Prusa Original Prusa i3 MK2, Handbook

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Page 2: ... printer on a flat and stable surface page 11 2 Read the safety instructions carefully page 7 3 Download and install the drivers page 27 4 Prepare the print surface page 11 run selftest page 13 and calibrate the printer page 14 5 Insert SD into the printer and print your first model page 20 page 29 Handbook version 1 03 from June 19th 2016 Prusa Research s r o 2 ...

Page 3: ... i3 the third iteration of the original 3D printer It is constantly updated with the latest innovations and you ve just purchased its latest version In addition to printer hardware upgrades the main goal is to make the technology more accessible and understandable for all users Josef Prusa also organizes workshops for the public participates in professional conferences dedicated to the popularizat...

Page 4: ...the Y Axis kit only 14 6 3 5 2 Probe alignment kit only 14 6 3 5 3 Checking the Z axis 16 6 3 6 Loading the filament into the extruder 17 6 3 7 Z Calibration 18 6 3 7 1 Finetuning the Z adjustment 19 6 3 7 2 Securing of the probe kit only 19 7 Printing 20 7 1 Printer Control 21 7 1 1 LCD screen 21 7 1 2 Print statistics 21 7 1 2 Silent vs Hi power mode 22 7 1 3 Factory reset 22 7 1 4 LCD layout 22...

Page 5: ...t when printing from ABS material 39 11 5 2 Models contain either too much or not enough of the filament 39 11 6 Problems with finished models 39 11 6 1 Model breaks and or is easily damaged 39 12 FAQ common issues when assembling the printer kit 40 12 1 Nozzle print surface gap is greater in the middle than at the corners 40 12 2 Printer stops printing soon after start 41 12 3 Printer can t read ...

Page 6: ...Please check the http prusa3d com drivers page for updated version of this 3D printing hanbook PDF download In case of any printer related problem do not hesitate to contact us at info prusa3d com We are glad to receive all your valuable comments and tips We strongly suggest you to visit our official forum at forum prusa3d com where you can find solutions to common issues tips advice and hints in ...

Page 7: ...amage Make sure that the power cord is not mechanically or otherwise damaged Stop using damaged cable immediately and replace it 5 When you disconnect the power cord from the socket pull the plug rather than the cord to reduce the risk of damage to plug or AC outlet 6 Never disassemble the printer power supply it does not contain any parts that could be repaired by an unskilled worker All repairs ...

Page 8: ...rints 3D printers use two different diameters of a filament you can find more in chapter Materials 2 85 mm and 1 75 mm 1 75mm version is used more worldwide though there is no difference in printing quality Filament is provided on a spool where you can find the basic information filament maker material ABS PLA etc and filament diameter 2 85 mm filament is commonly called as 3 mm This printer suppo...

Page 9: ... in chapter 6 2 Printer assembly We offer the support for users who purchased the printer kit through our official forum If you need help do not hesitate to visit our forum at forum prusa3d com You can find the answers for your problem there If not please just post your question directly there Pict 2 Original Prusa i3 MK2 printer kit unboxed 9 ...

Page 10: ...and pull it out from the box Be careful when handling the printer not to damage the electronics and thus the proper printer functionality Anytime you move the printer always hold the upper frame with hotbed upright pointing away from you as pictured in p ict 3 Pict 3 Proper handling of a printer 10 ...

Page 11: ...e best option is Isopropyl alcohol available in drugstores which is the best for ABS PLA and others expect for PETG where the adhesion may be too strong Second option is to use a gentle spray of a window cleaner Windex or similar on a paper towel and wipe the surface The bed can be cleaned even while hot just be careful not to touch the surface or the nozzle Alternatively you can clean the bed wit...

Page 12: ...eases the surface area of the first layer For PLA and Nylon blends a simple glue stick does the trick Glue can be later easily removed by window cleaner or dish soap water For ABS prints ABS juice can be used and later cleaned with pure acetone Be very gentle when applying the juice and do so while the bed is cold Prints will attach very strongly Prepared juice can be also purchased in our e shop ...

Page 13: ...YZ endstop mechanical settings and proper wiring Error messages and resolution Heater Thermistor Not connected Check proper wiring of hot end power cables and thermistor cables Ensure that both are properly connected to the Rambo electronics and that they are not swapped Bed Heater Wiring error Check that heatbed and hotend power cables are not swapped or thermistor cables from both hotend and hea...

Page 14: ...can see it on the next picture If the Y axis is misaligned you can easily adjust the position of the Y axis inside the frame by loosening the M10 nuts on the Y axis and securing them at the newly adjusted position Pic 5 X axis rods must be visually aligned with lines on the heatbed 6 3 5 2 Probe alignment kit only The first step is to mechanically set the position of the probe The top of the probe...

