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Legal Notice The information in this document is subject to change without notice. DELTA MICRO FACTORY CO. MAKES NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND WITH REGARD TO THIS MATERIAL, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Delta Micro Factory Co. shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this Material.
1. Introduction 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 3 1.1 HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL ................................................................................................. 3 1.2 PRECAUTIONS ................................................................................................................... 3 1.2.1 Safety .........................................................................................
1. Introduction 1. Introduction 1.1 How to use this manual This User Manual is divided into four sections which cover the Introduction, Overview, Operation, and Troubleshooting. Please study this manual carefully before installation, and use the printer according to these instructions. Keep this manual handy and refer to it when necessary. 1.2 Precautions Please read this section carefully before using the printer. 1.2.
1. Introduction WARNING: Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, may result in serious injury. Gloves: When performing certain maintenance procedures, the machine may be hot and gloves are required to avoid burns. Safety Glasses: Wear safety glasses to avoid injury to your eyes. 1.2.2 Protection The printer must not be exposed to water or rain, or damage may occur.
2. Overview 2. Overview The UP! Printer is designed with ultimate portability and simplicity in mind. The system and software allow you to print great models with only a few keystrokes, even if you have never used a 3D printer before. The system uses a nozzle to deposit molten plastic, so printed parts are strong and durable. Congratulations on purchasing an UP! Printer. 2.1 Appearance Figure 1.
2. Overview Figure 2. Accessories ① USB cable ④Screws ② Power adapter (20 V) ③ Filament tube ⑤ Cellboard Figure 3.
2. Overview Figure 4. Axis Extruder axis Z axis Platform axis Figure 5.
2. Overview 2.2 Specifications 2.2.1 Printer Physical Characteristics Printing Material ABS or PLA Material Color White Layer Thickness 0.20–0.40 or 0.25－0.35mm, depending on model Print Speed 10－100 cm3/h Print Size 140×140×135mm Printer Weight 5 KG (11 lb) Printer Size 245 × 260 × 350 mm 2.2.2 Specifications Power Requirements 100-240VAC, 50-60Hz, 200W Model Support Auto-generated support Input Format STL Workstation compatibility Windows XP/Vista/7; Mac 2.2.
3. Operation 3. Operation 3.1 Preparation 3.1.1 Installation the printer Assemble the four parts first following the diagram above. Extrude Head (1) remove extruder guard from extruder head (2) unscrew the scew (d) and fix the extruder head onto the holder (3) make sure the extruder is parallel with the Extruder axis make flat cable (4) Connect the extruder cable (14-pin) plug into the socket (c), and put the guard back on.
3. Operation Platform: Raise the platform axis to a height at which you can reach under it to insert the screws. Line up the screw holes (e, f) on the platform with the screw holes on the heater base and insert the screws in from the bottom and tighten them. Perfboard: Fix the perfboard on the platform with 4 clips at each corner. (see 3.3.5) Roller shaft: Unscrew the screw (b) from the printer, and then fix the roller shaft with the screw. Please note that the roller shaft should lock into the screw (a).
3. Operation the filament into the hole at the top of the extruder head and hold it there with some gentle pressure until the extruder motor grabs it and starts pulling it through the extrusion head. The extruder will then automatically extrude a thin filament of material.
3. Operation 3.1.2 Installing the software Start the UPx.xx setup.exe file and install it to the specified directory (Default is Program files/UP). Note: This installs the UP software, the UP drivers, and the UP sample files into your Program files/UP folder. 3.1.3 Installing drivers Connect the printer to a computer with the USB cable. The computer should pop up the ―Found New Hardware Wizard‖ window. Choose ―No, not this time‖, and then ―next‖.
3. Operation Click ―Browse‖, and choose C:\Program Files\UP\Driver, then ―Next‖. The following dialogue box pops up. Choose ―Continue Anyway‖, and the drivers will install automatically. If you have any problems installing the drivers, or get a "Winusb.dll not found" error, please refer to the driver section in the troubleshooting section of this manual.
3. Operation 3.2 Using the basic functions 3.2.1 Start the program Click on the icon on the desktop. The program should open as follows: 3.2.2 Loading a 3D model Click ―File / Open‖ or on the toolbar and select the model you want to open. UP only supports STL files (which is the standard input format for 3D printing files), and the UP3 format (which is UP‘s proprietary compressed STL format) Move the mouse pointer onto the model, and click the left mouse key.
