Prusa i3 Hephestos User manual

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Pleasealwaysrefertothehttp://www.prusa3d.com/drivers/
forupdatedversionofthis3Dprintinghandbook(PDFdownload).
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QUICK GUIDE TO THE FIRST PRINT
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1.Placetheprinteronaflatandstablesurface(page10)
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2.Readthesafetyinstructionscarefully(page5)
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3.Downloadandinstallthedrivers(page22)
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4.Preparetheglass(page10)andcalibratetheprinter(page12)
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5.InsertSDintotheprinterandprintyourfirstmodel(page16)
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Handbookversion1.01fromSeptember15 
th 
,2015.©PrusaResearchs.r.o.
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Table of contents
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1Productdetails
2Introduction
2.1Glossary
2.2Usedsymbols
2.3Safetyinstructions
2.4AssembledOriginalPrusai3Plusprinter
2.5OriginalPrusai3Plusprinterkit
2.6Licenses
3OriginalPrusai3Plusprinter
4OriginalPrusai3Plusprinterkit
5Firststeps
5.1Printerunpackingandproperhandling
5.2Printerassembly
5.3Setupbeforeprinting
5.3.1Glasspreparation
5.3.2ABSJuicepreparation
5.3.3PluggingtheACpower
5.3.4Calibration
5.3.5Loadingthefilamentintotheextruder
6Printing
6.1Printercontrols
6.1.1LCDscreen
6.1.2LCDlayout
6.1.3Printspeedversusprintquality
6.1.4USBcableandPronterface
7Printerdrivers
8Printingyourownmodels
8.1Whereyoucangetthe3Dmodels?
8.2Inwhatprogramyoucancreateyourownmodels?
8.3Slic3r
8.4Printingofnonstandardmodels
8.4.1Printingwithsupportmaterial
8.4.2Largeobjectprinting
9Materials
9.1ABS
9.2PLA
9.3PET
9.4HIPS
9.5PP
9.6Flex
10FAQPrintermaintenanceandprintissues
10.1Glasscleaning
10.2Clogged/jammedextruder
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10.3Nozzlecleaning
10.4Axisfluency
10.5Calibrationissues
10.5.1Nozzletapstheglass
10.5.2DifferentspacingbetweennozzleandglassaftereveryZaxisreset
10.5.3Glassisunstableanddoesn’tholdfirmly
10.5.4DefaultXaxispositionisoutsidetheglass
10.5.5UnevenspacingofthenozzleontheXaxisoppositeends
10.6Printingproblems
10.6.1ABSmodelstearupfromtheglasswhenprinting
10.6.2LayersbreakandsplitwhenprintingfromABSmaterial
10.6.3Modelsmovetheglassduringtheprint
10.6.4Modelscontaineithertoomuchornotenoughofthefilament
10.7Problemswithfinishedmodels
10.7.1Modelbreaksand/oriseasilydestructed
11FAQcommonissueswhenassemblingtheprinterkit
11.1Nozzle/glassgapisgreaterinthemiddlethanatthecorners
11.2Printerstopsprintingsoonafterstart
11.3Printercan’treadSDcard
11.4LooseXand/orYaxisbelts
11.5Unattachedcablestotheheatbed
11.6Looseheatbedzipties
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1 Product details
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Title:OriginalPrusai3Plus/OriginalPrusai3Plus(kit)
Version:1.75mm
Manufacturer:PrusaResearchs.r.o.,PrvníhoPluku621/8a,Praha8,18600,Česká
republika
Contacts:phone+420222263718,email:[email protected]
EEEgroup:3(ITand/ortelecommunicationequipment)
Deviceuse:indooronly
Powersupply:90135VAC,2A/180264VAC,1A(5060Hz)
Workingtemperaturerange:18°C(PLA)38°C,indooruseonly
Workinghumidity:85%orless
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Kitweight(brutto/netto):9.8kg/6.3kg
Assembledprinterweight(brutto/netto):12kg/6.3kg
Serialnumberislocatedontheprintercontrolunitandalsoonthepackaging.
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2 Introduction
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Thankyouforpurchasingouroriginal3DprinterPrusai3Plus1.75fromJosefPrusaeither
asaassembledprinteroraprinterkitasyourpurchasesupportsuswithitsfurther
development.Readthehandbookcarefully,please,allchapterscontainvaluableinfoforthe
correctserviceoftheprinter.
