Delta Micro Factory 3DP-10-4B 3D Printer User Manual

Delta Micro Factory Corporation. 3D Printer

user manual

                      www.pp3dp.com PP3DP-2012-V1
  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                   Legal Notice  The information in this document is subject to change without notice.  DELTA MICRO FACTORY CO. MAKES NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND WITH REGARD  TO THIS  MATERIAL,  INCLUDING,  BUT  NOT  LIMITED  TO,  THE IMPLIED  WARRANTIES  OF  MERCHANTABILITY  AND  FITNESS  FOR  A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Delta Micro Factory Co.shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this Material. Changes or modifications to the system not expressly approved by  Delta Micro Factory Co., the party responsible  for  compliance,  could  void  the  user‟s  authority  for  use.  This document is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Its use, disclosure, and possession are restricted by an agreement with Delta Micro Factory Co. per software copyright. No part of this document may be photocopied, reproduced or translated into another language without the prior written consent of Delta Micro Factory Co.  © Copyright 2012Delta Micro Factory Corporation All rights reserved.
1. Introduction  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                2 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 3 1.1 HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL ............................................................................................................ 3 1.2PRECAUTIONS ................................................................................................................................. 3 1.2.1 Safety .................................................................................................................................... 3 1.2.2 Protection .............................................................................................................................. 4 2. OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................................. 5 2.1 APPEARANCE ................................................................................................................................. 5 2.2 SPECIFICATIONS............................................................................................................................. 8 2.2.1 Printer Physical Characteristics ......................................................................................... 8 2.2.2 Specifications ....................................................................................................................... 9 2.2.3 Environmental specifications ............................................................................................. 9 3. OPERATION .............................................................................................................................. 10 3.1 PREPARATION .............................................................................................................................. 10 3.1.1Installation the printer ........................................................................................................... 10 3.1.2 Installing the software ....................................................................................................... 13 3.1.3 Installing drivers ................................................................................................................. 14 3.2 USING THE BASIC FUNCTIONS ...................................................................................................... 16 3.2.1 Start the program ............................................................................................................... 16 3.2.2 Loading a 3D model .......................................................................................................... 16 3.2.3View Options ....................................................................................................................... 19 3.2.4 Model transformations ...................................................................................................... 20 3.2.5 Placing models onto the build platform .......................................................................... 22 3.3 GETTING READY TO PRINT .......................................................................................................... 23 3.3.1 Initializing the Printer ......................................................................................................... 23 3.3.2 Calibrating the Nozzle Height .......................................................................................... 24 3.3.4 Other Maintenance Options ............................................................................................. 27 3.3.5 Preparing the Platform ...................................................................................................... 29 4. PRINTING .................................................................................................................................. 35 5. MODEL REMOVAL ................................................................................................................... 38 6. MAINTENANCE ........................................................................................................................ 41 6.1 CHANGING THE MATERIAL ........................................................................................................... 41 6.2 VERTICAL CALIBRATION ............................................................................................................... 41 6.3 CLEANING THE NOZZLE ................................................................................................................ 43 6.4 REMOVING /CHANGING THE NOZZLE ........................................................................................... 44 6.5 LUBRICATION OF BEARINGS ......................................................................................................... 45 6.6 SPARE PARTS ............................................................................................................................... 45 7. TIPS & TRICKS ......................................................................................................................... 46 8. TROUBLESHOOTING .............................................................................................................. 47 SOLUTION FOR "WINUSB.DLL NOT FOUND" PROBLEM ....................................................................... 47
1. Introduction  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                3 1. Introduction 1.1 How to use this manual This User Manual  is divided into four sections which cover  the Introduction, Overview, Operation, and Troubleshooting. Please study this manual carefully before installation, and use the printer according to these instructions. Keep this manual handy and refer to it when necessary. 1.2Precautions Please read this section carefully before using the printer. 1.2.1 Safety   The  printer  can  only  be  used  with  the  power  adapters  supplied  by  this company, or the product may be damaged, with a risk of fire.   To avoid burning, or model deformation, do not touch the model, nozzle, or the platform by hand, or  any other  part of  the  body, while  the printer  is working or immediately after it has finished printing.   Protective glasses should always be worn when removing support material, especially PLA.   The brown sections of the currently supplied gloves melt at around 200 degrees, therefore please do not hold the extruder block with the gloves.   There is a slight smell from ABS when it is being extruded. The smell is, however, not too unpleasant. A well ventilated room is recommended by most people to be safe, however when printing keep the printer away from any draughts as this can affect the warping of ABS prints. When ABS is burnt is releases toxic fumes.  The following classifications are used in this manual.   CAUTION: Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, may result in minor or moderate injury.
