m3d PRO Installation instructions

M3D Pro Disassembly- Alpha
In this guide we will explain how to disassemble the Pro so you can remove the gantry’s and
extruder. You will need a 2.0mm/1.5mm hex screwdriver for the disassembly and you’ll want to be
in a antistatic environment. Some electronics will be exposed during the disassembly and there is
a chance you could damage them. We recommend not working on a carpeted area and to
discharge before working. You can do this by touching something metal (Not the printer) for at
least one second. Wearing an antistatic wrist-wrap would be good. Link for a wrist-wrap here
https://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-Anti-Static-Components-RTK-002-Yellow/dp/B004N8ZQKY/ref=
sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1494531998&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=anti+static+wrist+strap&psc=1
Although, it is highly recommended to use an antistatic wrist-wrap, if you do not have access to
the antistatic wrist-wrap, you can do the repair process by having a metal contact to your body
throughout the repair.
Since the M3D PRO 3D printer is highly static device as there are various PCBs involved, if the
repair process is carried out without following the above recommendation and the customer end
up frying the electronics, they would need to send back their printers to M3D headquarters for
replacement. The printer will still be covered under warranty but the replacement units will only be
send by end of July.
Step 1. The first step will be to remove the front cover from the Pro. To do this you will need to
remove the hex screws from the cover. There are a total of 8 screws in each cover. Four screws
on the top and four screws on the bottom.
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2.

Step 2. Once you have removed all of the screws you can gently start pulling the cover off the
Pro. Try pulling out the top a little first and then move onto the bottom. Keep going back and forth
from top to bottom until the cover is removed.
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Step 3. Once the front cover has been removed move onto the rear cover. The process will be
similar to the front cover. The only difference will be that there is a grommet attached to the cable
assembly on the bottom that may need to be removed to remove the rear cover.
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Step 4. Once the front and back covers are removed you will be left with the box top rails.
These can easily be removed by just lifting them up and off the rods.
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Once the rails are removed be sure to check the rods to make sure all the spring washers are
there. You should have one spring washer on each rod. You may want to remove these and keep
them in a safe place so you do not lose them.
Step 5. If you need to remove the extruder and gantry’s from the rods continue on with this
step. Next you will need to open the software and go to Setting >>> Expert Controls >>> Basic
Controls. Once there you will notice some arrows with letters on them. Please use the Z + arrow to
move the extruder up towards the top. You can use the box in between the Z arrows to increase
the increments at which the extruder moves up and down. Keep moving the extruder up in till it
reaches the top.
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Step.6 Once the extruder has reached the top and cannot go up any more than you should be
able to remove the extruder without issue.

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Step 7. Once you have the extruder and gantry’s removed, you should be able to pull
the rods out of the sliders to remove the extruder from the X rods. If you have one of our
early Pro’s then the rods might have been press fitted on. To remove these you will need
to twist the gantry’s back and forth to loosen the fit and remove the rods.
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Step 8. If you are running into any grinding noises please continue with this step. Once
the extruder is off you should be able to see the X gear and encoder wheel inside the
holes where the X rods are inserted. A encoder wheel rubbing up against the encoder
could be causing your noise issue. Please provide a picture like the one below.

If you cannot get a good shot of the encoder wheel and encode together then please
continue with the next step.
Step.9 In this step we will disassemble the extruder core slightly to get a better photo of the
encoder wheel and encoder. Pinch the bottom of the front cover to remove it.
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Step 10. Once the front cover is off you will need to unplug the fan cable. The fan cable is
located at the top of the “X Board” located on the right side of the extruder motor.
Step 11. Next we will unscrew the two hex screws holding the top of the extruder core in.
These are small so please keep them in a safe place so you do not lose them. When you have
unscrewed the two screws, grab onto the top of the extruder and gently pull it out.

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Step 12. With the extruder core slightly out you should be able to get a better picture of the
inside of the X housing where the encoder wheel and encoder are. You can also insert the X rod
with rack and move it back and forth to see if the encoder wheel is rubbing on the encoder.
Second Method:
In order to remove the print head housing (Extruder Housing + X housing), use the following
procedure.
1. Try to push the print head housing toward you such that you can get access to the cable
assembly screw as shown in the picture below:

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2. Gently pull the cable assembly out as shown in the picture below:

3. After removing the cable assembly, gently push the extruder housing out such you can
get access to the screw that holds the X board as shown in the picture below.
4. Once you remove the X board, very carefully remove the E housing out making sure
not to break the encoder wire that connects the X board to the E housing and X housing.

5. Once you remove the E housing, carefully pull the X housing out. In order to remove
the X housing, you would need to remove the two tabs that are present on the bottom
section of the X housing out from their slots. Refer to the following pictures for
reference.

The above figure shows the two taps (gold) that needs to be pushed up in order to take the X
housing out of the print head body.