How To Use A 3d Printer Step By Step

The Next Chapter Of Sla: Low Force Stereolithography 3d Printing

3d Printing for Beginners: Step by Step 1st Print Using Cura

Low Force Stereolithography technology is the next phase in SLA 3D printing, meeting the demands on todays market for scalable, reliable, industrial-quality 3D printing.

This advanced form of SLA 3D printing drastically reduces the forces exerted on parts during the print process, using a flexible tank and linear illumination to deliver incredible surface quality and print accuracy. Lower print forces allow for light-touch support structures that tear away with ease, and the process opens up a wide range of possibilities for future development of advanced, production-ready materials.

Inverted SLA printing introduces peel forces that affect the print as it separates from the surface of the tank, so the build volume is limited and sturdy support structures are required. The Formlabs Form 2 is heavily calibrated to account for the forces of the peel process and produce high quality parts. Learn more about the differences between the Form 2 and Form 3, which uses LFS technology.

LFS 3D printing drastically reduces the forces exerted on parts during the print process, using a flexible tank and linear illumination to deliver incredible surface quality and print accuracy.;Learn more about how LFS works in this deep dive video.

An Introduction to the Form 3

Watch a product demo for a walkthrough of ;the Form 3 and LFS 3D printing from a Formlabs expert.

Create A Design Using The Tools In Your Chosen Program

TinkerCAD specializes in ease of use, as you put together blocks and shapes to gradually build a more complex structure that you can be proud of. The video below will show you a quick tutorial on exactly how it looks and how its done.

Its always best to follow a video tutorial when learning how to create designs, while doing the same thing in the program yourself.

Reading a guide of some sort is great when you understand the program and are looking for ways to do cool, new things but when just starting out, get the experience behind you.

Once youve created some of your own models by following a tutorial, a good point to go to next is to play around in the program and get creative. One thing I chose to do is find a few household objects and try to model it as best as I could.

This ranged from cups, bottles, small boxes, vitamin containers, anything really. If you want to get really accurate, you can get a sweet pair of Calipers from Amazon.

If you want a quick, cheap but reliable set Id recommend the Sangabery Digital Caliper.

It has four measuring modes, two unit conversion & zero setting function. You can get very accurate readings with this device, so I do recommend you getting one if you dont already. Also comes with two spare batteries!

Once you get some good practice creating different items, youll be a lot more prepared to start making useful and complex 3D printer files.

Keeping Part Strength In Mind

Most 3D printed objects tend to break up along the cross-sections of the part that is parallel to the printing bed. 3D printers lay down material layer by layer and layers sometimes wont stick together properly. This means that part of the finished model can break if force is applied to them. To avoid this, we recommend you design your model in such way that the direction of the force isnt along the cross-section.

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Find The Moderate Spot Of Your Printers Temperature

Finding the right temperature for your 3D printer is not easy. As the 3D printing machine prints the object, each separate layer shrinks as it gets cools that results in eds pull away from the plate. When the bed temperature is hot the printing model may develop the elephant foot. For this, you need to reduce the bed temperature for the next print.

How To Use The Ender 3 3d Printer

3D printers are all around the market, and consumers have these printers at home. Why not? Everyone wants to have three-dimensional models of vases, cookware, or even action figures. That in mind leads us to choose an affordable but high-quality 3D printer.;

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The question is, what 3D printer can you find that meets your budget? Well, thats easy! The Ender 3 3D printer is a budget printer for consumers.; Ender 3 is under $200, so that would catch your attention already. But you would love the printer more once you know its features:;

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Features Of The Ender 3 3d Printer

Bowden extruder;
Extruded aluminum frame;
Heated bed;

You can find these features among expensive printers, but these are all in the Ender 3 3D Printer. The printers price and features would level up your curiosity to buy and use it.

Another cool thing about the End 2 printer is that it doesnt have many downsides when it comes to performance and functionality. Consumers are welcome to upgrade End 3 without any hassle at all. ;

If you observe, many people are into 3D printing these days. Homeowners or even hobbyists are using a 3D printer. The End 3 3 Printer is also used by many consumers. But the question people are wondering is the End 3 printer ideal for most consumers?;

Yes, the End 3 printer is ideal for the following:;

Intermediate users
Teachers;
Small business prototyping;

Unlike other 3D printers, anyone can operate the End 3 3D printer. Dont worry if you dont have advanced 3D printing and modeling skills because you can still use the End 3 printer. The End 3 is suitable for beginners and advanced printer users.;

Note: the printer doesnt give you hassle despite its low price, so its worth it to use at home or in the office.;

Verify Mega Functionality With A Bit Of Example Code

Open the LED blink example sketch: File > Examples > 1.Basics > BlinkA new identical window will open op, but now containing some code. You can close the first window.

