3D Printing

We have many 3D printers. All of them are fused filament fabrication (FFF) printers. A variety of thermoplastic filament materials can be printed, but not all available printers are capable of these.

Certifications
There is no certification to use these machines. However, our 3D Print 101 class is recommended for first time users.

Materials
Members are encouraged to bring their own filaments for printing and store them in their bins when done. Below and above the main 3D printing table are various spools of 1.75mm and 2.85mm filament donated by others which are free to use. Any members who leave their spools out, by default, consents other members to use them at will.

Build Plate Preparation
Make sure build plate glass is clean and free of any oils or excessive glue stick by washing with warm water in the sink.

For best results for most materials, apply a thin and even layer of gluestick (two passes, cross-hatched, 0% overlap). Gluestick acts as both an adhesive and release agent (for thick layers) and the amount required is material dependent. For PLA and similar plastics, use two passes--too much is not good. For CPE & PETG, apply 4 layers for better adhesion and release.

Certain high temp materials will stick strongly to glass and can crack it. For those, it's better to remove the prints before the glass cools fully to prevent this.

Changing Nozzles
Ultimaker printers equipped with Olsson blocks can have their nozzles easily changed. Default for all applicable printers is 0.4mm (excludes Z-Unlimited and H2)--please return printers back to 0.4mm after use or leave a note of what size nozzle is installed. Nozzle size indicators are on the printers for this purpose.

Nozzle Sizes

 * 0.25mm - Greatest resolution, slowest speed.
 * 0.4mm - Best balance of speed and resolution.
 * 0.6mm - Faster speed, moderate resolution.
 * 0.8mm - Fastest speed, lowest resolution.

Nozzle Codes Some nozzles are laser etched with the numbers, but sometimes dots are punched on the sides
 * 0.25mm : no dots (usually)
 * 0.4mm : 1 dot
 * 0.5mm : no dot.
 * 0.6mm : 2 dots
 * 0.8mm : 3 dots
 * 1.0mm : 4 dots
 * 1.5mm : 5 dots
 * 2.0mm : 6 dots

Bed Leveling
Correct bed leveling is the most critical part to ensure successful print adhesion to bed. Adjust bed level and nozzle distance to thickness of Post-It paper (0.1mm). Dragging paper between bed and clean nozzle should have the pressure of "pencil on paper."

Ultimaker Instructions

Slicing
Ultimaker Cura recommended for slicing files.

Tips for Successful Prints
Watch the first layer or two before walking away from the printer. Check soon after that initial layers are adhering well before leaving printer alone.

Removing Prints

 * "3d Print Removal Tool" wood block. Slide along glass to knock print off glass.
 * Scraper. Can be used to peel up edge of print. Good for prints using Brim or Raft.
 * Tiny printed mallet. Similar to wood block for knocking print off glass.

Troubleshooting
For mechanical and electrical failures of the machines, please stop using the machine and notify the #3dprinting Slack channel with the issue.

Using the Z-Unlimited Printer
Open Ultimaker Cura and go to "Settings" > "Printer" > "Add Printer" > "Add a non-networked printer" > "Custom" > "Custom FFF Printer". Give it a name, and click “Add”.

In the Machine Settings panel that opens, set these printer parameters:
 * X (Width) = 190mm
 * Y (Depth) = 190mm
 * Z (Height) = 1500mm

Do not enable heated bed.

Next, click the “Extrude” tab and set these parameters:
 * Nozzle Size = 0.8mm (or whatever is installed)
 * Compatible Material Diameter = 2.85mm

Important Information

 * You must print PLA at 220C and at 20 mm/s for all linetypes in the print.
 * The printer can use both 2.85mm and 1.75mm filament, but 2.85mm is recommended (and must be set correctly in Extruder Settings).
 * Change the “Compatible Material Diameter” in Machine Settings.
 * You don’t need to change anything in the hardware for the different filament size.
 * Do not try to print anything other than PLA in the machine.
 * Make sure your filament doesn’t have knots in the spool, and that it is securely mounted on the spool holder.
 * Pausing a job before the extruder has cleared the bed-clamps will cause a collision.

Slicing Information

 * Set printing temperature to 220C
 * Keep all print speeds at 20mm/s
 * Use Layer Heights of .2-.6mm thick
 * Keep Initial Layer Height at .4mm or above
 * Have at least 5 solid bottom and top layers
 * Try to keep the print hollow with 0% infill for really tall parts. But if you need to add infill, you usually don’t need more than 10% infill since the nozzle is a much bigger size