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ANISOPRINT Composer User Manual

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Composer User Manual
Composer User Manual
by Anisoprint Support
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Summary of Contents for ANISOPRINT Composer

  • Page 1 Composer User Manual Composer User Manual by Anisoprint Support 1 / 57...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    2.5. Compliance statement ................6 3. Composite Fiber Co-extrusion ..............6 4. Overview ......................7 5. Basic specifications ..................7 6. Delivery package ..................8 7. Composer operations ................... 9 7.1. Main screen ....................9 7.2. Installation ....................17 7.3. Loading materials ..................
  • Page 3 Composer User Manual 11.1. The part get unglued from the buildplate during printing ......43 11.2. Plastic is not extruded from the nozzle ............. 44 11.3. Fiber is not extruded from the nozzle ............44 11.4. Strings and poor surface quality of printed part .........

  • Page 4: Disclaimer

    Composer User Manual 1. Disclaimer This User Manual is the main document for Composer CFC printers, it is provided with the delivery package. The Manual guides correct operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting of Composer CFC printers manufactured by Anisoprint. Please follow this User Manual when operating and maintaining the equipment. Failure to follow the guidelines may lead to poor quality of printed parts, damage to the printer, or cause injury, please read the User Manual carefully.

  • Page 5: Precautions When Working With Carbon Fiber

    In case of fiber breaking small suspended particles may accidentally get into the eyes or respiratory system. If it is necessary to examine the components of the Composer CFC Printer at a close distance, where carbon fiber is outside the protecting tube, be sure to wear safety glasses and protecting mask.

  • Page 6: Compliance Statement

    Composer User Manual Parts marked with this symbol heat up to high temperature and may cause skin burns Places of grounding connections Areas of nono-protected contacts under voltage of 220-240V. WARNING: do not take off the protective cover marked with this symbol NOTE: please read this manual before using the printer.

  • Page 7: Overview

    PETG, PA, and PC plastics. The material can be varied to achieve the best operational or economic parameters of the parts depending on the goals. 4. Overview Composer is a desktop CFC 3D printer available in two formats: A4 and A3. Both machines have heated buildplates and closed chambers. 5. Basic specifications...

  • Page 8: Delivery Package

    Composer User Manual 6. Delivery package Items in the package: 1. Composer CFC printer – 1 pc. 2. Plastic filament spool – 2 pc. 3. Anisoprint CCF-1.5k fiber spool – 1 pc. 4. Tool kit – 1 pc. 5. Personal protective equipment kit – 1 pc.

  • Page 9: Composer Operations

    8. User Manual 7. Composer operations 7.1. Main screen After switching on the Composer printer, you will see the main screen, which brief description is given below. 1 – Plastic extruder temperature settings button 2 – Buildplate temperature settings button 3 –...
  • Page 10 Composer User Manual A – Loading/unloading plastic filaments and composite fiber B – Calibration of the buildplate / Z-axis / print head (Z offset) C – Printer connection settings D – Key information about the printer (serial number, version info, build date)
  • Page 11 Composer User Manual Select movement increment Use home positioning buttons for tool homing 11 / 57...
  • Page 12 Composer User Manual Control XY coordinates of extruder and Z coordinate of buildplate Also, you can control material supply. To do it press Extruders button. Here, the following options are available: Retract/supply plastic filament in plastic extruder 12 / 57...
  • Page 13 Composer User Manual Retract/supply composite fiber in composite extruder Retract/supply plastic filament in composite extruder 13 / 57...
  • Page 14 Composer User Manual Select increment for material retract/supply Control material feed coordinates 14 / 57...
  • Page 15 Composer User Manual Change active extruder Initiate fiber cutting mechanism 15 / 57...
  • Page 16 Composer User Manual Switch on/off nozzle blowing fan E – Composer axes positioning button. Here, the following options are available: NOTE: these parameters directly affect the printer functionality! 16 / 57...

  • Page 17: Installation

    G – Debug info (service information) 7.2. Installation Your Composer requires several assembly steps before you can start printing. Unpack the printer and place it on a reliable flat surface, protected from strong vibrations. Adjust the printer feet to compensate for any unevenness of the surface if needed.
  • Page 18 Composer User Manual 3. Using a hex key from the Tool kit, attach the spool holders to the back mount of the printer 4. Install the wipe station part on the station bracket on the right for A4 and on the left for A3 Composers. The size and color may vary with the printer model 5.

  • Page 19: Loading Materials

    Just remove the leaked plastic with tweezers to prevent dripping of the plastic on the printed part. 7.4. Buildplate calibration Your Composer had already been pre-calibrated before shipping, but due to transport vibrations, it could be uncalibrated. Thus, you may need to go through the entire calibration procedure after the printer installation.

  • Page 20: Z-Axis Calibration

    Composer User Manual To start the calibration, go to the main screen, press Maintenance >Calibrate > Buildplate. Follow the instructions. First, you will be asked to set the plastic nozzle in approximately 1 mm from the buildplate. The first of 3 points is to be set through the calibration menu, the left and right corners are tuned manually by adjusting the regulation screws.

