Printing with TPE

[Gramps]

I have a TPU profile for Prusaslicer that is working pretty well for me when printing TPU but I needed something a little softer. I bought a roll of eSun TPE mainly because I have used eSun PLA+ in the past with good results so I thought I'd give their TPE a try. For the most part my TPU profile is working pretty well but I was still having issues. I'm trying to prints some tire inserts for RC car tires. My biggest issue is that after the prints gets about 5mm high the extruder jams and it starts printing in the air. Turned off retraction and that did not eliminate the issue. It wasn't naming in the hot end but in the extruder itself. Messed with this all afternoon. I was watching it and it darned on me that the filament sensor might be causing the issue so I put a little piece of scrap filament in the sensor and loaded the TPE direct to the extruder. It's still printing but seems to be okay now, it's at 61%.

[Ender5r]

Is the filament sensor between the extruder and the hotend?

[Gramps]

No it's in-between the spool and the extruder

[roon4660]

You think it is friction in the sensor that is causing the problem?

[Ender5r]

So that must mean the tension in the sensor is stretching the filament enough that the extruder can't properly feed it to the hotend? Does that make sense?

[Gramps]

Don't know if it makes sense or not but since I ran the filament directly from the spool to the extruder I have had no more jams. Yes roon4660 there is quite a bit of friction in the sensor. Way more that I would think is needed.

[Ender5r]

This is where a simple pipe with a light sensor shining across the interior would make more sense.

[roon4660]

I've never felt the need for a filament runout detector but I did notice this one when I considered it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwHpXaj_6xE&t=540s

[Ender5r]

I suspect that sensor would create too much friction for TPE. Actually, I suspect any sensor that uses a micro switch would not work with TPE. It would have to be a light activated sensor that puts zero pressure on the filament.

[Gramps]

Not sure where the friction is either it's the actual switch or the 2 bearing pulleys the filament goes through but TPE doesn't like it for sure didn't see to effect the TPU but maybe it did but nat as dramatic.

[Lowteck]

I have had a piece of waste filament on my Artist-D sensors since last year. Not had a problem.