3. Operation (Mac version) TIP: You can open several models and print them all at the same time. Just repeat the open model procedure for each model you want to add. See the ―Placing models on the build platform‖ section for more information. Unloading the model: click the left mouse button on the model to select it, and then click ―Unload‖ on the toolbar, or click the right mouse button while over the model and a context menu will appear.
3. Operation Fixing STL Files: The Up software has an option that attempts to fix models with bad surfaces. Under the ―Edit‖ menu you will see a ―Fix‖ option. Select the model with inverted surfaces, and click the ―Fix‖ option to try and fix it. Merging models: Several separate models can be merged into a single file by using the ―Merge‖ option from the ―Edit‖ menu. Simply open all the models you want to merge and arrange them the way you want on the platform and click on the ―Merge‖ option.
3. Operation 3.2.3 View Options To observe the target model in different ways, use the mouse to control the view. Rotate: Press the middle mouse button and move the mouse: The view can be rotated and observed from different angles. Pan: Press Ctrl and the middle mouse button at the same time and move the mouse: This causes the view to pan. You can also use the arrow keys to pan the view. Scale: Rotate the mouse wheel: The view gets zoomed in or out.
3. Operation 3.2.4 Model transformations Model Transformation can be achieved through the Edit menu or the toolbar: (Windows version) Moving the model: Click the ―Move‖ button and choose, or input, the distance you want to move in the text box. Then choose the axis (direction) in which you want to move. Each time you click the axis button the model will move again. For example: Move the model -5mm along Z axis (or down 5mm). Procedure: 1. Click on ―Move‖; 2. Input ―-5‖ in the text box; 3.
3. Operation Rotating the model: Click the ―Rotate‖ button on the toolbar, choose or input how many degrees you want to rotate in the text box, then choose the axis to rotate around. For example: Rotate the model around Y axis by 30o. Procedure: 1. Click ―Rotate‖; 2. Input 30 in the text box；3. Click ―Y axis‖. Note: positive numbers rotate counterclockwise and negative numbers rotate clockwise.
3. Operation Unit Conversion: This option is provided as a convenient way to convert metric models to imperial, and vice versa. To convert an imperial model to metric, select the 25.4 option from the scale menu and click ―Scale‖ again. To convert from metric to imperial, select the 0.03937 option and click ―Scale‖. 3.2.5 Placing models onto the build platform Appropriately placing your models on the platform can have an effect on print quality.
3. Operation 3.3 Getting Ready to Print 3.3.1 Initializing the Printer Before anything can be printed, the printer must be initialized. Click the ―Initialize‖ option under the ―3D print‖ menu. The printer will beep and the initialization procedure will begin. The printer will then return the platform and print head to the printer‘s origin and beep again when it is ready.
3. Operation 3.3.2 Calibrating the Nozzle Height This section is probably the most important of the entire manual. Please read it carefully to ensure that you understand the nozzle height setup procedure, as it is vital to successful 3D printing. To print successfully, the platform should be set to start at a distance of 0.2mm from the nozzle. As each printer is slightly different, this distance needs to be calibrated before starting to print.
3. Operation In the above example, this tells the printer that, after being initialized, and when a print job begins, the platform is 135.9mm away from the nozzle. To figure out the correct nozzle distance, please follow these steps: 1 - Open the ―Maintain‖ dialogue box from the ―3D Print‖ menu. The current nozzle height is indicated as shown in the picture below. (Windows version) (Mac version) 2 - In the text box, type in the height to which you want the platform to move to, and click the ―To‖ button.
3. Operation only increased the number by 3mm instead of 4mm. The reason for this is that we do not want to crash the platform into the nozzle, so we want to increase the height in smaller and smaller increments as we get closer to the nozzle. 4 - Once you are about 1mm away from the nozzle, start increasing the number in the text box by 0.1mm increments and click the ―To‖ button. Repeat this until you get to about 0.2mm of the nozzle.
3. Operation The path in the above picture is thick, seems just stick on the surface of the perfboard, and it can be easily pulled by nails. So click ―No‖, the height will increase 0.1mm and test again. The last path in the above picture is quite wide and thin, and its surface is not flat. Viewed from the side, some of the materials have been plunged into the little holes of perfboard. And try to remove it by nails, if you cannot pull it out, click ―Yes‖. The nozzle height is well set.
3. Operation 3.3.3 Leveling the print platform After you have correctly calibrated your nozzle height, check that the nozzle is at the same distance at all four corners of the print platform. If it is not, you may need to adjust the platform until it is level with the nozzle at all 4 corners. There are 3 screw and 3 spring washers under the platform heater. Loosen a screw and the related corner of platform will rise.