1. Introduction  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                4  WARNING: Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, may result in serious injury.  Gloves:  When  performing  certain  maintenance  procedures,  the machine may be hot and gloves are required to avoid burns.  Safety Glasses: Wear safety glasses to avoid injury to your eyes.  1.2.2 Protection   The printer must not be exposed to water or rain, or damage may occur.   Do not shut down the UP! System or pull out the USB cable when loading a digital model, or the model data may be lost.   When  using  the  “Extrude”  function,  keep  at  least  50mm  between  the nozzle and the platform. If too close, the nozzle may get blocked.   The  printer  is  designed  to  work  properly  at  an  ambient  temperature  of between  15°C  and 30°C   and  humidity  of  between  20%  and  50%; Operating outside these limits may result in low quality models.
         2. Overview  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                5  2. Overview  The UP! Printer is designed with ultimate portability and simplicity in mind. The system and software allow you to print great models with only a few keystrokes, even if you have never used a 3D printer before. The system uses a nozzle to deposit molten plastic, so printed parts are strong and durable. Congratulations on purchasing an UP! Printer.   2.1 Appearance Figure 1.Front view of printer   Initialize button
         2. Overview  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                6      Figure 2. Back view of printer  Platform Extrude head Nozzle USB interface Power interface Roller shaft Power on/off
         2. Overview  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                7   Figure3. Accessories       ① USB cable                    ② Power adapter (20 V)        ③ Filament tube   ④Screws                   ⑤  Cellboard                  ⑥  Extrude head                ⑦  ABS spool   Figure 4. Tool kit   ① Pen Knives     ②Tweezers      ③Hexwrench      ④  Shovel     ⑤Pliers           ⑥Gloves        ⑦  Nozzle wrench
         2. Overview  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                8 Figure 5. Axis     2.2 Specifications 2.2.1 Printer Physical Characteristics Printing Material ABS or PLA Material Color White Layer Thickness 0.25-0.35mm Print Speed 10-100 cm3/h Print Size 120×120×120mm Printer Weight 5 KG (11 lb) Printer Size 240 ×  350 × 350 mm Y axis Z axis X axis
         2. Overview  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                9 2.2.2 Specifications  Power Requirements 100-240VAC, 50-60Hz, 200W Model Support Auto-generated support Input Format STL Workstation compatibility Windows XP/Vista/7; Mac 2.2.3 Environmental specifications  Ambient temperature 15°C ~30°C  Relative humidity 20%~50%
     3.Opeation  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                10  3. Operation 3.1 Preparation 3.1.1Installation the printer        Extrude Head The extrude head is fastened with magnets. When assemble the extrude head, make sure it is contacted with all the three magnets.
     3.Opeation  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                11      Platform Insert the cellboard to the platform slot.     Roller shaft Insert the roller shaft to the hole on the back of printer.
     3.Opeation  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                12 Material Extrude(top view)  (1) Connect the power adapter to the power interface. (2) Insert the end of ABS filament into the Filament tube.   (3) Start the UP! Software (refer to the software install procedure in 3.1.2 if you have not already installed it), and press the “Extrude” button in the “maintenance” dialogue box, which is accessed from the “3D Print” menu.   (4) After the printer nozzle has warmed up to 260°C, the printer will beep. Push the filament into the hole at the top of the extruder head and hold it there with some gentle pressure until the extruder motor grabs it and starts pulling it through the extrusion head. The extruder will then automatically extrude a thin filament of material.
     3.Opeation  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                13  (Windows version)  (Mac version)  3.1.2 Installing the software Start the UPx.xx setup.exe file and install it to the specified directory (Default is Program files/UP). Note: This installs the UP software, the UP drivers, and the UP sample files into your Program files/UP folder.
     3.Opeation  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                14 3.1.3 Installing drivers Connect the printer to a computer with the USB cable. The computer should pop up the “Found New Hardware Wizard” window. Choose “No, not this time”, and then “next”. Then choose  “Install  from  a  list  or  specific  location  (Advanced)”, then “Next”.    Click “Browse”, and choose C:\Program Files\UP\Driver, then “Next”.
     3.Opeation  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                15   The  following  dialogue  box  pops  up.  Choose  “Continue Anyway”,  and  the drivers will install automatically.    If  you have  any problems  installing  the drivers, or  get a "Winusb.dll not found" error,  please  refer  to  the  driver  section  in  the  troubleshooting  section  of  this manual.