Pleasecheckthehttp://prusa3d.com/driverspageforupdatedversionofthis3D
printinghanbook(PDFdownload).
Incaseofanyprinterrelatedproblemdonothesitatetocontactusat[email protected]  .We
aregladtoreceiveallyourvaluablecommentsandtips.Westronglysuggestyoutovisitour
officialforumatforum.prusa3d.com,whereyoucanfindsolutionstocommonissues,tips,
adviceandhintsinadditiontoactualinformationabouttheOriginalPrusai3printer’s
development.
2.1 Glossary
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Bed,Heatbed,PrintbedCommonlyusedtermforprintingpadaheatedareaof3D
printerwhere3Dobjectsareprinted.
ExtruderPrintingheadorextruderisapartofaprinterconsistingofanozzle,hobbed
pulley,idlerandanozzlefan.
FilamentTermforplasticprovidedonspooliscalled“filament”,it’susedthroughoutthis
handbookaswellasintheLCDmenuontheprinter.
Heater,Hotendothernameforaprintingnozzle.
1.753Dprintersusetwodifferentdiameters(thickness)ofafilament(thickness):2.85mm
(commonlycalledas3mm)and1.75mm.1.75mmversionismoreusedworldwidethough
thereisnodifferenceinprintingquality.
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2.2 Used symbols
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Importantnotice,tip,hintorinformationwhathelpsyouprintwithease.
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Readcarefully!Thispartoftexthasuppermostimportanceeitherforusersafetyof
foraproperprinterservice.
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Thissymbolindicatestextrelatedtoprinterkitonly.
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2.3 Safety instructions
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Pleasebeverycautiousduringanyinteractionwiththeprinter.Thisprinterisan
electricaldevicewithmovingpartsandhottemperatureareas.
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1.Deviceisforindooruseonly.Donotexposetheprintertorainorsnow.Alwayskeepthe
printerinadryenvironmentataminimumdistanceof30cmfromotherobjects.
2.Alwaysplacetheprinteronastableplace,whereitcannotfallortipover.
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3.Theprintersupplyishouseholdpoweroutlet230VAC,50Hzor110VAC/60Hz;Never
connecttheprintertoadifferentpowersupply,itmaycausemalfunctionordamagetothe
printer.
4.Placethepowercordsoyoucan’tstumbleonit,orsteponitorotherwiseexposetoany
damage.Makesurethatthepowercordisnotmechanicallyorotherwisedamaged.Stop
usingdamagedcableimmediatelyandreplaceit.
5.Whenyoudisconnectthepowercordfromthesocket,pulltheplugratherthanthecordto
reducetheriskofdamagetoplugorACoutlet.
6.Neverdisassembletheprinterpowersupply,itdoesnotcontainanypartsthatcouldbe
repairedbyunskilledworker.Allrepairsmustbeprovidedbyaqualifiedtechnician.
7.Donottouchthenozzleorheatbedwhentheprinterisprintingoriswarmingup.Note
thatthetemperatureofthenozzleis210260°C;heatbedtemperaturecanreachover100
°C.Temperaturesabove40°Ccancauseharmtohumanbody.
8.Preventchildrenfromunsupervisedaccesstotheprinterevenwhentheprinterisnot
printing.
2.4 Assembled Original Prusa i3 Plus printer
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YoucanfindapictureofanassembledOriginalPrusai3Plusprinterwithdescriptioninpict.
1nextpageofthishandbook.Unliketheprinterkitit’scompletelyassembledandalmost
readytoprint.Afterplugginginandnecessarycalibrationyoucanprintthe3Dobjectinthe
matterofminutesafterunpackingtheprinter.Keepinmindyoucanuseoursupportemail
whenyoupurchasedtheassembledprinter.Donothesitatetowriteusifyouneedany
adviceorhelp.Wewillgladlyhelpwithanyspecificprints.
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3Dprintersusetwodifferentdiametersofafilament(youfindmoreinchapter
Materials  ):2.85mmand1.75mm.1.75mmversionismoreusedworldwidethough
thereisnodifferenceinprintingquality.Filamentisprovidedonaspoolwhereyou
canfindthebasicinformationfilamentmaker,material(ABS,PLA,etc.)and
filamentdiameter.2.85mmfilamentiscommonlycalledas3mm.
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Thisprintersupportsonlya1.75mmfilament.Pleasecheckthefilamentdiametertobe
