Prusa i3 Printing Handbook
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Summary of Contents for Prusa i3
- Page 2 QUICK GUIDE TO THE FIRST PRINT 1. Place the printer on a flat and stable surface (page 10) 2. Read the safety instructions carefully (page 5) 3. Download and install the drivers (page 22) 4. Prepare the glass (page 10) and calibrate the printer (page 12) 5. Insert SD into the printer and print your first model (page 16) th Handbook version 1.01 from September 15 , 2015. © Prusa Research s.r.o. 2 ...
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Page 3: Table Of Contents
Table of contents 1 Product details 2 Introduction 2.1 Glossary 2.2 Used symbols 2.3 Safety instructions 2.4 Assembled Original Prusa i3 Plus printer 2.5 Original Prusa i3 Plus printer kit 2.6 Licenses 3 Original Prusa i3 Plus printer 4 Original Prusa i3 Plus printer kit 5 First steps 5.1 Printer unpacking and proper handling 5.2 Printer assembly 5.3 Setup before printing 5.3.1 Glass preparation 5.3.2 ABS Juice preparation 5.3.3 Plugging the AC power 5.3.4 Calibration 5.3.5 Loading the filament into the extruder 6 Printing 6.1 Printer controls 6.1.1 LCD screen 6.1.2 LCD layout 6.1.3 Print speed versus print quality 6.1.4 USB cable and Pronterface 7 Printer drivers 8 Printing your own models 8.1 Where you can get the 3D models? 8.2 In what program you can create your own models? 8.3 Slic3r 8.4 Printing of nonstandard models 8.4.1 Printing with support material 8.4.2 Large object printing 9 Materials ... -
Page 4: Product Details
10.5.3 Glass is unstable and doesn’t hold firmly 10.5.4 Default Xaxis position is outside the glass 10.5.5 Uneven spacing of the nozzle on the Xaxis opposite ends 10.6 Printing problems 10.6.1 ABS models tear up from the glass when printing 10.6.2 Layers break and split when printing from ABS material 10.6.3 Models move the glass during the print 10.6.4 Models contain either too much or not enough of the filament 10.7 Problems with finished models 10.7.1 Model breaks and/or is easily destructed 11 FAQ common issues when assembling the printer kit 11.1 Nozzle/glass gap is greater in the middle than at the corners 11.2 Printer stops printing soon after start 11.3 Printer can’t read SD card 11.4 Loose X and/or Yaxis belts 11.5 Unattached cables to the heatbed 11.6 Loose heatbed zipties 1 Product details Title: Original Prusa i3 Plus / Original Prusa i3 Plus (kit) Version: 1.75 mm Manufacturer: Prusa Research s.r.o., Prvního Pluku 621/8a, Praha 8, 186 00, Česká republika Contacts: phone +420 222 263 718, email: nfo@prusa3d.cz EEE group: 3 (IT and/or telecommunication equipment) Device use: indoor only Power supply: 90135 VAC, 2 A / 180264 VAC, 1 A (5060 Hz) Working temperature range: 18 °C (PLA)38 °C, indoor use only Working humidity: 85 % or less Kit weight (brutto / netto): 9.8 kg / 6.3 kg Assembled printer weight (brutto / netto): 12 kg / 6.3 kg Serial number is located on the printer control unit and also on the packaging. 4 ... -
Page 5: Introduction
2 Introduction Thank you for purchasing our original 3D p rinter P rusa i3 Plus 1.75 f rom Josef Prusa either as a assembled p rinter or a p rinter kit as your purchase supports us with its further development. Read the handbook carefully, please, all chapters contain valuable info for the correct service of the p rinter . Please check the h ttp://prusa3d.com/drivers page for updated version of this 3D printing hanbook (PDF download). i nfo@prusa3d.com In case of any p rinter related problem do not hesitate to contact us at ... -
Page 6: Assembled Original Prusa I3 Plus Printer
2.4 Assembled Original Prusa i3 Plus printer You can find a picture of an assembled Original Prusa i3 Plus p rinter with description in p i ct . 1 next page of this handbook. Unlike the p rinter kit it’s completely assembled and almost ready to p rint . After plugging in and necessary calibration you can p rint the 3D object in the matter of minutes after unpacking the p rinter . Keep in mind you can use our s upport email ... -
Page 7: Original Prusa I3 Plus Printer
3 Original Prusa i3 Plus printer Pict. 1 Original Prusa i3 Plus p rinter described 7 ... -
Page 8: Original Prusa I3 Plus Printer Kit
4 Original Prusa i3 Plus printer kit The complete contents of the p rinter kit box can be seen on the picture below. Pict. 2 Original Prusa i3 Plus p rinter kit unboxed 8 ... -
Page 9: First Steps
