Before you get started assembling, tuning and using your printer, be sure to enroll in the P3D Slack workspace and Ed Discussion page, and check the PRL CA Office Hours schedule. These are great resources for getting help and a great way to contribute to the P3D community:

Slack: http://p3d-program.slack.com/

Ed Discussion: https://edstem.org/us/join/yjJpuC

PRL CA Office Hours: PRL P3D CA Office Hours

Office Hours Calendar is not currently active, stay tuned for pending updates

Building your 3D printer is more fun with a partner or two! We encourage you to find someone else in your class who is assembling their printer around the same time, meet up or get on Zoom together, and talk through things together as you go.

Your printer and its enclosure need a flat, sturdy surface to sit on, at least 20 in. wide x 24 in. deep with 30 in. vertical clearance. This could be on a desk, a table, or the floor. Some carpet may not offer enough stability, but if you put down a bit of plywood or thick cardboard this can work well too. Some additional work space just outside of the enclosure can be helpful but is not entirely necessary. If you have any trouble finding a spot for your printer, please ask us for advice! We can take a quick look over Zoom and brainstorm solutions.

Take out all the printer components and lay them out for assembly. Save the box and packing materials so that you can take the printer with you when you move. Find a big, flat, sturdy, clean space for assembling the printer, ideally a table or desk top.

As you unpack the kit, check that each set or subset of parts is in good condition and complete according to the instructions. Also use this time to visually inspect any exposed electrical connectors, wiring and components for damage or any obvious errors. We will come back to this for a more focused inspection in a few steps. If you see any damage or exposed copper wires, please contact the P3D program administrator about returning your printer kit for a replacement.

In our experience, the fastest and most effective way to assemble your printer is to follow along with a step-by-step video tutorial. After each action, pause the video and do it yourself. To get prints that you’re happy with later, it’s important to do this carefully and precisely. Assembly takes between one and five hours for most novices. Here is a good assembly video:

Assembly Tutorial Video: https://youtu.be/me8Qrwh907Q?t=16

Note: Do not use the instructions in the box, which are vague and incomplete.

Note: You do not need any of the extras mentioned in the video (bowden tube couplers, cable chains, etc).

Note: When working with the electrical connectors, ensure the wiring harness from the power supply connects red-to-red and black-to-black wires as mentioned in the video. If your printer is miswired, contact the program administrator about returning your printer kit for a replacement.

Note: Careful not to strip the threads on smaller screws, which can be delicate.

A common problem encountered by our students is misalignment of the frame of the 3D printer. If the frame is misaligned, the wheels may not roll properly in their grooves, which can lead to difficulty tightening the wheels (next step) or binding in one of the three axis directions. The simplest way to check for proper frame alignment is to measure key distances with calipers or a ruler and verify they are consistent, and to place a flat stiff object, like the skinny edge of a ruler, against faces to verify that they are coplanar. We recommend checking that:

1) the vertical bars are parallel left-to-right and that their front surfaces are coplanar; and

2) the z-axis lead screw is at a consistent distance from the left vertical bar.

If anything is out of whack, please go back to the relevant alignment step in the assembly video from Step 5. A few minutes now could save hours of unhappiness later from bad prints.

A common issue encountered by our students is improper tightening of the eccentric (off-center) wheels on the x-axis, y-axis, left vertical rail or right vertical rail. This can cause major issues! Loose wheels can cause the first few layers to be lumpy and uneven, despite proper leveling. Over-tight wheels will cause the wheels to wear out more quickly and can lead to binding or motor overheating. Loose wheels can sometimes be diagnosed by gently pushing on the print head / hot end or print bed in various directions and feeling ‘wobble’, a ‘dead zone’, ‘slop’ or ‘backlash’. Over-tight wheels can sometimes be diagnosed by listening to the wheels as they roll a long distance after sitting for a few hours and hearing a thump on each revolution. To avoid these issues, it's best to perform a check of all four eccentric wheel sets now:

Wheel Tightening Tutorial: https://youtu.be/GsEdU8ZtI6U?t=55

A common issue encountered by our students is improper tensioning of the timing belts that drive the x and y axis movements. This can cause major issues! For example, prints might seem to randomly shift to a new location mid-print, circular holes might print as ovals, or features may ‘ghost’ or ‘echo’ across nearby material. Sometimes you can diagnose the issue by plucking on the belt, which should audibly snap back into place and then quiver. It is definitely worth taking a moment now to check your belt tension:

Belt Tensioning Video: https://youtu.be/PTvUSPapnuE?t=20

Using the roller bearing located at the end of the rail, you can adjust the tension of the X Axis. Similar re-tensioning can be done with the Y Axis.

