Makerspace Manual

"Slicing" is the process of turning a 3D model from its raw format (e.g. STL, 3mf) to a format a 3D printer can read. Unfortunately, different slicers are used from different brands of 3D printers. The Ultimaker users Cura while the Fusion uses Simplify 3D (we have three licenses).

3D Printers use various "filament" types to print models but the library primarily uses either PLA, or ABS for the model and PVA for support.

• PLA (Polylactic Acid) filament is a strong, vegetable-based material and is what we use for most of our prints. Corn starch is usually one of the main ingredients so it often smells like "pancakes" while printing. This is the Makerspace's preferred filament.
• ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) filament is significantly tougher than PLA however; it's oil-based and emits toxic fumes when printing. When printing using ABS, make sure to use the fan. These fumes are the primary reason the Makerspace uses PLA as a standard.
• PVA (Polyvinyl Alcohol) is water soluble so supports can be removed by simply soaking the model in warm water overnight. Since PVA support is time consuming and messy to clean up, the Makerspace generally uses PLA or ABS for support. PVA support is best used when the print is delicate and there is concern that the breaking off of support will damage the model or if support is printed in a hard to reach place and removing it would be difficult. It is very expensive so we use this as seldom as possible.

For a more complete list of what filaments the printers can utilize, look through the Fusion F306 manuals or the Ultimaker S5's product page. 

Our Ultimaker S5 has three print cores...

• .4mm AA - "AA" print cores can print using a variety of filament, they're the print cores that do the majority of the work. The .4mm AA print core is our preffered core
• .8mm AA - Prints using the same material as the .4mm AA but because the nozzle is wider, it can print much faster. There is a tradeoff however; models printed using a .8mm core often have minor defects and the support is thicker which makes it difficult to remove. Printing using PVA support might be a good idea though keep in mind that PVA is incredibly expensive.
• .4mm BB - We use the .4mm BB when printing using PVA for support.

I've found that you often need to perform a print core cleaning after switching print cores out

1. Place the roll of filament on the spool holder so that the end of the filament is beneath the roll.
2. Flip the handle of the feeder up
3. Push the filament an inch or two through the feeder and into the bowden tube. Generally we use Feeder #1 / Print Core #1 for PLA filament and Feeder #2 / Print Core #2 for PVA filament but that may not always be the case.
4. Flip the handle of the feeder down

1. If you haven't already, turn the Ultimaker on
2. Select the Ultimaker icon
3. Press the corresponding "No material" icon for the print core you'd like to load the filament into (AA 0.4 print core is for PLA, BB .4 is for PVA)
4. We use significantly less expensive, generic filament so you'll have to select the filament type manually. Scroll down the material type list and press "PLA".
5. The next few screens contain instructions on how to load the spool of filament which you've already done so you can press "Confirm" until you get to the filament status page. It should read "No Material".
6. Press "Load" and wait for the filament to be pulled through the Bowden Tube into the print core. You will know when the filament has finished loading when it consistently extrudes from the nozzle. If the filament comes up stringy there may be a partial jam in which case you would want to unload the filament and preform a print core cleaning before continuing.

Remove print from print bed with scraper and press "Confirm removal" before cleaning the glue off of the bed with paper towels and water.

Select the Ultimaker Icon, it will take you to the Ultimaker Status Screen

On the Ultimaker Status Screen, select the spool you'd like to unload (in the graphic the two spools are PLA White and PVA Natural)

On the Spool Status Screen you'll see information about the current contents of the spool including color and amount left. The three buttons at the bottom are Load, Unload, and Change. Press Unload.

The Ultimaker will automatically remove the filament from the print head and bowden tube. The end of the filament will be stringy, clip this off before placing the spool back into its bag. If there is a second spool loaded in the printer, simply repeat the previous steps.

Smaller prints can be removed by our scrapper however, this instrument is very sharp so make sure your hands are outside of the scrapper's "line of fire". If you are having difficulty removing the print remove the glass print bed from the Ultimaker and soak the bed in lukewarm water (nothing greater than 110F). The print should pop off easy. If support was needed let the patron remove it themself, we don't want to be held responsible if a piece breaks off. 

If the Ultimaker is putting down layers with lumps in them, check the layer height settings in CURA. For a .4mm print core, it's recommended that the layer height should be no higher than .2mm (although we have had success with .3mm).

If the filament snaps off the roll it's possible that the filament has absorbed too much moisture and needs to be dried out. You can do this by following the same instructions used for drying PVA.

There are cases where filament may print support where it's not needed. One remedy for this might be to decrease the support overhang but if there's not possible, you may try printing using PVA filament so the deformity simply melts off.

If the filament becomes stuck in the bowden tube and refuses to unload you'll have to disconnect the bowden tube from both the feeder and the print head, cut the filament off on both ends, and remove the filament manually either with pliers or by pushing new filament through the tube (directions can be found within the bowden tube cleaning instructions) and the other end from the feeder (disassembly directions can be found within the feeder cleaning instructions).

If the filament snaps while being fed into the print core it's probably because the material has absorbed too much moisture. Try drying the filament out for an hour before loading it again.

If the filament loads but nothing extrudes from the print core's nozzle, unload the filament and perform a print core cleaning and check the filament for breaks or deformities. If the part of the filament doesn't look quite right, snip it off and try loading it again.

If you change spools of filament mid-print and find that when loading the new spool, no filament extrudes from the nozzle you can perform a hot-pull print core cleaning.

1. Remove the bowden tube
2. Since the print core already heated up when you switch out the spools simply slowly push some spare filament into the print core until you see material extrude from the nozzle
3. Quickly remove the spare filament and check the tip, it should be cone-shaped
4. Insert the bowden tube back into the core and try loading the spool of filament again

If you're using two spools of filament at once (e.g. PLA for the model and PVA for support) and you get a "out of filament error" when there is clearly enough filament, the spools may be pushed too close together which prevents them from turning. Try to keep a little space between each spool.

If no filament extrudes from the print core perform a print core cleaning. If that doesn't work, there may be blockage and the tip of the nozzle. You may need to use our Reptor Nozzle Cleaning Kit.

In March 2021 we ran into a problem where print cores installed in print core slot #2 weren't being detected. It turned out the spring above the lift switch was slightly out of place. We were able to fix the problem by shifting the spring around with a pencil however; if it happens again we may need to take apart the print head and reset the spring entirely.

There are instructions for dismantling the print head on YouTube; Printhead PCB Installation instructions on how to do just that. The spring installation is at ~6:46.

The lift switch may have failed to  move properly, try recalibrating it.

If the printer stops and you receive the error "There is a communication error with the print head. "go to ultimaker.com/ER34", the print head cable may need to be reconnected. Instructions for this can be found on Ultimaker's ER34 solution page.

This error often occurs when small pieces of filament build up in the feeder and consequently, a chunk of the loaded filament has been ground out. With part of the filament missing, the feeder can't grip the material so the Ultimaker thinks the spool is empty.

To fix this, you'll need to unload the filament and clean the feeder which fortunately can be done mid-print. Filament that has absorbed to much moisture grinds more easily than dry filament so you may want to try a different roll.