MakerBot Replicator 2X Guide

TROUBLESHOOTING
AND MAINTENANCE
®

1TROUBLESHOOTING 04
Objects Do Not Stick to the Build Plate 05
Objects are Dicult to Remove from the Build Plate 05
Extrusion Stops 06
Replicator 2X Shakes 07
Filament Not Loading 08
Filament Stuck 09
Disassembling an Extruder 10
LCD Error Messages 11
Misaligned Nozzles 14
MakerBot MakerWare Error Messages 16
MakerBot Support 21
Dos and Don’ts 21
Tools You May Find Useful 22
Diagnosing Print Quality Issues 23
2MAINTENANCE 28
Leveling the Build Plate 29
Replacing Kapton Tape 31
Lubricating the Z-Axis Rod and Idler Pulley 32
Realigning the Gantry 34
Tightening the X- and Y-Axis Pulleys 35
Filament Care 36
Adjusting Extruder Spring Tension 36
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3TABLE OF CONTENTS

Troubleshooting
1

PRINTING ISSUES
INTRODUCTION
5TROUBLESHOOTING
OBJECTS DO NOT STICK TO THE
BUILD PLATE
If printed objects are not sticking to the
build plate, try these solutions:
• Re-level your build plate by going to the
LCD menu and navigating to Utilities
> Level Build Plate. Inconsistent plate
height will lead to inconsistent adhesion.
If any one part of your object does not
adhere well to the plate, the whole object
might peel o the plate. Try leveling the
plate again using a thinner piece of paper
or feeler gauge to check the distance
between the nozzle and the build plate.
• Ensure that the plate is clean. Bubbles,
scratches, dust, and oil from your hands
can prevent objects from sticking to the
Kapton tape. Wipe down the build plate
with a clean, lint-free cloth.
• Increase the temperature of the build
plate by ve degrees. You can change
the temperature of the build plate in the
Advanced Options section in the Make
dialog in MakerWare.
• If you continue to have adhesion problems,
loosen each of the plate-leveling knobs
about a quarter of a turn to bring the plate
slightly closer to the nozzles.
OBJECTS ARE DIFFICULT TO REMOVE
FROM THE BUILD PLATE
If printed objects are dicult to remove
from the build plate, try these solutions:
• Wait for the build plate to cool down.
Objects will detach more easily when
both the plastic and the plate are cool.
• Use a metal cra spatula and carefully
work the blade under the edge of the
object. When the blade is under the
object, twist the handle slightly. The
object should come free.
This Troubleshooting and Maintenance Guide is designed as a companion
to your MakerBot Replicator 2X User Guide. In the first section you will
find troubleshooting solutions to common problems you may come
across when using your Makerbot Replicator 2X. In the second section
we explain several methods for keeping your MakerBot Replicator 2X well
maintained. Referring to this guide will help ensure that you continue to
make amazing things with your MakerBot Replicator 2X.

PRINTING ISSUES CONTINUED
6
EXTRUSION STOPS
There are a few problems that can cause
your MakerBot Replicator 2X to stop
extruding. Use this checklist to determine
the cause and appropriate solution.
•Is your extruder motor rotating? Use a
marker to draw a line across the end
of the motor sha that is visible at the
back of the motor. When the extruder is
running, you should be able to see the
sha turning. The sha may sometimes
reverse direction in order to retract
filament, but during extrusion it should
be moving at a slow but constant rate. If
the sha does not turn, or stops turning,
please get in touch with MakerBot
Support and we’ll help you figure out
what’s going on. [Fig 1.1]
•Is your filament tangled? Check that the
spool is spinning smoothly on the mount.
•Is the build plate too close to the
extruder? If so, there might not be room
for the plastic to come out of the extruder.
If your extruder stops extruding during the
first or second layer of a build, this usually
indicates that the build plate is too close
to the extruder.
•Is the nozzle clogged? Go to the LCD
menu on your MakerBot Replicator 2X and
navigate to Utilities > Change Filament
> Load right or Load le. Run the Load
script. Observe the plastic as it emerges
from the nozzle. Does it drop straight
down, or curl up toward the extruder? If
it curls back up toward the extruder, the
nozzle may be partially clogged. Contact
MakerBot Support for assistance.
•Still having trouble? You can always get
in touch with [e-mail] for
additional help and information.
Motor shas
Fig. 1.1