Page 15: ...face during this cold calibration If it bends the print surface OR the probe is not inside the circles it is wrong and you have to readjust the P I N D A probe Only then you should continue with the calibration process If you re having trouble feel free to ask us for help If the problem is not taken care of during the cold calibration the nozzle will permanently damage the print surface when hot P...

Page 16: ...s Move Z and rotate the knob until the axis reaches the top Don t worry the motors do not have enough power to damage anything but it will make the Z axis nice and straight Pic 8 It is extremely important for both X END parts to be at the same height If there is any misalignment it will cause the printer to touch the print surface with the nozzle typically on the 3 calibration points on the right ...

Page 17: ...epends on the material used Detailed information about nozzle and bed temperatures are described at chapter 10 Materials Press the LCD knob on the LCD panel to enter the main menu Insert the filament to the extruder choose the Load filament option in the menu and press the button to confirm Filament is then loaded to the extruder by the extruder stepper automatically You should cut the top of the ...

Page 18: ...e nozzle and the probe Preheat the nozzle for PLA On the LCD menu go to Print from SD and run V2calibration gcode file from the bundled SD card The printer will probe the bed and start printing zig zag pattern on the print surface The nozzle will be at the height based on the P I N D A probe setting it must not by any means touch the print surface Pict 10 How to tune the nozzle height live during ...

Page 19: ... every print so you can finetune at any point You can see the properly tuned first layer on the images below Pict 11 The properly tuned first layer Now you are done 6 3 7 2 Securing of the probe kit only After couple of prints ideally secure the bottom nut on the probe with a drop of Loctite 243 Blue Threadlocker to prevent loosening over time Pict 12 secure the bottom nut on the probe with a drop...

Page 20: ...hoose the Print from SD option from menu press to confirm and pick the desired model model_name gcode Printer will start printing the object The filename gcode must not contain any special characters otherwise the printer is not able to display the file on the LCD If you remove the SD while printing printer will pause automatically When you reinsert the SD press the LCD knob and choose Continue op...

Page 21: ...e 3 and the actual Z axis position 5 Pict 14 LCD layout 1 Nozzle temperature actual desired temperature 2 Heatbed temperature actual desired temperature 3 Progress of printing in shown only during the printing 4 Status bar Prusa i3 MK ready Heating model_name gcode etc 5 Z axis position 6 Printing speed 7 Elapsed printing time shown only when printing 7 1 2 Print statistics The printer tracks prin...

Page 22: ...d the rotary selector 3 Press and release the reset switch marked with X directly below the rotary selector 4 The printer will indicate a successful reset by beeping You can then release the rotary selector and wait for the printer to boot up 7 1 4 LCD layout Items not mentioned below are not used for the common print setup you should not change any of the unmentioned items unless you are absolute...

Page 23: ...tings Temperature Nozzle Bed Fan speed Move axis Move X Move Y Move Z Extruder Calibrate Z Disable steppers Auto home Mode Live adjust Z Select language English Cestina Italiano Espanol Polski Selftest Statistics Support prusa3d com forum prusa3d com howto prusa3d com 23 ...

Page 24: ... Watch the results of increased speed on the printed model and adjust the speed eventually When increasing the speed always check the model is cooled properly especially when printing small object from ABS increased speed causes the distortion sometimes called warping of the model You can prevent this issue by printing more similar objects together layer printing interval is long enough to prevent...

Page 25: ...ep is loading the model with Load model button and choosing the model_name gcode no special symbols in file name You can control the movement of all printer axes at the control area Next you can preheat the printer and prepare it for the printing Set the temperatures for the nozzle heater and heatbed bed and click Set button Printer starts heating immediately Always check that the temperatures set...

Page 26: ...e you can manipulate the printer axes 6 Setting the nozzle and bed temperatures 7 Thermometer 8 Confirming the set temperatures heating start 9 2D print process preview 10 Info panel Estimated print time axis position and other info is displayed after loading the model 7 2 Printer addons 7 2 1 Different nozzles E3D a UK based company supplies hotends for the Original Prusa i3 MK2 has whole ecosyst...

Page 27: ...grams Slic3r preparing the 3D models to gcode format for printing Pronterface printing from a computer in case you don t want to print from SD NetFabb repairing the corrupted or unprintable models Settings optimized print settings for Slic3r Cura Simplify3D and KISSlicer Drivers for Prusa i3 printer Windows a Mac drivers Test objects 9 Printing your own models 9 1 Where you can get the 3D models T...

Page 28: ...husiasts There is a great deal of 3D programs free or paid your choice depends more on your personal taste and preferences The following is a list of other programs used for making 3D models OpenScad DesignSpark Mechanical Fusion 360 Blender Maya 3DS Max Autocad and many more 9 3 Slic3r A 3D printer can print almost anything Whether you ve downloaded 3D models from the Internet or created your own...

