Newcomer guide to your first 3D print
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This quick-start guide is Work In Progress. Should you encounter any problems not handled by this guide, post them here: [1]. If you solved them yourself, help us and update this page! |
Contents |
Step 1: Testing the connections
In this step you'll test the connections to the motors, limit switches and heater.
Motion test
- Start replicatorG, make sure there is a connection (the area below the buttons should be green and display Machine ultimaker .... ready ) If there is not connection, make sure the serial driver is installed, and check the machine --> Driver and Machine --> Serial port settings.
Open the control panel (In older versions i'ts the button with the 4 arrows, in 0034 this has been replaced with a wrench)
- Test the motion of the ultimaker using the x+, x-, y+, y-, z+, z- buttons.
- x+ means the head moves to the right
- y+ means the head moves towards the back
- z+ means the table moves down. (the distance between the extruder nozzle and the table increases).
- z- means the table moves up. (the distance between the extruder nozzle and the table decreases).
Note: The z direction can be confusing, because in the Ultimaker the table moves, instead of the extruder, so pay attention and make sure you press the correct button. First start with small increments (1mm)
Test limit switches
Make sure the limit switches engage at the end of travel. Motion should stop in that direction. If not, you may have to adjust (move) the limit switches, or check the connections.
The most important test is the Z-home switch. Move the platform down manually and turn on the power. Set the jog dial to 10mm or less. Elevate the platform from the ReplicatorG software by reducing the Z-value (see above). Then, while manually closing the Z-switch, click jog button to elevate the platform more. It should NOT move this time. If it does, check your wiring. Then, with the heater off, elevate the platform with small steps (1mm) until the head touches the platform. The switch should click before it really touches. After that, you can safely use automatically homing of the Z axis. After manual checks of all limit switches you can use all automatic homing features, which will simplify the 3D printing process a lot.
After a lot of traveling, or when changing build surfaces, or when you use thick tapes on top of the platform, you need to readjust the Z-limit switch.
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Check if the switches work and are wired correctly before moving the head into the switch.
Before you move the head into a switch to see if it's in the right place. You can check if the switches are working and wired correctly. Move the extruder head to the center of the machine. Now, don't set the feed rate to high and move the head 50mm to a direction, during the movement press the end switch by hand. The head should stop. If you have wired the end switched the wrong way around it will stop on the wrong end switch. Making sure the right end switch works for the right direction will save your machine from damage. |
Step 2: Getting a First Extrusion
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Know thy plastic!
Every type of thermoplastic prints a little differently. To learn more about the materials, please read the polymers section. |
- Start with the material supplied with the Ultimaker (usually PLA). You can experiment with other materials later.
- TODO: how to put the filament into the feeder.
- Turn the knob so there is some pressure on the filament. You should not be able to pull it down, but it shouldn't be too tight either.
- set the right temperature in ReplicatorG.
- For PLA start at 210 degrees, for ABS start at 250 degrees Celcius.
- In the control panel, for a test extrusion, set the motor speed to 2000.
- evaluating the extrusion :
- how fast should it come out
- how should it look / smell /..
- if the temperature is too low, you'll see this: ....
- if the temperature is too high , you'll see this: ....
- if the pressure knob is set too high, you'll see this: ....
- if the pressure knob is set too low, you'll see this: ....
- how to detect other extruder problems (loose barrels, gaps, burnt material, etc
- check for dirty pinch wheel
Once you consistently get a good extrusion, move to the next step.
Testing the extruder by hand:
- Heat the extruder up to 210ºC or 250ºC (depends on your source material) , open the clamp on the extrude motor, and remove any filament that is in the tube. Before retracting it, push it inward by hand and extrude a little bit. When you pull it out, you're just pulling back the solid plastic. If you don't do this, some plastics will elongate into a string at the hot end side. This residue might be unwanted when you try to unsert a new piece of filament.
- Cut off a piece of new filament and guide it through the tube. Check if it doesn't block at a certain point, or has a lot of friction when inserting it into the tube. It should not require too much force.
- When it reaches the hot end, you should be able to extrude by hand with reasonable force. Before extruding, always ensure it has heated up uniformly and the heat has had time to spread.