1.75mmbeforeinsertingintotheextruder.Donottrytoinsertwiderfilamentitcoulddamage
theextruder.
2.5 Original Prusa i3 Plus printer kit
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OriginalPrusai3Pluskitispicturedinpict.2.Detailedinformationandassembly
descriptioncanbefoundinchapterPrinterassembly.Weofferthesupportforusers
whopurchasedtheprinterkitthroughourofficialforum.Ifyouneedhelpdonot
hesitatetovisitourforumatforum.prusa3d.com.Youcanfindtheanswersforyour
problemthere.Ifnot,pleasejustaskyourquestionhere.
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2.6 Licenses
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OriginalPrusai3PlusprinterisapartoftheRepRapproject,thefirstopensource3Dprinter
projectfreetouseunderaGNUGPLv3license(www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl3.0.en.html).If
youimproveoralteranypartofaprinterandyouarewillingtosell,thenyouhavetopublish
thesourcecodesunderasamelicense.All3Dprintedelementsoftheprinterthatcanbe
improveduponcanbefoundathttp://www.prusa3d.com/prusai3printableparts/.
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3 Original Prusa i3 Plus printer
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Pict.1OriginalPrusai3Plus  printer  described
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4 Original Prusa i3 Plus printer kit
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Thecompletecontentsoftheprinterkitboxcanbeseenonthepicturebelow.
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Pict.2OriginalPrusai3Plus  printer  kitunboxed
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5 First steps
5.1 Printer unpacking and proper handling
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Taketheprinterfortheupperframepullitoutfromthebox.Becarefulwhenhandlingwith
theprinternottodamagetheelectronicsandthustheproperprinterfunctionality.Anytime
youmovetheprinteralwaysholditfortheupperframewithhotbeduprightpointingaway
fromyouaspicturedinpict.3.
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Pict.3  Proper  handlingofa  printer
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5.2 Printer assembly
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WithOriginalPrusai3Plusprinterkitwesuggesttofollowtheguidelinesand
assemblethekitaccordingtothetheonlinemanualatmanual.prusa3d.com.(Online
manualisavailableinseverallanguagesonthewebsite).Theconstructionofthe
printershouldnottakemorethanoneworkingday.Afterasuccessfulcompilation
continuetothechapterSetupbeforeprinting.
5.3 Setup before printing
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● Placetheprintertothehorizontallystableposition,bestplaceisaworkbenchwhere
thereisnoriskofdraft.
● Attachthefilamentholderstotheupperframe.
● AttachFilamenttotheholders.Makesurethefilamentspooldoesn’tjamandcan
movefreely.
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Filamentisacommontermfortheplasticrodmaterialprovidedonspool,from
which3Dobjectsareprinted.
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5.3.1 Glass preparation
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Theprintedobjectwillnotattachtotheheatbedproperlyifyoudonotpreparethebed
correctly.Differentmaterialsrequiredifferentglasspreparationyoucanfindmoreinthe
chapterMaterials.Commonstepsare:
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● Glassalwayshastobepreparedcold,notpreheated.
● PutasmoothevenlayerofKores(orregulargluestickyoucansourcelocally)glue
providedwiththeprinter.Onethinlayerisenough.
● LetthegluedryandthenapplyonelayerofABSJuiceprovidedwiththeprinterin
plasticsprayer.
● Whentheglassisdryattachitfirmlytothebedwiththebinderclips.
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Theglassprovidedwiththeprinter(bothassembledandkit)isalreadypreparedwith
theKoresglueandABSJuicesoyoucanuseitfortheprintwithoutanyfurther
preparation.
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5.3.2 ABS Juice preparation