Upload program: Press the arrow that points to the right to upload the code to the Mega.The code is compiled, uploaded and activated. One of the LEDs on the Mega is now blinking

Unplug your Arduino and continue reading.

or Arduino Mega Pololu Shield

Basic Items And Materials Needed:

You might need to buy these items, but I have tried using components you can find usefull for years.

I recommend buying boxes of 100 or more of each. Not that you are using that many for this project, but it is a good way to starting up your DIY Collection. M4 denotes a diameter of 4mm. So if a nut is M4 it fits with 4mm bolts, which incidentially is named M4 as well. You can do this entire instructable with just the M4 size. Having some M3 is nice though, but I am really only going to use it for the heatbed level adjustments.

M4 threadded rod. 1Meter.

A box of M4 bolts/screws 30-40mm long. If you want to keep costs father Down, you can buy an additional M4 threadded rod, but it is going to take much longer with all the cutting out pieces to fit.

M4 washers, lock-washers and nuts. Recommends 100 pieces box of each.

Aluminum angle 25mm on each side, 3mm thick, 1meter long.

Aluminum flat 15mm wide, 3mm thick, 1meter long. .

Aluminum flat 40mm wide, 3mm thick, 1 meter long.

I found a piece of 8cm long 6cm wide 3mm thick aluminum I ended up using as heatbed. I had originalle planned to use some of the 40mm wide aluminum and then attach a larger plate on top from DVD-casing. When I build my Real printer later on, I learned that the material called ABS prints superbly on just Cold Acrylic plate! That Means you do not have to make a heated bed or make fans to cool the printed objects or anything, as ABS does not like fans. ).

Some wire. for the counterweight.

What Is 3d Printing & How Does 3d Printing Work

3D printer troubleshooting – Free step by step help website

Three-dimensional printing, or additive manufacturing, is the process of using additives, such as plastic, to create a physical object based on a 3D model. Virtually anything designed using modeling software can be created by a 3D printer, including toys, instruments, jewelry, and even weapons. Some consider this technology revolutionary for its potential to create brand new types of products and eliminate costly and inefficient manufacturing processes.

How It All Got Started

Although 3D printers have gotten a lot of attention lately, this technology is far from new. In 1983, Charles Hull created a process called stereolithography , which made it possible to form solid objects based on 3D models using CAD . Hull holds various patents that are still used in modern 3D printing. This technology was originally used for creating prototype designs as part of the manufacturing process. It wasnt until recent years that 3D printing became affordable enough to reach a wide audience, which has driven more innovation and spurred a lot of media coverage.

How Do 3D Printers Work?

Here are the steps taken in creating a 3D object:

Step One Produce a 3D model using CAD or equivalent 3D design software.

Step Two Convert the drawing to the STL file format, which is a format developed for use in 3D printers.

Step Three Transfer the STL file to the computer that controls the 3D printer. From there, you can specify the size and orientation for printing.

What are the challenges?

Verify Via The Bed Leveling Routine

Most modern 3D printers include some sort of auto bed leveling routine which goes through all four corners and the center of the buildplate in order to check if the distance between the nozzle and the surface is even. If you start this routine, it will most probably first go to the corner nearest to the end stop of your printer. You can now visually determine if this position is at least in the ballpark of the correct one.

Useful Software And Firmware

Once youve assembled your new 3D printer, youll need something to control it. Basic equipment for designing and printing 3D printed models includes CAD software, slicer software and good firmware.

Do I need a CAD software?

You use CAD software to design your 3D printed models. If youre new to CAD software, you should use it in training sessions or various exercises so that you can both draw and design what you want. There are many training videos available on the Internet, just search by software name.

CAD software is usually somewhat expensive, but many manufacturers offer free versions, such as Autodesk. However, in addition to being able to design objects yourself, you also have the option of downloading object files from MyMiniFactory, Thingiverse or GrabCAD. But there are many other helpful providers as well.

Slicer Software

Once you have a CAD design, a slicer software will prepare it for printing by generating a G-code. The G-code includes the controls that are read by the 3D printer which in turn translates them into movements.

The most popular slicer software is probably Cura. This is a free 3D printer slicing software that you can easily download.;

Another great option is the program Slic3r. Slic3r is also free of charge and offers many interesting functions.;

Firmware

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Remove The Model From The Build Plate

After the print has finished, successfully I hope, you need to remove it from the build plate. The method depends on what material you have printed on. If you printed on a PEI sheet you can remove the sheet and lightly twist it to help break the print free. If you printed directly onto your metal bed you may want to use a tool such as a metal putty knife or similar. There are also specific tools that you can purchase to remove prints from the bed. I use a set of Foreasy 3D printer removal tools;and they have worked well for me,;.