5 First steps 5.1 Printer unpacking and proper handling Take the p rinter for the upper frame pull it out from the box. Be careful when handling with the p rinter not to damage the electronics and thus the p roper p rinter functionality. Anytime you move the p rinter always hold it for the upper frame with hotbed upright pointing away from you as pictured in p i ct . 3 . ... -
Page 10: Printer Assembly
5.2 Printer assembly With Original Prusa i3 Plus p rinter kit we suggest to follow the guidelines and assemble the kit according to the the o nline manual at m anual.prusa3d.com . ( O nline manual is available in several languages on the website). The construction of the printer should not take more than one working day. After a successful compilation continue to the chapter S etup before p rinting . 5.3 Setup before printing ● Place the p rinter to the horizontally stable position, best place is a workbench where ... -
Page 11: Abs Juice Preparation
5.3.2 ABS Juice preparation Acetone is extremely flammable, rapidly evaporating liquid. Handle it in a wellventilated area only, protect your eyes and skin from splashes. Never operate with acetone near open flames or other heat source; especially in areas where a spark can occur acetone v apors are easily ignited. When you run out of the ABS J uice supplied with the p rinter , you can easily make your own mix. You will need a container in which you can retain pure acetone and an ABS f ilament . ABS J uice is made by dissolving ABS in pure acetone 34 cm f ilament (thickness 1.75 mm) to 30 ml of acetone. Original ABS j uice container is 100 ml, so you need a f ilament length of approximately 114 cm. Cut the ... -
Page 12: Plugging The Ac Power
5.3.3 Plugging the AC power ● Check the glass placement and attachment to the h eatbed . ● Plug in the AC power cord. 5.3.4 Calibration You need to calibrate the p rinter before the first p rint . If you transport the p rinter or manipulate with it excessively you should check and eventually calibrate it again. For the successful calibration you need to have the p rinter heated both n ozzle and h eatbed . Temperature can be set through LCD panel. ... - Page 13 ● You need a common business card for the calibration. Choose S ettings i n main menu then A uto home o ption. This step sets all axes to [ 0, 0, 0] positions. ● Try to put and move the calibration paper (business card) between the bed and nozzle . You have to feel a slight friction between the paper and the n ozzle . Nozzlebed distance is set with Zadjusters. This step is repeated in all four corners of the printbed. Calibration paper is attached to the package with with the heatbead and the glass. If you don’t have the calibration paper you can use any common business card paper 2 (250 g/m ). ...
- Page 14 ● Figures 6a to 6c show the f irst printed layer . Pict. 6a shows the result when n ozzle is too far from the bed, 6b is correctly c alibrated p rinter and 6c shows the p rint when the n ozzle is too close to the h eatbed . Pict. 6a N ozzle is too far from the glass. Filament couldn’t attach p roperly and tears out. ...
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Page 15: Loading The Filament Into The Extruder
5.3.5 Loading the filament into the extruder If you follow the manual you should have t he n ozzle and the bed p reheated . ● You need to p reheat the n ozzle before inserting the f ilament (and the bed too if you like to p rint right away). The temperature depends on the m aterial used. Detailed information about ... -
Page 16: Printing
6 Printing ● Make sure that the n ozzle and the bed are heated to the desired temperature. If you forget to p reheat the p rinting n ozzle and the bed before p rinting the p rinter will automatically check the temperatures of the n ozzle and the bed; p rinting will start when desired temperature is reached it can take several minutes. However, we ... - Page 17 ● If you experience any troubles r emoving the object (especially the small ones) you can use a flat tool like a spatula or Stanley blade. Pict. 8 R emoving the m odel from the glass with spatula ● In rare cases part of the glass can gouge with the object. With normal glass it could happen more often, with tempered glass we use with Original Prusa i3, it’s extremely rare case. If this is happened to you just use the other side of the glass or you can get the substitute glass from our eshop. Substitute glass is also handy when you’d like to p rint another object immediately after finishing the previous one. Just remove the glass from the bed and let the object cool down out of the p rinter . Use the gloves when manipulating with the glass its temperature can reach 100 °C. ...
