PolyPrinter 229-R20-1 User manual

User Manual
v017
Table of Contents
Safety:
PolyPrinter Operation
Part Cleaning
Computer Requirements
Video
CPU
RAM
Operating System
System Specifications
Parts of the PolyPrinter
Main Components
Front Switches
Rear Panel:
Camera (if equipped)
Adjustments
Z Height
How to tell if it’s correct:
Procedure:
Adjustment:

How to tell if the head is being pressed too hard into the bed:
Z Tilt Left-Right
Rarely Needed Adjustments:
Maintenance
Clearing Plastic from the Nozzle
Oiling the Rods
Adjusting Extruder Current
Re-taping the Bed
Required Items:
Procedure:
Acetoning the Bed
Nozzle problems
Clogged Nozzle
Worn-out Nozzle
How to measure the nozzle diameter
Replacing the Nozzle
Software Installation
Power Saver Settings
Computer Update Settings
Computers with Extremely Slow Graphics
Windows 8
Finding Parts
Slicer Settings
Kisslicer
Slicing Parts
NOTE:
Steps
Scaling
Orientation
Do the actual slicing
Saving the GCODE
Printing Multiple Different Parts
Making a Bed of Parts
Connecting
Installing the Filament
Trimming the Filament
2

Feeding Filament Into the Extruder
Closing the Filament Detector
Ensuring the Filament is Ready
Printing Your First Part
Getting parts off the bed
Procedure
Always clean the bed off completely
Common Tasks
Changing The Filament
Troubleshooting
Connection Problems
Check the Port
Problems and Solutions:
Printing Stopped - no messages
Head-Contacting-Bed Error
When starting a print
General Head-height checking
Can’t Connect to Printer
Parts are not sticking to the bed
My small parts tend to get knocked loose during printing
Tips
Warranty
After the Warranty Expires
Continuous Improvement vs New Models and Versions
Open Source Software
3

Safety:
Your Acceptance of Responsibility:
There are a number of potential dangers when using the PolyPrinter.  In careful hands
these do not normally present large risks. However, you must accept the responsibility of
managing those risks yourself, and in turn so must you also be responsible for, or transfer
responsibility to anyone else using or who has access to the machine. Do not use or purchase
the Polyprinter without full acceptance of this responsibility.
PolyPrinter Operation
By its nature, the PolyPrinter must use some very hot components.
● The heated bed and its supports can be hotter than boiling water. Treat it with as much
caution.
● The “hot end” where the plastic is melted is even hotter. It is in the range of a stove
element. It WILL cause burns if contacted while hot.
There are also potential problems of a chemical nature:
● Acetone, which is (optionally) used occasionally to clean the bed surface, is flammable
and its vapor may be harmful. It must be used only on a cool bed, and never poured or
spilled. The room must have adequate ventilation to disperse the vapors. Acetone on a
heated bed will vaporize rapidly, forming an explosive mixture.
● The ABS or other plastics used for printing may give off fumes. In general these are not
deemed very toxic but some people may develop a reaction after intense or long term
exposure.
● Keep small children, the uninitiated, and anyone else not able to be safe, away from the
PolyPrinter when its hood or side panels are open.
Mechanical Dangers:
The moving components of the PolyPrinter can hit, pinch and trap hands and fingers.
Sometimes they can move surprisingly quickly, and with enough force to cause harm. Do not
interfere with the moving parts. Be especially careful not to have a finger or hand become
trapped between the head and the bed, since both can cause burns.
Misuse, abuse:
● Do not use the PolyPrinter as a bird cage, reptile habitat, pet dryer, cat-startler or
anything else that could harm your pets. Using it to dry books, warm coffee, make
cupcakes, and to dry insects is fine.
● Pets can be bothersome. Cats in particular recognize that the PolyPrinter is a
4

