LulzBot/AssembledPrusaMendel/gettingstarted

Intro

Now that you have your Lulzbot Prusa Mendel printer set up it is time to print! Below you will find information on getting setup with software to run your 3D printer. You will also see: precautions to follow when operating your 3d printer, general printer settings to start with, and step by step instructions on printing your first print.

Getting software

1. Most free open-source software can be found at Github.com or by searching the software name and Github in a web search engine. Otherwise, you can find wiki pages for software on Reprap.org.
2. There are two basic software types you need to run your 3D printer. One is the host software which interacts with the printer sending instructions and receiving information. The other software needed is the slicer. The slicer software takes an .stl 3D model file and slices it into layers creating a .gcode file. The gcode file is instructions for the printer on how to print the 3D object. The.gcode file is sent to the printer through the host software.
3. For a great reliable host software get PRINTRUN. Your RAMPS electronics have already been flashed with Sprinter firmware which is completely compatible with Printrun. The file in Printrun you will need to run is pronterface.py.
4. There are two options for 3D model slicers. The older software, SFACT is based off of the Skeinforge slicer. SFACT can be somewhat complex but is documented well and works great. Slic3r a newer slicer is currently in early development but is working. Slic3r is a much faster and easier slicer for beginners.

Printer cautions

1. Never run the extruder when the hotend is not fully heated to the correct temperature.
2. Never set the hotend temperature about 240C
3. If the hotend ever heats above 240C do not run the extruder. Let the hotend cool back down below 240C before resuming extrusion.
4. Never allow the nozzle to drag on the print surface during X and Y axis movement.
5. Always turn of the power supply and unplug the USB cable before touching or unplugging any of the wires or motor drivers from the printer electronics.

General printer settings

These settings are default and can change with future firmware updates or due to your own updates and hacking. Extrusion temperatures may vary with different plastic filaments

1. Nozzle temperature: 220C for printing ABS or 185C for printing PLA
2. Bed temperature: 110C for printing ABS or 60C for printing PLA
3. Pronterface manual extruder speed: 90mm/min
4. Pronterface manual X and Y speed: 3000mm/min
5. Pronterface manual Z speed: 200mm/min
6. Print area: 170mm(X) by 160mm(Y) by 100mm(Z).

Printing your first print!

These instructions are for use with the Printrun host software. It is recommended to use Printrun for this first print test. If you use a different host software you will need to find instructions on starting a print with that software.

1. After following the Setup instructions, the printer is now ready to be powered.
2. Click the power button to the on position to turn on the 12V power
3. Launch Printrun (pronterface.py) or your host software if you are using something different than Printrun.
4. Set the connection speed to 115200. In Printrun the connection speed is at the top left of the screen in the pull down menu to the left of the @.
5. In the top left of the Printrun window, in the Port pull down menu you will need to select the correct USB port for your printer. Generally you will only have one listed USB port. Depending on your computer operating system the name of the port can have differing names.
6. Now press the Connect button to connect Printrun to your printer. You will know your printer is connected by seeing “Printer is now online” in the print line window on the right in the Printrun window.
7. Now to set the hotend and bed temperatures. Both settings are near the bottom left. The heater temperature is for the hotend and bed for the bed. To set the temperature, type the temperature you would like in the temperature text box and press set.
8. After setting both temperature settings click the Monitor Printer button. This will periodically print the current hotend and bed temperature in the print line window. Let the hotend and bed heat up to the wanted temperature.
9. While the hotend and bed is heating up, home all three of the axes. Press the home button for each axis leaving the Z axis to home last. The axis will move in the negative direction until it touches the endstop switch.
10. Your printer comes with an SD-RAMPS and SD card. We have put a few test .gcode files on the SD card for you to quickly make your first test prints.
11. Once you have homed the axes and the hotend and bed have heated to the correct temperature it is time to print!
12. Click the SD Print button. An SD file selection window will appear. Select the whistle.g file. Press OK to start the print.
13. When the print starts make sure the first layer is not printing to close or too from the print bed. If the first layer is too high or low you can pause the print and adjust the Z-axis endstop. After making adjustments you can home the axes and press Restart to restart the print.
14. After the whistle is finished printing, the heated bed will automatically cool down to 60C. If you are printing PLA you will need to turn the heated bed off. Once the bed cools you can you pop the finished whistle off of the printed surface.
15. If you would like, you can now print some of the other sample gcode files on the SD card. Make sure to reset the heated bed to the correct temperature before starting the next print.