Tractus3D DESK Series, Installation And User Manual

Page 1: ...A PROUD DUTCH COMPANY HEART SOUL DUTCH PERFECTION Inside every 3D Printer Installation and user manual DESK series Original manual v3 0 ...

Page 2: ... Setup for first use 13 4 1 Set up network 13 4 2 Update the firmware 16 4 3 Calibrating the print bed 17 4 4 Installing slicing software 18 4 5 Uploading files to 3D printer 24 5 Operation 25 5 1 Web interface 25 6 Materials 30 6 1 Material compatibility 30 6 2 Print recommendations 31 6 3 Tips for experimental materials 32 7 Operating the 3D printer 33 7 1 Load material 33 7 2 Unload material 35...

Page 3: ...age and storage 49 8 6 Clean the 3D printer 50 8 7 Check all arms 50 8 8 Clean the print head and nozzle 51 8 9 Clean the Bowden tube 52 8 10 Clean the slide wheels 54 8 11 Check for play on the slides 55 8 12 Check tension and wear of belts 56 8 13 Check if print head fan is running after heating up 57 8 14 Clean or replace the feeder extruder motor 57 9 Troubleshooting 60 9 1 Unclog a print head...

Page 4: ...s Intended use of our 3D printers Tractus3D printers are engineered and manufactured for use within a commercial environment and for FFF materials Tractus3D printers are ideal for functional prototypes concept models and series production on a small scale With the usage of Simplify3D we have reached a very high level in the production of 3D models However the user is responsible for qualifying and...

Page 5: ...es that you will obtain great quality prints and that possible accidents and injuries are prevented Make sure that everyone who uses the Tractus3D printer has access to this manual Every effort has been made to make this manual as accurate and complete as possible The information is believed to be correct but does not aim to be all inclusive and shall be used only as a guide Should you discover an...

Page 6: ...tus3D printer Persons with reduced physical and or mental capabilities that are unable them to act accurately in case of emergency or persons with lack of experience and knowledge should not use the Tractus3D Printer Only when given instructions concerning the use of the appliance or under supervision by a person responsible for their safety Children should always be under supervision when using t...

Page 7: ...risk of burns Let the 3D printer cool down for 30 minutes before you perform any maintenance Never turn off printer with a print head above 50 degrees Celsius Health and safety Our printers are compatible with all brands of 3D print filament but we do recommend the use of Tractus3D materials for the best results The properties of these materials are fully matched with our printer settings These ma...

Page 8: ...Printing technology Fused filament fabrication FFF Fused deposition modeling FDM Build width 350 mm diameter 13 8 Build height 600 mm 23 6 Speed 300 mm s XYZ resolution 10 10 10 micron Layer resolution 0 3 mm nozzle 150 10 micron 0 4 mm nozzle 300 10 micron 0 6 mm nozzle 450 10 micron 0 8 mm nozzle 600 10 micron 1 0 mm nozzle 800 50 micron Operating sound 40 dBA Power rating max 510 W Connectivity...

Page 9: ...er type Hardened steel geared ready for composite materials Nozzle diameter 0 3 mm 0 4 mm 0 6 mm 0 8 mm 1 0 mm Nozzle temperature up to 300 C Nozzle heat up time 90 sec Max extrusion volume 15 mm3 s Ambient conditions Operating ambient temperature 15 35 C 10 90 RH non condensing Materials Supported materials PLA PRO1 PET G ABS ASA Facilan C8 TPU TPE Nylon PC Fillers like woodfill Filament diameter...

Page 10: ...Display 5 color touchscreen 12 7 cm Language support English Dutch French German Monitoring Web interface Physical dimensions Dimensions 550 mm x 476 mm x 1140 mm Net weight 23 kg Shipping weight 30 kg Shipping box dimensions 660 mm x 620 mm x 1010 mm Build plate Build plate material Heated glass build plate with PEI sheet Build plate temperature 10 120 C Build plate levelling Automatic bed levell...

