look when I get home and see if I can find one

Once again I appreciate it. This has been such a headache lol

[hidden idol]

https://www.amazon.de/Heizungsblock-Kartusche-Thermistor-Heatbreak-Kompatibel/dp/B0B17BZY8B/ref=mp_s_a_1_14?crid=7YUNTFLE67WM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.18fJ6LA70i4Ao2rz63yXe2WUBXPTUj-nwqbH-HzR3tEb44VC8zdzyD-D1Vodizt_ztxQ1NupGF2OFTJL2jbIUlchUpB-MSp7e2cV1IRAjveIAOqkI_7WLcieWBa9qW6EY_-_ewbFFqsJQgvrLmS2UZy3hcVu0jGqqBNp70OOb8hK-xC0I4mqctmxOxmgeL5mbUK-9JNzCIEoQwiZlJUb8w.ReJleGFSwacFZ7rnn70leKsFOSQX4oaeyPVEeONYvdM&dib_tag=se&keywords=creality+heatbreak+sprite&qid=1754150908&sprefix=creality+heatbreak+sprite+%2Caps%2C107&sr=8-14

No problem

Feels like creality is already retiering the sprite extruder

Finding that kit took me a while

[glass cobalt]

I found a bit metal one :/

If I need to do new Extruder is there on you recommend?

And to follow up on that. What printer would you recommend that has the same print size this does.

[hidden idol]

Too long doesnt fit in your extruder

[hidden idol]

Hmm good question. Many like the stealthburner but well thats a bit of more work. I think a normal sprite extruder would work. You could also try replaceing the heatsink fan. Sometimes they just loose power

[glass cobalt]

Its frustrating. Was in the middle of a project for a friend.

Now it looks like if things keep up I'm gonna need a new printer and I just dont have the $1200 to get one that has the same build size cause I wanna do armor

[hidden idol]

Yeah thats the creality quality

[glass cobalt]

So i do ask. What would be the best printer to get that has the same build plate size?

[hidden idol]

a bambulab a1, a mk4s, a qidi if you are in a 230v region

[glass cobalt]

im in the US bambulab A1 seems to be the target

this one?

https://us.store.bambulab.com/products/a1?id=579550514255634444&skr=yes&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21217723580&gclid=CjwKCAjw7rbEBhB5EiwA1V49nbtOk-zFhhXF_83gie3xozuE6TQdZFwamk5nQL1_ettSbiLuKoet7BoCLowQAvD_BwE

i thought this would be so much more expensive

dang the only issue is i lose build plate size.

mine has 300mm

[hidden idol]

hm

[glass cobalt]

yea my current printer is 300x300x400

[hidden idol]

https://www.3djake.com/qidi-tech/plus4

thats the thing the market is pretty boring atm

its either cheap and you have to mod etc or expensive if you want something semireliabe

i think the next lager enclosed printer would be the k1 max but well its creality

https://www.3djake.com/creality-3d-printers-spare-parts/k2-plus-combo sorry meant k2

im off now good night

[glass cobalt]

rest well 😄

[glass cobalt]

looks like its full extruder. the screw to take off the heat break is striped

[hidden idol]

https://tenor.com/view/dance-coffin-meme-rip-gif-16909625

[glass cobalt]

now to think between the A1 or the P1S

[hidden idol]

p1s smaller footprint enclosure and when you have free chash you can change the extruder gears and the hotend to tool steel and you can print nearly all matieral

[glass cobalt]

so if im not really planning to print anything other than PLA /PLA+ either could work

i do like the enclosure part