First print
1. Slicing a Print without Continuous Fiber
Start by signing into an account at eiger.io
Ask a staff member for the account info.
From the Library tab select the Needle Bearing Block sample file
On the General tab on the right make sure to select the Onyx material and the Industrial Series for the Printer Types
We will be using Onyx material exclusively for this printer
Choose the orientation of your part by either selecting the face that you want face down on the print bed or by using the Manual Rotation option under the General tab
Next move to the Settings tab
You can change the layer height to obtain a desired resolution
As a reminder it will take longer to print with a smaller layer height
You can also change the units if the part looks way too big or small or the scale to get to the size you want
Next you can choose whether or not you want supports and what angle you want the supports to print at
Note that this printer cannot print very well without supports past a 45deg angle overhang
There are a couple other options under the Settings tab that have a question mark to give more information about it
I like to use the Turbo Infill and Supports when it is an option because it speeds up the print time significantly
Under the Infill tab, you can choose the different infill options
You have several different options for infill patterns
You have different infill density options depending on which infill pattern you chose
A higher fill density will take longer to print
You can also change the number of roof and floor layers as well as wall layers to strengthen your part at the cost of print time
Typically I would leave most parts at the default settings
Once you are done selecting these settings, click the Save button at the bottom of the screen
The program will now slice your part
Once it is done, you can see some details about your part on the left under Part Details like how long your print will take and how much your part will cost
Once it is done, you will have the option to check out the internal view
In the internal view you can see where there are any supports in purple
This part has a little lip on the inside that requires supports
You can return to the part view by selecting part view if you want to change any settings, then click Save again to slice your new print
Once you are ready to print, select the Print button from either the Part or Internal View settings
In this view, you can move around your print on the build platform
Once you are ready to print, click Export Build and save the .mfp file.
Queue the file in 3DPrinterOS as described here and notify a staff member
2. Slicing a Print with Continuous Fiber
Following the first several steps as before with the same part, under the General tab select a continuous fiber for reinforcement material
For a sample part, check what the continuous fiber in the printer at the moment is, however fiberglass is preferred because it is cheaper
Under the Settings tab you will see that you can no longer change the layer height because it is defined by the reinforcement material chosen and its unchangeable layer height
You also will not be able to choose the Turbo Infill option
Under a new Reinforcement tab you will have options to change some settings related to the continuous fiber
You have the option to choose how many total layers of fiber will be in the part
For 8 layers it means there will be 4 layers of fiber after the floor layers and 4 layers of fiber before the roof layers
An important thing you want to choose is the way the fiber is laid inside the part, either concentric or isotropic
The following pictures describes the difference between the two
If Concentric is chosen, you will have the option of which Walls to Reinforce
In either fiber fill type, you can choose how many Concentric Fiber Rings needed
If you choose Isotropic Fiber, you will have the option for Fiber Angles
I believe the list will change the angle of the fiber for each consecutive layer to get a stronger part in multiple directions
These are the settings I chose but feel free to change them, though ideally do not use too much fiber
Now click Save
Once you have sliced your print (by clicking the Save button) select the Internal View option
In this view you have many more options to change fiber settings
You can also see where the fiber (yellow) and supports (purple) are
The bar at the bottom gives us the option to edit the layers. We can change how many layers have fiber and which layers.
You can click on the yellow group at the bottom to see just the layers in the group
When selecting the group, you have the option to change some of the parameters set earlier in the box in the top right corner
You can also extend the group to include more layers
The group shows a graph of how much fiber is being used in each layer, the steep drop indicates the layer where the bottom flange for the mounting holes ends
We can use this information to only reinforce that bottom flange with fiber
Slide the boundaries of the group to the edge of the flange, where the fiber amount drops quickly
Then click and drag within the group to select a new set of layers
On the top right corner, click Create Group
When selecting the new group in the middle, on the upper right corner turn off the Use Fiber option
Now drag the edges of the two groups so they have 4 layers each
We can also delete the top group of fiber because it is not reinforcing the section we want. This can be done by selecting the group and in the top right corner clicking Delete Group
Once you are satisfied with your changes, select Save
Then select Print
You will be taken to the same view as described at the end of the previous section. Once you are ready to print, click Export Build and save the .mfp file.
3. Starting a Print
Before the print is sent to the printer, first we must put glue on the build plate
Open the cabinet below the printer and grab the purple Elmers glue stick
The glue stick says X7 only, and it should not be used for any other printer!
Then open the plastic cover of the printer
Take out the build plate. It is held in with magnets, so it should easily lift out
Now place the build plate on a table with your glue stick
Only the purple Elmers glue should be used on this build plate!!
Glue over the part of the build plate that your part will print
Don’t need to coat too much glue
This picture is probably too much glue
Glue a stripe on the back of the build plate for the purge line
Glue a stripe on the left side for the calibration lines
If you are using fiber in your print, add a bit of glue on the back left corner for the purge tower
Then replace the build plate, ensuring that it sits tightly in its indexing groves and does not shift around
Now the printer is ready for your print job
4. Removing a Print
You should now have a successful print!
Remove the build plate from the printer and grab the spatula with the yellow handle from below the printer
Don’t use this spatula on any other printer!!
Push the build plate against something stiff that won’t move easily when pushed, I like to use the back of the Method printer (Darth Vader)
The spatula is very sharp, DO NOT PLACE YOUR HAND OR OTHER BODY PART IN FRONT OF THE SPATULA, it takes a lot of force sometimes to remove the parts and people have cut themselves removing parts
Tilt the build plate with one hand and use the other to push the spatula under the part, you may have to turn the plate around a couple of times
Once the part is removed, use the spatula to remove the purge line, purge tower, and calibration lines
Then make sure to replace the build plate , ensuring that it indexes properly into the holes and doesn't wiggle.
On the screen, indicate that you have removed the part by selecting Clear Bed
The screen should change to say Ready to Print
With your part you can do any post processing needed, for this part you can remove the supports using some needle nose pliers
Because the Onyx filament has chopped carbon fiber embedded in it, you want to avoid sanding the part because you don’t want to breathe in the carbon fiber dust