reasonably-empty box. Cats will also think the top of the PolyPrinter was designed to
warm their feet and tummies. That’s OK. It has been specifically designed to take the
occasional helpful feline’s weight, since, in fact, during development their presence and
opinion was not optional.
Part Cleaning
● Support removal is generally not too terribly difficult, but does depend entirely on the
part, and the settings used for support. A good pair of small needle-nose pliers with
grippy serrations in the jaws can be used to tear away a great percentage of the support,
most of the time. Using the pliers can be safer than using a knife.
● If using a knife, be sure to cut with the knife pressure in a direction away from body parts
or anything precious - a knife will very often shoot far past the cutting point when the
plastic suddenly gives way.
● In general, it is best to have a good solid work surface to do parts cleaning upon. Protect
it with a sheet of something durable but not precious, like a cutting board, cardboard,
wood or a magazine.
● Try to orient the part being cleaned so that you are generally putting downward pressure
on the tool, such that the desk surface takes all the force and is also what is hit by the
tool when you cleave the plastic.
● Use finger guards or leather gloves to protect against minor nicks and cuts.
● Use tools that are just sharp enough to do the job. Sometimes a slightly duller tool will
actually make support removal easier, because it does not dig into the plastic so much.
Computer Requirements
There are three main activities typically involved with using a 3D printer:
● Designing parts and preparing the 3D files
● Processing the files before printing (“Slicing”)
● Sending the files to the printer and printing them.
Each has its own effect on the requirements the computer needs to meet.
It is possible to use a relatively slow, older computer to do all of these things. It generally gets
annoying to deal with a very slow computer though, so if you have a choice, and certainly if you
have the budget to buy a new one, it is best to aim a higher than the minimum specifications.
Video
A good video card or the newer Intel integrated video will give a nicer experience with most 3D
5

design software, since it generally involves a need for rapid refreshing of the display. In addition,
the software interface to the printer, Pronterface, updates a display of the printing process by
default that takes up quite a bit of video performance, and can actually slow down printing and
reduce print quality if on a computer with slow video, if not put into a mode (“Mini Mode”) where
that drawing is suppressed.
CPU
The slicing programs e.g. Kisslicer will use all available processor cores to speed up the slicing
process. An old single-core machine like a Pentium 4, or a Centrino, will be much slower than a
multicore chip like an Intel i7, which has eight effective cores. This is not too much of an issue
for small parts, and is merely a question of the time you’d have to wait for the slicing process to
complete. A generally useful price point is an i5.
RAM
The design programs and especially the slicing programs can use large amounts of memory to
hold all of the 3D information when they process the files. Like the number of cores, this can be
exchanged for time, but sometimes, and it is again much more of an issue with the larger parts,
the amount of time required can rise dramatically, if the computer is bogged down moving
information back and forth between hard drive and RAM because there is not enough RAM to
work on it all at once. Aim for at least 6 GB if you are looking at a new computer.
Operating System
Windows 10 is preferred but it is possible to use Windows 7, or Windows 8 (requires a few
extra steps during installation). We only recommend considering 64-bit versions.
Apple Mac, Linux: Will work but no install package yet. Each software package must be
separately installed.
NOTE: PolyPrinter is no longer formally supporting installations on 32-bit operating systems.
System Specifications
Bare Minimum:
Intel Core Duo, 4 GB RAM, Intel integrated video. Windows 10 64-bit.
Effects: Will need to use “Mini Mode” in Pronterface while printing. Kisslicer may issue
warnings about RAM, and will be slow to slice files.
64-bit operating system
Useable:
Intel i3 or i5, 6 GB+ RAM. There is a lot of variation in the video performance in this
6

range, but if the computer is labeled as an “Entertainment” system it may be adequate.
Windows 10 64-bit.
Better:
Intel i7, 8+ GB RAM. If new, the video should be fine. Windows 10 64-bit
Parts of the PolyPrinter
Color-Coding:
The mechanical parts that you might normally need to interact with are yellow.
Main Components
● X Carriage - travels left and right
● Y Carriage (Printer Bed) travels for and aft.
● Z Height Adjuster - adjusts nozzle clearance to the bed for the first layer
Front Switches
At the lower left side there are two black switches. The top one controls the “Camera” light on
the right side of the hood. (If equipped.) It’s good for general lighting of the printing area, and
especially helpful in giving the camera enough light to work with, especially if you want to
monitor printing progress remotely in a room where the lights have been turned off.
The lower switch controls a light on the X Carriage to better be able to see printing in progress.
On the side of the same switch housing is a red Reset switch. This will interrupt any operations
in progress, cancel printing and disconnect communications. It is not normally needed or used
as part of operations. It is occasionally needed if USB connections have been disturbed.
Rear Panel:
● USB Connector
● Power Cord Connection
● Power Switch
○ You do not need to turn the PolyPrinter off when it is not being used. Leaving it
on takes very little power, and maintains the USB connection so that it is able to
print on demand.
● Fuse
Camera (if equipped)
7

