MakerBot Replicator+ Guide

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Printer'Maintenance'
How'to'Power'Cycle'Your'MakerBot'
When'to'Power'Cycle'
If!you!are!expiring!issues!with!your!MakerBot!Replicator+,!it!can!sometimes!help!to!
do!a!power!cycle.!Power!cycling!can!reset!a!device!with!a!minor!problem!like!a!false!
error! message! or! a! control! panel! glitch.! You! will! also! need! to! power! cycle! your!
MakerBot!Replicator+!for!certain!firmware!changes!to!take!effect.!
How'to'Power'Cycle'
To!power!cycle!your!MakerBot!Replicator+,!allow!the!Smart!Extruder+!to!cool!to!at!
least!50!C!and!then!turn!off!your!3D!printer.!Wait!for!at!least!30!seconds!to!allow!the!
electronics!in!your!MakerBot!Replicator+!to!fully!power!down.!Then!turn!it!back!on.!!
Resetting'to'Factory'Settings'
You!may! occasionally!need!to!rest!your!MakerBot!Replicator+!to!factory!settings!in!
order! to! deal! with! issues! such! as! missing! example! files,! problems! with! firmware!
updates,!or!Wi-Fi!connectivity!issues.!!
To!restore!factory!settings,!use!the!control!panel!to!navigate!to!Settings'>'Reset'to'
Factory!Settings.!
Printer'Tips'
Calibrating'the'Z'Offset'
Z! Calibration! allows! you! to! improve! the! quality! of! prints! if! your! prints! are! printing!
poorly.! You! can! recalibrate! the! Z! Offset! directly! on! the!printer! by! going! to! the!
printer’s! main! menu! and! selecting! Info' >' Calibration' >' Calibrate' Z' Offset.! You! can!
also!do!this!through!MakerBot!Print.!
1. Navigate!to!the!Printer!Panel!and!select!the!printer!whose!Z!Offset!you!wish!to!
recalibrate.!
2. Select!Utilities.!
3. Select!Calibration.!
Each! time! you! attach! a! new! Smart! Extruder+,! you! will! need! to! run! the! Z-Axis!
Calibration!routine.! This!process!will!make! sure!the! build!plate! is!positioned! at!the!

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correct! distance! from! the! Smart! Extruder+! when! you! begin! a! print.! To! run! the!
calibration!routine,!select!Z'Calibration!and!then!select!Run'Home'Calibration.!
Manually'Adjusting'the'Z-Axis'Offset'
If!your!rafts!and!first!layers!are!printing!poorly!or!if!your!filament!isn’t!sticking!to!your!
build!plate,! the! Smart! Extruder+! is! probably! printing! a! little! too! far! from! the! build!
plate.!Similarly,!if!no!filament!is!coming!out!of!the!nozzle,!or!you’re!hearing!a!clicking!
noise!when! your! MakerBot!Replicator+!starts!a! print,!your! extruder!may! be!a! little!
too!close!to!the!build!plate.!
To!adjust!the!Z-axis!Offset,!you!will!need!to!have!your!printer!connected!to!MakerBot!
Print:!
1. Navigate!to!the!Printer!Panel!and!select!the!printer!whose!Z!Offset!you!wish!to!
manually!adjust.!
2. Select!Utilities.!
3. Select!Calibration.!
4. Select!Z-Axis'Offset.!
Next,! lower! or! raise! the! distance! between! the! extruder! nozzle! and! the! build! plate!
and! select! Apply' Changes.!We!recommend!changing!this!value!just!one!notch!at!a!
time.!Changes!will!only!affect!the!next!print.!
Note:&Decreasing&the&offset&too&much&can&damage&your&build&plate.&
Smart'Extruder+'Tips'
These!are!some!tips!for!avoiding!clogs!and!extending!the!life!of!your!Smart!
Extruder+.!
• Your!MakerBot!3D!printer’s!cooling!process!is!designed!to!prevent!filament!
clogs.!Always!wait!for!the!extruder!to!cool!to!50°C!before!detaching!it!or!
turning!off!your!MakerBot!3D!printer.!
• Wait!until!the!extruder!finishes!unloading!your!filament!before!pulling!it!free.!
Always!allow!the!Smart!Extruder+!to!do!most!of!the!work!when!unloading!
filament.!
• Prevent!tangles!in!the!filament!by!keeping!filament!tightly!wound!when!
switching!spools.!
• When!changing!filament,!allow!plastic!to!extrude!for!several!seconds!to!
ensure!all!residue!and!partial!blockages!are!cleared!from!the!thermal!barrier!
tube.!

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• If!no!filament!is!coming!out!of!the!nozzle,!or!if!you’re!hearing!a!clicking!noise!
when!your!MakerBot!3D!printer!starts!a!print,!your!extruder!may!be!a!little!
too!close!to!the!build!plate.!This!can!cause!plastic!to!back!up!into!the!
extruder!and!cause!clogs.!
• Printing!in!a!warm!or!humid!environment!can!contribute!to!frequent!nozzle!
clogs.!Try!to!print!in!a!cool,!dry!environment.!
• Keeping!your!software!and!firmware!up!to!date!will!help!ensure!that!your!
MakerBot!3D!printer!and!MakerBot!Print!run!as!smoothly!as!possible.!
What'Temperature'is'my'Extruder'
Print'Temperature'
During!printing,!your!Smart!Extruder+!will!be!heated!to!about!215°C.!You!can!see!the!
exact!temperature!by!selecting!the!Extruder!icon!on!the!control!panel!or!by!opening!
the!MakerBot!Print’s!print!monitor!panel!during!a!print.!
Allowing'the'Extruder'to'Cool'
Always!allow!the!extruder!to!cool!to!a!temperature!of!50°C!before!removing!it!from!
the!MakerBot!Replicator+!or!before!the!MakerBot!Replicator+!is!turned!off.!Allowing!
the!extruder!to!cool!helps!to!prevent!extruder!clogs.!!
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