Theres a few things you need to do before you can start printing:
First things first you'll need to be inducted by a qualified lecturer or Tech Officer
Then Splice your model in Ultimaker Cura to get an estimated print time
Then make a booking here for the duration of your print time
YOU MUST BE INDUCTED TO USE THE 3D PRINTER
This guide is only inteded to serve as a reminder.
Firstly you'll start in a program called Ultimaker Cura.
Here you can adjust scale, density and supports.
To begin:
Import your .stl file
Adjust your scale and density as desired ( about 15% - 25% density is reccommended and on medium setting )
Adjust your scaffolding density if theres any overhanging areas of your model
Add a raft ( we have found prints dont usually adhere well without it and it gives an indicaton of how well the print will go from there )
Hit Splice!
After splicing you will see what the model will look like with its scaffolding included.
If everything looks good and you're happy with the settings then export the model as a .gcode file.
Time to move to Luban!
Luban is where we monitor the print.
Firstly check the Snapmaker machine is on. If you can't hear it then thats a sure sign its off.
There should be a large switch on the back of the far right grey box which will turn everything on.This is also a good time to clean the base with an alcohol wipe in order to remove any dust, debris or residual plastic.
This should ensure the print adhears stably to the base.Once the Machines ready we can begin:
Click the icon on the left that says "3D Printing"
In the top left click workspace
Then connect to the address in the drop down menu below:
Then set your Nozzle temp to 200*C and your Base temp up to 60*C
Wait for them to reach temp then hit "Load" to clear the nozzle
To the right hand side of the screen import your .gcode file
Hit submit and the machine should start printing!
DO NOT TOUCH THE PRINTER WHILE IT'S ON
If your print is turning into a sqwiggle monster remain calm and follow these steps.Monitor your print!
Spend the first 20 or so minutes monitoring the machine whilst it prints your raft. This is the most common time for printing errors and its good to catch these early before the whole print becomes a sqwiggly mess.
After 3 or so layers of the raft are down it should be smooth sailing from there... but we recommend checking on it once or twice a day for the duration of the print. Errors can happen at any point in the process and sometimes fortunately can be fixed if reported soon enough.
If you have any concerns at anytime, please reach out to the Tech Team.