7TROUBLESHOOTING
REPLICATOR 2X SHAKES
Your Replicator 2X will shake during printing
if you print at high speeds with acceleration
turned o. Attempting to print at high
speeds with acceleration turned o can
harm your MakerBot Replicator 2X.
To check and change the Acceleration
setting, go to the LCD menu on your
Replicator MakerBot 2X and navigate to
Info and Settings > General Settings >
Accelerate. You can turn acceleration o and
on. You can also do this using the Onboard
Preferences in MakerWare or ReplicatorG.
Acceleration is turned on by default. If you
have acceleration turned o, you should not
print at speeds above 40 mm/s.
PRINTING ISSUES CONTINUED

8
PRINTING ISSUES CONTINUED
FILAMENT NOT LOADING
If you are having problems loading lament
into one of the extruders, perform the
following steps:
1. Go to the LCD panel and select Utilities
> Filament Options > Unload. This option
heats the extruders.
2. Set the extruder arm to the open position.
[Fig 1.2]
3. Make a fresh cut at the end of the
lament. It is important that the lament
have no bends in it. If there are bends, cut
o the bent section of lament.
4. Insert the lament into the hole at the top
of the extruder. Keep pushing it in until you
start to see plastic come out of the nozzle.
You might have to apply some pressure.
5. When the lament is successfully loaded, set
the extruder lever arm to the closed position.
If filament doesn’t emerge from the nozzle,
try the following solutions:
• Remove the lament from the top of
the extruder and check for a bend at the
end of the lament. If the lament is bent,
it is possible that the filament is slipping
under the extruder bearing instead of
entering the hot end.
• Remove the extruder fan and assembly
using the instructions in the section
Disassembling an Extruder. This will
allow you to watch the lament travel
through the extruder and determine
where the lament is getting stuck. This
will also allow you to see if a piece of
lament is stuck inside the extruder.
Extruder arms open
Fig. 1.2
Extruder arms closed

FILAMENT STUCK
Filament can swell inside the extruder and
get stuck. If you cannot unload lament
from one of the extruders, do the following:
1. Go to the LCD panel and select Utilities
> Filament Options > Unload. This option
heats the extruders.
2. Set the extruder arm to the open position.
3. Push about half an inch of lament
through the extruder to clear the blockage.
4. Try pulling the lament out of the
extruder again.
If you are unable to unload filament because
it has broken o inside the extruder, you
might not be able to reach inside the
extruder to clear the blockage. In that case,
see the section Disassembling an Extruder.
PRINTING ISSUES CONTINUED
9TROUBLESHOOTING

10
PRINTING ISSUES CONTINUED
DISASSEMBLING AN EXTRUDER
1. Unload the MakerBot Filament from the
extruder. To run the script for unloading
filament, go to the LCD panel and select
Utilities > Filament Options > Unload.
2. Switch o the power on the MakerBot
Replicator 2X and unplug the power supply.
Pull on the connector to release it from the
power input port.
3. Unscrew the two bolts at the lower
corners of the fan guard using your
2.5 mm hex wrench. As one piece, remove
the fan guard, the fan, the heat sink, and the
spacers. Keep these pieces assembled and
move them out of the way.
4. Set the extruder lever arm to the open
position. [Fig 1.2]
5. Unplug the motor wire harness from the
top of the extruder motor and slide the
motor assembly out of the extruder.
6. The extruder is now broken down into its
main assemblies. [Fig 1.3] To remove any
filament stuck in the thermal barrier tube,
turn on the Replicator 2X, run the Unload
script to heat the extruder and use a pair of
pliers to pull the lament free.
Fig. 1.3

11TROUBLESHOOTING
LCD ERROR MESSAGES
Error Message Description
Use the LCD menu to check your target
extruder temperatures. Navigate to Info and
Settings > Preheat Settings to make sure
the extruder temperatures are not set higher
than 300C.
If the extruder temperatures are set to
below 300C, contact MakerBot support.
To clear this message, you will have to
restart your MakerBot Replicator 2X.
Your MakerBot Replicator 2X has
automatically disabled its heaters aer a
period of inactivity as a safety precaution.
Re-start your print or the preheat routine to
reset your heaters.
If your MakerBot Replicator 2X encounters problems during operation, the LCD menu will
display an error message. The following table describes each possible error message.
NOTE: If you see an error message in an unexpected context, please contact MakerBot Support by emailing
[e-mail].

12
LCD ERROR MESSAGES CONTINUED
These messages indicate that your
MakerBot Replicator 2X cannot read the
temperature for one of the extruders.
Ensure that the wires going into your
extruders are securely plugged in or contact
MakerBot Support by emailing
[e-mail].
To clear Heating Errors #3 and 4, you will have
to restart your MakerBot Replicator 2X.
Your MakerBot Replicator 2X cannot read
SD cards larger than 2GB. Try a smaller card.
Your MakerBot Replicator 2X ran into a one-
time problem while reading the SD card. The
problem should not reoccur.