Now is the time to see if everything is working out alright.

1. Turn on the Ender 3

2. Check what Firmware version is installed. Press the control interface dial and navigate to the About Printer page. A number will be displayed representing what firmware version your printer is running. It should say Marlin 1.0.1 or higher. If you have a different firmware installed, please reach out to the P3D support team.

   1. Note: if you received your P3D printer in the 2020-2021 academic year, your printer may have a different board with firmware 1.1.6.2. This firmware has also been tested and is considered safe.

   2. Other firmware versions may not have important safety features like thermal runaway protection enabled. Please notify the P3D support team to verify your printer’s safety features or to update or replace your printer.

   3. For more information on thermal runaway protection and the Ender 3, see https://all3dp.com/2/ender-3-thermal-runaway/

• Take a photo of your About Printer screen for Setup Confirmation.

3. Press the button again and navigate to Prepare → Auto home. This will move the bed and printhead carriage to the X, Y, and Z zero positions.

4. Carefully check to see if any of the electrical connectors or harnesses are hot to the touch. The connectors should normally be at or close to room temperature. If the connectors are heating up during use, please contact the P3D support team before proceeding further. If your printer has not had ample time to warm up, please make sure to check these connectors again once you have gone through more of the subsequent testing and calibration procedures.

From here on out, you will be working with heated plastic filament. Heating filament up to printing temperature can cause the emission of volatile compounds. Your enclosure will help contain these emissions to keep your environment safer.

Make sure you have adequate space to work, then use the included instructions to assemble your enclosure. Place the printer inside, routing the power cable through one of the appropriate openings to access the nearest outlet.

• Take a picture of your assembled printer installed inside its enclosure to submit for Setup Confirmation

For some of the next steps we’ll need some plastic in the printer. Here’s a good tutorial video:

Filament Loading Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms-7qZrl12I

When you’re done working with the filament for the day, be sure to store it properly (see Step 22).

Now we’ll tune an important control parameter that often varies between machines: the number of steps the extruder motor should take per millimeter of filament. If this is too high, extra material will build up, creating messy layers and wearing the printer. If this is too low, the print will have voids and adhesion issues.

1. Turn on and auto-home the printer.

2. Use a ruler and marker to mark the filament 120 mm from where it enters the extruder.

3. Download the below gcode, save it to the microSD card and insert the card into the printer.

4. Run the gcode by clicking: Print from TF > extruder_tune.gcode

5. The printer will go to a location above the middle of the bed and extrude what it believes is 100 mm of filament. This takes about 2 minutes.

6. Measure the distance from the extruder to the mark on the filament. Ideally this would be 20 mm, but likely it’s a little different for your printer, so we’ll make an adjustment.

7. Find the current Esteps/mm at: Control > Motion > Steps/mm > Esteps/mm.

8. Calculate the new value as: Enew = Eold * 100 / (100 - (distmeas - 20) )

9. Scroll the knob to adjust the Esteps/mm to this new value, then click to set it.

10. Save the updated setting to firmware by clicking Control > Store settings.

Extruder Tuning: extruder_tune.gcode

Based on this great tuning guide: https://teachingtechyt.github.io/calibration.html#esteps

Bed leveling is super-duper-mega important!!!

It is the most common tuning activity you will do with your printer, and also the most common reason for a print to fail; 70% of P3D students report having problems with their bed level at some point during the quarter! So it's worth paying close attention and learning how to do this right. With practice, manually leveling the bed is quick and easy, but leveling the bed for the first few times takes longer. You'll likely get it slightly off the first few times, but don't worry; with a little practice, you can do this! We’ll do a test print in the next step. Here's a good tutorial video, which you should watch carefully:

Bed Leveling Video: https://youtu.be/Ze36SX1xzOE?t=20

This is so important, we're giving you a bonus bed-leveling video! More great ideas. Watch both:

Another Bed Leveling Video: https://youtu.be/RZRY6kunAvs?t=55

Bed leveling is so, so important that we're also giving you some written notes!! Read them all.

