- The four stepper motors for the X, Y, Z axes and the extruder
- Any of the extruder hot-end parts including (from bottom to top) the brass nozzle, flexible black silicone insulator, and the black round plastic hot-end mount
- Any of the four stepper motor driver chips on the motherboard
- The heated build platform
Printing with the Solidoodle is fun & easy! Here’s how to print your first part. Note that Steps 1 & 2 are only required once per part. Once you’ve completed the first two steps for a given part, you can skip straight to the third step to make as many copies of the part as you want. This guide assumes that you’ve already installed the required software on your host machine. If you haven’t, please visit the guide on How to Install Software. If you have any problems during printing that can’t be solved following the instructions, email us at support ‘at” solidoodle [dot} com. We welcome your feedback to help us improve the instructions.
Step 1: Get a 3D File
The first step is to get a 3D file in .stl format. .STL is a simple universal 3D file format that stands for Stereolithography . There are two ways to get a 3D file:
- Download one from a site such as Thingiverse.com, an open-source repository for 3D Designs. Thingiverse has thousands of free designs that you can download and use today. Be sure to download the file with the .stl extension.
- Or, make one yourself! It’s easy to design 3D files yourself. If you don’t know how, you can learn today. It’s easy with free software such as Google Sketchup or Autodesk 123D. To learn how, check out our guide on How to Create a 3D Part.
Step 2: Open and Slice the File
Now that we have the file, we can slice it into a format that the Solidoodle will accept.
1. Load the file by pressing the “Load” button in the upper left hand corner.
2. Once the file is loaded, hit the Slicer tab in the upper right hand corner of the screen.
3. Press “Slice with Slic3r” to begin slicing.
4. Once slice has finished, you should be able to move on to the next step.
Solidoodle’s official Repetier host installation comes with all the settings you need calibrated right out of the box. There is no immediate need to alter slicing settings. Please be aware that certain parts will take some time to slice. Generally, slicing time is less than 5 minutes. In some extreme cases, slicing may take up to an hour.
Step 2: Initial Start Up Procedures
1. Plug the Solidoodle in to your USB port. Do not be alarmed if the standard messages do not appear. Because of the Solidoodle’s drivers, it may show up as a generic USB device.
2. Plug the Solidoodle into wall power. You should see the LED lights and fan come to life at this point. You may be able to hear the motors idling.
3. Open Repetier host and ensure that you have a valid port selected for communications. To do this simply hit “printer settings” (Control-P) to bring up the printer settings menu. If you have the “Virtual Printer” port selected, change it to a COM port (on windows) or a USB SERIAL port (Linux and Mac.)
4. Hit connect. You should the details of the connection in the console window in the bottom section of the screen.
Step 3: Begin Printing
1. Go to the manual control tab. This is located in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
2. Scroll down and view the heater controls. Activate both the bed heater and the extruder heater. The heat will gradually rise. The Extruder should be set to 190 and the bed should be set to 85 degrees. If you can achieve higher temperatures on the bed, this will be helpful, but is not required.
3. Once full heat has been achieved do a few quick tests. Hit the X+/X- buttons to ensure that movement is possible. Hit the extrude button to ensure extrusion is possible.
4. Once you are satisfied the printer is ready to go, hit the “Run Job” button and watch the Solidoodle roar to life, printing your part strand by strand.
Step 1: Get a 3D File
The first step is to get a 3D file in .stl format. .STL is a simple universal 3D file format that stands for Stereolithography . There are two ways to get a 3D file:
- Download one from a site such as Thingiverse.com, an open-source repository for 3D Designs. Thingiverse has thousands of free designs that you can download and use today. Be sure to download the file with the .stl extension.
- Or, make one yourself! It’s easy to design 3D files yourself. If you don’t know how, you can learn today. It’s easy with free software such as Google Sketchup or Autodesk 123D. To learn how, check out our guide on How to Create a 3D Part.
- Open Skeinforge. Skeinforge is acessed from within Pronterface in the settings->slicing settings folder. The default Solidoodle profile should already be loaded.
- Click the “Skeinforge” button on the bottom left corner of the window
- Select the 3D file (in .stl format) that you want to use and click “Open”. In this case we’re using the Mini Solidoodle model (solidoodle_110928.stl) that we downloaded from Thingiverse.
- Wait for Skeinforge to convert the .STL file into G-code. This may take several minutes depending on the size of the file.
- Two windows will pop up after Skeinforge finishes converting the .STL file. These windows show the path that will be taken by the printhead as it creates the part. One window shows the 3D part and the other window shows each layer. Skeinforge creates a G-code file in the same directory as the original .STL file. This file will usually have an _export.gcode extension. Close both of these windows – they are just FYI and you don’t need them.
- Plug the printer’s USB cable into your computer
- Open the Pronterface software
Make sure the baud rate is set to @“250000″. - Select the printer’s USB device from the Port menu and click “Connect”.
Note: The name of the printer will vary according to your Operating System. In this case it’s called /dev/ttyUSB0. On Windows, the port may be called COM1, COM2, etc. After you click “Connect “ you should see a message indicating that the printer is now online. - Plug the printer into a power outlet. You may hear a click as the motors engage.
- If this is your first print, test the printer for functionality: Bring the printer to operating temperature 200 degrees, extrude a bit of filament, and test each motor axis to with the motor control buttons. Please be advised that if you print over 200C you run the risk of damaging the hot end. To set the temperature on the extruder and bed, hit the “Set” buttons in the bottom middle of the interface. The extruder should be set to 200 , and the bed set to 85C. Prints will be easier to remove with lower bed settings – 85 is a good median temperature for this. Temperatures which are too cool will cause warping.
- Click the “Load File” button
- Locate the G-code file for your part that was created by Skeinforge. This file usually has an _export.gcode extension. Select the file and click “Open”.
- Ensure that the printhead is not resting on the platform. If it is, use the motor controls to bring the platform down at least a few millimeters. This will prevent the printhead from scraping on the platform during homing.
- If necessary, clean any stuck printing materials off of the build platform using a putty knife.
- Remove any excess filament from the nozzle using tweezers. Be careful not to burn yourself by touching the hot nozzle or any of the motors.
- Click “Print”!
Watch as the printer calibrates the axes and the print head moves to the center of the build platform. - Check to make sure that the printhead begins the first layer at the appropriate height above the build platform (.3mm). The first layer should stick to the platform well.
- Watch in amazement as the Solidoodle builds the part, one strand at a time!
After the print is finished, gently pry it off the platform with a thin metal object, such as a putty knife or a wood chisel. Be careful to support the bottom of the platform with your hand underneath so you don’t put too much bending stress on the part. Voila! - Using a sharp knife, pliers, and or putty knife, carefully remove the raft (if you printed with one) and any strings/imperfections.
- Voila! To print another copy of the same part, simply click “Print”.
- Be sure to read our Printing Guidelines tutorial.