     3.Opeation  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                16 3.2 Using the basic functions 3.2.1 Start the program Click on the  icon on the desktop. The program should open as follows:  3.2.2 Loading a 3D model Click “File / Open”  or    on the toolbar and select the model you want to open. UP only supports STL files (which is the standard input format for 3D printing files), and theUP3format (which is UP‟s proprietary compressed STL format) Move the mouse pointer onto the model, and click the left mouse key. Some model information is presented in a floating window, as shown below:
     3.Opeation  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                17  (Windows version)  (Mac version)  TIP: You can open several models and print them all at the same time. Just repeat the open model procedure for each model you want to add. See the “Placing models on the build platform” section for more information.  Unloading the model: click the left mouse button on the model to select it, and then  click  “Unload” on the toolbar, or click the right mouse button while over the model and a context menu will appear. Choose unload the model or unload all models (if you have more than one file open and want to remove all of them).
     3.Opeation  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                18 Saving the model: Choose the model, then click “Save”. The file is saved in UP3  format  and  its  size  is  12%~18%  of  the  original  STL  file.  This  is  a convenient format for users to archive or transfer files.  Note on STL files: For a model to print correctly, all the faces of the models need to have their normal facing outwards. The Up software uses model color to  indicate  whether  a  model  is  OK  or  not.  The  default  color  used  by  the software when  opening a  model is a light grey/pink  color. If the  normal are facing the wrong way, then the model is colored in red.  Fixing STL Files: The Up software has an option that attempts to fix models with bad surfaces. Under the “Edit” menu you will see a “Fix” option. Select the model with inverted surfaces, and click the “Fix” option to try and fix it.  Merging models: Several separate models can be merged into a single file by using the “Merge” option from the “Edit” menu. Simply open all the models you want to merge and arrange them the way you want on the platform and click on the “Merge” option. When you then save the file, all the components will be saved
     3.Opeation  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                19 as a single STL file. 3.2.3View Options To observe the target model in different ways, use the mouse to control the view. Rotate: Press the middle mouse button and move the mouse: The view can be rotated and observed from different angles.  Pan: Press Ctrl and the middle mouse button at the same time and move the mouse: This causes the view to pan. You can also use the arrow keys to pan the view.  Scale: Rotate the mouse wheel: The view gets zoomed in or out.  View: The system has 8 preset standard views stored under the “View” button on the toolbar. Click the View button on the toolbar (the startup value for the View button is “Fit") to find these options:              (Windows version) (Mac version)
     3.Opeation  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                20 3.2.4 Model transformations Model Transformation can be achieved through the Edit menu orthe toolbar:  (Windows version)  Moving the model: Click the “Move” button and choose, or input, the distance you want to move in the text box. Then choose the axis (direction) in which you want to move. Each time you click the axis button the model will move again.  For example: Move the model -5mm along Z axis (or down 5mm).   Procedure: 1. Click on “Move”; 2. Input “-5” in the text box; 3. Click the “Z axis”.  Tip: If you hold down the „Ctrl‟ key, you can simply drag the model to whatever position you want.  Rotating the model: Click the “Rotate”  button on the toolbar, choose or input how many degrees you want to rotate in the text box, then choose the axis to rotate around. (Mac version)
     3.Opeation  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                21  For example: Rotate the model around Y axis by 30o.   Procedure: 1. Click “Rotate”; 2.Input 30 in the text box;3. Click “Y axis”.   Note: positive numbers  rotate counterclockwise and negative  numbers  rotate clockwise.  Scaling the model: Click “Scale”, choose or input a scaling factor in the text box, and  then either  scale  the  model uniformly  by clicking  the  scale  button again, or choose the axis around which you want to scale if you only want to scale in one direction.  Example1: Scale up the model uniformly by 2.0 times. Procedures: 1. Click “Scale”; 2. Input 2.0 in the text box; 3. Click “Scale” again.  Example2: Scale up the model by 1.2 times along the Z axis only.   Procedures: 1. Click “Scale”; 2. Input 1.2 in the text box; 3. Click “Z axis”
     3.Opeation  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                22   Unit  Conversion:  This  option  is  provided  as  a  convenient  way  to  convert metric  models  to  imperial,  and  vice  versa.  To  convert  an  imperial  model  to metric, select the 25.4 option from the scale menu and click “Scale” again. To convert from metric to imperial, select the 0.03937 option and click “Scale”. 3.2.5 Placing models onto the build platform Appropriately placing your models on the platform can have an effect on print quality.  TIP: In general, try to place your model in the centre of the platform.  Auto Place: Click the “Auto Place”  button, on the far right of the toolbar, to automatically place the model on the platform. When there is more than one model on the platform, using “Auto Place” is recommended.  By Hand: Press the Ctrl key and choose the target model by  pressing and holding  the  left  mouse  button.  Move  the  mouse  and drag  the  model  to  the desired position.  Using the “Move” button: Click the “Move” button on the toolbar, choose or input the distance in the text box, and then choose the axis for the direction in which you want to move.  NOTE: When  more  than  one  model  is  open,  the  gap  between  each  model should be kept to at least 12mm to prevent the models sticking together.