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Acetoneisextremelyflammable,rapidlyevaporatingliquid.Handleitina
wellventilatedareaonly,protectyoureyesandskinfromsplashes.Neveroperate
withacetonenearopenflamesorotherheatsource;especiallyinareaswherea
sparkcanoccuracetonevaporsareeasilyignited.
WhenyourunoutoftheABSJuicesuppliedwiththeprinter,youcaneasilymakeyourown
mix.YouwillneedacontainerinwhichyoucanretainpureacetoneandanABSfilament.
ABSJuiceismadebydissolvingABSinpureacetone34cmfilament(thickness1.75mm)to
30mlofacetone.OriginalABSjuicecontaineris100ml,soyouneedafilamentlengthof
approximately114cm.Cutthefilamentintoshorterpiecestofitcomfortablyintothe
containerandthencoveritwith100mlofacetone.Closethecontainersecurelyandshake
forseveralminutes.Beforefirstuse,letthemixturestandforseveralhourstoABSfilament
completelydissolvedinacetone.
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Preparedjuicecanbealsopurchasedinoureshop.Unfortunately,UPSservice
doesnotallowtodeliveranyacetonebasedproductsduetoshippingconstraints.In
thatcaseyougetonlythebottleandABSfromoureshopandyouhavetosource
theacetonelocally.Youcanalsousethealternativesolution,e.g.hairsprayalways
choosenonperfumedsprayandlookoutforextrahold  withingredientsincludingAcetate,
CopolymerandVinyl.
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5.3.3 Plugging the AC power
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● Checktheglassplacementandattachmenttotheheatbed.
● PlugintheACpowercord.
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5.3.4 Calibration
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Youneedtocalibratetheprinterbeforethefirstprint.Ifyoutransporttheprinteror
manipulatewithitexcessivelyyoushouldcheckandeventuallycalibrateitagain.Forthe
successfulcalibrationyouneedtohavetheprinterheatedbothnozzleandheatbed.
TemperaturecanbesetthroughLCDpanel.
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● PresstheLCDknobtoenterthemainmenuonLCD.Rotatethebuttontochoose
PreheatoptionandconfirmbypressingtheLCDknob.Nextyouchoosethematerial
youwillprintfrom.ChooseamaterialthenconfirmwithLCDknob.Nozzleand
heatbedwillheattotherequestedtemperature.
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Pict.4LCDpanelcontrols
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● Youneedacommonbusinesscardforthecalibration.ChooseSettingsinmain
menuthenAutohomeoption.Thisstepsetsallaxesto[0,0,0]positions.
● Trytoputandmovethecalibrationpaper(businesscard)betweenthebedand
nozzle.Youhavetofeelaslightfrictionbetweenthepaperandthenozzle.
NozzlebeddistanceissetwithZadjusters.Thisstepisrepeatedinallfourcorners
oftheprintbed.
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Calibrationpaperisattachedtothepackagewithwiththeheatbeadandtheglass.If
youdon’thavethecalibrationpaperyoucanuseanycommonbusinesscardpaper
(250g/m
2
).
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Pict.5  Printer  calibrationusingthecalibrationpaper,smallorangewheelbottomright
cornerisaZadjuster(oneoffour).
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● Figures6ato6cshowthefirstprintedlayer.Pict.6ashowstheresultwhennozzle
istoofarfromthebed,6biscorrectlycalibratedprinterand6cshowstheprintwhen
thenozzleistooclosetotheheatbed.
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Pict.6a  Nozzle  istoofarfromtheglass.Filamentcouldn’tattach  properly  andtearsout.
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Pict.6b  Calibrated    printer  showscontinuous  filament  layers.
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Pict.6c  Nozzle  tooclosetotheglass.Layersaretoocompressed.
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5.3.5 Loading the filament into the extruder
Ifyoufollowthemanualyoushouldhavethenozzleandthebedpreheated.
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● Youneedtopreheatthenozzlebeforeinsertingthefilament(andthebedtooifyou
