This document provides an overview of troubleshooting 3D printing issues for the JellyBOX 3D printer. It covers lubricating parts, cleaning the printer, loading and unloading filament, adjusting the first layer, strategies for clearing clogs, replacing parts like the hot end, adjusting belt tension, tuning Cura profiles, and using the print management app. Images and links are provided to demonstrate each topic.

1. Troubleshooting
This presentation available at
https://www.slideshare.net/VickyTGAW/troubleshooting-2022pptx
Vicky Somma
vicky@tgaw.com
Steven Langerholc
steven.langerholc@fairfaxcounty.gov
John McGillvray
john.mcgillvray@fairfaxcounty.gov
Sunny Carito
sunny.carito@fairfaxcounty.gov
David Newhall
dnewhall@gmail.com
1

2. Overview of Session
● Tour of the JellyBOX Anatomy
● Lubrication and Cleaning
● Loading and Unloading Filament
● The First Layer and Live Z-Height Adjustment
● Strategies for Clogs
● Replacing the Hot End
● Belt Tension
● Fine Tuning Cura Profile for Quality
● Managing and Sharing Printer Profiles
● Tour of the Print Management App
2

3. JellyBOX Anatomy
Note: There are small differences between JellyBOX, JellyBOX 2, JellyBOX 3
Photo Credit: IMade3D
3

4. JellyBOX Anatomy – Smooth Rods
Like the name they are “smooth”
Run along our three axes (X, Y, and Z)
Photo Credit: IMade3D
4

5. JellyBOX Anatomy – Z Lead Screw
It’s a screw, there are ridges
Photo Credits: IMade3D 5

6. JellyBOX Anatomy – Motors
● Their job is the move the printer along
the axes (X, Y, Z)
● An extra motor for extruding
Photo Credits: IMade3D
6

7. JellyBOX Anatomy - Belts
● Find them with your X and Y axes
● Too tight or too loose can impact print
quality
Photo Credits: IMade3D
7

8. JellyBOX Anatomy – Bed
● For most branches this is:
○ Heated
○ Magnetic
○ Flexible (bend to get prints
off)
Photo Credit: IMade3D 8

9. JellyBOX Anatomy – Extruder
● Has its own anatomy
○ Feeder Spring
○ Drive Gear
○ Hot End and Nozzle
○ Fan Shroud
○ Z Probe
Photo Credit: IMade3D
9

10. Lubrication - Smooth Rods
For the smooth rods, a thin oil is
recommended.
● JellyBOXes ship with a bicycle
grease
● Do not use Olive Oil.
How To: JellyBOX Lubrication video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaN17lPGcl0
Photo Credit: IMade3D
10

11. Lubrication - Z-Axis Lead Screw
Lead Screw benefits from a silicon grease
Apply to the threaded rods (popsicle stick
helps)
Move up and down the Z axis to distribute
Wipe excess
Photo Credit: IMade3D
Photo Credit: IMade3D
11

12. Cleaning - PEI Bed
Clean with Isopropyl Alcohol 10:1 IPA to
water with a clean cloth.
Scrubby sponge and Dawn
Fine grit sandpaper (1000+ grit) can also
be used
Photo Credit: IMade3D
12

13. Cleaning – Drive Gear, Nozzle, Cooling Fans
Drive Gear - Clean with pointed tweezers or
toothpick
Nozzle – Heat up and remove extra plastic with
tweezers
Fans - Clean off dust with Canned Air.
Photo Credit: IMade3D 13

14. Unloading and Loading Filament
Quick workflow
● Heat up nozzle
● Unlock feeder, pull out and secure old filament
● Cut the top of the new filament at 45-degree angle
● Feed into nozzle and push gently until the new color
extrudes
● Lock feeder
YouTube Resources - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZYZs_Rqfx8
Photo Credit: IMade3D
14

15. Troubleshooting - Bed Leveling and Start Up Heights
15

16. Troubleshooting - Bed Leveling and Start Up Heights
Printing Too Close:
● Waves/Ripples
● Distortion or Loss of Details
● No Filament Coming Through at All
● When print stops, release of excess filament from built up pressure.
16