     3.Opeation  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                23 3.3 Getting Ready to Print 3.3.1 Initializing the Printer Before  anything  can  be  printed,  the  printer  must  be  initialized.  Click  the “Initialize”  option  under  the  “3D  print”  menu.  The  printer  will  beep  and  the initialization procedure will begin. The printer will then return the platform and print head to the printer‟s origin and beep again when it is ready.     (Windows version)  (Mac version) TIP: If your printer is not responding properly, the first thing to try is to re-initialize the printer by clicking the „Initialize‟ option from the „3D Print‟ menu.
     3.Opeation  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                24 3.3.2 Calibrating the Nozzle Height This section is probably the most important of the entire manual. Please read it carefully to ensure that you understand the nozzle height setup procedure, as it is vital to successful 3D printing.  To print successfully, the platform should be set to start at a distance of 0.2mm from the nozzle. As each printer is slightly different, this distance needs to be calibrated before starting to print. The correct distance between the nozzle and platform is recorded in the “Nozzle” box of the “Print” screen (found under  the  “3D  Print” menu,  but  we  use  the  “Maintain”  dialogue  box  to figure out what this distance should be.  NOTE: It is only possible to move the nozzle to 8mm higher than the height recorded in the “Print” screen. If, for example, the nozzle height in the “Print” screen is set to 120mm, you will only be able to move the nozzle up  to  128mm  in  the  “Maintenance”  screen.  This  maximum  value  is indicated by the “Max” value shown in the platform and nozzle line of the “Maintain” screen. If  you  are  having  problems  adjusting  the  nozzle  height  in  the “Maintenance  “  screen  because  it  will  not  go  high  enough,  close  the “Maintenance”  screen,  open  the  “Print”  screen,  and  set  the  nozzle height  to  140mm  (for  example).  Then  go  back  to  the  “Maintenance” screen and continue with your nozzle height adjustments.
     3.Opeation  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                25 In the above example, this tells the printer that, after being initialized, and when a print job begins, the platform is 139.5mm away from the nozzle.  To figure out the correct nozzle distance, please follow these steps:  1 - Open the “Maintain” dialogue box from the “3D Print” menu. The current nozzle height is indicated as shown in the picture below.    (Windows version)  (Mac version) 2 - In the text box, type in the height to which you want the platform to move to, and click the “To” button. In the above example, the platform would move to 124mm above the platform‟s origin.  3 - Check the distance between the nozzle and the platform. If, for example, the platform appears to be about 7mm away from the nozzle, increase the number in the text box to 130 and click the “To” button. Note that we have
     3.Opeation  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                26 only increased the number by 3mm instead of 4mm. The reason for this is that we do not want to crash the platform into the nozzle, so we want to increase the height in smaller and smaller increments as we get closer to the nozzle.   4  -  Once  you  are  about  1mm  away  from  the  nozzle,  start  increasing  the number  in  the  text  box  by  0.1mm  increments  and  click  the  “To”  button. Repeat this until you get to within 0.2mm of the nozzle.    TIP: An easy way to check the distance between the nozzle and platform is to fold a piece of paper in two (Which will make it about 0.2mm thick) and use  that  as  a  spacer  to  gauge  the  distance  between  the  nozzle  and platform.   5 - Once you are within 0.2mm of the nozzle, write down the number you have in the  “To”  box.  This is the correct calibration height! Close the “Maintain” window and open the “Setup” Window. In the “Setup” window “Nozzle” box, enter the number you recorded on the “Maintain” Screen. Alternatively, you can  click  the  “Set  to  Nozzle  Height”  button  to  automatically  transfer  the value  across  to  the  setup  screen.  You  have  now  successfully  setup  the nozzle height.  NOTE: Once you have setup the nozzle height once, you do not need to do it again as it is automatically recorded in the “Setup” Screen.