Notes on Bed Leveling:

• Before leveling the bed, it is imperative that your printer frame and motion systems are assembled and adjusted appropriately. Of particular importance, make sure that the X and Y guide wheels are properly adjusted to prevent wobbling or sticking (refer to Step 7, above).

• Try not to touch the surface of the bed too much. Oil from your fingers can make it harder for the initial layers to adhere when you print. When necessary, you can clean the surface with an alcohol wipe.

• Be sure to pre-heat the bed and hot end. The print bed will expand as it heats, and this can change the shape slightly. Click: Prepare > Preheat PLA > Preheat PLA. This will set the bed temperature to 60° and the nozzle to 200°. For the best level, adjust these to the planned print temperatures: Click Control > Temperature > Bed, scroll and click. Let the bed warm up for a while, ideally 10 minutes or so.

  • When printing, be sure to set the nozzle temperature to the lowest value that will support extrusion and adhesion. Higher temperatures have been shown to increase emission levels of airborne contaminants.

  • Cura defaults to a bed temperature of 50° and a nozzle temperature of 200° when printing PLA on the Ender 3.

  • The default Preheat PLA temperatures on your printer can be dialed in to suit your needs: Click Control > Temperature > Preheat PLA conf. After making the desired changes, click Store settings to override the defaults in firmware.

• When using a sheet of paper to set the nozzle height, it is easier to cover the full surface with a single sheet of copy paper and just move the nozzle assembly and bed around than to repeatedly slip in a small scrap of paper.

• After adjusting the four corners, adjust the level at the center of the bed. The center is where most printing occurs, and it may not be the same height as the average of the corners because of warping of the bed. Move the hot end to the middle of the plate and adjust all four corner screws by the same amount to get the correct overall height.

• Auto-leveling is cool, but you probably don’t need it. If the bed is super warped, there are other tricks you can use, including printing on glass or a mirror, using a thick initial layer or printing on a raft. If in doubt, ask us :-)

• If you start your print and notice signs of a bad level (see next step) it is possible to make small adjustments on the fly. A common scenario is that the first layer isn't sticking, so you adjust the bed up a little. Another common scenario is that, a few layers into the print, there are ruts forming, so you adjust the bed down a little. (Careful not to block the x-axis.)

To simplify things, we’ve also prepared a file that you can run on your printer to assist bed leveling. It will set the nozzle and bed temperatures and then sequentially move the nozzle to a point above each of the adjustment knobs.

1. Turn on the printer.

2. Download the below gcode, save it to the microSD card and insert the card into the printer.

3. Run the gcode by clicking: Print from TF > P3D bed level.gcode

4. The printer will autohome, preheat to 50° bed and 180° nozzle, and then move to a spot over one of the adjustment knobs.

5. With a sheet of paper between the nozzle and the bed, turn the adjustment knob directly beneath the nozzle location until there is a slight amount of friction when sliding the sheet of paper.

   1. If this is your first time leveling the bed, adjust the knob until the nozzle is roughly 1 mm above the bed. You will fine tune these adjustments after the bed is relatively close and flat to the nozzle plane. Come back to run another iteration.

6. Resume the print so that the nozzle will travel to the next location. Wake up the printer interface and navigate to “Resume Print”

7. The gcode file will step through the 4 corners and the center of the bed, and then go through a second iteration for fine-tune adjustments.

Now we’ll perform a test print to check that the bed is leveled properly. Download and run this gcode, generated by the above tuning guide.

Bed Level Check: first_layer.gcode

Image from: https://teachingtechyt.github.io/calibration.html#firstlayer

After the print has completed and cooled, inspect each square carefully. If the hot end was too close, the paper had too much tension during manual leveling, and vice versa.

• Take a picture of your test squares to submit for Setup Confirmation

Before we can do anything else, we’ll need to remove the printed material from the build surface. It’s OK if these tiny test prints get mangled a little. Larger, stiffer parts that you make later will keep their shape better and come off more easily. Some tips:

• Do not try to remove the print while the build surface is still mounted to the build plate, because pushing on the plate will load the y-axis wheels and can lead to misalignment or damage the printer.