The built-in camera (PolyPrinter Plus) provides the opportunity to use a program on the
connected computer to monitor printing. There are several methods for doing this:
● Create a Skype or other internet communication account just for the printer. Set it to
auto-answer calls, and you can the n call your printer from another computer or a
smartphone. This is only suitable for situations when it is acceptable for the monitoring to
be done by only one person at a time. It may also create privacy problems if the camera
(which has audio too) allows someone to eavesdrop on the general area of the printer,
unbeknownst to others.
● Set up a frame-capture program that periodically uploads an image from the camera to a
web server. This is good for when the printer is shared such that a number of people are
interested in the status. An example can be found at http://www.yawcam.com/
Adjustments
Z Height
This adjustment is very important to successful prints. It sets the thickness of the first printed
layer. It needs to be in a fairly narrow range of height for that first layer to stick properly.
Once you have it set correctly it usually stays the same for quite a while, until something
changes.
The PolyPrinter ships out only after it has been adjusted properly and has successfully printed a
number of objects. However, it may have had a rough trip to your door, and may need a bit of a
tune-up before you can print successfully.
How to tell if it’s correct:
If you think it is close, but want to be sure, try to print a part, with a setting that includes a
“skirt” (see Kisslicer), which is a line of plastic laid down around the outside of the part
before the actual part and its support.
The skirt should be a bit “fat” - quite a bit wider than it is tall, and be well-stuck to the
bed.
It should also be the same width all the way around, except near where it began,
because the plastic doesn’t flow at full rate until a few inches of skirt have been laid
down.
You’ll get used to spotting whether the skirt looks right, after you have been using the
printer a while.
8

Procedure:
It is important to have the X Carriage all the way toward the left (the home position)
when setting the Z adjustment, because there it is more independent of the Z Tilt (see
next section).
1. Make sure the head has no plastic attached to the bottom face of the nozzle (use
the Brass Brush included in the Tool Kit).
2. Clean any plastic from the bed, especially at the home position.
3. Use Pronterface to:
a. Home the X axis. Press the button on the top left of the movement
command circles.
b. Turn off the motors. (If the printer has recently printed or moved its head
they will remain “on” for about a minute.) Press the “Motors Off” button
which is along the left side.
4. Press the Z Home button on the lower right of the movement command circles.
The head should approach the bed, and may touch it.
5. The ideal height after Z Homing is zero clearance between the bottom surface of
the nozzle and the bed.
6. With a little practice you can see a gap if there is one. Take a look at the
clearance, if any, between the bottom face of the nozzle and the bed. Raise the
nozzle slightly, using the “Z + .1” buttton in Pronterface, if necessary, to get a
visible gap. Then slide the X Carriage toward the right, and see if the clearance
remains roughly the same. If it is noticeably different toward the right, you should
first follow the procedures below, in the “Z Tilt Left-Right” section.
7. Take an ordinary piece of photocopy paper, and slide it under the nozzle, with the
X Carriage all the way to the left. Do a Z-Home. The nozzle should grip the paper
firmly.
8. Raise the nozzle .1 mm. The paper should still be just a bit gripped.
9. Raise the nozzle another .1mm and the paper should be completely free.
10. If that is not the case, see “Adjustment”, next.
9

Adjustment:
The Z Height adjuster is the yellow knob on the left X Carriage, hiding behind the left
aluminum vertical support. (It’s a little shy and does not like people watching it change.)
If the head does not even grip the piece of paper at all, or completely lets go when
raised .1 mm, turn the knob counter-clockwise to reduce the clearance.
If the paper is still gripped after raising a total of .2 mm, then increase the gap by raising
the head, by turning the Z adjuster clockwise a little.
One full turn is .5 mm, which is quite a lot. If it’s already very close, turn it much less than
a turn - 1/8th or ¼ turn at a time is a good starting point. Each time you turn it, again
press the Z Home button, to let the printer find the new home position and let you see
what difference the changed setting made.
How to tell if the head is being pressed too hard into the bed:
If the head is adjusted too low, you may get warning messages during printing, or just
before it begins to print.
If you are doing the “piece of paper” test described above, the paper will still be gripped
a bit or a lot even after raising the nozzle .2 mm or more.
1. Move the X carriage or the Y carriage by hand (Motors Off) and see if the head
leaves marks on the bed tape. It’s generally well-adjusted if it just barely makes
marks. If it’s tearing up the tape or digging into it at all, it’s definitely adjusted too
low. Turn the knob clockwise to increase the clearance height, pressing Z Home
with each change, and see whether it stops rubbing the bed so much.
2. Once you get it to where it seems close to correct, check the Z Tilt (below).
Z Tilt Left-Right
Your PolyPrinter should not require much attention to the left-right height adjustment. But if you
think it has drifted off, or the whole X carriage assembly has been lifted off and the nuts
disturbed, perform the checking procedure above, up to the point of “Adjustment:”.
Since the Z Height detector switch is on the left side, we adjust the right-hand motor to match
the left.
● Press the “X Home” button on Pronterface. The X Carriage should go all the way to the
left.
● Press the “Z Home” button. The nozzle should approach and just barely touch the bed. It
is OK if it has a small gap, for this procedure - in fact, it makes this a little easier to
10