<p>Looks to me like you have your slicer set to 3mm filament when you're using 1.75mm filament. Confirm that your slicer has its filament setting set to 1.75mm and not 3mm (this obviously assumes you are using 1.75mm filament..)</p>

<p>Failing this:</p>

<ul>
<li>Test extruder steps/mm</li>
<li>Ensure nozzle diameter is set correctly (usually doesnt make too much difference anyway...)</li>
<li>Ensure extrusion multiplier is set correctly.</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-19T10:52:53.753Z
The filament is 3 mm. The nozzle is 0,4 mm and as I said in my question the multiplier is 1.
FeliceM
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-19T11:34:53.473Z
Fair enough. I provided the other things even though you'd already said in case somebody else came to this answer and hadn't checked those.
James T
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-19T11:35:59.563Z
What plastic are you printing with?
James T
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-19T12:19:16.257Z
PLA, black, 3 mm
FeliceM
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-19T10:48:42.417Z
2016-10-19T10:48:42.417Z
James T
<p>Short addition to the already great answers:</p>

<p>Check whether the gear wheel on your extruder motor axle is spinning with the motor. It can seem to be quite fixed, but when under load the motor is turning nicely but the gear slips on its axle.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-20T06:56:47.333Z
2016-10-20T06:56:47.333Z
kamuro
<p>Assuming your filament dimension settings are correct and your extruder is correctly calibrated...</p>

<p><strong>Your extruder temperature may be too low.</strong>  While 184C can be hot enough, it is very near the bottom of the range for PLA and it appears your filament isn't melting quickly enough to keep up with your other settings.  Your extruder may even be running slightly cooler than you think so your 184C setting may actually be printing at 180C or less.</p>

<p><strong>To solve this:</strong></p>

<ul>
<li><strong>Raise your extruder temperature.</strong> I suggest raising your print temperature to 220 degrees and then gradually lower it until other aspects of your print quality are acceptable (bridging, oozing, etc).</li>
<li><strong>Slow down your print.</strong> Slowing down reduces the volume of melted plastic your extruder has to deliver in a given amount of time.  This allows more time for the plastic to melt and allows you to use a lower print temperature</li>
</ul>

<p><strong>Your filament feed mechanism may be slipping.</strong>  Even if you have adequate temperature and perfectly calibrated firmware and print settings, if your filament feed mechanism (the thing that pushes filament into your extruder) is slipping, you will have under-extruded parts.</p>

<p><strong>To solve this:</strong></p>

<ul>
<li><strong>Make sure you have adequate tension on your filament feed mechanism.</strong>  If your feed mechanism is too loose, filament may slip and cause under extrusion.  The part to check is the part the pushes the filament into the rotating hobbed bolt or friction wheel...make sure it applies adequate pressure.  "Adequate pressure" or "adequate tension" will vary depending you your printer's design, but it should be enough to provide a firm grip on the filament.</li>
<li><strong>Verify your feed mechanism is clean.</strong>  A hobbed bolt or similar filament drive mechanism that has become clogged or otherwise contaminated may cause filament to slip and under-extrude.</li>
<li><strong>Ensure the end of your filament is not damaged from slipping.</strong>  Once your filament has slipped, it may be damaged with a worn spot, a bulge, or some other defect that can prevent proper feeding even after you fix the root cause of your problem.  So, as tbm0115 pointed out, be sure to clip off the damaged end to make sure you have good filament feeding into your extruder.</li>
</ul>

