MAKERGEAR M3-SE User manual

1 - Welcome
2 - Important Safeguards
3 - What’s Included
4 - Hardware Setup
7 - A Note About Nozzles
8 - Software Setup
9 - Changing Filament
10 - M3-SE Features
13 - What’s the Function?
14 - Shutdown & Reset Procedures
15 - Maintenance & Storage
16 - Warranty & Support
17 - About Us
Contents

1
Welcome
Your MakerGear M3-SE 3D Printer has arrived!
Do not change the M3-SE’s rmware unless you know
exactly what you’re doing or have been instructed to do so
by MakerGear support.
This User Guide can also be found on the MakerGear website at
setup.makergear.com, where you can access additional,
more specic information and resources.
Following minimal setup, your M3-SE is ready to print out-of-the-box. To
ensure safety as well as high quality printing, carefully follow the setup
instructions included in this User Guide.
This printer was assembled at the MakerGear shop in Beachwood, Ohio,
USA, and was tested for at least six hours to ensure that it was fully
operational at the time of shipping.
Do not remove the lm of yellow polyimide tape from the
M3-SE’s glass build plate; this functions as the print surface,
and should be facing up.

3. To protect against electrical shock, do not put the printer body,
cord, or electrical plug in liquid. If the printer falls into liquid, do not
touch it. Instead, unplug the printer from power outlet, then remove
it immediately. Do not reach into the liquid without unplugging the
4. This printer should not be used by children unless supervised by an
adult who understands the risks and precautions involved in its use. To
avoid potential injuries, close supervision is necessary when the printer
is used by or near children.
2. Unplug the power cord when the printer is not in use. To unplug,
grasp the plug and rmly pull it from power outlet. You should never
5. Avoid any contact with moving parts. The printer can move quickly,
so stay clear to avoid being struck or pinched.
6. Keep hands/hair/clothing away from printer attachments while the
printer is operating to reduce risk of injury to persons and/or damage to
7. Do not operate the printer if it has a damaged cord/plug, is
malfunctioning, or has been dropped or damaged in any way. If
you are having any problems with the printer (such as temperature
errors, unexplained shutdowns, or other erratic behavior), unplug
the printer from power outlet and contact support. Do not operate a
1. The following safeguards exist to ensure the safety of users and to
avoid potential risks. Ignoring these safeguards can cause damage to
the printer and its environment.
8. Keep area around the printer clear. The heated build platform moves
horizontally and vertically and may cause the printer to move or dam-
age other equipment if it strikes them.
2
Important Safeguards

3
Power supply and cord.
If you power supply
has a voltage switch
as shown to the right,
ensure that it is set to
the correct voltage.
Tool kit: hex drivers, tweezers,
lament guide tube, feeler gauge,
brush, and 4 extra glass build plate
hold-down clips.
1 kg spool of 1.75 mm black PLA (col-
or may vary).
Spool holder with screws and sample
container, both of which were printed
on an M3.
What’s Included

4
1. Carefully compress and remove the foam from the top of the printer
and from inside the printer frame.
2. Remove foam from above and below the 4-legged“spider” inside the
frame. Remove the heated build platform from its slot in the foam and
place it on the spider with the glass build plate facing up, as shown on
page 5.
3. Grasp the printer where the arrows indicate, and remove it from the
box.
Hardware Setup

5
4. Remove the binder clip, and rotate the hold-down clips to point to-
ward the front and back of the glass build plate in order to secure it in
5. Install the spool holder with the 4 included screws using the 3 mm
allen key, ensuring that the longer side is facing up. Place the PLA spool
on the spool holder so that the lament unwinds clockwise.

6. Insert the 6-position power supply connector into the 6-position
electronics connector, making sure that it is SECURELY IN PLACE in the
electronics case. Connect the power supply cord to the power supply.
Next, plug the power supply into power outlet, and ip the switch on
the power supply to the on position.
6

Visit the MakerGear YouTube channel for step-by-step instructions
on how to remove the V4 hot end and remove/mount a nozzle.
The nozzle is the brass conical piece with a six sided base. It attaches
to the other parts of the hot end and dispenses material through a
precisely sized hole.
If you wish to remove or change the nozzle, you must rst remove the
entire hot end. Attempting to unscrew the nozzle directly from the M3-
SE will damage the hot end.
Some of our users choose to print with nozzles that are either larger or
smaller than the 0.35 mm nozzle included on the M3-SE in order to
accommodate specic printing needs. If you plan to print with dierent-
sized nozzles, we recommend keeping each nozzle installed in a
separate hot end, as this allows you to switch between nozzles more
7
A Note About Nozzles

