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Related Manuals for Airwolf 3D AW3D v.4
Summary of Contents for Airwolf 3D AW3D v.4
- Page 1 3D PRINTER USER MANUAL model AW3D (model AW3D v.4, v.5, v.5.5) www.airwolf3d.com...
- Page 2 INSTRUCTIONS FOR OPERATING YOUR 3D PRINTER - UPDATED 02/12/2013 THIS USER MANUAL IS MANDATORY READING BEFORE OPERATING YOUR AIRWOLF 3D PRINTER THIS 3D PRINTER IS NOT A TOY KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN AT ALL TIMES KEEP HANDS AWAY FROM THE HOT END, HEATED BED, BELTS, GEARS,...
- Page 3 (read the license carefully). In most cases you are also responsible for crediting the author for the work when you reproduce and/or distribute the work. For the AW3D v.4, v.5, and v.5.5, designs by Prusa and Mecano were the primary inspirations for the machines.
- Page 4 Once you have become a pro with Pronterface, download Repetier Host from • http://www.repetier.com/. This software will allow you to control the speed of the print and provide you with a visual before printing (both very, very important for long 10-15 hour prints). You will use this program essentially to replace Pronterface.
- Page 5 With software installed, make sure all electrical connections to the printer • are disconnected (this includes the USB cord from the computer). February 13, 2013 Page 4...
- Page 6 Inspect the 3D printer to make sure there are no loose wires, loose bolts or • obstructions that would impeded the printer’s movement in any of the three directions (X (left/right),Y (front/back),Z (up/down)). Make sure that nothing has broken or fallen off from shipping. Please note that •...
- Page 7 Important: this is a very special piece of glass made to withstand the hot • temperatures generated by the heated bed. If broken, do not attempt to replace this plate with standard glass. Install the alligator clips to secure the glass plate onto the heated bed. •...
- Page 8 Note that the glass plate is covered with PET tape that must be facing up. DO • NOT RUN THE HOT END INTO THE GLASS PLATE because replacing this tape (required for a good “stick”) is at first difficult if you are not familiar with laying films.
- Page 9 Look under the bed to make sure that the heater wires are NOT contacting the • front clip. Install the rear clip onto approximately the center of the rear portion of the glass • (two clips can also be used to gain a stronger grip). Important: the orientation of the clips will affect the process of leveling the bed.
- Page 10 Move the X carriage left and right to ensure no binding and to confirm that the X • micro switch activates similar to above. February 13, 2013 Page 9...
- Page 11 Acquaint yourself with the machine and observe all the moving components. • Make sure the belts are snug. To tighten the Y belt, loosen the nuts on the front of the machine holding the M8 • threaded rod to the frame and smooth rods. Pull back on the rod to remove slack from the belt and then tighten the nuts accordingly.
- Page 12 Do not over tighten. V.5.5 - you may also tighten the Y belt underneath by • loosening the bolts running through the Y idler and then tightening the tensioning bolt and then re-tensioning the Y idler bolts. To tighten the X belt, loosen the 13mm nut on the right X Bracket and pull back •...
- Page 13 v.5.5 - tighten the tensioning bolt, but do NOT over tension and then tighten the • 13mm bolt and nut accordingly. Pay attention to the smooth rods and threaded rods for the Z axis. Periodically • these components will need to be greased to ensure optimal performance. For the smooth rods, a thick automotive-style grease is recommended.
- Page 14 Next, slowly move the X carriage from left to right and vice versa. Note that the • gap between the nozzle tip and glass plate varies from left to right. Level the X assembly by holding the threaded rod from one X Bracket while •...
- Page 15 Adjusting the bed is relatively straightforward. After moving the bed back and • forth, simply turn the 2.5mm allen bolts on the front corners of the bed to either raise or lower the corners such that the nozzle is spaced about 1/16"-1/8" off the bed.
- Page 16 4. CONNECT THE 3D PRINTER IMPORTANT - Confirm that the power selector on your 240W (360W for • v.5.5) power supply conforms to your supplied voltage. If your supplied voltage is not 110 or 115, you will probably also have to buy an •...
- Page 17 the power supply is lying flat and that there are no obstructions to the circular fan vent or vented opening, which must be facing up. Plug in the power supply to your wall outlet. Make sure that the power supply •...
- Page 18 Connect the small end of the USB cord to the top of the Gen6 box through the • square-shaped hole on the top of the box, between the two power switches and then connect the USB cord to your computer. February 13, 2013 Page 17...
