De-mothballing your school's 3D printer

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Your organization has a 3D printer, but no one uses it. It sits, mothballed, in the corner of a library or storage room.

This post will take help you get your mothballed printer up and running in no time!

A 3D printer requires certain things to get up and running:

  • The printer itself — the machine that guides and heats the filament while printing

  • Filament — the material used to 'print' your 3D models

  • Power cord (often missing for some reason?)

  • Connectivity (a USB or network cable, or SD card?)

  • A laptop with internet access (for creating or preparing the models for printing)

In addition to the above, it’s probably a good idea to get a copy of the manual and update your printer to the latest firmware (especially if it’s an older printer).

Some examples of different types of PLA filament. Usually shipped on a spool, like thread, this corn-based polymer is biodegradable and doesn’t release any chemical gases when printed.

Some examples of different types of PLA filament. Usually shipped on a spool, like thread, this corn-based polymer is biodegradable and doesn’t release any chemical gases when printed.

LOADING YOUR PRINT MATERIAL

Now that you have a manual and have possibly updated your printer, let's load it up with filament so you can print.

Filament is to 3D printers what paper and ink (or toner) is to a typical home or office printer — without it, you can't print anything.

There are many types of 3D printers, and many ways to '3D print' — but by and large, the most common type of 3D printer you will encounter is a FDM (Fusion Deposit Modeling) printer. It sounds complicated, but basically all it does is head and connect filament to already printed filament as it comes out of the printer — similar to an inkjet printer, except with extra dimensions.

Sample print from 3D models provided with Dremel’s 3D Printers. Though organic, it’s optimized to print well and without support.

Sample print from 3D models provided with Dremel’s 3D Printers. Though organic, it’s optimized to print well and without support.

The reason FDM printers are so popular is because they are relatively inexpensive, easy to understand and easy to maintain. Although sometimes that 'relative' term may make you question just what 'easy' means. If you printer is something other than an FDM printer, you can skim through the basics below, but the actual materials and print process may be significantly different.

GETTING SOMETHING TO PRINT

Most 3D printers allow you to print from an SD card. If you're lucky, the SD card is still in your printer and still contains the optimized 3D models used as samples and test prints. You should try this first if you have it.

If not, you'll need to make (or download) and slice your own model before you can try out your printer.

Your first print

Once you have a properly prepared model, sliced and ready to print, just export it as a .gcode file and save to an SD or MicroSD card for printing. Then, prepare your printer by making sure:

  • The printer is turned on

  • The filament is connected, has enough material in the spool, and is ready to go

  • The print head is clean, with no stringers or melted filament that may impede or stick to your upcoming print

  • The print bed is level

  • The print bed is clear of debris — and if you need to use some extra adhesion (painter’s tape, hairspray, or glue), it has been properly applied to print bed.

Pop the card into your printer’s card slot and use the printer’s controls to navigate to the file you want to print. After selecting the .gcode file you want to print, just hit “Ok” or “Print”. What should happen next is:

  • The print head will move to a predefined ‘home’ position where all prints originate from.

  • It will take about 5-7 minutes for the print head (and, if heated, the print bed) to head up to printing temperatures (which can be very hot — 190°C for the print head, which is enough to cause severe burns, so don’t touch!)

  • Once the correct temperatures are reached, the print head will print 1-2 quick lines of filament to get the print material going before it begins printing your 3D model.

  • Most printers have an on-screen display which should provide details about temperature and remaining print time.

It’s a good idea to stay near the printer and monitor your prints until you get the hang of it, just in case something is configured incorrectly and your print starts to go haywire. Most printers cannot detect if something is wrong with your print, so will continue on as if everything’s okay — which could create a big mess, damage your printer, or in extreme cases, potentially start a fire.

With luck, everything will print out fine.

More often than not, you may need to tune your printer or your slicer, but more about that in the next article.

EnglishMichael Welcheducation, teaching, technicalComment