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Page 18: Printer Controls
Pict. 9 LCD layout 1. Nozzle temperature (actual / desired temperature) 2. Heatbed temperature (actual / desired temperature) 3. Progress of p rinting in % shown only during the p rinting 4. Status bar (Prusa i3 ready / H eating / model_name.gcode, etc.) 5. Zaxis position 6. Printing s peed 7. Elapsed p rinting time shown only when p rinting 18 ... -
Page 19: Lcd Layout
6.1.2 LCD layout Items not mentioned below are not used for the common p rint setup you should not change any of the unmentioned i tems unless you are absolutely sure what you are doing. ❏ Info screen ❏ Tune ( during the p rinting process only) ❏ Speed ❏ Nozzle ❏ Bed ❏ Fan s peed ❏ Flow ❏... -
Page 20: Print Speed Versus Print Quality
When increasing the speed always check the model is cooled properly especially when printing small object from ABS increased speed causes the distortion (sometimes called “warping”) of the model. You can prevent this issue by printing more similar objects together layer printing interval is long enough to prevent this issue. If the model shows lower quality than desired you can decrease the printing speed turn the LCDknob counterclockwise. Maximum usable printing speed is around 20 % of nominal speed. 6.1.4 USB cable and Pronterface We strongly recommend to use LCD panel while printing on Prusa i3 1.75 mm Pronterface doesn’t support all functions of a new firmware (e.g. filament change while printing). Keep in mind that when printing from the Pronterface the c omputer must be connected to the p rinter during the whole p rinting process computer must be prevented from sleep, hibernation or shutting down. Disconnecting the computer during the p rint ends the p rinting without the option to finish the object. ... - Page 21 Obr. 10 You can find USB port here ● Choose connection port in Pronterface (download available with the p rinter drivers, ) : Mac users use / usbmodem port, PC Windows ports see the chapter P rinter drivers are COM1, COM2, etc.; the correct port is displayed in device manager, Linux users connect the p rinter using the virtual serial port. When the p rinter is connected click the C onnect b utton. Right column shows the connection information. ●...
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Page 22: Printer Drivers
Slic3r preparing the 3D m odels to .gcode format for p rinting . Pronterface p rinting from a computer (in case you don’t want to p rint from SD) NetFabb repairing the corrupted or unprintable m odels Settings for Prusa i3 printer o ptimized p rint s ettings Drivers for Prusa i3 printer Windows a Mac drivers Test objects ... -
Page 23: Printing Your Own Models
8 Printing your own models 8.1 Where you can get the 3D models? The best way to get started with your own 3D p rinting is to find already created m odels on internet they should be in the . stl or . obj format . Fortunately there are lot of fans and there are sites from which you can download a wealth of readymade 3D m odels from a simple shaver holder to a ... -
Page 24: Slic3R
8.3 Slic3r 3D p rinter can p rint a lmost a nything. Whether you download 3D m odels from the I nternet or you create your own m odel , you will need to c onvert the .obj or .stl format into a .gcode file . Gcode is a file format readable by a 3D p rinter . File contains the information of the nozzle movement and an amount of f ilament to extrude. The right tool for this task and for many more is the Slic3r program. ... -
Page 25: Printing Of Non-Standard Models
8.4 Printing of non-standard models Slic3r helps you while p rinting the n on standard m odels as m odels with o verhangs and/or models larger than a p rinting bed. 8.4.1 Printing with support material When you ... -
Page 26: Large Object Printing
8.4.2 Large object printing Other special p rinting case is a p rinting objects larger than a h eatbed . First option is to resize the object to a printable s ize . Rightclick on an object in Slic3r opens a menu with the Scale … o ption, then you choose U niformly , if you want to s cale down the m odel evenly; or you can alter the ... -
Page 27: Materials
9 Materials Temperatures and the h eatbed treatment before p rint according to a specific m aterial . 9.1 ABS Material suitable for common, robust objects. ● Nozzle temperature: 2 55 ° C ● Bed temperature: 1 00 °C. You can set the bed temperature between 80 to 110 °C depending the s ize of an object (larger object means higher temperature) ● Heatbed: P ut one layer of the glue on the glass. Apply an ABS J uice before every print... -
Page 28: Hips
