Thank you for purchasing this Lulzbot Mini.
I wrote this document to help get you started with your new 3D printer. With some patience you'll be up and printing all sorts of things soon. And with some simple maintenance your printer should last many years to come.
Please take a brief moment to read this guide and the following tips.
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If you are new to 3D printing I highly recommend you start with a brand new spool of filament. As filament ages it absorbs moisture which can cause printing issues.
Start with a new spool of 3 mm filament (sometimes sold as 2.95 mm). PLA is the most common type of plastic used with 3D printers. I personally prefer to use PETG or ABS.
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The first layer is the most important. Read the section on the printer's start-up procedure. If your printer fails to lay down a good first layer the print will most likely fail.
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The printer gets really hot. The nozzle from which plastic flows will be somewhere near 240°C (464°F) and the print bed 160°C (320°F). Keep yourself, others, and objects away from the printer when it is turned on.
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Put the printer somewhere it won't be disturbed, where there is good ventilation, and where there is little to no air flow.
The "good ventilation" part basically means don't breath the toxic fumes coming out of the printer.
And "little to no air flow" means the air around the printer should be stable. Air blowing on the printer may cause the plastic to cool unevenly and warp. When this happens the printed object will not be where the printer thinks it is and the nozzle will hit the object---knocking it off the bed---and the printer will extrude plastic all over the place making a hot mess of plastic spaghetti.
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Take a moment to learn the names of the various parts of your printer. It will help you when reading documentation and communicating with others.
The USB drive included with the printer contains a document that identifies each part of the printer.
Using software such as Cura you instruct the printer to print an object. To carry out that instruction the printer goes through its start-up procedure then begins to lay down plastic filament.
Understanding this procedure will help you identify problems early so you don't waste time or filament on a print that is likely to fail.
When instructed to print your printer will:
#. Begin by heating the nozzle to a moderate temperature so it can be cleaned in the next step.
#. Once the nozzle reaches the appropriate temperature the printer will move the print head and bed so that the nozzle can be cleaned with the cleaning pad located at the back of the print bed.
The printer will drive the nozzle into the cleaning pad and move
the head back and forth along the X axis to clean off any
residue.
A clean nozzle is required for leveling the bed. If the nozzle
is too dirty to be cleaned with this simple wiping procedure
you should turn the printer off and clean the nozzle manually.
#. The printer will now "level the bed".
When laying plastic down on the bed the printer needs to know
exactly where the surface of the bed is. If the printer
positions the nozzle too low it will dig into the bed and either
break the glass or ruin the PEI sheet. If the nozzle is too high
the printer will extrude plastic like a frozen yogurt dispenser
getting plastic all over the place.
It's really difficult to get the bed perfectly level so that each
possible point on the bed is the same height in order for the
nozzle to make appropriate contact with the bed. So instead of
doing that the printer will go through a "bed leveling"
procedure.
The printer doesn't actually change the height of the bed or
adjust it in any way. Instead it discovers the height of the
corners of the bed so it can estimate where the bed is at any
point.
It does this by making physical and electrical contact between
the metal nozzle and the metal discs on the corners of the bed.
Both the nozzle and the metal discs on the corners of the bed
need to be clean so that electricity can flow between them and
the printer knows when then nozzle has contacted a disc.
After cleaning the nozzle the printer will move the print head
and bed so that the nozzle can touch each disc and figure out
where the bed is.
If at any point the nozzle pushes the corner of the bed lower
than a few centimeters then you should turn the printer
off, clean the nozzle and corner discs, and try again.
#. After leveling the bed the printer will sit for a few moments while the nozzle and bed come up to the correct temperature to print the plastic filament you are using.
Once the correct temperature has been reached the printer will
start printing.
I highly recommend that you always print with a skirt of 3 or
more perimeters. A skirt is where the printer will extrude a few
lines around the object it is going to print. When the print is
complete you'll discard the printed skirt.
Printing a skirt is important so that plastic gets flowing out of
the nozzle. The Lulzbot Mini doesn't do a good job of
normalizing the pressure coming out of the nozzle when first
starting a print. The skirt helps get any bubbles or pressure
build up out of the nozzle.
You'll also notice that quite often the printer just won't
extrude plastic. The first or even second perimeter of the skirt
will be a dry run and hopefully by the third perimeter of the
skirt plastic will be flowing out of the nozzle.
If the printer doesn't print at least one good perimeter of the
skirt you should turn the printer off, clean the bed and nozzle,
and start the print again.
Failure to print a skirt means the printer isn't likely to print
a good first layer. Without a good first layer your print is
likely to fail or turn out poorly.
Until you are comfortable with your printer I recommend:
#. Connect the printer to a computer using the provided USB cable.
#. Install the Lulzbot Cura software on your computer:
<https://www.lulzbot.com/cura>
(Cura is used to talk to the printer and prepare objects for printing.)
#. Find something you want to print, load it into Cura, and print it!
As you gain more experience you may want to try the following:
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Disconnect the printer from your computer and use Octoprint on a Raspberry Pi to control it:
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Experiment with alternate software:
Filament Size : 3 mm (or 2.95 mm)
Maximum Resolution : 0.05 mm
Print Speed : 275 mm/sec
Maximum Print Size : 152 mm x 152 mm x 158 mm
Nozzle Size : 0.5 mm
Item Height : 385 mm
Item Length : 340 mm
Item Width : 435 mm
Package Weight : 31 lbs
Package Dimension : 22 x 18 x 18