Quant 3D Q300 3D User manual

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PROFESSIONAL 3D PRINTER
USER MANUAL

Precautions
1. The Q300 3D printer requires the power adapter provided by the original
manufacturer, otherwise the machine could become damaged or even cause a fire
hazard. Please also keep the power adapter away from water and out of high
temperature environments
2. During printing, the nozzle of the printer will reach 260°C and the print platform could
reach 100°C. Please do not touch these parts with your bare hands while they are
hot—not even with the heat resistant gloves included with the machine—as the
temperature could damage the gloves and injure your hands.
3. During printing, the nozzle and print platform will move at high speeds. Do not touch
these parts while they are moving.
4. Please wear goggles when removing the supporting material from models and
detaching models from the perf board.
5. When printing with ABS and PLA, the plastics will create a light odor. Please run the
printer in a well-ventilated environment. We also suggest you put the printer in an
environment with a stable temperature as unwanted cooling could cause adverse
effects to the print quality
6. When the UP software is sending data to the printer—indicated on the status bar on
the left bottom corner of the LED screen with the text "sending layers"—do not
unplug the USB cable as this will disrupt the data transfer and result in a printing
failure. The USB cable can be unplugged after the data transfer is finished.
7. The Q300's ideal working temperature is between 15°C and 30°C with a relative
humidity between 20–50%. It is recommended that you discharge any static charge
from your body before touching the machine to prevent an interruption while printing
and any potential damage to the printer.
Warning label on printer:
High Temperature, do not touch!
Warning label on printer:
Moving Parts, do not touch!

Q300 Specifications
Printing Technology MEM (Melted Extrusion Manufacturing)
Build Volume 255 •205 •205mm (W •H •D); 10" •8" •8"
Print Head Single; Modular for easy replacement.
Z-Resolution 0.1 / 0.15 / 0.20 / 0.25 / 0.30 / 0.35 / 0.40mm
Supporting Structure Smart Support Technology: Automatically generated, easy to
remove, fine-tunable.
Platform Leveling
Fully automatic leveling with integrated leveling probe.
Untethered Printing Yes
Average Operational Noise 51dB
Advanced Features Door Sensor, Air Filtration, Full-Color LED Bar
Bundled Software UP Software
Compatible File Formats STL, UP3, UPP
Connectivity USB
Operating System Windows XP/Vista/7/8, Mac OS
Power adapter 110–240VAC, 50–60Hz, 220W
Chassis Plastic case with metal frame, enclosed
Printer Weight 20kg / 44lb
Printer Dimensions 489 •495 •520mm (W •H •D); 19.5" •19.5" •20.5"
Weight with Packaging X
Packaging Dimension (W •H •D)

Printer Body

Accessories
*If anything is missing, please contact your local distributor at [email protected]

Removing the Nylon Ties
Installing the Perf Board
Remove the nylon tie from the left side
smooth rod Remove the nylon tie from the right side smooth rod
Remove the nylon ties from the
horizontal smooth rods.

Installing Filament
Installing the UP Software
To install the filament spool, open
the magnetic cover and insert the
filament into the guiding tube at
the spool holder.
Push the filament into the guiding
tube until it comes out from the
other end. Put the spool onto the
cassette and cover the spool with
the magnetic cover.
1. Go to the support section of
www.quant3d.com to download the latest
version of the UP software
2. Double-click the setup.exe file to install the
software. (The default installation path is
C:\ProgramFiles\UP.) A pop-up window will
appear. Select “Install”and follow the
instructions to finish. The printer’s driver is
now installed into the system.
After installation, in the UP folder:
The Driver folder contains the printer drivers
The Example folder contains STL files for the printed parts of
the UP printers and example files.