3. Operation 3.3.4 Other Maintenance Options Click ―Maintain‖ on the ―3D Print‖ menu, and the following dialog box pops up: (Windows version) (Mac version) Extrude: Squeezes material out of the nozzle. Click on this button, and the nozzle is heated. When the temperature is high enough (260°C), the material is squeezed out of the nozzle. The system beeps before material starts extruding, and it beeps again when finished.
3. Operation New Spool: This is used so the printer can keep track of how much material has been used, and warn you if you don‘t have enough material left to print your model. Click this button and enter the value of how many grams of material you have on the current spool. If it is a new spool, the quantity should be set to 700 grams. You can also specify whether the material you are printing with is ABS or PLA.
3. Operation The ―Bottom‖ button returns the platform to the lowest position. Set Nozzle Height: Takes whatever value you have in the ―To‖ box and transfers it to the Nozzle box of the setup screen. 3.3.5 Preparing the Platform Before printing, the platform must be prepared so that the model adheres to the platform enough to be printed without the model moving. You can see six clips in the box, used to make the perfboard fix on the platform.
3. Operation 3.3.6 Print Setup Options Click menu ―3D Print->Setup‖. The following dialog box pops up: (Mac version) (Windows version) Print Options Z Resolution: Sets the print resolution (layer thickness) of the printer. This can be between 0.2mm per layer to 0.4mm per layer (depending on the printer model). Optimize: Disabled. Height Options Base: This is the thickness of the raft of material before the support layer is printed under the part.
3. Operation The default value for this parameter is set to 2mm. Nozzle: represents the distance between nozzle and the print platform when it is at the bottom position. It is essential that this value be correctly set for good printing. See section 3.3.2. for instructions on calibrating your printer. Part Options Surface: This parameter determines how many layers form the bottom face of a part when it is not solid.
3. Operation The part has an outer wall thickness of solid plastic (about 1.5mm), but its interior is filled with a reasonably small scaffold structure. On previous software version this was referred to as ―Loose‖ The part has an outer wall thickness of solid plastic (about 1.5mm), but its interior is filled with a medium spaced scaffold structure. On previous software version this was referred to as ―Hollow‖ The part has an outer wall thickness of solid plastic (about 1.
3. Operation Angle: Angle at which support material gets used. For example if 10°is used, support material only gets used if angle of surface is greater than 10° from horizontal (so support material is almost not used unless there is a direct overhang), If set to 50°than support material is used for any surface is greater than 50°away from horizontal.
3. Operation Area: The surface area above which support material gets used. When you choose 5mm2, for example, there will be no support if the overhanging area is less than 5mm2. Benefit? A little material is saved and a slightly faster print speed is achieved. Other Options Stable Support: Stable support creates support that is more solid, and the model is less likely to distort, but the support material is then more difficult to remove.
3. Operation 4. Printing TIP: One of the keys to successful printing on the Up is platform preparation and preheating. Particularly with large parts, there is a tendency for the edges of the part to lift from the platform (which is a little colder than the center) and cause the parts to warp. The best way to prevent this is to ensure that a) the platform is perfectly level, b) that the nozzle height is correctly set and that c) the platform is very well preheated.
3. Operation (Windows version) (Mac version) Print Options: Speed: Fine, Normal or Fast. This simply determines the speed at which the printer moves. As a general rule, the slower you print, the better the quality of the parts. For tall parts, running at Fast speed can be problematic as the printer can vibrate to the extent that print quality is affected.
3. Operation TIP: Once the print has started, you can unplug the PC from the printer. The print job is stored in the printer‘s internal memory, so the PC is no longer required. Calculating model costs The main factor that will affect model cost is the part interior fill structure, and support material. If, for example, one is printing a cube measuring 30mm x 30mm x 30mm, with a layer thickness of 0.2mm, the following quantities of material are used depending on the print mode.
3. Operation 3. Gently slide the spatula under the model and slowly wiggle it back and forth to pry loose the model. Remember to use gloves as the platform and model may still be hot. CAUTION: It is strongly recommended that you ware the gloves to remove the model from the perfboard. Removing Support Material Printed models are composed of two parts. One part is the model itself, and the other part is the support material used to support any overhanging parts of the model.
