Centauri Carbon Filament Broke in Tube – How to Get It Out

centauri carbon 3d printer

If your Centauri Carbon filament broke in the tube, this is usually a pretty easy problem to fix. Filament can occasionally snap inside the PTFE tube while loading or unloading, especially if you're dealing with older or brittle filament. The main thing is figuring out exactly where the broken piece is before you start taking things apart.

Start by unloading the filament normally through the Centauri Carbon's controls. Then disconnect the PTFE tube and see if you can spot the broken filament inside. If the piece is close enough to one end, you may be able to grab it with tweezers or needle-nose pliers and simply pull it out.

If the filament broke farther inside the tube, one of the easiest tricks is to use another piece of filament to push it through. Remove the PTFE tube from both ends if possible, straighten it out, and slowly feed fresh filament through the tube. In many cases, the broken piece will simply slide out the other side.

If the filament won't move, don't keep forcing it. The end of the filament could be deformed or the break may actually be down inside the extruder rather than the PTFE tube. At that point, I'd remove the tube completely and check both ends. If the tube is clear, you'll want to inspect the extruder and hotend instead.

It's also worth figuring out why the filament broke. If you can easily snap the filament between your fingers, there's a good chance it's become brittle. Depending on the material, moisture or simply having an older spool sitting around for a long time can contribute to problems. Drying the filament or replacing the spool may prevent you from dealing with the exact same issue again.

The good news is that filament breaking inside the Centauri Carbon PTFE tube usually isn't a serious printer problem. Most of the time, disconnecting the tube and pushing the broken piece through with another length of filament will get you back up and printing pretty quickly.