No filament comes out
17 usi3d guides for “No filament comes out”, each with the likely causes, how to check which one is yours and the step-by-step fix, with each manufacturer's official sources.
5 apply to any FDM printer and 12 are for Anycubic, Bambu Lab, Creality, Elegoo, Flashforge, Qidi and Sovol printers.
Each guide summarises the official documentation and says whether usi3d has already verified it on a machine.
Any FDM printer (4 guides)
- Nozzle clogs or stops extruding mid-print (heat creep)
The printer keeps moving but little or no plastic comes out, often after printing fine for a while.
- PLA turns brittle and snaps on the spool, in the tube or in the multi-colour system
The PLA filament breaks when you bend it by hand, snaps inside the PTFE tube, the multi-colour system or the extruder and the print stops for lack of filament, or the…
- The filament sensor gives false alarms or doesn't detect runout
The printer pauses saying there's no filament (or that it's stuck) when there is, asks you to unload and reload for no reason, or autoload doesn't work.
- Very soft TPU (85A or softer): only with a direct drive extruder, a short path and very slowly
With a very soft TPU (for example 82A or 85A), the filament buckles or gets squashed between the extruder gears, winds up inside the toolhead, does not feed through the…
Materials and filament (1 guide)
- How to store spools so they do not absorb moisture or tangle
A spool that was in storage starts producing strings, bubbles or weak layers, or while printing it tangles and stops feeding because the filament end came loose when it…
Anycubic (1 guide)
- Kobra S1: little or no filament comes out (hotend clog or error 11518)
On the Kobra S1 the extruder motor turns but little or no filament comes out, the extruder clicks, or the extruded line is thinner than normal and the walls have gaps.
Bambu Lab (3 guides)
- A1 and A1 mini: not extruding or under-extruding (clogged nozzle, slipping extruder or nozzle too low)
The A1 or A1 mini extrudes no filament or too little: the first layer comes out with almost no plastic, the extruder gear clicks and skips, or it turns but nothing comes…
- H2D: extrusion motor overloaded (0300-0900-0002-0001) or one nozzle stops extruding
The H2D pauses the print with an alert saying the extrusion motor is overloaded and that the extruder may be clogged or the filament stuck in the toolhead, or one of the…
- X1 and P1: clogged nozzle or hotend (0300-4006) and how to clear it
The X1 or P1 stops extruding or extrudes little and unevenly, the filament curls when extruded by hand, or the printer reports a clogged nozzle (0300-4006 or 0300-8016).
Creality (2 guides)
- Ender 3 V3 SE or KE: no filament comes out, the nozzle clogs or the extruder clicks
On the Ender 3 V3 SE or Ender 3 V3 KE no filament comes out of the nozzle, the filament cannot be retracted, the extruder clicks while printing or its gear does not turn…
- The K1 is not extruding: the gear spins or clicks (jam in the extruder or hotend)
On the K1, K1C or K1 Max no plastic comes out of the nozzle even though the extruder gear turns, sometimes with knocking or clicking.
Elegoo (2 guides)
- Centauri Carbon 2: no filament coming out, clogged nozzle or errors 1243, 1263 or 1264
The Centauri Carbon 2 does not extrude or under-extrudes, or stops with error 1243 (extrusion failed at the toolhead: check whether it is clogged) or with 1263 or 1264…
- Centauri Carbon: «Extrusion Abnormality» warning or no filament coming out
The Centauri Carbon stops with the «Extrusion Abnormality» warning or stops extruding through the nozzle even though filament is loaded.
Flashforge (1 guide)
- Adventurer 5M, 5M Pro or AD5X: no filament comes out, too little comes out or the nozzle is clogged
The printer does not extrude when loading or starting a print, too little plastic comes out (parts with missing material or fuzz), or the extruder creaks when loading by…
Qidi (1 guide)
- QIDI Plus4: filament jams in the extruder or the hotend
On the Plus4 the filament stops feeding or does not come out of the nozzle: it is stuck inside the extruder or in the hotend.
Sovol (2 guides)
- SV06: clogs mid-print or under-extrudes (bi-metal heat break, retraction and gear)
On the SV06 the print fails at a random height because filament stops coming out, or too little plastic comes out and the part has gaps.
- SV08: no filament comes out, the extruder spins without feeding or it clogs mid-print
On the SV08 the extruder turns but no filament comes out, loading works but it clogs during the print, the nozzle does not extrude although filament comes out once the…
Products that may help
Products from the usi3d shop that fit these guides, chosen for the fit and not for the commission. Check that they work with your printer before buying.
More “Extrusion” problems
Guides by brand
Can't find your case?
Tell usi3d's AI about your case: choose your printer, describe what you see and add photos if you like. It proposes checks step by step, with their sources.