If you have a heated bed be sure to wait until it completely cools down. Once the bed is cool your print should be easy to remove from the plate without much force.

For my PrintrBot play I have a flexible build plate that I can remove and twist to break the print loose. For the calibration cube I was able to pull it off the plate with a little force. For the miniature I removed my removable build plate and twisted it gently. Then I used my build removal tool to gently pry it off. I was much gentler with the miniature as it is more fragile than the calibration cube.

Calibration cube on the build plate:

Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of the miniature on the build plate after printing. However, I do have a picture of the miniature before I removed the supports:

End 3 3d Printer Advantages

Hobbyists, designers, and printing enthusiasts are careful when it comes to the printer theyre using.; If youre a beginner in the 3D printing industry, you should do the same. The Ender 3 3D Printer doesnt disappoint when it comes to its advantages such as the following:;

Fast and easy assembly;
Affordable;

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Items Specific For This Project You Might Have Or Can Find For Free Or Cheaply:

3x stepper motors from old CD/DVD drives. Stepper motors have 4 wires and we want those. Some drives has DC motors with only 2 wires. We can’t use them. No way to tell from the outside unfortunately for sure, but I learned that if you can open the drive using a small clip, it might be a stepper motor. Can’t open most DC drives that way .If we go by motors from CD/DVD drives only we have to make a counterweight on the Z axis. If you can find a floppy drive to salvage you can do without counterweight. The Z height will be down to about 2cm with a floppy drive motor though! Need a stepper motor here also.I actually just tossed some DVD drives a few weeks back, so had to buy mine . I found 6 of them at £5 or so.

A normal powersupply from a computer. The standard ATX powersupply can give us the 5v, and 12v we need. These can be bought very cheaply as well. Can also easily get 7v from it if needed at some point.You might have a 12v 8-15+ amperage black-brick powersupply somewhere. I had two of those, I once used for my Computer .

A small fan around 30-40mm x 30-40mm to cool extruder head. Any old fan will do as long as you can attach it to blow at the extruder head.

Get Started With Sla 3d Printing

Formlabs offers two high precision SLA 3D printing systems, a growing library of specialized materials, intuitive print preparation and management software, and professional servicesall in one package.

To continue exploring SLA 3D printing, start with feeling the quality of SLA for yourself: Request a free sample 3D printed part in your choice of material to be mailed straight to your door.

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Different 3d Printing Processes

The term 3D printing technically refers to the development of any object from the ground up. This offset of additive manufacturing makes use of different processes to help accomplish this job. Regardless of the process used, the idea behind the creation of objects using 3D printing technology remains the same; starting from the production of a 3D model using computer-aided design software to the setting up of the machine. However, the actual process used to create the physical object varies.

There are four different types of 3D printing processes that you are likely to encounter, and they are as follows:

Stereolithography
Multi-Jet Modeling

Preparing And Connecting Our Wires

HOW TO BUILD A PRUSA I3 MK2 3D PRINTER : Step by step guide to build a cheap DIY 3D Printer (Part 1)

The reason why we use more than just 1 wire for the 11Amp plug is because if we used just 1 wire it might heat up some. We are at a very low wattage here, but better safe than sorry.

A single 18 Gauge /1,2mm wire can handle up to 12V 10Amp. So, using 2 wires we are far within the comfortable limits and a single wire on the 5v is ample as well.

If you want to do some conversions on your own, you find the overview on the above link and a SWG/mm calculator here.

When Building my larger real 3D printer I looked i up Again and found a US safety regulation for shipping where they use 12v and using a 1.5mm2 wire is plenty for everything below 20amp. No harm in being on the safe side and use 2 though.

12V 11Amp cable

I’m going to use the 2 yellow and 2 Black that goes to my 4pin . I cut off the plug, strip the last 1cm of each wire and twist both the yellows together and the same for the blacks.

The yellow goes into the “top” most input. The one that is going to sit next to the area marked as D8 on the PCB of the Ramps board. The black wires are placed next to the yellow ones. See Photos.

12V 5A cable.

I have a wire with only 2 Sata power cables. I cut that to the same length as the 12v 11A cable. I connect the yellow wire next to the allready attached black wires and twist the two black wires and place them into the last spot in he connector. See the Photos.

I use both black wires as I would have to remove one of them otherwise.

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