How do I unblock the nozzle on a Flashforge 5MPro?

There are multiple reasons why filament may not be coming out from your 5MPro's nozzle. Let's take a look at 3 major issues why this might be occurring.

This kind of blockage can happen with poor quality filament, leaving the machine idle on high temp for too long and if the bed level is too low causing filament to back up and clog the gears. To fix this issue the whole extruder gear assembly needs to be dismantled. This is quite a tricky process and recommended for advanced users only.

Start by loosening the filament gear tensioning screw on the left side of the extruder.

Remove the fan shroud

Detach the cables for the internal and external fan.

Now we need to remove the lid off the extruder. there are 2 screws to undo and some models may have a sticker on the side which will need to be removed.

The extruder lid is still held in by some clips. to remove the lid squeeze the sides and pull up gently taking care not to pull on the cable too hard.

Lift the extruder lid up and out of the way, and remove the 2 screws holding the extruder circuitboard in place.

Lift the circuitboard out of the way. Now there are 3 remaining screws to remove in order to get the filament feeder portion out of the extruder head.

With all screws removed the filament feeder part can be pulled up and out of the extruder head.

The housing of the filament feeder can be separated by using a thin tool such as a spudger or razor blade.

Once the case is off you will see the main gear which needs to be pulled out, there will be quite a bit of resistance especially if the filament is really stuck in the gears.

It's best to use a tool that can be used to lever the gear from underneath.

With the gear removed it's now easy to see the filament blockage.

Carefully remove the spring loaded gear ensuring no parts are lost.

Push the filament blockage out with the declog tool.

Clean any shredded filament off the gear with a brush.

Now reassemble the filament feeder and repeat the steps in reverse to put everything back together.

There are multiple ways to unclog the nozzle depending on how bad the blockage is. The simplest way is to heat the nozzle up to 240. Tap on the highlighted icon and enter 240 and press ok.

Once the printer has reached temperature. Turn off the printer and using gloves or something that can insulate against the heat of the nozzle, remove the nozzle by pinching the 2 red tabs and pulling on the nozzle.

Grab the nozzle with gloves or and use the declogger tool included in the toolkit to slowly force out the filament while the nozzle is still hot.

Alternatively, with the nozzle attached to printer and nozzle temperature set to 240, unscrew the filament feeder tensioner screw on the side of the extruder head.

Then gently push the declog tool down into the filament hole. WARNING! If you press to hard and haven't fully unscrewed the filament feeder tension screw you can damage the gears on the extruder.

Another tool which can be used for minor clogs is a needle tool. These are quite popular and can be bought cheaply online.

The needle tool can be pushed up through the hole in the bottom of the nozzle to push out minor blockages.

Occasionally filament can snap off in the tube that feeds it to the extruder. Especially if the filament has been left out for a long time in a humid environment, it will become brittle. Especially if you live in a humid environment it's best to keep filament in a sealed container with silica desiccant/gel or consider purchasing a filament dryer.

For minor blockages, the best way to remove the blockage is to remove the tube from the extruder head and push new filament through from either side until the broken piece gets pushed out the other end. There is likely to be a bit of resistance when pushing the filament through as there are a few pinch points along the length of the tube, pressing the guide chain against the back of the machine can help to free the filament from the pinch points.

Sometimes the blockage might be in an awkward spot like the filament sensor area.

To get to this area to remove the blockage the top case of the printer needs to be dismantled. First remove the 2 screws under the door must be removed first.

Be careful when removing the lid as there is still a wire attached. Disconnect the wire and the tube and then use filament to dislodge the blockage.

Alternatively a straw cleaning brush can also be used to dislodge filament lodged in the filament sensor area.

We hope this guide helps to resolve the blockage in your printer. If you are still unable to get your printer working again, makers empire customers can contact us for support by emailing info@makersempire.com