Page 29: ...Right click on model opens the menu with rotate resize and other options 9 Type of model preview 10 Model preview 9 4 Bundled 3D models We asked couple known 3D designers and prepared some printable object for you to print They are ideal for the first prints on your new printer STL and GCODE files are available after installing the drivers package in 3D Objects folder or bundled on your SD card Yo...

Page 30: ...3r in our drivers offers the Original Prusa i3 MK2 ColorPrint option in printer selection First of all you need to prepare regular gcode with common print and filament settings Save the file Then go to www prusaprinters org and choose Color Print in the header menu Drag the gcode to frame and click on Add change button Find the height of the layer where you want to make the color change This can b...

Page 31: ...ns of the previous filament if yes choose this option to continue printing with a new color 2 Filament not loaded If the new filament was not loaded properly choose this option and the printer will start the automatic filament load again When the filament is loaded properly you can choose the Yes option and the printing will continue with a new color 3 Color not clear Filament was loaded but the c...

Page 32: ...ial If you print an object with a gradient lower than 45 the material overhang would be preventing the object to be printed correctly Slic3r allows you to print such objects thanks to the Printing with support function Support material is an extra structure printed as scaffolding for the object you can remove the support material after the printing is finished Choose the Print Settings tab 1 and c...

Page 33: ...nt to scale down the model evenly or you can alter the size of a model along the one of the axes Along X Y Z axis Pict 24 Size change of a printed object If you need to print an object that doesn t fit the printer you have to cut the object using Slic3r Right click and choose the Cut option in menu You can cut the object horizontally if you need to perform a cut in a different axis use the Flip op...

Page 34: ...C Bed temperature 80 100 C Heatbed Make sure the surface is clean as described in 6 3 1 PEI print surface preparation chapter 10 4 HIPS Universal stable material with good heat resistance suited for printable mechanical components Nozzle temperature 220 C Bed temperature 100 C You can set the bed temperature between 80 to 110 C depending the size of an object larger object means higher temperature...

Page 35: ... any other previous material When loading Flex loosen the extruder idler screws Keep in mind that when printing from Flex the automatic filament exchange function may not work properly Nozzle temperature 230 C Bed temperature 50 C You can set the bed temperature up to 65 C depending the size of an object larger object means higher temperature Heatbed Make sure the surface is clean as described in ...

Page 36: ...f a new filament Heat the nozzle remove the filament from the extruder and cut the rod cca 10 cm above the damaged part The next step is to clean the extruder There is a service hole on the left side of the extruder where you can access the hobbed pulley pict 28 Clean the hobbed pulley then heat the nozzle before re loading the filament If a problem persists you will have to clean the nozzle Pict ...

Page 37: ...ture Nozzle and set the temperature to at least 200 C Heating the nozzle is crucial for removing the old nozzle and putting in the new one 1 Move the extruder body upwards to get to the nozzle end LCD menu Settings Move axis Move Z Set the height by rotating the LCD knob and then confirm 2 Unscrew the screw on fan mouthpiece and the two screws on the print fan and remove both parts Pict 29 part 1 ...

Page 38: ...Pict 29 Nozzle change 11 5 Axis fluency If one of the axes doesn t move fluidly you can apply a small amount of oil e g all purpose machine oil This will lower the friction 38 ...

Page 39: ... the command line When you change the filament flow next print will use the same settings unless you change it again in menu or you reset the printer or unplug it from the power source 11 6 Problems with finished models 11 6 1 Model breaks and or is easily damaged A typical feature of larger models printed from ABS If you have set the temperature properly the printer is away from drafts and object...

Page 40: ...w these steps Align the Y axis so that each Y corner is sitting on the table none should be off the table Align the tightening of each Y axis threaded rod so that each Y corner is perpendicular facing upright to the table surface Align the tightening of each Y axis threaded rod so that each M8 threaded rod is at a right angle to the M10 threaded rods the Y axis must form a perfect rectangle when v...

Page 41: ...to the assembly manual Pict 31 Proper wiring of the connectors 12 3 Printer can t read SD card First make sure that the file name on the SD does not contain special characters otherwise the file could not be displayed on LCD If there is no error in the file name check the EXT2 wiring from electronics to LCD If the cable is connected properly try to swap the cables 41 ...

Page 42: ... to check is printing a round object if any of the belts are not tightened properly the result is an irregular shape instead of a perfect circle Y axis belt is located under the heatbed X axis belt moves the extruder See the pictures with properly tightened belts Pict 32 A properly tightened Y axis belt under the heatbed Pict 33 A properly tightened X axis belt 42 ...

Page 43: ...ly so they won t restrict movement during printing Pict 34 Cables to be wrapped in a spiral wrap 12 6 Loose heatbed zipties Make sure that the zipties under the heatbed are properly tightened There are three zipties in total two on the right side one on the left Pict 35 Properly tightened zipties under the heatbed 43 ...

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