     3.Opeation  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                27 TIP:  You  may  need  to  regularly  recalibrate  nozzle  height  after  moving  the printer, or if you find the models are not adhering to the platform properly, or  are  warping.  If  you  keep  adding new green  paint  on  top of  the  old green  paint,  you  may  also  need  to  recalibrate  your  nozzle  height regularly. TIP: If you happen to crash the platform into the nozzle while making height adjustments,  it  is  good  practice  to  re-initialize  the  printer  before undertaking any other operations.  3.3.4 Other Maintenance Options Click “Maintain” on the “3D Print” menu, and the following dialog box pops up:    (Windows version)  (Mac version) Extrude: Squeezes material out of the nozzle. Click on this button, and the
     3.Opeation  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                28 nozzle is heated. When the temperature is high enough (260°C), the material is  squeezed  out  of  the  nozzle.  The  system  beeps  before  material  starts extruding, and it beeps again when finished. When changing the material (See section 6), this function is used to deliver the new material to the nozzle. This function can also be used to test whether the nozzle is working correctly.  Withdraw: Withdraws the material from the extrusion head. When the material runs out, or the nozzle needs to be changed, click this button. When the nozzle is  up to  temperature (260°C)  and beeps,  gently  pull  out the material.  If the material gets stuck, pull it out it by hand.  New Spool: This is used so the printer can keep track of how much material has been used, and warn you  if you don‟t have enough material left to print your  model.  Click  this  button  and  enter  the  value  of  how  many  grams  of material you have on the current spool. If it is a new spool, the quantity should be set to 700 grams. You can also specify whether the material you are printing with is ABS or PLA.   TIP: An empty spool weighs about 280 grams so, if you are installing a partially used spool, weigh it, and subtract 280 grams from the weight. This gives you the value to enter into the material text box.  Status: Displays the temperature of the nozzle and platform.  Stop All: Stops heating and all the movement of the printer. Once you click this button, the current model being printed is cancelled. You CANNOT resume a print job once the printer has been stopped. After you use the “Stop All” option, you will need to re-initialize the printer.  Pause Print: This button allows you to pause a print in mid-progress, but yu can then resume the print job where it left off. This is very useful if you, for
     3.Opeation  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                29 example, want to change the material color mid-print. Another popular use for pausing a job mid-print is to allow fasteners to be inserted into printed cavities and then printed over to lock the fastener into place.  Nozzle  &  Platform:  The  five  buttons  (FL,  FR,  Center,  NL,  NR)  control  the position of the nozzle and the platform. The nozzle moves to the left and right; the platform moves forward and backward.    The “To” button controls the height of the platform, and is used in the nozzle height calibration procedure described in 3.3.2.  The “Bottom” button returns the platform to the lowest position.    Set Nozzle Height: Takes whatever value you have in the “To” box and transfers it to the Nozzle box of the setup screen. 3.3.5 Preparing the Platform Before printing, the platform must be prepared so that the model adheres to the platform enough to be printed without the model moving. When printing starts, plastic will have more chance to be pushed into all perforations, and this provides a stronger mechanical bond with the bottom surface that prevents it from later lifting.  When inserting the cellboard into the platform slot, the strength should be well-distributed, without force. Inserting or extracting the cellboard, please hold the metal traps on the both sides.
     3.Opeation  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                30 3.3.6Print Setup Options Clickmenu “3D Print->Setup”. The following dialog box pops up:    Print Options Z Resolution: Set the print resolution (layer thickness) of the printer. This can be  between 0.2mm  per layer  to 0.4mm  per  layer  (depending  on the  printer model).  Base Height: This is the thickness of the raft of material before the support layer is printed under the part. When the printer starts printing, it first prints a raft of non-solid material in which all the lines of support material are horizontal (along the Y axis). It keeps building up horizontal rows of support material for as  many  mm  as  you  have  chosen.  Then,  just  before  it  gets  to  the  bottom surface of the real part, it starts to build support layers perpendicular to the raft layers layer.  The default value for this parameter is set to 2mm.    (Mac version) (Windows version)
     3.Opeation  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                31 Part Options  Surface: This parameter determines how many layers form the bottom face of a part when it is not solid. For example, if you set it to 3, the machine will print 3 complete  layers  before going  into  non-solid  mode. This does  not,  however, affect  the  side  wall  thickness  on  non-solid  parts,  which  are  all  the  same thickness (approximately 1.5mm) irrespective of the fill mode.    Angle: The part Angle determines at what point solid (dense) support material gets used. If the angle is small than the printer will add solid fill layers under the part surface. The thickness of this solid (dense) support is determined by the “dense” parameter under the Support options as described below.   Fill Options There are four ways to fill the interior of the parts, as described below.     The Part is made of nearly solid plastic, which gives you the  strongest  part.  This  setting  is  recommended  for functional  engineering  parts.  On  previous  software version this was referred to as “Solid”  The  part  has  an  outer  wall  thickness  of  solid  plastic (about 1.5mm), but its interior is filled with a reasonably small  scaffold  structure.  On  previous  software  version this was referred to as “Loose”  The  part  has  an  outer  wall  thickness  of  solid  plastic (about  1.5mm),  but  its  interior  is  filled  with  a  medium spaced scaffold structure. On previous software version this was referred to as “Hollow”  The  part  has  an  outer  wall  thickness  of  solid  plastic (about  1.5mm),  but  its  interior  is  filled  with  a  large spaced scaffold structure. On previous software version this was referred to as “Big hole”