  • Page 21: Xy Offset Calibration

    You need to go through XY offsets calibration once after composite or/and plastic nozzle replacement. In order to calibrate XY offsets, print the special service code NozzleOffsetTest.gcode from the external memory device supplied with your Composer printer. You can also download it from 21 / 57...
  • Page 22 Composer User Manual support.anisoprint.com(https://support.anisoprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/NozzleOffsetTest.gcode) If the XY offsets are well-calibrated, the composite fiber is in the middle of the central cells, like it is shown in the scheme If the composite fiber deviates from the middle position of the central cells, like it is shown in the reference scheme, you need to change your XY offsets values (i.e calibrate it)

  • Page 23: Test Print

    X and Y central cells. 7.8. Test print The test part “Wall bracket” introduces you the capabilities of Composer and also serves as a combined quality test. You can find the “Wall bracket” for the particular profile in the Aura Welcome window.

  • Page 24: In-Situ Tuning Of Printing Settings

    Composer User Manual 1 – Fiber perimeters 2 – Cellular fiber infill 3 – Outer plastic perimeters 4 – Plastic top cover 5 – Plastic shell After several plastic layers, the machine will start the first fiber perimeter and fiber cellular infill. Due to the process features, it may look a bit wobbly, but the layup visual quality will normalize later on.
  • Page 25 Composer User Manual After the print is paused, the print head and buildplate will return to their default positions. Extruders stay hot during the pause. You can see all the control capabilities over the paused print in the picture below.
  • Page 26 Composer User Manual A – Movement feed rate determines printing speed (100% by default, can be varied within a range of 25 to 200%). B – Plastic flow parameters adjust extrusion coefficients of plastic in a percentage manner. Plastic flow range is from 25 to 150%).
  • Page 27 Composer User Manual Press the RESUME button to continue the print from the stopping point. Press the CONTROL button in printing mode to tune the printing process. The screen when the CONTROL button is pressed in the printing mode is shown below.

  • Page 28: Wi-Fi Connection

    SCREEN). If the version contains “nw” letters – your printer supports Wi-Fi. To connect your printer to Wi-Fi follow the instructions below. 1. Update your Composer firmware to version 1.2.0 or later. You can download the firmware from Anisoprint Support Portal(https://support.anisoprint.com/composer/firmware-downloads/) .

  • Page 29: Network Bridge Software Updating

    7. Select your Wi-Fi network from a list. If the network is secured, enter the network security key and press OK. 7.11. Network bridge software updating To update the network bridge software please connect your Composer to the Internet through Wi-Fi. The updates are performed automatically 4 times a day if a new version is available.

  • Page 30: Maintenance

    Composer User Manual 8. Maintenance Timely maintenance of the printer ensures correct printer operation and consistent print quality. The recommended schedule for maintenance operations is given in the table below: 8.1. Plastic nozzle replacement You might need to clean the inner surface of a nozzle – chemically or mechanically, for that, you need to remove the nozzle and install it again.

  • Page 31: Plastic Nozzle Cleaning

    Composer User Manual 8.2. Plastic nozzle cleaning You might need to clean the plastic nozzle, for instance – if the under-extrusion occurs. Follow the next steps to clean the plastic nozzle: 1. Heat the plastic extruder to the printing temperature (270 °C for Smooth PA).

  • Page 32: Composite Extruder Channel Cleaning

    Composer User Manual 3. To finish the cleaning, feed about 50mm of plastic to the extruder. 8.3. Composite extruder channel cleaning To prevent fiber clogging the extruder cleaning is recommended before each print. This will ensure the successful printing of the parts without fiber clogging.
  • Page 33 Composer User Manual 2. Clean the contact surface of the composite nozzle by brass brush from the set of cleaning tools. 3. Insert the barbed needle from the set of cleaning tools into the composite nozzle. Spinning the needle, push it through the extruder, until the end of the needle is in the inlet hole of the extruder.
  • Page 34 Composer User Manual 34 / 57...
  • Page 35 Composer User Manual 4. Remove material, pushed out of the inlet of the extruder with tweezers. 35 / 57...

  • Page 36: Lubrication

    (press V+ button 5 times). You should see clean plastic exiting from the nozzle and inlet. 8.4. Lubrication To extend the service life of a Composer, mechanical parts of the product must be serviced on a regular basis. 36 / 57...

  • Page 37: Keeping The Printer Clean

    Smooth is branded thermoplastic polymer material based on polyamide PA12 filled with chopped carbon fibers and developed by Polymaker especially for use with Anisoprint Composer 4/3. The material is intended for 3D printing of secondary (unreinforced) zones of composite parts reinforced with continuous fibers and facing surfaces.
  • Page 38 CFC is thermoplastic polymer material based on polyamide PA12 and developed by Polymaker especially for Anisoprint CFC (continuous fiber co-extrusion) process. CFC is applied as a matrix material in 3D printed composite parts reinforced with continuous fibers. The material is supplied as filaments with cross-sectional diameter of 1.75 mm.

