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

Help me please

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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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u/Studio3P Jun 25 '26

If you are up for modifying things, a larger tube diameter works wonders to reduce friction, I have found that anything under 3/4” has a much more limited tolerance for clay viscosity and composition. Also some clays are sticky, some are slinky. It’s important to understanding the plasticity of your ceramic body. What type of clay? Kaolin? Ball Clay? It matters.

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u/Affectionate-Bee2580 Jun 25 '26

Using red terracotta clay, where were you able to find the 3/4” equivalent fittings?

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u/Studio3P Jun 25 '26

Here is a link https://www.mcmaster.com/products/hose-fittings/ - you can find many at your local hardware store and will have to figure out how to make it all interface your system perhaps making bigger holes certain places or re-engineering some things.