     3.Opeation  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                32    Support Options  Dense: This represents how many layers of „solid‟ (dense) material form part of the support structure directly beneath the model.    Angle: Angle at which support material gets used. For example if 10° is used, support  material  only  gets  used  if  angle  of  surface  is  greater  than  10°  from horizontal  (so  support  material  is  almost  not  used  unless  there  is  a  direct overhang), If set to 50° than support material is used for any surface is greater than 50° away from horizontal.  Set to > 10° Set to > 50°
     3.Opeation  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                33  There  is  always  a  delicate  balance  between minimizing  the  amount  of  support  material, versus  the  quality  of  the  part,  versus  the difficulty of removing support material.  The orientation of the part on the print platform is also critical in determining both how much support  material  gets  used,  and  also  how difficult the support material will be to remove.    As  a  general  rule,  it  is  easier  to  remove support material from the outside of a part than from the inside. As can be seen in the picture to  the  right,  the  part  would  use  a  lot  more support  material  if  printed  with  the  opening facing  downwards  than  if  it  were  facing upwards.    Space: The distance between the lines of non-solid support material. Changing this parameter requires some experience in balancing the quantity of support material used, ease of support material removal, and part print quality.  Area:The  surface  area  above  which  support  material  gets  used.  When  you choose 5mm2, for example, there will be no support if the overhanging area is less  than  5mm2.  Benefit?  A  little  material  is  saved  and  a  slightly  faster  print speed is achieved.
     3.Opeation  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                34  Other Options Stable Support: Stable support creates  support that  is more solid, and  the model is less likely to distort, but the support material is then more difficult to remove.      Tip: All setup and configuration settings are stored in the Up Software, not on the Up Printer. This means that, if you change to a different computer, you will need to repeat all the calibration and setup procedure
     4.Printing  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                35 4. Printing TIP: One of the keys to successful printing on the Up is platform preparation and preheating. Particularly with large parts, there is a tendency for the edges of the part to lift from the platform (which is a little colder than the center) and cause the parts to warp. The best way to prevent  this is to ensure that a) the platform is perfectly level, b) that the nozzle height is correctly set and that c) the platform is very well preheated. It also helps to run the printer in a room that is not too cold (ie warmer than, say, 18C and free of drafts.  Please ensure the following points are taken care of before printing:   Connect the 3D printer, initialize it, and set up the printing system. Load the model and place it properly on the virtual platform of the software window. Check if there is enough material for the model (the software will, generally, tell you if  there is not enough material when  you  begin  the print). If  not, change the reel to a new one.   For large models (over 40mm2) results can be improved by preheating the build platform. Click the “Preheat” option on the “3D Print” menu and the printer begins to heat the platform. Let the platform get up to 100C before beginning to print.   Click menu  “3D Print->Print”, and  the print dialog box pops up. Choose “Preferences” to set the printing parameters. Click “OK” to begin to print.  (Windows version)
     4.Printing  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                36  (Mac version) Print Options: Speed: Fine, Normal or Fast. This simply determines the speed at which the printer moves. As a general rule, the slower you print, the better the quality of the  parts.  For  tall  parts,  running  at  Fast  speed  can  be  problematic  as  the printer can vibrate to the extent that print quality is affected. For large surface area parts, the Fine setting can be problematic as the printer takes longer to print the part and the corners are therefore more likely to lift a little bit. UnSolid Model: This function is useful for printing STL files that are not perfect. A perfect STL file is a fully enclosed surface, with no holes in the surface skin, and no overlapping surfaces. If your file is not perfect, this option should allow you to print it anyway.  TIP: Once the print has started, you can unplug the PC from the printer. The print job is stored in the printer‟s internal memory, so the PC is no longer required  Calculating model costs  The main factor that will affect model cost is the part interior fill structure, and support material. If, for example, one is printing a  cube measuring 30mm x 30mm x 30mm,  with a layer thickness of 0.2mm,  the following quantities of material are used depending on the print mode.