Page 11: ...achine properties Printing technology Fused filament fabrication FFF Fused deposition modeling FDM Build width 165 mm diameter 6 5 Build height 300 mm 11 8 Speed 300 mm s XYZ resolution 10 10 10 micron Layer resolution 0 3 mm nozzle 150 10 micron 0 4 mm nozzle 300 10 micron 0 6 mm nozzle 450 10 micron 0 8 mm nozzle 600 10 micron 1 0 mm nozzle 800 50 micron Operating sound 40 dBA Power rating max 3...

Page 12: ...e materials Nozzle diameter 0 3 mm 0 4 mm 0 6 mm 0 8 mm 1 0 mm Nozzle temperature up to 300 C Nozzle heat up time 90 sec Max extrusion volume 15 mm3 s Ambient conditions Operating ambient temperature 15 35 C 10 90 RH non condensing Materials Supported materials PLA PRO1 PET G ABS ASA Facilan C8 TPU TPE Nylon PC Fillers like woodfill Filament diameter 1 75 mm Software Supplied software Simplify3D w...

Page 13: ...pter will explain how to set up network settings load materials update the firmware install Simplify3D and prepare the build plate Turn on the printer with the power switch at the front to perform the setup steps 4 1 Set up network After turning on the printer you need to configure the printer to be used in your network We prefer to have static IP address for the printer or a DHCP reservation made...

Page 14: ...g instructions in the Web Interface of the printer To access the web interface open a web browser prefer Chrome and surf to the IP address which you found on the console tab of the LCD screen Go to Settings and select the System Editor Open the config g file via a left mouse click on the name config g ...

Page 15: ...ou have to change it do this accordingly your details of the subnet mask in the same way as you changed the IP address Next search for the line M554 P0 0 0 0 Here you set your Gateway IP address in the same way as you changed the IP address After changing this detail please click on Save Changes in the bottom of the editor Now you only have to reboot the machine to make the changes active At the q...

Page 16: ...with the latest firmware onboard In some rare situations it s possible that while shipping your 3D printer a new firmware is released In this case follow these steps to update the firmware Make sure you did the setup procedure for the web interface described in chapter 4 1 Set Up Network In the web interface go to Settings and tab General Click on the blue button Upload File s and select the firmw...

Page 17: ... please always calibrate the print bed Make sure the print bed is empty and cleaned The nozzle is clean without any residue of filament Heat up the bed to 60 degrees by clicking the LCD screen on the BED heater icon Click on the active temperature box below this heater and set the temperature to 60 select temperature by clicking until desired temperature is reached and click SET afterwards You can...

Page 18: ...g software Default we supply Simplify3D with our 3D printers as slicing software As we do recommend this software it s not the only one that you can use for the 3D printer Tractus3D is a reseller of Simplify3D and does give basic support for this and their printers but most of the support will be found online at the Simplify3D website https www simplify3d com support To get the Simplify3D license ...

Page 19: ... your operating system See the Windows Installation Instructions on the website how to open the installer Select your installation language and click OK Select Next read the Simplify3D software End User License Agreement and Accept the agreement to continue Choose I accept the agreement and click Next ...

Page 20: ... first time On the printer installation screen click Cancel Simplify3D will now open in default settings Importing Tractus3D settings in Simplify3D Now it s time to setup your printer in Simplify3D by the latest settings delivered by Tractus3D When you requested your license you also received a mail from Tractus3D with a FFF file settings file for Simplify3D In Simplify3D go to File Import FFF pro...

Page 21: ...ings file Next go at the left side of the screen to Processes and click the Add button Select the imported settings under Select Profile Give the process profile you are making a name by entering a recognizable name in Process Name To see more details of the process click on Show Advanced Click on OK to close this window your process profile is set up now ...

Page 22: ...Import at the Models section to import a STL or OBJ file which you want to print For more information how to get the best results with Simplify3D we recommend reading the support page on their website https www simplify3d com support ...

Page 23: ...printer profile Follow the steps below to update the firmware settings in Simplify3D In Simplify3D go to Tools Firmware configuration In this window choose Import and navigate to the location where you placed the firmware file Please be aware that this file has to be loaded on overy boot of Simplify3D So best practice is to store the file in a location that is always accessible ...