<p>I hope this helps!</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-19T14:23:26.217Z
Thanks for the good hints. I will try. I also start suspecting the robbed bolt in the extruder which is quite old.
FeliceM
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-19T14:38:27.197Z
As a result of under extrusion, the end of the filament may also need to be snipped if the drive gear has dug into the filament.
tbm0115
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-19T15:18:43.107Z
Good point tbm0115.  And check the hobbed bolt and clean off any filament that has become ground into the grooves.
Chris Thompson
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-20T04:27:15.930Z
Updated answer to include the slipping filament issue and solutions...inspired by tbm0115.  Important.
Chris Thompson
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-21T15:36:07.877Z
Thanks for the useful hints. I replaced the hobbed bolt which was the main cause of the issue and the problem is now manageable from settings in the slicer. I was lost because I resuscitate a hold printer replacing motherboard, extruder, drivers and firmware. Basically starting from scratch because I was unable to upgrade the firmware on the old Sanguinololu. Even worst I did not have the firmware settings of the old one. So was a bit difficult to understand from where the issues was generated. So far so good.....it was simply the HOBBED BOLT! Thanks
FeliceM
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-28T17:07:31.203Z
Glad that solved it for you! Another possibility (for future readers), is any setscrew(s) connecting your hobbed bolt, gear, or whatever to the extruder motor shaft. Mine loosened up once and it was (of course) the last thing I thought to check... :(
TextGeek
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-19T12:57:39.800Z
2016-10-20T04:18:30.490Z
2016-10-20T04:18:30.490Z
Chris Thompson
<p>I did calibrate the extruder to extrude exactly 50/100 mm and it is fine.
I have replaced the old (prehistorical) extruder that was giving me the problem with a new one.
The issue does not go away. It is severely under extruded.
The nozzle is a 0.4 mm, if I extrude manually the extrusion is nice and clean but when printing its a mess.
I have the following setting in Slic3:</p>

<ul>
<li>Layer height: 0,16</li>
<li>First layer height: 0,16</li>
<li>Filament diameter: 2,94</li>
<li>Extruder temperature: 184°C</li>
<li>Extrusion multiplier: 1</li>
<li>Fill density: 15%</li>
</ul>

<p>In Marlin I have the following setting for the extruder:</p>

<ul>
<li>Steps per unit: 1450 (I use micro steps)</li>
<li>Default acceleration: 3000</li>
<li>Default retract acceleration: 3000</li>
<li>Default Ejerk: 5</li>
</ul>

<p>How can I solve this problem?</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/2axcC.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/2axcC.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>This is a 20 mm cube I stopped after 15 layers!</p>

<p>Here is another 20 mm cube, the dimensions are perfect but is absolutely a mess.
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/zZTMq.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/zZTMq.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-20T06:58:11.493Z
Does your extruder constantly push out filament, just not enough? Or does it just irregularly extrude?
kamuro
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-31T21:16:08.563Z
Slic3? Do you mean [Slic3r](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slic3r)?
Peter Mortensen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-05-31T01:43:30.240Z
See also [Test print coming out spongy](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/8741/test-print-coming-out-spongy)
Greenonline
<print-quality><extrusion>
I am experiencing some severe under extrusion
FeliceM
# I am experiencing some severe under extrusion

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-10-19)

I did calibrate the extruder to extrude exactly 50/100 mm and it is fine.
I have replaced the old (prehistorical) extruder that was giving me the problem with a new one.
The issue does not go away. It is severely under extruded.
The nozzle is a 0.4 mm, if I extrude manually the extrusion is nice and clean but when printing its a mess.
I have the following setting in Slic3:

* Layer height: 0,16
* First layer height: 0,16
* Filament diameter: 2,94
* Extruder temperature: 184°C
* Extrusion multiplier: 1
* Fill density: 15%

In Marlin I have the following setting for the extruder:

* Steps per unit: 1450 (I use micro steps)
* Default acceleration: 3000
* Default retract acceleration: 3000
* Default Ejerk: 5

How can I solve this problem?

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/2axcC.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/2axcC.jpg)

This is a 20 mm cube I stopped after 15 layers!

Here is another 20 mm cube, the dimensions are perfect but is absolutely a mess.
[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/zZTMq.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/zZTMq.jpg)

**Tags:** print-quality, extrusion

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Does your extruder constantly push out filament, just not enough? Or does it just irregularly extrude?  
> **username_2**: Slic3? Do you mean [Slic3r](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slic3r)?  
> **username_3**: See also [Test print coming out spongy](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/8741/test-print-coming-out-spongy)  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2016-10-19. Score: 10 | Accepted answer

Assuming your filament dimension settings are correct and your extruder is correctly calibrated...