  • Page 39: Reinforcing Fiber

    A specially prepared patented composite fiber Anisoprint CCF is used for printing with reinforcement. It provides a high-quality adhesion to plastic. Anisoprint CCF is a composite reinforcing fiber in the form of a tow made of thousands of ultrathin carbon monofilaments, impregnated with a special polymer composition ensuring high-quality impregnation and adhesion between the polymers and the fiber.

  • Page 40: Storage Of Materials

    10. Software Anisoprint Aura is a slicer that prepares 3D models for manufacturing parts with Composer CFC printers. It allows you to print both full plastic and composite parts by using plastic and composite extruders respectively.

  • Page 41: Slicing The Model

    Composer User Manual 1. Main menu 2. View cube 3. View axes 4. Buildplate 5. Origin of the coordinate system 6. View toolbar (zoom, pan, rotate, etc.) 7. Main tabs 10.2. Slicing the model To prepare your model for printing, you should go through the following steps: 1.
  • Page 42 Composer User Manual 2. Choose your model file and place the model on the buldplate. Note, that your model should be in one of the following formats: *.stl, *.step, *.stp, *.3ds, *.obj. 3. Adjust printing settings in the SLICING panel from the main tabs and click GENERATE.

  • Page 43: System Requirements

    8 GB RA 11. Troubleshooting There are several issues that you may face in case of improper operating Composer 3D printers. If an issue occurs, try to find it in the present Manual section and address it yourself. 11.1. The part get unglued from the buildplate during printing 1.

  • Page 44: Plastic Is Not Extruded From The Nozzle

    2. Check that the temperature of the extruder meets the recommended processing temperature of the plastic. 3. If points 1. and 2. are met, then the nozzle is clogged. Go through the PLASTIC NOZZLE CLEANING(https://support.anisoprint.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php#plastic-nozzle-cleaning) procedure, p. 8.2; or PLASTIC NOZZLE REPLACEMENT(https://support.anisoprint.com/wp-admin/admin- ajax.php#plastic-nozzle-replacement-2) procedure, p. 8.1. 11.3. Fiber is not extruded from the nozzle 1.

  • Page 45: Plastic Leaks Out Of The Composite Heat Block Inlet

    3. If points 1. and 2. are met, then the nozzle is worn out. Long-term operation of the nozzle may cause wear that manifests in strips, gallings, or roughness of the inner surface of the nozzle, so you may need to replace the nozzle. Go through the PLASTIC NOZZLE REPLACEMENT(https://support.anisoprint.com/wp- admin/admin-ajax.php#plastic-nozzle-replacement-2) procedure, p.

  • Page 46: Fiber Is Clogged Inside The Composite Extruder

    After the leaked out plastic is removed, go through the issue identification procedure described below: 1. Check Z axis calibration. Incorrect Z axis calibration may cause plastic leakage on the inlet of the composite heat block. Go through Z AXIS CALIBRATION(https://support.anisoprint.com/wp-admin/admin- ajax.php#z-axis-calibration) procedure, p.
  • Page 47 Composer User Manual 3. Clean the contact surface of the composite nozzle by brass wire brush from the set of cleaning tools (see point 2. from COMPOSITE EXTRUDER CHANNEL CLEANING(https://support.anisoprint.com/wp- admin/admin-ajax.php#composite-extruder-channel-cleaning) , p. 8.3). 4. Insert the barbed needle from the set of cleaning tools into the composite nozzle. Spinning the needle, push it through the extruder, until the end of the needle is in the inlet hole of the extruder.
  • Page 48 Composer User Manual 48 / 57...
  • Page 49 Composer User Manual 5. Remove material, pushed out of the inlet of the extruder with tweezers. 49 / 57...

  • Page 50: Fiber Is Clogged Inside The Cutter

    Composer User Manual 6. Repeat points 4. – 5. until the needle is clean and the remains of the material stop pushing out of the inlet hole of the extruder. 7. From the main screen go to Maintenance > Move >...
  • Page 51 Composer User Manual 1. Heat composite extruder up to composite plastic printing temperature (or a bit higher). On the main screen press the Composite extruder temperature button and set the required temperature (see point 1. from COMPOSITE EXTRUDER CHANNEL CLEANING, p. 8.3).
  • Page 52 Composer User Manual 4. Using the wrench key or pliers unscrew the fiber guiding bushing. 52 / 57...
  • Page 53 Composer User Manual 5. Check for the broken fibers inside the fiber guiding bushing. 5.1 If the fiber is clogged inside the fiber guiding bushing, clean it with a needle from the set of cleaning tools, by pushing the fiber out of the bushing.

  • Page 54: Fiber Is Broken Before The Cutter In The Ptfe Guiding Tube

    Composer User Manual 6. Using tweezers from the Tool kit remove clogged fiber from the cutter. 7. Assemble the extruder in reverse order. 11.8. Fiber is broken before the cutter in the PTFE guiding tube This may happen if the cutter is positioned incorrectly, so the fiber could not pass through it and was broken in the PTFE guiding tube (see INCORRECT POSITION OF CUTTER, p.
  • Page 55 Composer User Manual 2. Remove the excessed fibers from the tube. 55 / 57...
  • Page 56 Composer User Manual 3. Connect the tube to the printing head. 56 / 57...
  • Page 57 Composer User Manual 57 / 57...

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