     4.Printing  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                37  Model info: 30×30×30mm layer thickness: 0.2mm   The prices above are calculated with ABS from PP3DP.com at $35 USD for a 700g roll. The easiest way to calculate how much material will be used for your model is to use the “Print Preview” option under the “3D Print” menu. This will tell you the total weight of material used, including the raft and any support material.
     5.  Model  Removal  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                38  5. Model Removal 1.  When the model has finished printing, the printer will beep, and the nozzle and platform stop heating.   2.  Remove the printer platform from the printer by removing the 2 screws at the bottom of the platform. 3.  Gently slide the spatula under the model and slowly wiggle it back and forth to pry loose the model. Remember to use gloves as the platform and model may still be hot.        CAUTION: It is strongly recommended that you ware the gloves to remove the model from the cellboard.
     5.  Model  Removal  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                39 4.  Removing Support Material  Printed models are composed of two parts. One part is the model itself, and the other part is the support material used to support any overhanging parts of the model.   The support material is the same physical material as the model material, but the  support  material  is  printed  at  a  much  lower  density.  It  is  very  easy  to distinguish the model from the support material so it is easy to remove.   Have a  look at the teapot in the  above  pictures. The left picture shows the teapot with support material removed, and the right picture shows the teapot with its support material still attached.   The  support  material  gets  removed  using  a  combination  of  tools.  Some material can easily be cracked off by hand. Support material close to the model is easier to remove using tools such as wood carving chisels, long nose pliers, or wire cutters.  It takes some practice to get comfortable with removing support material, but it can become quite an enjoyable and therapeutic task!  CAUTION:  ALWAYS  WEAR  SAFETY  GLASSES  WHEN  REMOVING SUPPORT MATERIAL, ESPECIALLY WITH PLA MATERIAL.
     5.  Model  Removal  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                40   CAUTION:  The  support  material  and  the  tools  are  sharp.  Wear gloves and safety glasses when removing the part from the printer.
     6.  Maintenance  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                41 6. Maintenance 6.1 Changing the Material   First withdraw the leftover material from the printer. Initialize the printer and choose  “3D  print->Maintain”.  Click“Withdraw”  and  the  system automatically  begins  to  heat  the  nozzle.  When  the  nozzle  reaches  the correct temperature, the printer will beep, and you can gentlywithdraw the material.    Place a new spool of material on the spool holder, and pull it through the filament tube, until the material is about 10cm out of the tube, then insert it into the hole at the top of the extruder head.   Select  the  “maintain”  menu  form  the “3D  Print”  menu.  Then  press  the “Extrude”  button  in  the  “maintain”  dialogue.  After  the  printer  nozzle  has warmed up to 260°C, the printer will beep. Push the filament into the hole at the top of the extruder head, with a little pressure, and the extruder will automatically extrude  material.    The  plastic  thread  squeezed  out of  the nozzle should be thin, bright and smooth.     If the nozzle is blocked, remove the nozzle and clean it.  The extruder and platform are hot. Use gloves when working in this area of printer.    6.2 Vertical Calibration The Vertical calibration procedure allows you to ensure that the printer platform is perfectly horizontal and that the printer prints consistently in the X, Y and Z direction.  First, print the supplied Calibration model on your printer. The calibration file is in C:\Program Files\UP\Example.
     6.  Maintenance  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                42  After the calibration model is printed, measure the X1 and X2 length, as shown in the pictures below.      Open the “Calibrate” box form the “3D Print” menu and enter the measured X1 and X2 values into the appropriate boxes.
     6.  Maintenance  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                43 IMPORTANT  NOTE:  Before  you  enter  any  new  calibration  values,  always  click  the “Reset” button, otherwise the new values get added to the old ones. Before you enter any new values, the bar at the very top of the screen should read: XY: 0.00 deg / XZ: 0.00 deg.   Next,  take  down  the  Front  Centre  „L‟  shaped  component,  and  measure  its deviation. Put the exact value into the Z box. If it deviates to the right side, the value to be put into the Z box will be a positive value. If the deviates to the left, the value to put into the Z box will be a negative value.   Finally,  measure  the  height  of  Front  Center  component,  which  should  be 40mm if it is not scaled. Enter the exact measured value into the “H” box of the “Calibrate dialogue box.  Click “OK” to record all these values and exit the calibration window.  6.3 Cleaning the nozzle After a lot of printing, the nozzle may be covered with a layer of oxidized ABS. When the printer is printing, this oxidized ABS may melt on the nozzle, and may create discolored spots the model. To avoid this you need to regularly clean the nozzle.  Firstly, preheat the nozzle in order to melt the oxidized ABS. Use the “Extrude” button on the “Maintain” dialogue box, then lower the platform to the bottom.  Lastly, use some heat-resistant material, like 100 percent cotton cloth or soft paper. A pair of tweezers will also be required. Then clip paper or some other heat-resistant things with tweezers to clean up the nozzle.
