Aleph Objects AO-100 User manual

ProductManual
AO -100

READ TH S MANUAL COMPLETELY
BEFORE UNPACK NG AND POWER NG UP
YOUR PR NTER
This information guide is also available at
AlephObjects.com. There you can find more information
including images and videos.
Hazards and Warnings
WARN NG before you unpackage or use your printer:
This 3D printer is a machine with motorized and heated
parts. When the printer is in operation always be aware of
possible hazards.
ELECTR C SHOCK HAZARD: Never touch the
electronics board when the printer is powered. Always
power down the printer and completely turn offand
unplug the power supply before touching or removing any
wires from the electronics board. NEVER touch the screw
terminals on the power supply when the AC plug is
plugged into a power socket.
STAT C CHARGE: Make sure to ground your selfbefore
touching the printer, especially the electronics.
Electrostatic charge can burn up electronic components.
To ground yourselftouch a grounded source. An easy way
to ground your selfis to rinse your hands in the sink.

BURN HAZARD: Never touch the extruder nozzle or
heater block with out first turning offthe extruder heat
and allowing it to completely cool down. Also, never touch
recently extruded plastic. The plastic can stick to your skin
and cause burns. Also beware ofthe heated bed which can
reach up to temperatures 120C.
F RE HAZARD: Never place flammable materials or
liquids on or near the printer when powered or in
operation.
P NCH HAZARD: When the printer is in operation take
care to never put your fingers in the moving parts
including the belts, pulleys, or gears. Also, tie back long
hair or clothing that can get caught in the moving parts of
the printer.
AGE WARN NG: For users under the age of18, adult
supervision is recommended. Beware ofchoking hazards
around small children.

Unpacking nstructions
1. Remove the plastic bag containing instructions, cords, and small
parts
2. Remove the top foam padding
3. Slowly remove the two smaller foam pads. One ofthese pads will
contain the plastic filament spool.
4. Remove the bubble wrapped power supply.
5. Grab the top ofthe wrapped printer on the top center where you
will feel two lengths ofsquare aluminum tubing. Holding the top two
tubes, SLOWLY pull the printer upwards out ofthe box. The two large
side foam pads should fall offwhen the printer is out ofthe box.
6. Set you printer on a stable level surface.
7. Gently unwrap the pink ESD plastic covering the printer. Lightly
lift the printer to slide the plastic wrapping from under the printer.
8. Using scissors or wire cutters, cut and remove the two ORANGE
plastic straps. One strap is located on the bottom front ofthe printer
on the print bed. The other strap is around the extruder carriage and
X axis. Make sure to not cut any ofthe surrounding wires or belts.
9. Find the item list attached to the plastic bag ofparts. Before you
move on to setting up your printer make sure all ofthe items on the
list are in your package.
10. Remove the four clamps above and below the x-end motor mount
and idler. See image to locate the clamps that need to be removed.
Loosen and remove the wing nut and screw on each ofthe four
clamps. Remove each of
the four clamps by
popping them offofthe
smooth rod. Keep the
clamps and hardware
for future use ifyou
need to ship or
transport your printer.

Setup
1. Your printer has been pre-calibrated and tested; however, after
unpacking you will need to double check that everything is in order
before you print.
2. You should set your printer on a stable, flat, and level surface large
enough for extra space around the printer. Make sure your printer
work space is clear ofanything that could obstruct the movement of
the printer. Make sure there are no flammable fabrics or liquids near
the printer space. t is also best to not put your printer near a drafty
window or air conditioner vent.
3. Check that the three mechanical end-stops are aligned to contact
with the respective ends. The mechanical end-stops are small switches
located at the home point ofeach axis
5. Make sure none ofthe wires have come unplugged from the RAMPS
electronics board. fany wires have come unplugged in shipping or
unpacking please see the reference image on page ??? to find where
the unplugged wire(s) need(s) to
be plugged back in.
6. Remove the SDRAMPS module
from its bag. Plug in the
SDRAMPS module into the 2x4
female plug on the top right ofthe
RAMPS board. The image to the
right shows the location and
orientation ofthe SDRAMPS
module after being installed on
the RAMPS electronics (Fig 2.1).
7. Unwrap the power supply, USB cable, and sample plastic filament.
MAKE SURE THE POWER SUPPLY S COMPLETELY
UNPLUGGED BEFORE MOV NG ON TO THE NEXT STEP
8. Plug the loose black plug coming from the printer into the black
plug from the power supply.
9. Set the AC power setting on the side ofthe power supply. You will
Fig. 2.1