- Page 19 Make sure that your computer is connected to the Internet. It will need the • Internet to locate and install the appropriate driver for the Gen6 board. If this process fails, you will need to locate the driver software and perform a manual install as indicated above.
- Page 20 stop IMMEDIATELY and unplug the printer and regroup. Once regrouped, try small steps in the reverse direction to confirm operation. SLOWLY move the Z axis in the “-Z” direction such that the print head moves • closer to the glass. This is a critical adjustment that you will become very familiar with.
- Page 21 Loosen the two bolts on the extruder the left the two bolts and flip the extruder • tensioner back (early-mid v.5). With the hot end heated, you should be able to easily remove the remaining • filament (we run the machines for at least 10 hours prior to delivery to confirm that everything is working correctly): Insert the supplied 3mm ABS into the hole in the extruder.
- Page 22 (early-mid v.5 only) - tighten the two bolts on the extruder to compress the • respective springs. This is an adjustment you will become familiar with and it will vary between filaments. There is a compromise between having the filament too tightly compressed against the hobbed bolt ("flattening the filament") and having it too loose such that the hobbed bolt does not grip the filament enough for quick retractions.
- Page 23 The ABS should have a smooth path from the spool on the right side of the • printer through the slotted opening in the top of the printer and into the extruder. Make sure there are no impediments to the rotation of the spool. As the ABS is drawn into the extruder, the spool will rotate accordingly.
- Page 24 temperature to 275 degrees Celsius (although the maximum recommended temperature for ABS is 230-240 degrees Celsius). You will notice that after a minute or so the hot end will start “oozing” ABS. This • is perfectly normal as the plastic is being heated and will naturally proceed downward through the nozzle with gravity.
- Page 25 Once the hot end is up to temperature (as indicated by the Pronterface interface), • the bed is leveled, the bed is up to operating temperature, the ABS is properly routed, you have sufficiently familiarized yourself with the printer, and you are mentally prepared, you may move to the next step of actually printing something.
- Page 26 9. WITH EVERYTHING DOUBLE CHECKED, PRESS “PRINT” The printer will automatically “home” itself through the three micro switches • such that the hot end will end up in front of the print bed and slightly lower than the print surface. There will likely be a slight pause as the gcode executes and confirms that the hot •...
- Page 27 bolts, as described above). What may have happened is that the hobbed bolt “stripped” the filament. It therefore is necessary to re-trim the ABS filament and to clean the shavings (while the machine is depowered) from the hobbed bolt. Do not however try to remove the filament while the hot end is cold, the filament will stick and you could break an internal component.
- Page 28 Airwolf 3D printer. In other words, if the machine is not working correctly, first double check everything above, and then if it is still not working correctly, contact us and we can probably diagnose the problem in a matter of minutes, if not seconds.
- Page 29 slicing on our website as well as other informative matters related to 3D printing. We use Slic3r because it is user friendly, quick, and reliable. In particular, for the printed parts we use Slic3r 7.2b as it is very stable. Newer versions have many more features, but will require further experimentation.
- Page 30 Additional resources of information available on Airwolf 3D.com FAQ and Wiki: http://airwolf3d.com/3d-printer-support/ http://airwolf3d.com/blog/question/3d-printer- Getting Started With Airwolf 3D Printer Slic3r Configurations slic3r-configurations Apply PET film on 3D printer glass http://airwolf3d.com/blog/question/pet-film- applied-to-3d-printer-glass http://airwolf3d.com/wiki/how-to-create-a-3d- How to Create a 3D Object in SketchUp...
- Page 31 ADJUSTING HEIGHT Height adjustments are rarely necessary. Sometimes, however, it may be necessary to do so after the 3d printer is moved from one location to another. The first layer of filament should be somewhat smashed down on the glass plate, like a fluffy pancake.
- Page 32 To adjust the height, use the supplied 2.5mm allen wrench and turn the screw counter clockwise to lower the nozzle and bring it closer to the glass plate. If an allen wrench is not available, you may also use needle nose pliers or your fingers to turn the bolt.
- Page 33 In figure 4, the nozzle has been lowered slightly and is now printing at optimum height. The ABS filament is visibly pressed into the glass and will stick to provide best results. Caution: do not bring the nozzle down too low as this may cause the filament to get stuck in the extruder.
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