9.4 HIPS Universal, stable m aterial with good heat resistance suited for printable m echanical components. ● Nozzle temperature: 2 20 °C ● Bed temperature: 1 00 °C. You can set the bed temperature between 80 to 110 °C depending the s ize of an object (larger object means higher temperature) ● Heatbed: P ut one layer of the glue on the glass. Apply an ABS J uice before every print . The glue is applied only before the first p rint or in case you cleaned the glass completely. ... -
Page 29: Faq - Printer Maintenance And Print Issues
10 FAQ - Printer maintenance and print issues 10.1 Glass cleaning ● Glass c leaning is the most frequent p rinter maintenance. If the glass is dirty or there is an asymmetrical glue layer, it is recommended to soak the glass in lukewarm water and leave it for a few minutes. The glass can be then easily cleaned. 10.2 Clogged / jammed extruder ● Material clogged in extruder can cause problems with the p rinting or with the l oading of a new f ilament . ●... -
Page 30: Nozzle Cleaning
10.3 Nozzle cleaning ● Use a wire brush to clean the n ozzle from outside. Heat the n ozzle before you do so. ● If f ilament is not extruded from a n ozzle or in very small volume, check first the extruder fan is working p roperly and the temperature is set correctly (PLA 210 °C; ABS 255 °C, HIPS 220 °C, PET 240 °C). Also check f ilament was loaded into the extruder and wasn’t stuck before the n ozzle . ●... -
Page 31: Calibration Issues
10.5 Calibration issues 10.5.1 Nozzle taps the glass In case the printbed is at its lowest position set by the Zadjusters and yet nozzle taps the glass you have to adjust the Z axis endstop holder. ● Move the Z axis endstop holder approximately 0.51 mm upwards. Push a Z rod as shown in picture below to secure its position. ● Recalibrate the p rinter . Pict. 17 How to move up a Z axis endstop holder ... -
Page 32: Different Spacing Between Nozzle And Glass After Every Z-Axis Reset
10.5.2 Different spacing between nozzle and glass after every Z-axis reset ● Tighten the screws holding a Z axis endstop. 10.5.3 Glass is unstable and doesn’t hold firmly ● Unstable glass may be caused by two different reasons. First check if there is any dirt between the glass and h eatbed . If yes, remove all dirt. ● Glass instability may be caused by uneven position of the Zadjusters. ● Set all Zadjusters to the lowest position h eatbed has to be at the lowest possible position. ... -
Page 33: Printing Problems
10.6 Printing problems 10.6.1 ABS models tear up from the glass when printing The most often reason for this issue is too low temperature of the h eatbed . If you p rint a larger object you need to raise the temperature to 105115 °C. The larger the area and the object height, the greater the temperature has to be. Also check the h eatbed is c alibrated and the glass is prepared p roperly as described in chapter G lass preparation . ... -
Page 34: Faq - Common Issues When Assembling The Printer Kit
11 FAQ - common issues when assembling the printer kit 11.1 Nozzle/glass gap is greater in the middle than at the corners The reason of this issue isn’t the bent glass or bed but distorted Yaxis. We suggest to remove the whole Yaxis out of the p rinter . Follow these steps: ● Align the Yaxis so that each Ycorner is sitting on the table neither one is in the air. ● Align the tightening of each Yaxis threaded rod so that each Ycorner is upright to the table surface. ● Align the tightening of each Yaxis threaded rod so that each M8 threaded rod at right angle to the M10 threaded rods the Yaxis must form a rectangle when viewed from ... -
Page 35: Printer Stops Printing Soon After Start
11.2 Printer stops printing soon after start Extruder is overheated. Make sure the n ozzle fan is working p roperly . If not, please inspect its connection according to the assembly manual. Pict. 19 P roper wiring of the connectors 11.3 Printer can’t read SD card First, make sure that the ... -
Page 36: Loose X- And/Or Y-Axis Belts
11.4 Loose X- and/or Y-axis belts Check if both belts are p roperly tightened, loose belts would cause a p rinter malfunction and prevent the p roper p rinting . Easiest check is p rinting a round object if any of the belts is not tightened p roperly the result is irregular shape instead of a perfect circle. Xaxis belt is located under the h eatbed , Yaxis belt moves the extruder. See the pictures with p roperly tightened belts. ... -
Page 37: Unattached Cables To The Heatbed
11.5 Unattached cables to the heatbed Do not forget to use a spiral wrap on h eatbed c ables and attach the c ables p roperly so they won’t restrain any movement during the p rint . Pict. 22 C ables to be wrapped to a spiral wrap ... - Page 38 Notes:...
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