Glossary - MakerBot Replicator Reference Manual

GLOSSARY

BUILD PLATE: The acrylic surface on which
the MakerBot Replicator Mini builds an object .
BUILD PLATE TAPE: Masking tape used
as a build surface for objects printed with
MakerBot PLA Filament . You can find build
plate tape sized for the MakerBot Replicator
Mini at http://store .makerbot . c om
EXTRUDER ASSEMBLY: The MakerBot
Replicator Smart Extruder installed in the
extruder carriage .
EXTRUDER CARRIAGE: The part of the
extruder assembly that sits on the gantry
and moves back and forth . When the Smart
Extruder is installed in the extruder carriage,
the extruder assembly is complete .
EXTRUDER NOZZLE: The opening on
the end of the Smart Extruder from which
heated MakerBot PLA Filament emerges
to be spread onto the build plate .
FIRMWARE: The software that runs on your
MakerBot Replicator Mini .
GANTRY: The apparatus that allows the
extruder assembly to move around .
LAYOUT: An arrangement of 3D models on
the build plate .
28 REFERENCE
.MAKERBOT: The format of print files for
your MakerBot Replicator Mini . Print files
contain instructions for your MakerBot
Desktop 3D printer .
MAKERBOT ACCOUNT: The username
and password you will use to sign in to the
MakerBot Desktop app and to log on to
Thingiverse and other MakerBot sites .
MAKERBOT CLOUD LIBRARY: The part of
MakerBot Desktop where you can store and
organize your own design files as well as any
files you have downloaded from or collected
on Thingiverse .
MAKERBOT DESKTOP: Free software
for use with your MakerBot Replicator
Desktop 3D Printer . MakerBot Desktop
will help you discover, manage, share,
and print 3D models .
MAKERBOT DIGITAL STORE: A digital
store where you can download premium
3D content .
MAKERBOT PLA FILAMENT: Polylactic
acid filament . PLA is a corn-based
thermoplastic . MakerBot PLA Filament is
the material from which you make objects
on the MakerBot Replicator Mini .
MAKERBOT REPLICATOR MINI:
The MakerBot Replicator Mini Compact
3D Printer .
.OBJ: A file format used for 3D models .
PRINT PREVIEW: The feature in the Print
dialog that provides an estimated print time,
estimated amount of filament your print will
use, and a rendering of what your print will
look like .
RAFT: A plastic base printed on the build
plate and used as a printing surface for your
printed object . All models printed on the
MakerBot Replicator Mini will be printed
with a raft .
SETTINGS DIALOG: The dialog that allows
you to select options that will affect the
quality of your printed object .
SLICING: The process of turning a 3D model
into a print file containing instructions for
your MakerBot 3D printer . The MakerBot
Replicator Mini uses print files with the
extension .makerbot .
SMART EXTRUDER: The MakerBot
Replicator Smart Extruder draws the
filament from the spool, melts it, and pushes
it through a nozzle onto the build plate .
.STL: A widely used file format for
3D models .
GLOSSARY
SUPPORTS: Automatically generated
support structures used to prop up any
sections of a print that will not stand alone .
.THING: A file format used by MakerBot
Desktop that stores additional information
about your 3D model files, such as
orientation and location on the build plate .
THINGIVERSE: MakerBot Thingiverse, an
online community for sharing 3D design files .
USB CABLE: A cable that allows your
computer to communicate with your
MakerBot Replicator Mini .
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