13TROUBLESHOOTING
LCD ERROR MESSAGES CONTINUED
Something might be wrong with your
extruder. Please contact MakerBot Support
by emailing [e-mail].
This is just an informational message. If
you are loading or unloading filament, the
process times out aer ve minutes.
The onboard preheat sequence was
interrupted by instructions sent by the
soware telling the MakerBot Replicator 2X
to change the extruder temperature.
These are the messages you could receive if
your SD card is not formatted correctly or if
there is something wrong with the card. Your
MakerBot Replicator 2X can read SD cards:
• formatted for FAT16 SDSC card
• no larger than 2GB.
Make sure your SD card has not been
removed from the MakerBot Replicator 2X
during printing. If the card is still in its port
on the MakerBot Replicator 2X, there might
be a problem with the card itself. Make sure
the card is formatted correctly.

14
MakerBot executes an alignment script
on every MakerBot Replicator 2X before
shipping. However, if plastic coming from the
two extruders does not appear to be aligned
correctly during dual extrusion prints, you
can run the alignment script again at home.
1. Make sure lament is loaded into
both extruders.
2. To start the nozzle alignment script, go
to the LCD menu and navigate to Utilities >
Calibrate Nozzles.
3. The MakerBot Replicator 2X will heat the
build plate and extruders and then print a
test print for aligning the nozzles.
First, one extruder prints a series of
straight lines parallel to the front of the
build platform, starting at the front le
corner of the platform and extending to
the back le corner of the platform. The
other extruder then prints a second series
of lines, perpendicular to the front of the
build platform and starting at the center of
the platform and extending to the le. The
second extruder then prints a line alongside
each line printed by the rst extruder.
4. When the test print has completed, you
will see two sets of lines. Each set includes
two sets of 13 parallel lines, one set printed
by each extruder. [Fig. 1.4]
Aer the test print is completed, the LCD
menu will provide new instructions and
prompt you for input.
MISALIGNED NOZZLES
Fig. 1.4

MISALIGNED NOZZLES CONTINUED
15TROUBLESHOOTING
5. Look closely at your test print. First look at
the set of lines to the le (the lines that are
parallel to the front of the build plate). Notice
that the rst lines on the le are farther from
the front of the build plate than the first lines
on the right. Examine the lines and nd the
pair of lines that match best. The best match
will look the most like a single continuous line,
with both test lines perfectly centered. Note
the number. This is the best line for the Y axis.
6. Look at the set of lines to the right (the
lines that are perpendicular to the front of the
build plate). Examine the lines and nd the
pair that match best. The best match will look
the most like a single continuous line, with
both test lines perfectly centered. Note the
number. This is the best line for the X axis.
7. The LCD menu will prompt you to enter the
line number that is best for the X axis and the
line number that is best for the Y axis.
8. Use the arrow buttons to select a line
number and the M button to select a line
number. The MakerBot Replicator 2X will
store this information about the locations of
the extruder nozzles and use them to make
future prints align better.

16
MAKERBOT MAKERWARE ERROR MESSAGES
MakerWare displays error messages to help you avoid potential problems and diagnose
existing problems.
INSTALLATION
The following error message could appear during installation of MakerBot MakerWare:
Error Message Description
The installation failed.
The installer encountered an error that
caused the installation to fail. Contact the
soware manufacturer for assistance.
This message appears when installation is
not successful.
Perform the installation steps again. If the
installation fails again, collect as much
information on the failure as you can and
open a Support Ticket by emailing
[e-mail].
Your operating system may not recognize
the drivers MakerWare is installing because
they are specic to MakerWare and to your
MakerBot Replicator 2X. Select “OK” to allow
MakerWare and its device drivers to install.
STARTUP
The following error messages could appear when you open MakerWare:
Error Message Description
Background Service Unavailable.
The background job management service
is not available. Please go to Services ->
Restart Background Service. For more help,
please visit http://www.makerbot.com/
support or email [e-mail]
Conveyor, the background service that
manages print jobs and your computer’s
connection to your Replicator 2X, is
not running. This service is required by
MakerWare.
To restart Conveyor:
1. Go the Services menu.
2. Select Restart Background Service.