Step 3: Set-up for printing
- With a rev 2 machine you'll want to check the build platform is level. One way to do this is to pick a fixed thickness object such as a small bit of discarded wood from the build. With this object move the extruder near one of the bolts and adjust the height of the extruder until the object just passes under it. Now without changing the extruder height move it to the other bolts and adjust the bolt until the object just passes under the head. This should give a good first approximation of a level build platform.
- move the stage and extruder to the right position. i.e. with the extruder just touching the center of the build platform.
- you may want to set the z-limit switch to exactly this height
- get into the control panel and set the temperature to 210ºC or 250ºC (depends on your source material). Wait until the temperature reaches this point, this should take about 2 minutes.
- Get the 20mm test box and thin wall from Thingiverse: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5573
- Load the 0.5mm thin wall into replicatorG
Step 4: Generating Gcode
There are 2 ways to generate Gcode in 0034, older versions only support skeinforge.
Generating Gcode using Skeinforge (pre-0034)
- In the GCode - choose GCode generator menu, select Skeinforge 40
- in the model window, click on the "Generate GCode button"
- select the profile " Skeinforge 40 Ultimaker - Quality print"
The profile needs to be adjusted for the first batch of ultimakers.
- click "edit". This will open skeinforge.
- find the "speed" button. It's somewhere at the bottom row of all the buttons.
- set Feed rate (mm/s) to 50
- set Flow rate (mm/s) to 50 or slightly higher (depending on the thickness of the filament)
- Click "Save all"
- Close the Skeinforge window.
- Click "Generate" in the profile selection window. the Gcode will now be generated.
Generating Gcode using Skeinforge (0034 and later)
- In the GCode - choose GCode generator menu, select Skeinforge 40
- in the model window, click on the "Generate GCode button"
- select the profile " Skeinforge 40 Ultimaker - Quality print"
- untick the box "Use Print-O-Matic".
The profile needs to be adjusted for the first batch of ultimakers.
- In the GCode menu there is an option called "Edit Slicing Profiles". Open this.
- click "edit". This will open skeinforge.
- find the "speed" button. It's somewhere at the bottom row of all the buttons.
- set Feed rate (mm/s) to 50
- set Flow rate (mm/s) to 50 or slightly higher (depending on the thickness of the filament)
- Click "Save all"
- Close the Skeinforge window.
Generating Gcode using Slic3r (0034 and later)
- In the GCode - choose GCode generator menu, select Slic3r 0.7.1 (or later)
- in the model window, click on the "Generate GCode button"
- select the profile "ULTIMAKER - Normal Print"
The profile needs to be adjusted if you dont want the print in the middle of the machine.
- In the GCode menu there is an option called "Edit Slicing Profiles". Open this.
- click "edit". This will open Slic3r.
- Go to "Printer and Filament"
- set the right print center.
- set the right filament diameter.
- set the right print temperature.
- Click "Save config"
- Close the Slic3r window.
Step 5: Starting the print
- once the Gcode is complete, open the control panel and check the following:
- temperature is correct
- x,y,z axes should be at 0 (use "make current position 0" button if required)
- double-check the height of the extruder above the build platform (just touching)
- Click the build button and watch in awe as a thin walled object will be printed.
If everything looks good, repeat from step 3 with he 20mm test box. You can skip the editing of the skeinforge profile. If not, main causes are:
- extrusion. Make sure you've checked everything in step 1
- skeinforge settings. Be prepared.
Step 6: improving
Once you have some parts that are reasonable, you may want to play with the following:
- Flow rate setting in skeinforge. The higher the flow rate, the more material comes out. If you have gaps in the bottom or top of your prints, increase this number. If you have too much material oozing out at all sides, reduce the number.
- Real-time control (button with slider-picture next to control-panel button). Use the settings in this window to speed up printing or to increase the flow rate of the material. As you play with the speed button, both the x,y movement speed and the flowrate of the extrusion will increase. Speeding up comes with reduced accuracy and possible losses of steps and other artifacts. Play with it and you'll know what we mean. (Note: in version 0024 the labels for feedrate and travel feedrate are incorrect/swapped.)
Troubleshooting
It is quite an accomplishment that you've built your own 3D printer, but 3D printing itself also has its learning curve... For this reason, we have a dedicated Troubleshooting section.
External links
- Ultimaker 3D-Printing Workflow illustrated in a blog post on Techwall.net
- "Analyzing Your First Print" blog post on Techwall.net