liketoprintrightaway).Thetemperaturedependsonthematerialused.Detailed
informationaboutnozzleandbedtemperaturesaredescribedatchapterMaterials.
●PresstheLCDknobontheLCDpaneltoenterthemainmenu.Insertthefilamentto
theextruder,choosetheLoadfilamentoptioninthemenuandpressthebuttonto
confirm.Filamentisthenloadedtotheextruderbytheextruderstepper
automatically.Youshouldcutthetopofthefilamentasshowninthepicturebelow
(pict.7detail).
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Pict.7  Loading  the  filament  totheextruder
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● Checkifthefilamentflowsfromthenozzle.
● Ifyouchangethefilamentforanewonedonotforgettocompletelyreleasetheold
filamentbeforetheprinting.
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6 Printing
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● Makesurethatthenozzleandthebedareheatedtothedesiredtemperature.Ifyou
forgettopreheattheprintingnozzleandthebedbeforeprintingtheprinterwill
automaticallycheckthetemperaturesofthenozzleandthebed;printingwillstart
whendesiredtemperatureisreacheditcantakeseveralminutes.However,we
recommendpreheatingtheprinterbeforehandasdescribedinthechapter
Calibration.
Donotletthepreheatedprinteridle.Whenaprinterispreheatedandnonprinting
materialinanextruderdegradesovertimeitmaycausethenozzletojamup.
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● Watchthefirstfewprintedlayerstobesurefilamenthasattachedtothebedproperly
(5to10minutes).
● PresstheLCDknobandchoosethePrintfromSDoptionfrommenu,pressto
confirmandpickthedesiredmodelmodel_name.gcode.Printerwillstartprintingthe
object.
Thefilename(.gcode)mustnotcontainanyspecialcharactersotherwisethe
printerisnotabletodisplaythefileontheLCD.IfyouremovetheSDwhileprinting,
printerwillpauseautomatically.WhenyoureinserttheSD,presstheLCDknoband
choose“Continue”option.Confirmandprintingwillresume.
● Printerfirmwareallowsthefilamentchangeduringtheprinting.Thisoptionis
usefulwhenthefilamentisrunningoutandyoucanchangethespoolandcontinue
withprint.ChoosetheTuneandthenChangefilamentoptionduringtheprint.
Printerwillpausetheprintingprocess,unloadthefilamentandsignalsyouwiththe
soundtoinsertthenewfilament.Whenyouconfirmthefilamentwasloaded
correctlyprintingprocesswillcontinue.
● Otheroptionstousethefilamentchangeisamulticoloredprint.Theprocedureis
thesameasabovechoosetheTuneandthenChangefilamentoptionduringthe
print.Printerwillpausetheprintingprocess,unloadthefilamentandsignalsyouto
insertthenewfilament.
● Whenyouchangethefilament,LCDdisplaysthemessage“Changedcorrectly?”
withthreeoptions:
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1. “Yes”Everythingwentokandprintingcancontinue.Checkifthenewcoloris
clearwithoutanyremainsofthepreviousfilamentifyes,choosethisoption
tocontinueprintingwithanewcolor.
2. “Filamentnotloaded”Ifthenewfilamentwasnotloadedproperly,choose
thisoptionandtheprinterwillstarttheautomaticfilamentloadagain.When
thefilamentisloadedproperly,youcanchoosethe“Yes”optionandthe
printingwillcontinuewithanewcolor.
3. “Colornotclear”Filamentwasloadedbutthecolorisstillspottedbya
previousfilament.Pressthebuttonwiththisoptionandtheprinterwillextrude
morefilamentfromthenozzle.Whenthecolorispurewithoutanyremainsof
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thepreviousfilamentyoucanchoosethe“Yes”optionandtheprintingwill
continuewithanewcolor.
● Youcanrepeatthisprocedureasmanytimesasyouwanttheresultforinstance
canbeafivecoloredobject.
● Whenprintingisfinishedletthenozzleandheatbedcooldownbeforeremovingthe
printedobject.Alwayshandletheprintedobjectswhentemperatureofthebedand
nozzledroptotheroomtemperature,whenthebedishotobjectsareveryhardto
remove.Pullthebedtowardsyouandremovetheobjectgently.Youcanalso
removethebindingclips,removetheglasswithobjectoutoftheprinterandthen
separatetheobjectfromtheglass.
● Ifyouexperienceanytroublesremovingtheobject(especiallythesmallones)you
canuseaflattoollikeaspatulaorStanleyblade.