3. Operation The support material gets removed using a combination of tools. Some material can easily be cracked off by hand. Support material close to the model is easier to remove using tools such as wood carving chisels, long nose pliers, or wire cutters. It takes some practice to get comfortable with removing support material, but it can become quite an enjoyable and therapeutic task! CAUTION: ALWAYS WEAR SAFETY GLASSES WHEN REMOVING SUPPORT MATERIAL, ESPECIALLY WITH PLA MATERIAL.
3. Operation 6. Maintenance Changing the Material First withdraw the leftover material from the printer. Initialize the printer and choose ―3D print->Maintain‖. Click ―Withdraw‖ and the system automatically begins to heat the nozzle. When the nozzle reaches the correct temperature, the printer will beep, and you can gently withdraw the material.
3. Operation After the calibration model is printed, measure the X1 and X2 length, as shown in the pictures below. Open the ―Calibrate‖ box form the ―3D Print‖ menu and enter the measured X1 and X2 values into the appropriate boxes.
3. Operation IMPORTANT NOTE: Before you enter any new calibration values, always click the ―Reset‖ button, otherwise the new values get added to the old ones. Before you enter any new values, the bar at the very top of the screen should read: XY: 0.00 deg / XZ: 0.00 deg. Next, take down the Front Centre ‗L‘ shaped component, and measure its deviation. Put the exact value into the Z box. If it deviates to the right side, the value to be put into the Z box will be a positive value.
3. Operation TIP: Many users also soak their nozzle in acetone to clean them, or even use an ultrasonic cleaning bath to help clean their nozzles Removing / Changing the nozzle Should the nozzle become blocked, you may need to remove it in order to unblock, or change it. To remove the nozzle, use the nozzle wrench provided in the toolkit that comes with your Up Printer.
3. Operation Cleaning the platform If you are using the special green paint on your platform, the platform requires cleaning after a few prints to get it back to a smooth surface. Simply remove the platform from the machine and soak it in water for a few hours and the paint will peel of easily. Once clean, repaint it with green paint, or cover it with blue masking tape. Lubrication of bearings The bearings on the Up Printer may occasionally require a bit of lubrication to keep it operating smoothly.
3. Operation 7.0. Tips & Tricks Large parts can sometimes have their corners lift from the platform, which causes the part to distort. This is caused by uneven heat across the surface of the platform. Preheating the platform before beginning large parts is essential to minimize this lifting. Also, the faster you can print such parts, the less lifting you are likely to get. Some ways to increase print quality include: If possible, try to avoid printing such large parts in solid mode.
3. Operation Regularly check your nozzle height! It can change for a number of reasons, some of which you may not even be aware of. To check your nozzle height, refer to section 3.3.2 To get the best results out of your Up printer, the print platform must be perfectly lined up with the Nozzle. This means that when you set the nozzle height, it should be exactly the same distance from the nozzle at all four corners, and the center, of the print platform.
4. Troubleshooting 8. Troubleshooting Problem or error message Solution No power Verify power cord is securely plugged in. Extruder or platform 1. fails to reach operating temperature 2. 1. Verify printer has initialized. if not, initialize the printer 2. Heater is damaged, replace the heater Material is stuck in the extruder. See 3.3.3 Maintain (Extrude) The gap is too wide between the bearing and wire feed rollers. 1. Make sure the USB cable is connected to the printer, and to the PC 2.
4. Troubleshooting 2. Click ―Device Manager‖ button, and the following dialog box will popup. Find the ―3DPrinter@FreeMC‖ in the USB section. 3. Click the right mouse button and select the ―Uninstall‖ option. The confirm dialog box will appear. Click ―OK‖.
4. Troubleshooting 4. Install the latest UP! software. 5. Unplug the USB cable, then plug again. Windows will find a new device. Manually select driver folder (Default is C:\Program files\UP\Driver or C:\Program files(X86)\UP\Driver); 6.
4. Troubleshooting Option 2: Update the driver manually. 1. Install the latest UP software. 2. Find the ―3DPrint@FreeMC‖ driver in the ―Device Manager‖ dialog box (it should be located in the USB section). 3. Select ―Update Driver.‖ in the right click menu. 4. Select the up driver folder (the default is C:\program files\UP\Driver).
4. Troubleshooting 5. A ―Free Motion Card‖ section should now have been inserted into the Device Manager.
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4. Troubleshooting Acknowledgements PP3DP team is grateful for the wording and editing support from Prof. Olaf Diegel, and also grateful to Mr. Drew Petitclerc from the Up! Forum for providing the picture of his machine with Kapton tape.