Page 24: ...er of uploading this to the 3D printer to get started To upload the file please open the web interface Go to G Code Files and click the Upload G Code File s button Select your file s from your computer To upload click Open Now you will see an upload box wait for it to complete When the upload is complete there will be a green CLOSE button Now you can start printing your files ...

Page 25: ...erface buttons and actions takes or NOT to be taken while printing Machine Control The web interface contains a lot of technical information which gives you heads up about your printer and status Basic information about the position of the printhead speeds achieved and hardware monitoring such as input voltage and mainboard temperature Here you can see the actual temperature of your bed and nozzle...

Page 26: ...ons while the printer is printing an object Here you can find pre defined shortcuts or make your own shortcuts macro s A macro is a sequence of g code commands which you are using more often When you want to extrude manually use this control The buttons Retract and Extrude will be only available when the nozzle Tool 0 is at temperature for at least 170 degrees Celsius For quick loading use the fee...

Page 27: ...he first layer your print head nozzle can be too high or too low from the bed With Baby Stepping you can correct this for a better result because your first layer is very important To correct some slight offset you can use the baby stepping to get the print head closer to the bed 0 05mm or get the print head further away from the bed 0 05mm When the print is ready you can click Print Another to ma...

Page 28: ...r of the printer G Code Files Here you can upload your files or start a print It s also possible to create folders to get your files organised Start a print Click on a filename in the G Code Files list to start printing this file If you press Yes the 3D printer will start this file Most of the time depending of the start up settings part of your slicing software the 3D printer will start warming u...

Page 29: ...really accurate time of printing and usage of the material When the simulation is finished you will get a message on the web interface File Demo_Material_Part_PETG gcode will print in 0h 38m plus heating time With the more option list you can also rename delete a file or download the file to the computer We don t advise to use the Edit if you have an editor like notepad on your computer as this is...

Page 30: ... preferred filament PLA PETG ABS Facilan C8 PRO1 Known experimental materials can be used not supported ASA TPU all shore values PC PolyCarbonate POM PA Nylon PP CF PET Carbon Wood Brass Bronze Copper Fillers HIPS If you are using Glow in the Dark or Filler materials like Carbon Wood Brass etc please make sure to use a special nozzle hardened ruby or stainless steel which you can order at Tractus3...

Page 31: ... speed 60mm s Full cooling with material fan after first layers are printed PETG Bed temperature between 70 and 80 degrees Celsius first layer 80 degrees Celsius after first layer back to 70 degrees Celsius Nozzle temperature 230 degrees Celsius Print speed 80mm s Full cooling with material fan after first layers are printed ABS Bed temperature between 90 and 100 degrees Celsius first layer 95 deg...

Page 32: ...ll materials are abrasive and will wear out your default brass nozzle really quickly When you start printing with experimental materials we advise you to keep the temperature settings available of the filament manufacturer But with this in mind we do have some tips Make sure the first layer sticks perfectly to the bed If needed use adhesion products like glue stick or sprays to fix the print or tr...

Page 33: ...It is recommended to use the spools of PLA that comes with your 3Dprinter Take the filament out of the box and place it on the printer like the picture below Watch the place where the filament wire is located on the spool Wire needs to go to printer on top of the spool Put the filament wire inside the white tube on top of the printer see picture below ...

Page 34: ...y cold extrusion damage Heat up the nozzle temperature to load the filament Click on the nozzle icon on the LCD screen it will become RED to show you it s powered on Click on the active selection box below the nozzle to set the temperature at 180 degrees select temperature by clicking until desired temperature is reached and click SET afterwards You can also use the web interface to set the nozzle...

Page 35: ...ting temperature of the material which is inside your 3D printer at this moment Click on the nozzle icon on the LCD screen it will become RED to show you it s powered on Click on the active selection box below the nozzle to set the temperature select temperature by clicking until desired temperature is reached and click SET afterwards You can also use the web interface to set the nozzle temperatur...

Page 36: ...re Manually Push the extruder a bit and pull back the filament wire When you feel any obstruction or friction please stop pulling and push the filament back a little There is a chance you have a blob on your filament 7 3 Removing the filament with a blob Remove the tube from the feeder by removing the blue clip from the fitting ...

