Replicator 5th Gen

Replicator 5th Generation Information

Smart Extruder Tips and Tricks

by

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

Getting your 3D prints to stick

by

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

by

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