Using a desktop or laptop computer, navigate to setup.makergear.com
and follow the provided steps.
Step 1: On the Setup page, enter your printer’s serial number, which is
located on the back of the printer. Next, connect your computer to the
M3-SE’s Wi-Fi, using the provided network name and password, in the
same way that you would connect to any other Wi-Fi source.
Step 2: After moving to the Step 2 tab, click the temporary setup link
and log in to OctoPrint with the provided username and password.
8
Software Setup
The onboard software supplied on the MakerGear M3-SE is a special-
ized version of OctoPrint called OctoPrint for MakerGear. It is an open-
source, easy-to-use tool that gives users total control over their 3D
printing workow.
OctoPrint’s basic functions include simple tasks such as controlling
and monitoring your printer, as well as more advanced operations like
slicing les. It can be expanded through its versatile plugin system, a
diverse library of community-developed plugins oering specialized
functionality, which is useful for all users.

1. In OctoPrint, go to the “Temperature” tab to heat the extruder to
the appropriate temperature. In the “Control” tab, select the tool you
want to work with. If switching between lament materials (e.g., PLA
to ABS), heat the extruder to the hotter of the two materials’printing
temperatures in order to purge the old material and properly extrude
2. In the “Control” tab, click “Retract” while pulling gently on the old la-
ment until it is released from the lament drive.
3. Cut the end of the new material at an angle and feed it into the
lament drive. While applying gentle downward pressure, click
“Extrude”until you can see the lament extruding from the nozzle.
9
Changing Filament
You will not have to go through the setup process again unless you
change networks or factory restore the printer. After you’re connected
to the printer, proceed to OctoPrint’s Quick Check, which will help you
load the lament and ensure that the heated build platform of the
printer stayed level during shipping. Once you complete the Quick
Check, the printer will be ready to print.
Step 3: OctoPrint will inform you that you are not connected to the
internet. Click “Wireless Conguration,” then select your home network
and enter your home network’s password. Connecting may take a few
minutes. If OctoPrint continues to say you are not connected to the
internet, refresh the page.

10
M3-SE Features
Front

11
M3-SE Features
Rear

12
M3-SE Features
X-Stage Assembly

What’s the Function?
Simple explanations of M3-SE Features
40x10 mm Fan (24 V) cools lament drive and RAMBo board.
40x15 mm Fan (24 V) cools printed layers (as needed).
6-Position Power Connector brings low voltage DC power to M3-SE.
Extruder Wire Mount locates and clamps connectors for extruder.
Filament Drive pulls lament into extruder.
Filament Guide guides lament from spool to lament guide tube.
Filament Guide Tube guides lament from lament guide to lament
drive.
Glass Build Plate (with polyimide lm) serves as the print surface.
Heated Build Platform (HBP) controls glass build plate temperature.
M3-SE Serial Number is a unique identier for each printer.
Print Head deposits printing material and cools print.
RAMBo Housing shields and cools RAMBo processor board.
Raspberry Pi Housing shields the Raspberry Pi communications module.
Reset Button resets the control electronics and shuts down the printer.
Spool Holder secures the lament spool during printing.
Touch Probe helps level the bed and ensure rst layer adhesion.
USB Port allows communication between external computer and RAM-
Bo.*
V4 Hot End melts lament and controls extruded diameter of lament.
X-Axis Belt keeps extruder in-sync with X-motor.
X-Axis Limit Switch sets “home”position for X-axis motion.
X-Axis Rail guides extruder during side-to-side movement.
Y-Axis Belt keeps heated build platform in sync with Y-motor.
Y-Axis Limit Switch sets “home” position for Y-axis motion.
Y-Axis Rail guides heated build platform during front-to-back move-
ment.
Z-Axis Fine Adjust Knob is for last-minute changes to the distance
between nozzle and glass build plate.
Z-Axis Leadscrew rotates to move HBP up and down.
13

Shutdown & Reset Procedures
Do not switch o the power supply to turn o the MakerGear M3-SE.
There are two ways to properly shut it down:
1. Navigate to the printer’s OctoPrint interface and click the power
button icon. Next, click “Shutdown system,” then, “Proceed.”
2. To manually shut down the M3-SE, hold down the reset button for 10
seconds and release the button.
After performing either of these methods, you will hear a series
of tones indicating that the printer has a) started the shutdown
procedure and b) nished the shutdown procedure, and the green
light to the left of the red light on the raspberry pi will ash and then
shut o. Once the green light has turned o, it is safe to switch o the
1. Disconnects the printer from its current network and returns it to
Access Point mode (AP mode).
2. Resets the access point network name/password to its original fac-
tory state.
3. Resets the OctoPrint username/password to its original factory
state.
M3-SE Shutdown Procedures
The manual reset button, which is located on the front of the M3-SE,
resets the control electronics. The manual reset button should not be
used while the M3-SE is printing, unless you wish to stop the printer as
quickly as possible.
• Pushing and releasing the reset button will reset the control electron-
ics board.
• Holding down the reset button for more than 60 seconds before
releasing will begin the system restore process. This should only be
done in special circumstances, such as when passwords are lost. The
system restore performs the following operations:
M3-SE Reset and Restore Procedures
14