need to set it to 110V or 220V depending on your location.
10. Plug in the USB cable, B plug (square plug) side, into the USB
receptacle on the printer electronics. Plug the other end ofthe USB
cable, A plug side, into your computer.
11. Make sure the printer power switch is turned off(the circle side
should be depressed). Plug in the green RAMPS power plug from the
power supply into the matching green receptacle in the RAMPS
electronics. Make sure the screw terminals on the plug are facing out
from the printer. Now you can plug in the AC power plug from the
power supply into an AC power outlet.
12. Locate the plastic filament spool (Fig. 2.2). Locate and loosen the
three wingnuts on the upper arms.
Completely loosen and remove the
three wingnuts and washers. Slide
each ofthe three arms offofthe
screws (Fig. 2.3). Turn each arm 90
degrees outwards from the spool
until the arm is parallel with the
lower arms. Replace the washers
and wingnuts and tighten (Fig. 2.4).
Fig 2.2
Fig 2.3 Fig 2.4

13. Locate the filament guide
with attached PTFE tube (fig.
2.7). Locate the top most
aluminum extrusion that
faces the side ofthe
filament spool (fig. 2.8).
n the extrusion you
will find two loose t-slot
nuts. The filament
guide attaches to the
printer by screwing in
the two bolts through
the filament guide into
the t-slot nuts. First
thread the two bolts
into the t-slot nuts. Fig. 2.7
13. Remove the large wing nut
from the back ofthe spool.
Take offone washer leaving
the other three on the spool
mounting bolt. Now locate the
spool mount arm on the top
left facing the rear ofthe
printer (fig. 2.5). Slide the
spool mounting bolt through
the hole in the spool mount
arm. From the back ofthe
spool mount arm slide the one
washer on to the spool
mounting bolt and tighten on
the wing nut (fig. 2.6). Now
turn the filament spool to
make sure it turns freely.
Fig. 2.5
Fig. 2.6

Leave the bolts loose enough so the filament guide can slide back and
forth across the extrusion. Set the filament guide 1.5-2cm away from
the end ofthe lower arms ofthe filament spool (fig. 2.9). Once the
filament guide is set in place, tighten down the two bolts.
Loading Filament
Loosen the three wing nuts on the upper arms ofthe filament spool.
Turn the upper arms 90 degrees upwards away from the printer.
Remove a 5lb coil offilament from the plastic packaging, leaving the
twist ties on. Slide the coil over the spool upper arms. Lower the three
upper arms and re-tighten the wing nuts. Now the twist ties can be
removed. Keep the twist ties for future use ifyou ever need to remove
the filament to change to a different filament. Put the twist ties back
on the filament coil before pulling offofthe spool. Feed the end ofthe
filament through the filament feed tube.
13. Locate the filament guide
with attached PTFE tube (fig.
2.7). Locate the top most
aluminum extrusion that
faces the side ofthe
filament spool (fig. 2.8).
n the extrusion you
will find two loose t-slot
nuts. The filament
guide attaches to the
printer by screwing in
the two bolts through
the filament guide into
the t-slot nuts. First
thread the two bolts
into the t-slot nuts.
Fig. 2.8 Fig. 2.9

Software
Aleph Objects, nc. completely supports free/libre hardware and
software. Along with the AO-100 being a free/libre hardware design, it
has been tested to work with free/libre software.
To operate your desktop 3D printer you will need to install a few
software packages onto your PC. You will need a 3D printer host, an
.stl to .gcode generator, and optional CAD or 3D modeling software.
All ofthe following free/libre software is available for GNU/Linux,
Windows, and Mac. However, we highly recommend using these
softwares on GNU/Linux. Many ofthe major updates and development
is completed first for use on GNU/Linux and then later built for
Windows and Mac.
The required software can be found in the Downloads section at
www.AlephObjects.com. You will also find there instructions for
installing each software on your PC. Make sure to select the software
version that corresponds with the AO-100 3D printer and the
operating system you are using.
.Gcode Generator: Slic3r
The Slic3r software is the first tool in the chain of3D printing
software. Slic3r uses commonly used .STL (Stereolithography) files to
create .gcode files. Gcode files contain instructions for the 3D printer
on where, when, and how fast to make movements. However, .gcode
programming is not very suitable for CAD and 3D design. This is
where Slic3r and the .STL file comes into use. The .STL file is a 3D
model file that can be exported by all common CAD and 3D modeling
software. The Slic3r software then slices the .STL 3D model in to layers
and print paths to create a 3D printable .gcode file.

To launch Slic3r navigate to the Slic3r directory and launch the
slic3r.pl file. On GNU/Linux operating systems you may need to set
the slic3r.pl file as executable.
Slic3r includes very simple settings that allow you to easily refine
prints. You can create multiple configurations for changing printer
setups including nozzle sizes and desired print resolution. For ease of
use we have pre-defined Slic3r configurations available in the
Downloads section at www.AlephObjects.com. Download the
configurations to your Slic3r directory.
To load configurations press the LoadConfig... button. n the file
browser that opens, locate the downloaded configuration files. Select
the configuration file that matches the nozzle size currently installed
on the printer (0.5mm nozzle is installed with printer shipment). Press
Open and the pre-defined configuration will load into Slic3r. You can
also save custom configurations for your selfby pressing the Save
Config... button. A file browser will open that allows you to define a
name and save your custom configuration.
Slic3r software GU

To load an .STL 3D model file into Slic3r, activate the Plater tab and
click the Add... button. n the file browser navigate to the .STL you
wish to load and click Open. The silhouette ofthe model will appear in
the Plater diagram. To print more than one copy ofthe model at a
time select the model name from the list and click the More button.
With each press ofthe More button an additional copy ofthe model
will be added to Plater. To remove a copy ofthe model select the
model name again and click Less. To completely remove the model
from Plater select the model name and click Delete.
Once you have finished setting your part(s) in Plater you can generate
the .gcode by clicking Export G-Code... n the file browser navigate to
where you would like to save the .gcode file and list a name to save the
file as. Click Save and Slic3r will begin generating the .gcode file.
When Slicer is finished you will receive a prompt. fyou have created
a plate with multiple model designs you can also use the Export STL...
function to save an .STL file for quickly reproducing the same plate of
models.
For more information on custom configurations and other Slic3r
functions see the Slic3r page in the Downloads section at
www.AlephObjects.com.
Host Software: Printrun
The host software, Printrun, is used to start up and control your 3D
printer. The host controls include: setting the extruder and print
surface temperatures, manual control ofeach axis, and manual
extrusion. The host is also where you will push print files (.gcode) to
the 3D printer or load print files from the SD card for printing out
model designs.
To launch Printrun, navigate to the Printrun directory and launch the
pronterface.py file. On GNU/Linux operating systems you may need
to set the pronterface.py file as executable.

To launch Printrun navigate to the Printrun directory and launch the
pronterface.py file. On GNU/Linux operating systems you may need
to set the pronterface.py file as executable.
Connecting the Printer
To start up the printer, first you will need to connect to the printer
with Printrun. Make sure have connected the USB cable from your PC
to the printer before launching Printrun. fnot, close Printrun,
connect the USB cable, and relaunch Printrun. n the top left Port pull
down menu select the correct port for the printer (generally ACM# or
USB#). fyou only have one printer connected there will only be one
port available to select. Make sure the port baud rate is set to 115200 in
the pull down menu to the right ofthe port selection.
Now, to connect to the printer click the Connect button. n the text
output window you will see multiple return lines. fyou see Printer is
now online you have succesfully connected to the printer. The printer
control buttons on the left will also darken and become clickable after
connecting. When you need to disconnect the printer simply press the
Disconnect button.
Printrun software GU

Printer Controls
All ofthe printer controls can be found on the left side ofthe Printrun
interface. To set the hot end and print surface temperature first click
the Monitor Printer check box on. This will enable the printer
temparature bars and graph. The hot end and print surface controls
are labeled Heater and Bed . Select the temperature setting by using
the pull down
menu for pre-
defined
temperature
settings. You can
also set custom
temperature
settings by typing
into the
temperature box.
To turn on the hot
end and/or printer
surface click the
respective Set
button. The Set
button will
highlight Orange
when the
temperature is set
to on for that
component. When the hot end or print surface is set to on you will see
the the temperature bar and graph display the set temperature and
the current temperature. When both components have reached the
correct temperature the printer is ready for printing. Clicking the Off
button will turn offthat component and highlight the Offbutton blue.
Printer controls

Below the temperature controls are the manual extrusion controls.
There you can manually extrude plastic through the hot end and
retract the plastic filament from the hot end. The Extrude button will
feed the amount ofplastic, set to the right in mm, through the hot end.
The rate at which the plastic is fed is set below the extrusion length
(mm/min). The Reverse button will perform the opposite ofExtrude,
pulling the plastic filament back out ofthe hot end.
The large pattern ofbuttons above the temperature controls are the
axes manual controls. These functions allows you to manually move
each ofthe three axes ofthe printer. The circular pattern offour
quadrants controls the X and Y axes. The top and bottom quadrants
move the Y axis; the top in the positive direction (forward) and the
bottom in the negative direction (back). The left and right quadrants
move the X axis; the left in the negative direction (left) and the right
in the positive direction (right).
Each quadrant is split into four sections that control the length of
movement of0.1mm, 1mm, 10mm, or 100mm. The innermost section
moves the axis 0.1mm with each section outwards a larger movement
with the outside section moving the axis 100mm.
The linear control bar to the right controls the Z axis. The Z axis is
also seperated into multiple movement lengths; 0.1mm, 1mm, and
10mm. The upper three buttons move the Z axis up and away from the
printer surface; the three lower buttons move the Z axis closer to the
print surface.
The four triangular buttons around the circular pattern are the axes
home buttons. Each home button will move that axis in the negative
direction until the end stop is activated. There is a home button for the
X,Y, and Z axes. There is also a white home all button that homes all of
the axes at once. The Motors off button will deactivate all motors
allowing all ofthe axes to be moved by hand.

Caution: when homing, the axis will continue to move in the negative
direction until the end stop switch is activated. fthe printer is ever
transported make sure the end stop switches are in the correct
position before printing. The end stops should be aligned so they will
be activated by the axes.
Loading Print Files
To load a .gcode file into Printrun click the Load file button. Navigate
to the .gcode file in the file browser and click Open . You will now see a
2D images ofthe first
layer ofyour model
design in the G-code
viewer. Click the G-
code viewer window to
see a more detailed
version ofthe sliced
model. n the pop-out
G-code viewer you can
zoom in using the
mouse scroll wheel and
flip through layers
with the up and down
arrow keys.The lines
shown in the G-code
viewer represent the
path the extrusion
nozzle will follow to print the model.
For more information on using Printrun see the Printrun page in the
Downloads section at www.AlephObjects.com. nstructions for
running a print can be found in the Starting the First Print section in
this manual.
G-Code Viewer

CAD and 3D Modeling Software
Currently Aleph Objects, nc. is not distributing a CAD or 3D
modeling software package. However, there are multiple
free/libre software packages available. Other common non-free
CAD and 3D modeling software would also be capable ofexporting
the required .STL files.
CAD Software
FreeCAD: free-cad.sourceforge.net
Although still in development, FreeCAD is a great free/libre CAD
software. Containing a full GU for building CAD models, FreeCAD is
capable ofcreating simple to complex designs. STL files can also easily
be exported for use with 3D printing. FreeCAD is available for
GNU/Linux, Windows, and Mac
3D Modeling Software
Blender: blender.org
The most widely used Free/Libre 3D modeling software, Blender is
well documented with tutorials available on the Blender.org website.
Numerous video tutorials can be also found online.

Printing your first print!
Make sure to first read the instructions for using the Printrun
software. Connect to the printer. Set the hot end and print surface for
ABS plastic and turn both on. fyou have not already, make sure the
axes end stops are aligned to be triggered when each axis homes. Click
the Motors Offbutton.
Once the hotend is heated to the correct temperature you will now
need to load the plastic filament
into the extruder. Loosen the two
idler bolts (turn the black plastic
knobs by hand) to take pressure off
ofthe idler springs. Pull both idler
screws upwards to release the
idler. The idler can be turned
downwards allowing access to the
hobbed bolt and filament feed
hole. Feed the end ofthe plastic
filament into the filament feed
hole. Now you can push the
filament through the extruder by
slowly pushing the filament down
into the hot end.
Once the filament extrudes a small
amount out ofthe nozzle raise the
idler back into place. Slide the two
idler bolts and springs back into
place. Tighten the two idler bolts
so that the spring coils are around
2mm apart. Now use the Extrude
button in Printrun to test that the
extruder is working properly.
Extruder
Filament feed hole

Use the home buttons to home the X axis and then the Y axis. Next
home the Z axis. When the Z axis is at home the nozzle tip should
sitting right against the glass. The nozzle should not be pushing down
on the print surface. To lower or raise
the Z home height adjust the Z end stop
trigger. The end stop trigger is on the
far left ofthe printer near the print
surface. The end stop trigger can be
lowered by turning clockwise and raised
by turning counter-clockwise. Once you
have homed the axes and the hotend
and bed have reached the correct
temperature it is time to print!
Load your first test .gcode file. The
.gcode pattern should appear in the
Printrun G-Code viewer. Press the
Print button to begin the print. When the print starts make sure the
first layer is not printing too close or too far from the print bed. Note
the image below
as an example of
a good first layer
height. fthe
first layer is too
high or low you
can pause the
print by pressing
the Pause button.
Adjust the Z end
stop trigger.
After making
adjustments you can home the axes and press Restart to restart the
print.
Z End-stop Trigger
First Layer Filament Thickness

After the part is finished printing, the heated bed will automatically
cool down to 60C. fyou are printing PLA you will need to turn the
heated bed off. Once the bed cools you can you pop the finished part
offofthe printed surface. Make sure to reset the heated bed to the
correct temperature and allow it to heat up to the needed
temperature before starting the next print.