17. Troubleshooting - Bed Leveling and Start Up Heights
17

18. Troubleshooting - Bed Leveling and Start Up Heights
Printing Too Far:
● Print Not Sticking
● Filament Line Rounded Not Flat
● Curling
● Can See Gaps Between Lines of Filament
18

19. Troubleshooting - Bed Leveling and Start Up Heights
When Bed is unlevel, you’ll see
differences within the same print.
For example, one side may print
fine, but the other side is showing
signs of being too close.
19

20. Troubleshooting - Bed Leveling and Start Up Heights
First Layer issues can have interesting consequences.
20

21. Troubleshooting – First Layer
Billie Ruben’s Info-Graphic is a
great guide.
https://i.redd.it/p7oegd5m81v51.j
pg
21

22. Troubleshooting – First Layer
Mechanical Approaches
• Z Height Adjustments
• Make Sure the Bed is Clean
• Add Brim or Raft
• Hairspray, Glue Stick, Magigoo
Cura Settings
• Initial Layer Height (under Quality)
• Initial Layer Line Width Expansion
(Under Quality)
• Initial Layer Speed (under Speed)
• Initial Layer Horizontal Expansion
(under Walls/Shell)
• Initial Layer Flow (under Material)
22

23. Z Probe Offset
We can tell the printer how much space is between
the Z Probe and the tip of the actual nozzle.
This can also be adjusted after a print starts. The
exact terminology will vary depending on your
firmware. You would be looking for phrases like “Z
Probe Offset” or “Live adjust Z height” under the
“Tune” or “Print adjustments” menu on the LCD
Control Panel.
Shortcut – double click the knob to go directly to Live
Z Probe Offset (only while the print is running)
23

24. First Layer Calibration – JellyBox gCode Script
The JellyBox does include a first layer calibration script on the SD Card. You’d go to:
Print from SD Card -> JellyBox Essentials -> Scripts - gCode Scripts -> PLA ->Calibrate First
Layer
As it prints a small one-layer print, you can make your Z Height adjustments.
Learn More - https://docs.imade3d.com/Guide/Your+1st+Print/332#s1511
24

25. First Layer Calibration
Sunny Carito has an alternate quilt
square file on the 3D Printing Team
Channel. This print covers more of the
bed and gives you more time to make
adjustments.
25

26. Strategies for Clogs
Extrusion is erratic.
Can produce a
spongy, weak print.
A clog can stop a print
altogether too.
26

27. Strategies for Clogs
● Manually push filament through, sometimes raising the temperature is
helpful.
Tip – Do not have your hand under the nozzle when you are pushing filament through.
● With the nozzle heated, try to clear clog with a guitar string, acupuncture
needle, or other small wire.
● Cold or “Atomic” pull.
○ Heat up the nozzle to normal temperature for the material
○ Turn off heat and let it drop to 90-100 degrees (for PLA)
○ Manually pull the filament out.
Learn more about Cold Pulls:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8uvh6kvr54 3D Printer Precision Nozzle Cleaning Kit
By RepKord
27

28. Strategies for Clogs
Preventing Clogs:
● Use good, quality filament (less chance of contaminants)
● Keep work area dust free
● Don’t cook the filament in the nozzle-- don’t exceed the recommended
temperatures and don’t let it just sit in the nozzle heated for long periods of
time.
● Particular filled filaments (like Wood) should use nozzles 0.5mm or greater.
28

29. Filament Best Practices
When you are done with a roll
of filament, make sure to
secure the loose end to
prevent tangles.
29

30. Filament Best Practices
Consider protecting your
filament from moisture. This
could be as simple as keeping it
in a Ziplock bag with desiccant.
30

31. Switching Out The Hot End
Quick Workflow
● Turn off printer
● Unplug thermistor and heater
● Loosen screws to remove cooling fans
(the screwdriver with the pink handle)
● Remove old hot end
● Put in new hot end
● Plug electronics back in
● Replace cooling fan
Be careful not to overtighten the Fan
Shroud
● Redo Bed Level and Z Height
Calibration
Photo Credit: IMade3D
31