Maintenance & Storage
Weekly Maintenance (every 50 hours)
Ensure that the heated build platform (HBP) is at the correct height and
properly leveled. To do so, log in to OctoPrint and proceed through the
QuickStart process in order to complete the following steps:
1) Check Starting Height 2) Check HBP Level
Ensure that the glass build plate is free of defects (torn or bubbled
polymide tape) and dust/dirt/grease, and replace tape or clean surface
with appropriate cleaner (alcohol/water at 50%/50% is recommended).
Monthly Maintenance (every 200-250 hours)
Ensure that the printer is free of dust and lament debris, and clean it
if necessary. Focus areas include fans and fan guards, lament surface
and lament drive, and the entire frame. Clean oil from the X and Y
linear rails and apply a fresh coat to each. A dot of oil in each of the long
grooves on the X and Y rails is sucient. Once applied, move each axis
through its full travel multiple times to spread the oil.
15
• If you are using the M3-SE regularly, turn o and unplug the power
supply when nished.
• If you are storing the M3-SE for a period of 1-2 weeks, follow the
instructions listed above. Additionally, fully seal the lament spool in
its original bag, preferably with a new desiccant packet inside.
• If you are storing the M3-SE for a period of 2 weeks or more, follow all
above instructions, THEN cover the entire printer in order to protect it
from the buildup of dust and other airborne particles.
DO NOT unscrew the nozzle directly from the M3-SE! To change or
remove the nozzle, the entire hot end must be removed. Visit our
website or the MakerGear YouTube channel for step-by-step instructions
on how to remove the hot end and change the nozzle.
M3-SE Storage

Warranty & Support
New M3-SEs ordered from MakerGear or from an authorized MakerGear
distributor have a Twelve-Month Limited Warranty. MakerGear will
replace defective parts on M3-SEs that are under warranty. Replacement
parts may be new or refurbished and include free shipping in the US.
Non-US customers are responsible for shipping costs for replacement
parts.
The M3-SE has an open design (no proprietary cartridges) and M3-SE
owners are free to use third party lament. However, the MakerGear hot
end is only covered when MakerGear lament and authentic MakerGear
components are used. Due to variance in quality, MakerGear is unable
to provide technical support for issues related to third party lament. If
you are using lament or extruder components from a third party, you
must contact your supplier for technical support. The twelve-month
warranty oered by MakerGear does not cover printer abuse.
16
Technical Support lives on our website at
www.makergear.com/pages/support
Warranty
Exceptions
Support
Notice
This is a Class A product. In a domestic environment, this product may
cause radio interference requiring the user to take adequate measures
to mitigate. The MakerGear M3-SE can, in very rare cases, stop operating
due to electrostatic discharge (ESD). Operation can be restored by
turning the machine o and on again.

About Us
Welcome to the family!
Our company began as a hobby in an unheated residential garage, way
back in 2009, when our Founder & CEO, Rick, was hand-making parts
for the edgling desktop 3D printing community. Today, we apply strict
standards to our printers, which are made and tested in the USA using
domestic and foreign parts. Yet despite countless improvements and
advancements during the years since MakerGear’s humble beginnings,
our dedication to quality and community remains unchanged.
Our work revolves around providing three things: quality printers,
excellent customer service, and a user-centric 3D printing experience.
Focusing on these three pillars has resulted in outstanding customer
reviews, awards, and top-rated recognition in publications both in and
out of the 3D printing world.
Our customers include schools, engineers, entrepreneurs, designers,
businesses, and DIYers in more than 75 countries, many of whom are
involved in our active, growing and extremely helpful community,
located at forum.makergear.com.
For general inquiries, you can reach us by email at [e-mail].
For technical assistance, please visit our website’s support page to ac-
cess our support resources as well as instructions for how to submit a
support ticket.
We’re here when you need us. Now it’s time to roll up your sleeves and
create something! Thanks for choosing MakerGear.
The MakerGear Team
17

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