Page 37: ... You will see the filament getting out of the feeder with the blob Get a cutter to cut off the blob of the filament Now push back the tube inside the fitting place the blue clip back on the fitting and try to remove the filament again by pushing the black button on top of the printer and pulling on the filament ...

Page 38: ...te hand warm water is sufficient In case of some remaining grease use some Isopropanol Make sure the bed is completely cleaned and don t touch the plate after cleaning If you re not using our PEI sheet but a clean glass plate without PEI sheet we recommend using an adhesion product like spray 3DLac or hairspray make sure it s sticky In some cases using glue sticks Elmer s Washable School Glue will...

Page 39: ...therwise you can damage the bed There are several methods to remove the printed object from the bed on room temperature After cooldown is completed just remove the loosened prints from the bed Use a spatula under the edge of a print keep the spatula always as flat as possible parallel with the bed to avoid scratches or damage to the bed Apply a little amount of force to remove the print of the bed...

Page 40: ... and see if the print will pop loose Still stuck Try some handwarm water around the model and leave it for a few minutes When you print a product with a brim be aware of the danger of cutting yourself when removing the print from the build plate A brim can be very sharp ...

Page 41: ... break away the support material It is advised to wear protective gloves when the support structure contains sharp corners or half broken parts After removing most of the support structure the remaining part s of the support structure can be pulled from the model with cutting pliers Carefully get underneath it and then bend it upwards Sometimes a final layer of the support material remains after p...

Page 42: ...ting up Clean the print head and nozzle Every month Clean the 3D printer Check all arms Clean the slide wheels Every 3 months Check tension and wear of belts Check for play on the slides Clean the feeder extruder motor Clean the Bowden tube Every 12 months Replace the main Bowden tube Replace the feeder extruder gear If the usage frequency is higher we recommend performing more frequent maintenanc...

Page 43: ...ading filament for help If this is really stuck continue to next step and cut the remains of filament Remove the Bowden tube from the print head Lower the print head by moving the printer to the maintenance location Press Macro Maintenance Remove the blue clip if present from the print head Press the black ring pneufit down with your finger and pull the tube upwards away from the print head ...

Page 44: ...is really stuck inside the print head In this case you want to change the print head but the filament is holding you for a quick swap Disconnect the main cable When the bowden tube is disconnected unscrew the silver connector of the print head from the main cable ...

Page 45: ...atch carefully where the arms need to be attached to the balls on the print head Secure the main cable to the print head by plugging in the connector and tighten the screw fitting Push back in the bowden tube until you can t get in any further Place the blue clip if present back under the black ring of the bowden tube Restart the printer by turning it off and on again or pressing the STOP button o...

Page 46: ...ing the new plate Be careful not to cut yourself on this sharp part Gently push back a clip of the bed and with a flat screwdriver lift the bed plate When the plate is higher than the clip carefully slide the bed plate towards that side of the printer When placing a new plate back do it the other way around and carefully press the place under the two clips opposite side of the printer Press down t...

Page 47: ... super high accuracy in your printed dimensions Some materials will contract more than others In the folder Tractus3D on the machine if not deleted you will find a file called DimensionCalibration gcode Use this file only for PLA on the machine in combination with a 0 4 nozzle If you want to calibrate for other materials use the STL file and slice the file to generate a g code don t rotate the fil...

Page 48: ...09 Z 1 000 Rename this MachineX MachineY and MachineZ to make the calculation If the dimensions are right the PrintX and PrintY side of the print would be 100mm and the PrintZ height would be 10mm In this example your print as PrintX 99 82mm and PrintY 100 33mm and PrintZ is correct Formula for dimension calibration To calculate the scaling factor we need to do the following steps PrintX MachineX ...

Page 49: ... you must store them properly It may affect its quality and usability if the filament is not correctly stored To preserve the optimal conditions of your filament it is important that you store them Cool below 30 degrees Celsius and dry Humidity below 50 Out of direct sunlight In a resealable bag or box If the filament is exposed to a higher humidity the quality of the filament can be affected You ...