Pict.8  Removing  the  model  fromtheglasswithspatula

● Inrarecasespartoftheglasscangougewiththeobject.Withnormalglassitcould
happenmoreoften,withtemperedglassweusewithOriginalPrusai3,it’sextremely
rarecase.Ifthisishappenedtoyoujustusetheothersideoftheglassoryoucan
getthesubstituteglassfromoureshop.
Substituteglassisalsohandywhenyou’dliketoprintanotherobjectimmediately
afterfinishingthepreviousone.Justremovetheglassfromthebedandletthe
objectcooldownoutoftheprinter.Usethegloveswhenmanipulatingwiththe
glassitstemperaturecanreach100°C.
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6.1 Printer controls
Therearetwowayscontrollingtheprinter.YoucanusetheLCDpanelintegratedwiththe
printeroryoucanconnectyourcomputerwithUSBcable.WesuggesttheLCDpanel
becauseofitsspeedandreliability,andmoreoveryoudonotrelyonacomputer.
6.1.1 LCD screen

● Mainscreenisaninformationscreendisplayingthemostimportantdetails.These
arethetemperatureofthenozzleandtheheatbed(1,2),printingtime(3)andthe
actualZaxisposition(5).


Pict.9LCDlayout


1. Nozzletemperature(actual/desiredtemperature)
2. Heatbedtemperature(actual/desiredtemperature)
3. Progressofprintingin%shownonlyduringtheprinting
4. Statusbar(Prusai3ready/Heating/model_name.gcode,etc.)
5. Zaxisposition
6. Printingspeed
7. Elapsedprintingtimeshownonlywhenprinting
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6.1.2 LCD layout
Itemsnotmentionedbelowarenotusedforthecommonprintsetupyoushouldnot
changeanyoftheunmentioneditemsunlessyouareabsolutelysurewhatyouare
doing.

❏Infoscreen
❏Tune(duringtheprintingprocessonly)
❏Speed
❏Nozzle
❏Bed
❏Fanspeed
❏Flow
❏Changefilament
❏Pauseprint(duringtheprintingprocessonly)
❏Stopprint(duringtheprintingprocessonly)
❏Preheat
❏ABS255/100
❏PLA210/50
❏PET240/90
❏HIPS220/100
❏PP254/100
❏FLEX230/50
❏Cooldown
❏PrintfromSD
❏Loadfilament
❏Unloadfilament
❏Support
❏prusa3d.com
❏forum.prusa3d.com
❏howto.prusa3d.com

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6.1.3 Print speed versus print quality
Printingasmallobjecttakesafewminutes,butprintinglargermodelsistimeconsuming
thereareprintstakingtensofhours.Theoverallprintingtimecanbechangedbydifferent
ways.FirstwaytoaltertheprintingspeedischanginglayerheightinSlic3rupperright
windowsshowsPrintsettingsoption.Defaultsettingis0.20mm(NORMAL),youcanspeed
uptheprinterbychoosingthe0.25mm(DRAFT)option.Raisingspeedwillresultthemodel
tobelessdetailedwithvisiblelayerborders.Ifyoupreferqualityoverspeed,choose0.10
mm(DETAIL)option.Printingtimewilldoublebutthemodelgetstheextradetail.Again,
higherprintingspeedresultsinlessdetailedmodel.
Speedcanbechangedalsowhileprinting.LCDshowstheFR100%itemit’sactualprint
speed(feedrate).ByturningtheLCDknobclockwiseyoucanincreasetheprintspeedupto
999%.However,wedonotadvisetoincreasethespeedover200%.Watchtheresultsof
increasedspeedontheprintedmodelandadjustthespeedeventually.
Whenincreasingthespeedalwayscheckthemodeliscooledproperlyespecially
whenprintingsmallobjectfromABSincreasedspeedcausesthedistortion
(sometimescalled“warping”)ofthemodel.Youcanpreventthisissuebyprinting
moresimilarobjectstogetherlayerprintingintervalislongenoughtopreventthis
issue.
Ifthemodelshowslowerqualitythandesiredyoucandecreasetheprintingspeedturnthe
LCDknobcounterclockwise.Maximumusableprintingspeedisaround20%ofnominal
speed.
6.1.4 USB cable and Pronterface
WestronglyrecommendtouseLCDpanelwhileprintingonPrusai31.75mm
Pronterfacedoesn’tsupportallfunctionsofanewfirmware(e.g.filamentchange
whileprinting).

KeepinmindthatwhenprintingfromthePronterfacethecomputermustbeconnectedto
theprinterduringthewholeprintingprocesscomputermustbepreventedfromsleep,
hibernationorshuttingdown.Disconnectingthecomputerduringtheprintendstheprinting
withouttheoptiontofinishtheobject.

● ConnecttheprintertothecomputerwiththeUSBcable.

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