Important Notes

• Do not touch the print bed with your bare hands.
• Clean the bed with the plastic scraper or, if that doesn’t work, use 90% isopropanol stored nearby
• There exist magnets in a couple of slots to keep the baffle closed. They will fall out. You can just click them back into place to replace them
• The printer interface is touchscreen or entirely accessible using the knob; scroll to select and push directly in as though it were a button to confirm

To print:

• Use PrusaSlicer on the iMac in parasite room
• Download your files onto the iMac
• In PrusaSlicer, in the top middle of the screen, there’s a grey bar with a number of icons on it. On the left there is a cube with a plus sign labeled “Add”. You can add files (like .stl files) here
• Alternatively, files such as .stl files can be dragged onto the print space
• You can click and drag models to move them around or copy/paste models so you can, for example, print a many frames
• Cmd + c and Cmd + v copies and pastes; arrow keys move models
• You can Shift + Click on multiple models to select multiple at once, useful for copying a whole row of frames
• Shift + Mouse drag → Box select
• Alt + Mouse drag → Box deselect
• Ctrl + A → Select all
• Select a model with your mouse and drag to move it
• Select the filament type with which you to want to print
• Usually we use Prusament PETG or PLA
• Once you have your models in the orientation you want them, your filament selected, (and any other settings you might need to change set; the defaults should usually be okay) select the “slice now” button in the bottom right of your screen
• Slicing converts 3D file to a printing plan of a bunch of layers stacked on top of each other
• Ensure the correct filament is loaded on the printer. Follow the Changing Filaments instructions if required.
• Once filament is loaded, retrieve the USB stick on the printer and return to the to computer too prepare print files
• The USB stick always stays in the 3D printer unless you’re adding 3D print files to it. It is plugged into the side of the interactive screen attached to the printer. Its name on your computer should be PRUSA3D
• Plug in the USB to the computer with the print files.
• There should be a USB adapter on the iMac which has available USB ports.
• In PrusaSlicer, hit the “Export G-code” button in the bottom right corner, make sure to save it to the USB which is called PRUSA3D
• In finder, eject PRUSA3D using ⏏️ button
• Ejection only works half the time, you might need to try again
• PRUSA3D should disappear from the interface when it is ejected
• Bring the USB back to the printer and plug it in
• Using the printer screen, select print
• Now the printer has to do things like get the bed to temp and check bed leveling. Your input is probably not necessary at this point.
• You might want to check to make sure the first layer adheres because it’s the one most likely to mess up.

Changing filaments

Removing filament

• On the printer screen:
• Turn the knob to select “Filament”. You may have to navigate through a couple of menus to do this; it is stored in the home screen.
• Press knob in as though it were a button and not a scroll wheel to select.
• Navigate to “Unload Filament” and select.
• This will bring filament head to front left and head nozzle so it will pull out the filament
• Will take some time to warm to 230C
• Once the filament has been removed from the print head, you can wind it back onto the spool. There’s no special tool for this, just use your hands and try to keep it as tight as possible
• There are clips around the inside perimeter of the spool sized to keep your filament from springing out of the spool. Replace the filament in the clip on the spool
• Filament spools are kept in plastic bags to prevent the humidity from getting to them. The more expensive/sensitive filaments will be stored with silica gel beads or something similar to absorb excess humidity inside the plastic bag.

Loading filament

• Select “Load Filament” in the Filament menu
• Select the type of filament you’re loading: important so the printer knows what temperature everything needs to be.
• Take your new filament spool and put it on the holder so that it can turn freely, with the end of the filament facing backwards and on top of the spool, pointing towards the slots behind the filament spool
• Unclip the end of the filament and push into slot 1, the one with the clear tube attached on both sides.
• You’ll feel resistance where there’s a sensor in the metal box in the first inch of tube and again when you hit the print head. Keep pushing until you cannot push anymore. The printer will beep when it’s fully loaded.
• Once it beeps, press the knob to begin purging previous filament. After purging, will ask you if the color is correct. Check the stringy plastic that has been extruded from the nozzle to make sure it’s the same color as the filament you just loaded. If not, purge more. If yes, hit yes.
• Filament is pretty cheap, don’t be afraid to purge more than strictly necessary to ensure a quality print

To get your completed print off the printer:

• The print bed has a magnetic sheet on it that you can take off
• Be careful: the bed temperature is something like 80C.
• With gloved hands, grasp the 2 tabs overhanging on the front of the printer
• Pull the sheet off the printer. Be aware that the magnets are strong, so you may have to use some force.
• Bring the sheet to a lab bench workstation. Bend the sheet gently to get your printed items to unstick.
• If bending the sheet does not work, you can pull gently on the items to unstick them
• if that fails, the plastic scraper can be used to gently scrape your print off
• Once the print is removed, if the magnetic sheet is still dirty, it can be cleaned with 90% isopropanol.
• Replace the sheet in the printer when you are done.
• The tab in back should fit neatly between two stainless steel nubs to ensure the mat is properly aligned.