Page 50: ...bonate Using a dry cloth to clean your polycarbonate will rub the dirt and dust into your polycarbonate sheet scratching or causing damage to it This is the same reason that car washes use damp towels instead of dry ones for drying cars to avoid unnecessary scratches For proper cleaning and care of your polycarbonate sheets we recommend a soft cloth The first step to cleaning your polycarbonate is...

Page 51: ...utside of the nozzles by taking the following steps During this procedure do not touch the nozzles and be careful while cleaning them as they will become hot 1 Heat up the print head to 175 degrees Celsius 2 Lower the print head by moving the printer to the maintenance location Press Macro Maintenance 3 Wait for the print head to reach this temperature 4 Take a heat resistant towel cloth and wipe ...

Page 52: ...es they must first be removed from the printer Unload the filament first see chapter 7 2 Unload Filament for help Lower the print head by moving the printer to the maintenance location Press Macro Maintenance You can alternatively also use PTFE to grease between the magnet and balls Remove the blue clip if present from the print head Press the black ring pneufit down with your finger and pull the ...

Page 53: ...r ball up a piece of tissue Insert this into the feeder end of the Bowden tube and push it all the way through the tube with a length of the filament Place the tube back in the printer watch the correct sides of the tube on the correct spots in the printer print head slightly chamfered outside is the print head side of the tube ...

Page 54: ... seen in the print result For an optimal print result clean the wheels by following these steps Lower the print head by moving the printer to the maintenance location Press Macro Maintenance Take a light wet cloth towel and place them on the wheel you re going to clean Turn around the wheel with your finger to clean all dust from it After cleaning all wheels clean the poles where the wheels run ov...

Page 55: ...n the slides Take the slide between your fingers like the picture and try carefully to shake turn your hand If you feel any play in the slide please adjust the concentric nut found on the single wheel side of the slide Don t overtighten this you should still be able to turn the wheel with a finger without too much force applied ...

Page 56: ...is recommended to check the tension of the belts at least once every three months Pluck the three belts to check their tension They should resonate like a guitar string Furthermore the tension of the three belts should be equal To restore the tension perform the following steps 1 Home the printer make sure the slides are all the way up 2 Loosen the bolts of the idler pulley with only 2 turns don t...

Page 57: ... the print head above 50 degrees Celsius the fan should start spinning If it s not spinning please don t heat up the print head anymore and let it cool down See if there are any obstructions in the fan If there are any remove them with some tweezers If the fan is still not spinning and there is no obstruction found the fan should be replaced Contact our support desk for more information 8 14 Clean...

Page 58: ... The feeder also know as extruder motor is mounted on the ceiling inside the printer Here you will find a silver black feeder unit with an extruder motor attached To clean this motor and gear you need to remove the motor from the ceiling for easy access This can be done with only removing 2 screws and 1 connector Please make sure the printer is power off before removing the extruder motor connecto...

Page 59: ... you can use a toothbrush or brass brush while slowly spinning the gear with a finger After cleaning or replacing the gear make sure you carefully connect the connector on the motor again Watch the connector closely as it will fit only in one way You don t need a lot of pressure to connect the connector Push the small Bowden tube through the hole in the ceiling and roof Screw back the two hexagon ...

Page 60: ...ies to your hands in case the material breaks 3 Cut off the tip of the filament that you have just pulled out Cold Pull 1 Insert the filament cleaning filament or PLA into the heated 200 degrees Celsius print head until you feel some resistance 2 Hold the filament with pliers and gently apply pressure to extrude some material 3 Maintain pressure on the filament with the pliers while you switch off...

Page 61: ...eeder tension Friction in the Bowden tube Small filament particles in the feeder or Bowden tube A partial obstruction in the print core If under extrusion is affecting your 3D printer and mentioned causes do not apply please contact the support desk Warping When filament shrinkage occurs while printing the corners of the print will lift and the print will become detached from the bed plate This is...

Page 62: ...Phone Email Website Address 31 0 85 130 72 70 support tractus3d com www tractus3d com Bernseweg 14 5324 JW Ammerzoden The Netherlands ...