Confirming the Printer Driver Installation
Initializing Your Printer
Initialization is required for every time the machine is switched on. During initialization, the
print head and print platform move slowly and hit the end stops of the XYZ axes. This is
essential as the printer needs to find the endpoints of each axis. The other software options
will light up and become available for use only after initialization.
First, make sure your computer and
printer are connected via the USB cable
and that the printer is switched on. The
Q300 LED bar will light up in yellow.
In the software’s main menu, click
“3D Print.”
If the “Initialize”and “Maintenance”
options light up and are available for
selection, these indicate that the
printer driver was successfully
installed.
Other functions of Initialization Button:
1. Stop the current print job: During a
print, press and hold the button.
Reprint the last job: Double-click the
button.
There are two ways to initialize your printer:
1. The Q300 can be initialized by clicking the "Initialize"
option in the software menu (shown above).
2. When the printer is idle, hold the initialization button
on the printer.
Initialization Button

Automatic Platform Calibration
Platform calibration is the most important step for successfully printing as it ensures part
adhesion on the first layer. Ideally, the distance between the nozzle and the platform is
constant, but in reality the distance varies at different positions due to many reasons (e.g. a
slightly tilted platform) and this could cause warping on prints or even a complete print
failure. Fortunately, the Q300 has automatic platform calibration and automatic nozzle
height detection functions. By using these two functions, the calibration process can be
completed quickly and easily.
In the "3D Print" menu in the UP Software,
select "Auto Level" to initiate auto leveling.
The leveling probe will be lowered and start
to probe nine positions on the platform. After
probing the platform, the leveling data will be
updated and stored in the machine. The
leveling probe retracts automatically.
Calibration Tips:
1. Perform calibrations when the nozzle is not heated.
2. Remove residual plastic on the nozzle before calibrating.
3. A perf board should be fitted on the platform during calibration.

Automatic Nozzle Height Detection
Select "Nozzle Height Detect" in the "3D
Print" menu of the UP Software. The print
head will move toward the nozzle height
detection device and the nozzle will
eventually touch and press the metal part on
the device to make the measurement.
The detected nozzle height value will be
stored in the in the machine.
If consistent warping still occurs after auto-leveling, this may be due
to a severe unleveling of the platform which exceeds the capability of
the auto-leveling function. In this case, you should perform a coarse
manual leveling before auto-leveling (see next page).
You may also level the platform without using the auto-leveling and
nozzle detection functions. Please refer to Appendix A for details

Coarse Manual Platform Leveling
Usually you do not need to adjust the
platform manually. This is only necessary
if the automatic leveling function was
unable to effectively level the platform.
There are three screws under the
platform of the Q300: two screws in the
front and one screw under the platform at
the back. These screws can be fastened
or loosened to adjust the leveling of the
platform.
In the 3D Print - Maintenance window, you
can move the print head to five different
positions on the platform. You can also use
the "To" button to move the print platform to
a particular height
First move print head to the center of the
platform and move the platform until it is
almost touching the nozzle (e.g. nozzle
height). Use a piece of paper to determine
the correct platform height.
Try to move the paper and feel it drag
between the platform and the nozzle. Make
sure you can feel the similar drag
resistance at all five positions by moving
the print head and adjusting the screws
while the platform height is fixed.
Platform too high;
nozzle is pinning
paper onto
platform. Lower
platform slightly.
Just right. Can
feel some
resistance when
moving paper
Platform too low;
no resistance at
all when moving
paper. Raise
platform slightly
Other Options in the "Maintenance" menu:
Withdraw: The printer will heat up and withdraw filament from the print
head.
New Spool: Tells the software what the current filament type is.
The filament that is being used must match here.
Heat Table 1 hr: Preheat the table for 1 hour.
To Bottom: Move the platform to the bottom.
Set Nozzle Height: Set the current platform height as the nozzle height.

Preparing to Print
Make sure the printer is
switched on and connected to
the computer. Select: Main
Menu - 3D Print -
Maintenance.
Click "New Spool," choose ABS,
and input the filament weight.
Click "Extrude." The print head
will start to heat up, within five
minutes. Its temperature will
reach 260°C, then the printer will
buzz and the print head will start
to extrude.
Gently insert the filament into the
small hole on the print head. The
filament will be fed into the print
head automatically when it
reaches the extruder gear inside
the print head.
Check the nozzle for plastic
extrusion. If plastic is coming out
from the nozzle that means the
filament is loading correctly and the
printer is ready for printing. (The
extrusion will stop automatically.)
.