**Your extruder temperature may be too low.** While 184C can be hot enough, it is very near the bottom of the range for PLA and it appears your filament isn't melting quickly enough to keep up with your other settings. Your extruder may even be running slightly cooler than you think so your 184C setting may actually be printing at 180C or less.

**To solve this:**

* **Raise your extruder temperature.** I suggest raising your print temperature to 220 degrees and then gradually lower it until other aspects of your print quality are acceptable (bridging, oozing, etc).
* **Slow down your print.** Slowing down reduces the volume of melted plastic your extruder has to deliver in a given amount of time. This allows more time for the plastic to melt and allows you to use a lower print temperature

**Your filament feed mechanism may be slipping.** Even if you have adequate temperature and perfectly calibrated firmware and print settings, if your filament feed mechanism (the thing that pushes filament into your extruder) is slipping, you will have under-extruded parts.

**To solve this:**

* **Make sure you have adequate tension on your filament feed mechanism.** If your feed mechanism is too loose, filament may slip and cause under extrusion. The part to check is the part the pushes the filament into the rotating hobbed bolt or friction wheel...make sure it applies adequate pressure. "Adequate pressure" or "adequate tension" will vary depending you your printer's design, but it should be enough to provide a firm grip on the filament.
* **Verify your feed mechanism is clean.** A hobbed bolt or similar filament drive mechanism that has become clogged or otherwise contaminated may cause filament to slip and under-extrude.
* **Ensure the end of your filament is not damaged from slipping.** Once your filament has slipped, it may be damaged with a worn spot, a bulge, or some other defect that can prevent proper feeding even after you fix the root cause of your problem. So, as username_6 pointed out, be sure to clip off the damaged end to make sure you have good filament feeding into your extruder.

I hope this helps!

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks for the good hints. I will try. I also start suspecting the robbed bolt in the extruder which is quite old.  
> **username_6**: As a result of under extrusion, the end of the filament may also need to be snipped if the drive gear has dug into the filament.  
> **username_5**: Good point username_6.  And check the hobbed bolt and clean off any filament that has become ground into the grooves.  
> **username_5**: Updated answer to include the slipping filament issue and solutions...inspired by username_6.  Important.  
> **username_0**: Thanks for the useful hints. I replaced the hobbed bolt which was the main cause of the issue and the problem is now manageable from settings in the slicer. I was lost because I resuscitate a hold printer replacing motherboard, extruder, drivers and firmware. Basically starting from scratch because I was unable to upgrade the firmware on the old Sanguinololu. Even worst I did not have the firmware settings of the old one. So was a bit difficult to understand from where the issues was generated. So far so good.....it was simply the HOBBED BOLT! Thanks  
> **username_7**: Glad that solved it for you! Another possibility (for future readers), is any setscrew(s) connecting your hobbed bolt, gear, or whatever to the extruder motor shaft. Mine loosened up once and it was (of course) the last thing I thought to check... :(  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2016-10-19. Score: 3

Looks to me like you have your slicer set to 3mm filament when you're using 1.75mm filament. Confirm that your slicer has its filament setting set to 1.75mm and not 3mm (this obviously assumes you are using 1.75mm filament..)

Failing this:

* Test extruder steps/mm
* Ensure nozzle diameter is set correctly (usually doesnt make too much difference anyway...)
* Ensure extrusion multiplier is set correctly.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: The filament is 3 mm. The nozzle is 0,4 mm and as I said in my question the multiplier is 1.  
> **username_4**: Fair enough. I provided the other things even though you'd already said in case somebody else came to this answer and hadn't checked those.  
> **username_4**: What plastic are you printing with?  
> **username_0**: PLA, black, 3 mm  

---

### Answer by username_1 on 2016-10-20. Score: 3

Short addition to the already great answers:

Check whether the gear wheel on your extruder motor axle is spinning with the motor. It can seem to be quite fixed, but when under load the motor is turning nicely but the gear slips on its axle.


---

