You’ve probably just gone to your 3D printer, expecting a new complete design, but its stopped mid-print, this can be extremely frustrating. I can tell you the most common reason why this happens. So let’s find out why does your 3D printer stop mid-print.
Your 3D printer may stop mid-print due to a technical reason. However, most of the time it will be because you have run out of filament, the filament has snapped or stripped, your nozzle is blocked, or your extruder has over-heated.
All of these are the primary reasons why your printer stops and they are essential built-in safety measures. Just think if your extruder continued to get hotter and hotter this could result in a fire, or if your nozzle is blocked, it can damage your 3D printer if it was to continue to try and print. As you can see the reason why your printer stops mid-print is to somehow to help you. It may not seem it, and I know its annoying when it happens, but it happens for a reason. So let us find out what we can do to minimise the stopping halfway through your prints. Check out the solutions below.
Table of Contents
Filament has run out.
The most straightforward reason your printer has stopped mid-print is that the 3d printer has run out of filament, this, not a problem all you need to do is feed it another spool of filament and be on its way. In future what you can do is check the software you use these usually give you an estimation of how much filament you will need to complete the print. It will also tell you before you start if there enough or not to finish. This is perfect for the prints that you start and leave them on their own.
Filament has snapped
If your using old or cheap filament they do tend to snap, you will need to buy them from a reliable source and also store them correctly to avoid them becoming brittle. The filament is best stored in an airtight container, so they dont get spoilt by humidity. Another reason filament may snap during mid-print is that your filament’s diameter is too tight and can cause tension; you can resolve this by loosening the idler screws.
Filament has stripped
To resolve your print stopping mid-flow, you need to adjust the speed setting. You either have your 3D Printer printing too fast or slow, and you will need to figure out which one. You can test this by manually feeding the filament by hand, the way you can tell is the speed correct; it should be about as fast as you can push through by hand. You may also want to up the temperature by 5 degrees.
Blocked nozzle
If your a cereal filament switcher between PLA and ABS then it’s more than likely your nozzle will get blocked, this will cause your 3D printer to stop mid-way. It’s vital to clean your nozzle even if the buildup is the slightest it will stop the print halfway.
Extruder overheated
Your 3d printer is working hard to print your design, thus resulting in overheating. The essential mechanism on a 3D printer is the cooling fans; without them, your build will fail, and the 3D printer will not work. 3D printers have a built-in safety measure that when the extruder’s motor overheats it will shut down, if yours is overheating, you must do the following.
Switch off and leave it to cool down, do not turn it back on until cool.
You can add an extra cool fan to stop the extruder motor overheating.
Conclusion
As you can see above, there are many reasons why this happens. Luckily they are all easy to resolve. I hope that I have given you some good advice as to why your 3D printer stops mid-print.
Happy Printing!
