123-3D - 3D Printers and 3D filament - Homepage logo
 1000's products available for Next Day Delivery
 Lowest Price Guarantee
 3D Experts on hand to help
T: 0333 325 0011
E: info@123-3D.co.uk
Free delivery over £30

Shopping cart

Quantity Product
No products
Total: £0.00
(Incl. 0% VAT)
  • Home
  • Under-extrusion: my 3D printer is not extruding enough filament

Under-extrusion: my 3D printer is not extruding enough filament

3D Printing Help Centre

3D PRINTING HELP CENTRE

In the 123-3D help centre, we answer all your questions about 3D software and printer settings, problems you may experience during or after 3D printing and other 3D-related topics.

Under-extrusion: my 3D printer is not extruding enough filament

If this is the case, you can say that your 3D printer shows under-extrusion. You can recognise this because the layers in your print show holes, when layers are missing, or the layers are too narrow. In short, under-extrusion is when the 3D printer does not squeeze out enough filament. In other words, not enough plastic comes out of the print head to make the print solid. 

Is there under extrusion?

It is possible to test if your printer has problems with under-extrusion. You do this by printing a simple, small cube with at least 3 outlines. A size of 20mm is enough for this. When the outlines show gaps, it is called under-extrusion.

What are the causes of under extrusion?

Under-extrusion can have several causes. We have described the various causes below.
  • Incorrect filament diameter

    A common mistake is that the wrong size filament is in the 3D printer. It is important that you pay attention to the diameter of the filament to be used. For many packages, the diameter is stated on the cover, but you can also measure it yourself. The settings of your 3D printer software show whether the filament format is recognised. The most commonly used diameter filament dimensions are 1.75mm and 2.85mm.
  • Increase the extrusion multiplier

    Are you using the right filament size, but still having problems? Another solution is to increase the extrusion flow rate so that the 3D printer uses more filament. Try this in increments of 2.5% at a time until you find the right percentage. However, make sure to stay below a total of 115% or other problems will arise.
  • Increase the print temperature

    A print temperature that is too low can cause the filament to not melt properly. The 3D printer will compensate for this by printing the material with a higher pressure. Under extrusion can occur due to the temperature and pressure that is too low. Try to achieve the correct temperature by repeatedly increasing the temperature by 5 degrees until the correct temperature is reached.

Other problems that can lead to under extrusion are an incorrectly rolled filament spool, a blockage in the print head (nozzle), the print speed or an interrupted path from the spool to the extruder. If the print head or nozzle is clogged, you can try to clean it. If this does not work, you can easily order a new print head from 123-3D.


  Back to the 3D printing help centre

May also be helpful: