B3 innovations Pico User manual
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Setup Notes
n Use Marlin Thermistor Table No. 1 for the 300°C
(100K Thermistor)
n
Download the B3 500 Celsius Thermistor Table for
the 500 Celsius Thermistor from the Downloads page
on B3innovations.com
n
Before printing with Pico, tighten nozzle while Pico
is at 250°C. Note: an intended small gap will be
present. See Page 5 for further explanation
n
B3 highly recommends the use of
the included lament lter to remove
particulates from the surface of the lament
before entering the extruder. A few drops of
vegetable oil on the lter media will further
reduce the likelihood of jams for PLA.
Table of Contents
Mounting Pico hot-end ........................1
Fan Position | Specs | Shroud...................2
Setting Z-Height .............................2
Ensure Proper Alignment with Extruder............3
Starting a Print ..............................3
Material Printing Temperatures ..................4
Assembly ..................................4
Maintenance................................7
Troubleshooting .............................8
Pico User Guide 1
Mounting Pico hot-end
Flat Plate Mount
Secure Pico using a
13mm open-end wrench
on body ats.
Mate the chamfered side
of the at plate mount
with the threads of Pico.
Hand-tighten the mount clockwise until seated snugly.
Do not twist the wrench, only twist the mount with your
hand.
Groovemount
Lead the threads of
Pico into the face of
the mount with the
countersunk hole.
Bowden Groovemount
First secure the Bowden
tting to the Bowden
groovemount. Use a
2mm allen key on the
inside of the M5 tting
or a 4mm allen key
for the ⅛ inch NPT
tting. Follow steps in
Groovemount to secure onto Pico.
2 Pico User Guide
Fan Position |Specs |Shroud
Recommended fan size is 40mm with a range of 5 CFM
to 8 CFM. (You may need to limit fan speed with 6 CFM
fan or more to prevent over-cooling).
Position the fan 30-50mm away from Pico. It is best to
use a non-restrictive shroud/deector to direct air ow
only at the cooling ns and not the melt zone.
PLA: Fan required ABS/Nylon: Fan recommended PC: Fan not required
DO NOT SCALE DRAWING
K131247001_Stig-Wahlstrom
SHEET 1 OF 1
UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED:
SCALE: 1:1
WEIGHT:
REV
DWG. NO.
A
SIZE
TITLE:
NAME
DATE
COMMENTS:
Q.A.
MFG APPR.
ENG APPR.
CHECKED
DRAWN
FINISH
MATERIAL
INTERPRET GEOMETRIC
TOLERANCING PER:
DIMENSIONS ARE IN INCHES
TOLERANCES:
FRACTIONAL
ANGULAR: MACH
BEND
TWO PLACE DECIMAL
THREE PLACE DECIMAL
APPLICATION
USED ON
NEXT ASSY
PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS
DRAWING IS THE SOLE PROPERTY OF
<INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE>. ANY
REPRODUCTION IN PART OR AS A WHOLE
WITHOUT THE WRITTEN PERMISSION OF
<INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE> IS
PROHIBITED.
5
4
3
2
1
SolidWorks Educational Edition.
For Instructional Use Only.
Setting Z-Height
Using a sheet of normal paper as a gauge, slide it
between the nozzle and the print bed in order to nd
the optimal Z-height. (The nozzle should just start to
grab the paper when sliding it back and forth).
30-50mm
Deector
Pico User Guide 3
Ensure Proper Alignment
with Extruder
While Pico is cool, use a straight 3mm or 1.75mm
section of plastic lament or rod made of non-abrasive
material (to prevent scratching inner bore) to check for
a smooth transition between Pico hot-end and extruder.
Adjust extruder or Pico position if needed.
Starting a Print
Turn Fan On When You Begin Always turn the fan on
before warming up Pico. High uctuations in fan airow
during prints may cause jamming.
Hot Loading and Hot Unloading Filament When
loading lament, cut the end of the lament to an even
point or one-sided slant and insert when fan is on and
Pico is at its printing temperature.
To prevent clogs, you must swiftly unload lament when
fan is on and Pico is at least 75 percent of lament
printing temperature.
Purge Pico When Pico reaches printing temperature,
purge Pico by feeding in 30 -60mm of lament at an
intermediate speed (too fast may strip lament at the
extruder).
Print immediately after purging.
4 Pico User Guide
Material Printing Temperatures
Print at Higher Temperatures
ABS: 220-265°C PC: 260-310°C Nylon: 240-280°C
PLA: 180-240°C (The majority is closer to 220-240°C)
B3 recommends printing at higher temperatures (about
20 to 30°C) than standard printing for most laments.
To print at temperatures of 300°C or more, you may
need to change MAXTEMP in your printer rmware.
Assembly
Nozzle Replacement
n Removing Brass Nozzle To remove or replace
nozzle, rst put on proper heat protective gloves and
clear the area of combustible material.