Printer Control Buttons
LED Light Bar
The different colors and behaviors of the Q300 LED light bar
indicate different statuses of the printer.
Press & Hold
.
Double-Click
.
Single-Click
.
Pulsating: Printer is switched on, uninitialized
Pulsating: Printer is initialized, ready to print.
Single letter Rotation: Data transfer and printing in
progress.
Pulsating: Paused
Error. If single letter is always on, it may represent the
following errors:
B: Print head Error
U: Motion System Error
I: Print Head Temperature Error
L: Build Platform/Chamber Temperature Error
D: SD Card Error

Software Interface
1. Open: Load a model.
2. Save: Save the model into .UP3, a proprietary 3D file format for UP printers.
3. Unload: Unload the selected model.
4. Print: Print the current model.
5. About: Display software version, printer model, firmware version, etc.
6. View Perspective: Choose from a variety of preset viewing perspectives.
7. Adjustments: Move, Rotate, Scale.
8. Set the value of adjustments.
9. Set the orientation of adjustments.
10. Place: Place the model on the center of the print plate. If more than one model is loaded,
the software will optimize their positions and distances to each other.
11. Stop: If connected to printer, clicking this will stop the printing process. (The print cannot be
resumed after stopping!)

Loading a Model
Click "Open"
Choose your model.
The loaded model
will appear on the
print plate.
Click "Print" to open
the print preview
window.

Annotation of the "Print Preview" Interface:
a. Printer model selection.
b. Nozzle height.
c. Click to enter printer preferences to set printing parameters.
d. If your model is not solid (defective), turn this option on.
e. No raft will be printed if this is turned on. Print bed leveling will be disabled as well.
f. Print Quality: the better the print quality, the slower the print speed.
g. Set the pause height. The printer will pause at indicated heights for changing
filaments.
h. Enables continuous heating of the platform after printing. This shortens the heating
time for consecutive printing and prevents breakage due to rapid cooling in cold
weather.
Click "OK" to start
printing.
The program will
process the model
and then transfer the
data to the printer.
After sending the data, the
program will suggest the
amount of material and the
time needed for the print in
a pop-up window. At the
same time, the nozzle will
start to heat up. The print
will start automatically.
When printer finishes receiving the data, you can disconnect it from your
computer for untethered printing.

Printing Progress
Printing progress is shown in the LED progress bar above the Q300 letters. The first two red
LEDs represent that the model raft is printing, and the others represent that the rest of the
model is printing.
Pausing a Print
During a print, the machine can be paused
through the "Maintenance" interface.
When the printer is idle, there is a "Table heat
1 hr" button under the "Stop All" button. Press
this button to keep the platform heated for one
hour.
When the printer starts to print, the "Table heat
1 hr" button will disappear. The button will
reappear after the model raft is finished
printing, but the button becomes "Pause Print,"
which indicates that the pause function is now
available. Press this button to pause the print
and the button will become "Resume Print" for
resuming the print.
While the print is paused, the other buttons on
the maintenance interface will become
available. You can change filaments using the
"Withdraw" and "Extrude" buttons or move the
print head and print platform with the location
buttons and the "To" button. Make sure to not
crash the print head into the model.

Pausing a Print without Using the Software
During a print, you can pause the print automatically by opening
the front door. After closing the front door, the print job will not
resume until you double-click the pause button.
Alternatively, during a print, double-clicking
the Pause/Stop button will pause the print.
You can then use the Extrude/Withdraw
button to change filament while paused.
Double-click the Pause/Stop button again to
resume the print

Moving a Model
Click the model to select it.
Click the "Move" button.
Select the distance
value in the drop-
down menu.
Choose an axial
direction to move
the model in.
Dragging the model with your mouse on the XY-plane:
Press and hold the Ctrl key,
then left click and hold on the target model to drag it along the XY-plane.
Dragging the model with your mouse on the Z-axis: Press and hold the Shift key,
then left click and hold the target model to drag it along the Z-axis.
Multiple models can be stacked. They can also be fused into a single model by using
the "Merge" function in the "Edit" menu.