Maintenance

Maintenance tips and guides for your Replicator 2, 2X and 5th Generation.

Removing 3D prints from the build plate

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How to Remove a Stuck Print When you have a print that stuck too well to the build plate it can be very frustrating. Here are some techniques we use to make this process a little easier. The first step is if possible remove your build plate. It is much easier to both damage your print and injure yourself if you are struggling to remove a print in the confined space inside the printer. It is also wise to wear thick gloves on both hands for really stubborn prints as the tools used to remove prints generally are somewhat sharp. We mainly make use of large dull knives as tools to remove prints as they can get under a print fairly easily at a corner and with a rolling/twisting motion rather than a prying motion and can generally remove a print without damaging the tape. Another widely used item to remove … Read more

Smart Extruder Tips and Tricks

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The following are tips and tricks that may prolong the life of your smart extruder: If your filament has dust or dirt on it, it is a good idea to remove this before printing with it. This can be done by using pressurized air to get the majority of it then using a filter to get the rest. We generally use a canola oil filter that both coats the filament and helps clean it off. This Universal Filament Filter on Thingiverse is a good general use filter that can be placed before or after a filament guide tube. Prior to loading filament be sure to trim the end of the filament so you have a properly shaped end on the filament. When you are unloading filament try to first do a short load filament and then right after go into your unload filament. This forces a potential jam towards the … Read more

Applying Kapton Tape

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When applying kapton tape to your build plate, it can be a little tricky to do. Making use of Kapton Sheets rather than a roll of kapton tape can make this process a little bit easier as they have a backing which helps with stopping them from folding over on themselves and they are cut to be the proper size. Wet Application Method You will need a few supplies to apply kapton tape to your platform: Kapton Sheet Soapy Water in a spray bottle Squeegee Acetone The first step will be to completely remove the previous sheet from the build plate. Once you have a clear build plate you will then want to peel the kapton sheet backing off and set it down sticky side up on a flat surface and then spray the sheet with the soapy water. Now that we have the sheet sprayed we can then grab … Read more

Getting your 3D prints to stick

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Your Print Surface The first thing to look at when your 3D print is having difficulty sticking is your print surface. It should be smooth without wrinkles, ridges or overlapping sections of tape. You will also want to be sure you don’t have any missing sections of tape. Covering the platform right to the edges will help ensure the tape sticks to the platform well and doesn’t lift as a print tries to warp.   Your part is warping in a large number of areas If your part is warping in a large number of areas or it doesn’t seem to be due to the objects geometry there are often a few key areas to look at. The first thing to do is ensure you are properly leveled. If you aren’t sure if you are level enough watch the outline of your print’s first layer. If it is a consistent width … Read more

Manually Leveling The Replicator 5th Gen Build Plate

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Some users have had issues with the assisted leveling on their Replicator 5th Generation Printers. We have found that using a style similar to the 4th Generation manual leveling process is possible and provides very accurate leveling. Note: Although the term leveling is used we are actually tramming the build plate so it is parallel to the XY Axis on the top. Both the XY Axis and the build plate don’t necessarily need to be level but instead must be true to one another. To manually level the Replicator 5th Generation you will need a sheet of paper to help you determine your distance from the nozzle. The first step will be to manually move the build plate to just slightly below the nozzle height. Grabbing it as shown in the picture above allows you to raise the platform away from the bottom of the printer without effecting the build … Read more