     6.  Maintenance  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                44     TIP: Many users also soak their nozzle in acetone to clean them, or even use an ultrasonic cleaning bath to help clean their nozzles  6.4 Removing /Changing the nozzle Should  the  nozzle  become  blocked,  you  may  need  to  remove  it  in  order  to unblock, or change it. To remove the nozzle, use the nozzle wrench provided in the toolkit that comes with your Up Printer. It is, generally, easiest to remove the nozzle when it is hot and, should you need more torque than can be applied with the small screw on the wrench, replace it with the small Allen key form the toolkit to provide more power.
     6.  Maintenance  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                45  6.5 Lubrication of bearings The bearings on the Up Printer may occasionally require a bit of lubrication to keep it operating smoothly. The recommended grease to use is lithium grease. When lubricating the bearings, first clean off as much old grease as possible from  the bearings,  and then apply  new grease to  the bearing and  slide the platform in the appropriate direction to spread the grease.  6.6 Spare parts Almost all the plastic parts on the printer are printed by the Up printer itself. If you need to print spare parts for your printer, the files for all spare parts can be found in the C:\Program Files (x86)\UP\Example\UP Spare Part folder
     7.  Tips  &  Tricks  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                46  7. Tips & Tricks Large  parts  can  sometimes  have  their  corners  lift  from  the  platform,  which causes the part to distort. This is caused by uneven heat across the surface of the platform. Preheating the platform before beginning large parts is essential to minimize this lifting. Also, the faster you can print such parts, the less lifting you are likely to get. Some ways to increase print quality include:     If possible, try to avoid printing such large parts in solid mode.     Set the layer resolution to as high as you can get away with.     Print the part in “Fast” mode.    Regularly check your nozzle height! It can change for a number of reasons, some of which you may not even be aware of. To check your nozzle height, refer to section 3.3.2   To  get  the  best  results  out  of  your  Up  printer,  the  print  platform  must  be perfectly lined up with the Nozzle. This means that when you set the nozzle height,  it  should  be  exactly  the  same  distance  from  the  nozzle  at  all  four corners, and  the center,  of the print  platform. If  this is not  the case, please follow the “leveling the print platform” procedure listed in 3.3.3
8. Troubleshooting  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                47  8. Troubleshooting Problem or error message Solution No power Verify power cord is securely plugged in. Extruder or platform fails to reach operating temperature 1.  1. Verify printer has initialized. if not, initialize the printer 2.  2. Heater is damaged, replace the heater Material not extruding Material is stuck in the extruder. See 3.3.3 Maintain (Extrude) The gap is too wide between the bearing and wire feed rollers. Cannot communicate with printer 1. Make sure the USB cable is connected to the printer, and to the PC 2. Unplug the USB cable, then plug in again. 3. Reset the printer—power off then power on.   4. Restart the PC Others Contact Technical Support : Support@pp3dp.com Solution for "Winusb.dll not found" problem If  you  encounter  a  “Winusb.dll  not  found”  error  message,  please  follow  the steps below: Option 1: Uninstall Older Driver and Automatically Install New Driver 1. Open the Windows control panel, go to the “System Properties” dialog box, then select the “Hardware” page.
8. Troubleshooting  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                48  2. Click “Device Manager” button, and the following dialog box will popup. Find the “3DPrinter@FreeMC” in the USB section.   3. Click the right mouse button and select the “Uninstall” option. The confirm dialog box will appear. Click “OK”.
8. Troubleshooting  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                49   4. Install the latest UP! software. 5. Unplug the USB cable, then plug again. Windows will find a new device.   Manually  select  driver  folder  (Default  is  C:\Program  files\UP\Driver  or C:\Program files(X86)\UP\Driver); 6. There should now be a new driver section in the device manager as shown below:
8. Troubleshooting  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                50 Option 2: Update the driver manually.  1. Install the latest UP software.  2.  Find  the  “3DPrint@FreeMC”  driver in  the  “Device  Manager”  dialog  box(it should be located in the USB section).   3. Select “Update Driver.” in the right click menu.   4. Select the up driver folder(the default is C:\program files\UP\Driver).
8. Troubleshooting  UP! mini 3D Printer User Manual                                51   5. A “Free Motion Card” section should now have been inserted into the Device Manager.
           Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate the equipment。  NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:           -- Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.          -- Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.             -- Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different             from that to which the receiver is connected.           -- Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.     FCC ID: O5L-3DP-10-4B This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

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