Make sure fan is on and Pico hot-end is at least 75
percent of lament printing temperature. It is always
best to rst retract lament (See: Hot Loading and Hot
Unloading Filament).
Pico User Guide 5
After lament has been retracted or removed, use a
13mm open-end wrench/spanner on Pico body ats
and a 7mm shallow socket head and ratchet or driver
on the brass nozzle counter-clockwise.
n Inserting Brass Nozzle Brass nozzle is designed
to sit slightly below the nozzle shoulder and Pico hot-
end bottom. A small allowance gap is present, allowing
the seat and compression to occur at the 45 degree
chamfer inside Pico.
To insert a nozzle, make sure threads and compression
surfaces of both Pico hot-end and brass nozzle are
clean (See: Maintenance— Cleaning Threads).
Use a 13mm open-end wrench on Pico body ats and
a 7mm shallow socket head and ratchet or driver on
the brass nozzle to turn clockwise to a snug t.
Thermistor Replacement
n Removing Thermistor Assembly Be sure your
printer is powered down and Pico is cool to the touch.
Disconnect the thermistor wires leading into your
printer’s electronics.
Carefully cut and remove the supplementary heat shrink
strain relief securing the thermistor wires to the heater
wires.
Grasp the spring as close to the Pico body as
possible and gently unscrew the thermistor spring
counterclockwise until it is free.
6 Pico User Guide
n Inserting Thermistor Assembly Be sure your
printer is powered down and Pico is cool to the touch.
Grasp the spring as close to the glass bead of the
thermistor as possible and gently screw the thermistor
spring clockwise until the thermistor seats rmly against
the bottom of the threaded thermistor hole.
Using heat shrink or a zip tie, secure thermistor wires to
the heater wires being careful not to leave a sharp bend
in the spring strain relief.
Reconnect the thermistor wires leading into your
printer’s electronics.
Pico User Guide 7
Maintenance
Cleaning threads Changing nozzles may require
removing plastic from the brass and stainless steel
threads to ensure a good seal between the nozzle and
Pico body.
This can be accomplished with a combination of
acetone, tweezers, sharp objects (needle, toothpick,
hobby knife etc.), and/or a spiral wire brush that can be
found in any small gauge gun-cleaning kit.
For Pico inner threads: it is best to leave Pico attached
to your printer with the brass nozzle o, the heat on and
Z axis raised high. With the aid of a mirror, use tools to
clean plastic from between threads, being careful not to
scratch the inner bore of Pico.
For brass nozzle: it is best to soak the brass nozzle in
acetone for at least 24 hours. Then use a wire brush or
hobby knife to carefully scrape away soft plastic. Avoid
contact with the chamfer as this will scratch the seal
surface.
Cleaning the inner bore of Pico Wear proper safety
equipment. Conduct procedure in a well-ventilated
area. Note: Autoignition of acetone is 465°C
This process may be easier to complete while Pico is
unmounted but still electrically connected and safely
secured in a suitable open working area.
Remove any loaded lament while Pico is hot (See:
Starting a Print—Hot Loading and Hot Unloading
Filament).
8 Pico User Guide
Remove the nozzle while Pico is hot (See: Removing
Brass Nozzle).
Clear out any remaining lament (See: Removing nozzle
and pushing lament through).
Soak cotton stem (not plastic stem) from a cotton swab
in acetone. (For 3mm Pico, some cotton may need
to be removed from the end of a cotton swab. For
1.75mm Pico, all the cotton may need to be removed
from the end of a cotton swab.)
While Pico is still at printing temperature, swab the inner
bores with soaked cotton swabs multiple times from
both openings of Pico until clean.
Troubleshooting
How to clear a jam in upper portion of Pico If a jam
occurs and no plastic is extruding, unload lament if
possible.
Turn the fan o and allow Pico to heat up 20-30
degrees above printing temperature of material (stay
within rated thermistor temperature limits).
Once heat creeps upwards (remove lament if you have
not already) cut new lament to a point and load into
Pico with aid of the extruder.
Extrude at a continuous high rate while quickly
dropping to print temperature and slowly ramping fan
up to speed.
Pico User Guide 9
Removing nozzle and pushing lament through to
clear Pico Ensure Pico is at printing temperature with
the fan o throughout this process.
Remove nozzle with 7mm socket (See: Nozzle
Replacement).
Cut a generous amount of lament to use in clearing
the bore, preferably PC. Never insert a metal object
inside Pico.
Quickly feed the cut portion of lament through the top
of Pico.
Once you see the solid (unmolten) portion of lament
emerge from the bottom, quickly grab lament with
pliers and pull remainder through the bottom.
For more troubleshooting ideas
visit B3innovations.com
A product of B3 Innovations, LLC.
Packaged and distributed by B3 Innovations, LLC,
PO Box 381481, Cleveland, Ohio 44136 USA
Toll free: 1(844) 238-4733
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.b3innovations.com
Pico User Manual Rev.2 12-2014
Table of contents