17TROUBLESHOOTING
MAKERWARE WINDOW
The following error messages could appear in the main MakerWare window during operation:
Error Message Description
Print failed.
See MakerWare log for more information.
This error message appears when:
• A print is cancelled before completion.
• The MakerBot Replicator 2X is
disconnected from the computer where
MakerWare is running during a print via
USB. Check the USB connection between
the MakerBot Replicator 2X and the
computer.
• Conveyor, the background service, is
unavailable. To restart Conveyor, go to
the Service menu and select “Restart
Background Service.”
Service Error.
No connection to the background service.
This error message appears when:
• You try to print an object while the
background is unavailable.
• You try to export a le while the
background service is unavailable.
To restart Conveyor, the background service:
1. Go the Services menu.
2. Select Restart Background Service.
There are unnished exports in progress.
Closing MakerWare will prevent these les
from being placed in the correct directory.
• Select Cancel to keep MakerWare open
and running until the export completes.
You can then quit MakerWare again.
• Select Close MakerWare to close
MakerWare without nishing the export.
Error Saving [le name and location].
Unable to open le for writing.
This message appears when you try to save
a le to a location that is read-only.
Try saving to another location.
MAKERBOT MAKERWARE ERROR MESSAGES CONTINUED

18
MAKERBOT MAKERWARE ERROR MESSAGES CONTINUED
OPENING A FILE
The following messages could appear when you add an object to the plate:
Error Message Description
The le could not be loaded. It may be an
unsupported le format.
This message appears when you load a file
of a format other than OBJ, STL or Thing, or
a badly formatted STL, OBJ or Thing le.
Error opening file
Couldn’t open [le name]
MakerWare is unable to open the le. This
could appear if you don’t have permissions
to open the le, or if the le is corrupted.
The object is o the platform.
Do you want to put it on the platform?
Select No to leave the object in its
current position.
Select Yes to place the object
on the platform.
This object seems very small. It may have
been designed in inches.
Would you like to scale it to mm?
Select No to leave the object at its
current size.
Select Yes to convert the units of your object
from inches to millimeters. This will resize
the object.
MAKE DIALOG
The following error messages could appear when you try to make something on your
MakerBot Replicator 2X:
Error Message Description
Background Service Unavailable. This error message appears when you try to
Make an object while Conveyor, MakerWare’s
background service, is unavailable.
To restart Conveyor:
1. Go the Services menu.
2. Select Restart Background Service.

19TROUBLESHOOTING
Printer is busy. This message appears when you try to print
something while another print is still in progress.
Print failed.
See MakerWare log for more information.
This error message appears when:
• A print is cancelled before completion.
• The MakerBot Replicator 2X is
disconnected from the computer where
MakerWare is running during a print via USB.
Check the USB connection between the
MakerBot Replicator 2X and the computer.
• Conveyor, the background service, is
unavailable. To restart Conveyor, go to
the Service menu and select “Restart
Background Service.
ONBOARD PREFERENCES
The following error messages could appear when you select the MakerBots > Onboard
Preferences menu entry:
Error Message Description
Error displaying onboard preferences. This message appears when you attempt
to view your Replicator 2X Onboard menu
while your bot is printing.
MAKERWARE ERROR MESSAGES CONTINUED

MAKERBOT SUPPORT
20
MAKERWARE ERROR MESSAGES CONTINUED
UPLOADING FIRMWARE
The following error messages could appear when you try to update the firmware on your
MakerBot Replicator 2X:
Error Message Description
Firmware upload requires an internet
connection.
This message appears when a user selects
the menu entry MakerBots > Upload
Firmware and the computer running
MakerWare is not connected to the internet.
Upload Failure. This message appears when a user
attempts to upload firmware while the
MakerBot Replicator 2X is printing.
HOW TO USE MAKERBOT SUPPORT
At MakerBot, we take pride in oering expert,
responsive, friendly customer support to all
of our customers around the world. When
you email or call us, there are a few things
you can do ahead of time to help us help you.
Have your serial number ready.
We use your serial number to look up your
order and get more complete information
on your MakerBot Replicator 2X. The serial
number is located on the underside of the
MakerBot Replicator 2X.
If you are contacting us via email, be as
thorough as possible.
To get the most helpful support response,
provide as much information as possible
about your issue in your initial email. The more
information we have, the more accurately we
can identify your issue. Additional emails will
reach us, but might push your support request
down in the queue.
Send a photo.
Many issues are easier to diagnose with
photographs. These kinds of issues include:
• Situations where something is physically
damaged or out of place.
• Print quality issues.
• Situations where you believe you
understand the issue, but don’t know the
names of the components involved.