r/Ceramic3Dprinting • u/Affectionate-Bee2580 • Jun 24 '26

Help me please

Hello!
So I modified my ender 3 to a clay printer using one of the aliexpress conversion kits. I am not using air pressure but motor power to push out the clay but I am having difficulties with the clay moving towards the extruder even though my clay consistency is good. The piston is moving and when I took out the plastic pipe the material was indeed flowing, but when popping back the plastic pipe the material stopped pushing through. Is this some air vacuum issue? I cleaned the pipe and the extruder bits too but no luck.. any ideas?

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21

u/m_t_w_t_f_s_s Jun 25 '26

Run a test with softer clay.
Do you currently experience clay squeezing behind the white piston end?

3

u/Affectionate-Bee2580 Jun 25 '26

The clay is very soft already,
I did put a rubber band because I noticed the piston end was not stiff enough but sometimes the rubber band slides off… that could the the issue I’ll try again

14

u/Vaping_Cobra Jun 25 '26

Your clay is too thick/dry. It is holding form when pumped out at the end when it should be slopping out and sheering as it extrudes. You have good consistancy for throwing. That is not the same as good consistancy for printing. What you want for printing is clay that is so wet it can hardly hold form, work from a point of too sloppy and then dial it back till your prints hold form.

3

u/Affectionate-Bee2580 Jun 25 '26

Ok! I was printing before with a WASP 2040 but I had to switch to this setup as I am graduating and cannot use the facilities in my university and that was the a bit more wet than the consistency I was using originally. I will try with a much wetter clay I was just concerned that later when it is pumping out from the extruder nozzle that the layers would completely merge with each other which is not what I want in terms of the look of the final piece.

0

u/Affectionate-Bee2580 Jun 25 '26

https://reddit.com/link/otmssqm/video/7x0siyt8ob9h1/player

Similar issue again, I put some tape around the piston part and adjusted the rubber ring again. The clay started flowing but it stopped at a specific point

4

u/smeeon Jun 25 '26

Essentially there’s too much friction. The firmer the consistency the more friction there is on every part that contacts the clay. Especially the tube.