Hamilton DIGITAL MEDIA LAB User manual

Makerbot Instructions
1. Turn on the Makerbot. The power switch is on
the rear of the unit near the power cord.
2. Connect the Makerbot to a computer with a USB
cable and open up the Makerbot Desktop
software on the computer. Note that you can
also export your Makerbot file to a USB stick,
which does not require connecting the computer
to the Makerbot. Look for more information
about USB printing further below in this
document.
3. Find an .stl file to load into the Makerbot
software. Try looking at www.thingiverse.com for
designs. Find a file, click “Download All” and
unzip the downloaded file into a folder on the
computer.
4. In the Makerbot software, there are two
important tabs at the top of the screen: Library
and Prepare. The Library tab allows you to load
.stl files into the Makerbot software.
a. On the left-hand side of the screen there is a
button that says New. Click this to start a
new project. A pop-up window will appear,
asking you to name your creation and add a
brief description. You will need to choose a
destination to save your project. You can
create a new folder or use the default folder
already in Makerbot called “My First
Designs”. Then, browse to find the file you
wish to use and select it.
b. Once the file is selected, click Ok. The file
will appear in the Library on the right-hand
side. Clicking on the item in the Library will
bring up details about the object; to see your
object on the print bed, click Prepare.
5. You can also click the Prepare tab to be taken to
the Prepare screen. This screen provides an
outline of the print bed. Editing options are on
the left-hand side of the screen. Clicking these
options once will let you move the object using
your mouse; clicking twice will give you specific
options for each choice. Clicking View will let
you view the object from different angles.
a. Click the Move button to shift your object
around on the print bed.
b. The Turn button allows you to rotate the
object on the X, Y and Z axes. You can also
reset your object’s position.
c. The Scale button lets you change the
dimensions of the item. You can scale
universally or by each axis separately. There
are also buttons for maximum size (which
will fill the build plate) and to reset the scale.
The Home button will reset everything to
default.
6. At the top right of the Prepare screen there are
four buttons. Settings will let you change the
resolution and quality of the print, the
temperature of the extruder and the speed at
which the extruder moves. You can select from
a number of default profiles or create your own.
You can also add or remove rafts and supports
in this section.
•
Add File lets you add an .stl file directly to the
build plate, bypassing the library. Save will let
you save your object to your Makerbot library.
Print will start the print as long as the Makerbot
is connected. If not connected, the Print button
will export the file as a Makerbot print file. From
here you can put the file on a USB stick.
7. Once the print goes to the Makerbot, the
Makerbot will warm up, calibrate and then build

the item. To print from a USB stick, use the knob
on the Makerbot to select Print, choose USB
Storage, and then dial to your item and press
the knob to select the file to print. Click one
more time to confirm the print. When printing
from the computer over a cable, you must
leave the cable plugged in until the print is
finished. The print will not finish if the cable
is unplugged.
8. When the print is finished, click the knob on the
Makerbot to cancel out of the printing menu.
Slide the build plate off of the build platform by
pulling it towards you, and then pry the print off
the bed, being careful to not tear the blue tape.
To print again, follow the same procedure
outlined above.
9. Turn off the machine by flicking the power switch
on the back of the Makerbot.
Unloading Filament
1. Turn on the Makerbot.
2. Locate the filament drawer. Press down the tab
in front of the drawer and lift the filament drawer
up. Hold the tab down until the drawer is fully
extended and locked in place.
3. Lift the filament cover tube out of the extruder.
On the Makerbot menu, use the dial to select the
filament icon on the screen. Press the dial to
select. If there is already filament in the
Makerbot, select Unload Filament and press the
dial. The Makerbot will begin to heat up. Once
heated, the Makerbot will lift the filament out of
the extruder and will notify you on the display.
Pull the filament out of the extruder; tug slightly
to remove.
4. Wind the filament spool with your hand until the
filament is completely free of the tube.
5. Remove the filament spool from the Makerbot by
pulling it towards you.
Loading Filament
1. Turn on the Makerbot.
2. Locate the filament drawer. Press down the tab
in front of the drawer and lift the filament drawer
up. Hold the tab down until the drawer is fully
extended and locked in place.
3. Put a new spool in the drawer. Feed the filament
through the filament tube until it emerges from
the other end.
4. On the Makerbot control panel, use the dial to
select the filament icon. Select Load Filament
and press the dial.
5. Break off a small piece at the end of the
filament. Make sure the end is clean.
6. Once the Makerbot has heated up, feed the
filament into the top of the extruder. Push the
filament in firmly until it catches and begins to
pull on its own. You may need to push harder
than you think to get the filament to catch.
7. Connect the filament tube back to the extruder.
Some filament should now be extruding. It will
stop momentarily, or you can press the dial to
stop the flow.
8. Close the filament drawer

Basic Troubleshooting
•
If the filament jams, open the filament drawer
and check that the filament isn’t caught in the
spool. If it is, loosen or untie the filament.
•
If this doesn’t solve the problem, try doing the
load/unload filament process through the
Makerbot menu to clear the clog. Once cleared,
resume your print.
•
Homing errors sometimes occur; the Makerbot
menu will inform you if this has happened. Press
Okay using the dial and resume the print.
•
Occasionally, the extruder will come loose. It is
connected with magnets, so check that the
connection is firm.