• Be careful with the chisel, it's very sharp! Make sure to keep hands and other body parts away from the path of the chisel.

• Let the build plate cool down to about 30° or so, using the printer display to read bed temperature, then unclip and remove the build surface. If you're having trouble removing the part, it can help to cool it even further, in the freezer.

• If you are trying to remove a thin bit of material, like a test print square, sometimes it helps to heat it up, for example with a blow dryer, then slide it off the surface with a tool.

• Try not to touch the build surface with your fingers, so as to keep it clean. If the platform gets dirty or oily, you can clean it with an alcohol wipe, as provided in your kit.

• Bend the build surface away from your part, which will help to create a crack / gap between the part and the surface at the edge. Here is a video showing how this goes when it works well: https://youtu.be/B8PSxwVINmY?t=115

• You can also use the sharp scraping tool that came with your printer to pry the edge of plastic up, then slide the tool underneath while bending the build surface slightly so as to peel the part off.

• It's OK if there is a little PLA residue on your build surface from prior prints. Subsequent prints will print over the top as long as the surface is relatively flat and smooth.

• If you frequently have issues with removing your prints, try a lower bed temperature during printing, like 45 degrees. You can also try reducing the print head temperature.

It’s super-duper important to get the bed leveled well, and you want to become an expert at this so you can do it quickly in the future, so go through Steps 13-15 a few more times until all the squares, or at least the center square, come out exactly right. As you manually level the bed, keep the latest test results in mind and adjust the paper slip feel accordingly. It is definitely worth honing this skill! Those prints that you will get right just before future deadlines thank you :P.

• If your bed level test squares improved after iteration, or if you learned more after removing the squares from the print bed, take pictures of these squares to submit for Setup Confirmation

You’ve now spent 5 hours or so getting your new 3D printer assembled and tuned. Good work! Time to take a break from tuning and make something fun. There are loads of small, cool prints on sites like http://thingiverse.com, such as this Marvin keychain suggested by Prof. Cutkosky. You can also find cool stuff on #p3d-showcase. Contribute your creations for next quarter…

Marvin Keychain: Marvin_KeyChain.gcode

If this turns out well, your printer is probably well assembled and tuned! If you have trouble with bed adhesion or first layers, check the bed level first (Step 13). If you still have issues, it may be frame alignment, wheel grip or belt tightening (Steps 6—8). If there is extra material or big gaps, it may have to do with the Extruder calibration (see Step 12). Stick with it until everything looks good :-). If you're stumped, go to Ed Discussion, Slack or CA Office Hours.

• Take a picture of your test print to submit for Setup Confirmation

Once your printer is assembled in its enclosure and your print bed is nice and level, complete the P3D Setup Confirmation Form to get your setup checked out by a member of the P3D support team.

We’ll confirm that everything looks good and safe. You’ll also have a chance to submit any questions about your printer and how to use it.

In order to print your own designs, you will need ‘slicer’ software to turn a solid model into gcode that controls or tunes the printer’s motors and heating elements. We will use Cura, a popular, effective and free platform from Ultimaker. First, download and run the installer:

Cura Download: https://ultimaker.com/software/ultimaker-cura

Note: Select your printer model, the Creality Ender 3, during installation.

Next, watch this tutorial video, which gives an overview of the Cura interface and describes how to use all the major features:

Cura Tutorial Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDDfhqc57BI

Note: You do not need an Ultimaker account to get full functionality out of Cura. We recommend adding some plugins to improve your experience using Cura:

1. Settings Guide: Allows you to right-click on each print setting to get a detailed description of what it does and how to use it effectively.

2. Titlebar Info: The name of the project and the version of Cura will appear in the Cura title bar.

For each plugin, click on the “Marketplace” button in the top right corner of the Cura window, select the Plugins tab, find the plugin in the alphabetical list, select it, install it, and restart Cura.