32. Belt Tension
● Dull twang if you pluck it
● Strong with a little give
Sign of a loose belt-- circles print as
ovals, layer shifting.
Photo Credit: Simplify3D
32

33. Belt Tension
With the JellyBOX, tightening the belts is done using zip ties!
Photo Credit: IMade3D Photo Credit: IMade3D
33
How To: JellyBOX Belt Tension Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bra1qNzLafU

34. Troubleshooting - Over and Under Extruding
The printer is extruding more or less plastic than the software expected.
Photo Credits - Simplify3D 34

35. Troubleshooting - Over and Under Extruding
Check Filament Tension
Try Adjusting “Flow” settings in Cura under
Material
Under extrusion – Increase flow rate
Over extrusion – Decrease flow rate
Other possibilities:
● Bad Temperature
● Speed Issues
● Filament Diameter variances
35

36. Troubleshooting - Stringing
● Increase Retraction Distance
● Increase Retraction Speed
● Increase Cooling
○ Raising fan speed
○ Lowering temperature
○ Slowing down print to give layers more
time to cool
○ Printing more than one (so it takes longer
for each layer)
36
Tip: An easy way to see if a cooling fan is
running is to place a small piece of paper on it
and see if the suction makes it stick to the fan.

37. Impact of Cooling
37

38. Troubleshooting - Stringing
38

39. Troubleshooting – Layer Seperation
Under-heating can cause layer separation
and bonding issues
● Raise the temperature
● Lower layer height
● Increase Flow
● Check for tangles in the filament
Photo Credit: Simplify3D
39

40. Troubleshooting - Temperatures and Cooling
Photo Credit: Simplify3D
40

41. Tuning Your Printer Profile in Cura
The default JellyBOX profiles that ship with Cura could need some
adjustments. Some items other branches have tweaked:
• Check Optimize Wall Printing Order (under Shell/Wall)
• Initial Printing Temperature (under Material) – try 215-220
• Top/Bottom Flow (under Material) – try 100%
• First Layer Flow (under Material) – try 110%
• Initial Layer Line Width (under Quality) – try 110%
• Initial Layer Height (under Quality) – try 0.3
41

42. Speed Versus Quality
A lot quality issues (under extrusion, ghosting, stringing) can addressed by
slowing things down. Some factors to consider when deciding the trade-off
between speed and quality:
• What is the part? A functional bracket for hanging towels doesn’t need to look
as flawless as an anniversary gift.
• How big is the part? We can afford slower speeds (higher quality) for small,
quick parts.
• Are there design elements susceptible to quality issues (for example lots of
details that could lead to ghosting, tough overhangs, etc)?
• Are there small details on the first layer? If so, slowing that first layer down
would be a worthwhile investment.
• Who is the end audience? Are they apt to notice minor issues?
• At FCPL, we try to cap prints at 8-10 hours
42

43. Managing Printing Profiles
● In your Profile dropdown, you can
click on Manage Profiles… (You
can also get to this in the menu
under Settings->Profiles->Manage
Profiles…)
● This will allow you save your own
customized profiles
43

44. Managing Printing Profiles
● You can share your profile with other computers and branches by using
the Export button. This maks a .curaprofile file.
44

45. Managing Printing Profiles
● Similarly, you can try a tuned profile from another branch by using the
Import button and uploading their .curaprofile file.
45

46. Managing The Print Queue
There is a new “3D Print Fulfillment” app in Power Apps
• Job Statuses
• Customer Communication
• Staff Communication
• Add a Note
• Add a Staff Note
• Message the Team
• Reassign
46

47. Troubleshooting - Learn More
https://rigid.ink/pages/ultimate-troubleshooting-guide
https://all3dp.com/1/common-3d-printing-problems-troubleshooting-3d-printer-
issues/
https://www.matterhackers.com/articles/3d-printer-troubleshooting-guide
https://www.simplify3d.com/support/print-quality-troubleshooting/
47