For those interested in the highest print quality, or debugging a print issue, we recommend this detailed calibration site. You will download gcode, or slice STL files to generate your own, in order to find the ideal settings for your printer and slicer. See the tabs at the top for various advanced tests and tuning methods:

Advanced Calibration: https://teachingtechyt.github.io/calibration.html#intro

Note: The Slicer Flow Calibration can be especially helpful. If you notice that large flat surfaces develop furrows, humps or blobs, indicating too much material, or consistent gaps between lines, indicating too little, this is worth a try. In this process, you will manually adjust the flow rate in Cura under Material > Flow. The Flow option needs to be enabled first; click the gear icon next to Material. The default is 100%. Decrease this to get less material, increase it to get more.

To design your own component, first generate a model using computer-aided design (CAD) software capable of producing STL files, such as SolidWorks, Fusion 360 or Onshape. Keep the implications of the 3D printing manufacturing process in mind from the beginning. For example, choose an appropriate part orientation and alignment on the print bed, consider the effects of print lines and layers on strength, avoid large horizontal overhangs, allow for some imprecision in part geometry, especially in the initial few layers, and don’t make features too small. We’ve compiled some more specific advice for the Ender 3 here:

Design Tips for 3D Printing: Design Tip Sheet

Hopefully your P3D affiliated course has provided you with a good prompt to start designing your own parts already! When you’ve finished a first draft, save it as an STL file for Cura. If you don’t feel like designing your own at the moment, try this classic: The Stanford Bunny

Now use Cura to generate gcode from the geometry in the STL file of your custom component. Take another look at the Cura tutorial video if you need a refresher (Step 15). In brief, open your STL file, select a slicing profile (such as Standard Quality – 0.2 mm), and click the blue Slice button. Preview the part, layer by layer, by moving the vertical black slider up and down or hitting the up and down arrow keys. Adjust the slicer settings as necessary. When everything looks good, save the gcode, transfer and print.

As you adjust the slicer settings, you will notice that there are a bazillion options. At first this can seem overwhelming, but later it will feel empowering. For now, don’t worry; most of the default settings are great. In many cases you’ll be able to create a nice print from a default profile. There are some common situations where this won’t work, of course, for example if you need your part to be strong or you need support for overhangs, so you will find yourself making changes. We’ve compiled some specific advice here:

Tips for Slicing with Cura: Slicing Tip Sheet

If your situation is a little different, or you just want to explore other options, you can find the most common settings under the headers Quality, Layers, etc.. To enable other settings from the full list, click the gear icon to the right of the section header. Yeah, you can do anything… If you have any questions, don’t be nervous to put it to the Ed Discussion or Slack communities or reach out directly.

When you’ve finished tuning the slicer settings in preview, insert the microSD card using the USB adapter. The blue button will switch to Save to Removable Drive. Click it. After saving, an Eject button will pop up. Click it, then transfer the microSD card to the printer and turn it on. Level the bed if needed. Then click Print from TF and watch your design come to life!

If your part included a raft or support material, you can remove this by carefully clipping a few connection points, wedging the scraper between the part and the support, and then peeling it off when you have a good gripping surface. The support often pops off suddenly, so be careful not to cut yourself with the scraper!

The part can be sanded to create a smoother surface. Try 100 grit sandpaper to start and gradually increase the grit if a smoother surface is required. PLA also takes paints well, though strong filament colors can take several layers of paint to overcome. Superglue bonds 3D printed PLA very well; aim for a substantial area of overlap for the strongest lap joint.

Support Removal and Cleanup Tutorial: https://youtu.be/znkbwajT100?t=47

PLA becomes brittle with exposure to moist air or sunlight, and brittle filament can break while unspooling or being loaded by the extruder. Whenever you are not using your filament, you should store the spool in an airtight container with a silica gel desiccant (it comes with a pack). Just heat up the hot end (Prepare > Preheat PLA > Preheat PLA End), manually release the filament clamp, and pull the filament out of the Bowden cable. Seal and store for the next print!

PLA Removal Tutorial: https://youtu.be/bv46Wu87Z5k?t=49

You’ve made it! Your printer is assembled and tuned, and you’ve printed a custom part of your own design. Great work! The process likely had its challenges, but also provided a great opportunity to grow your skills and confidence. Treat yourself by printing this Stanford logo that clicks into the t-slotted framing at the top of your printer. Fear the Tree!!!

Stanford Logo: SLDPRT | STL | gcode