This is a basic one-material print that could utilize any printhead (most commonly T3, T4, and T5.)
Bed adhesion is a concern with most materials. Normally we would use an adhesion layer (print a layer of TPU) to help a rigid material adhere to the bed, but that would be a multi-material print, adding complexity we do not want here. We will print this with semi-flexible TPU material (98A), a medium-durometer that prints easily and adheres well to the Kapton bed liner.
Setup:
- T4 (nearly all H-Series machines have a print head located at T4)
- Nozzle diameter: 0.4mm (Instructions to change nozzle)
- Loaded with 88A
- Bed surface: Kapton, cleaned thoroughly with Acetone
Note: If your offsets seem to be inconsistent, we recomend trying a more solid material such as the Armadilo TPU from Ninjatek.
Toolpath generation:
Use the .factory file attached below, or if you already have settings that you like, download the .STL and load it into Simplify3D.
Here are some key settings:
- Extruder:
- Tool4
- Extrusion multiplier: 1.1 (this is more than is really needed, but we want a solid part since we'll be probing it)
- Extrusion width: 0.44
- Retraction: 6mm at 60mm/s
- Layer:
- Layer height: 0.2mm
- Outlines: 2
- Choose start point...: 20, 20 (any 45° angle will work - we want to keep seams away from the probing locations, which will be along the X axis [0 and 180°] and Y axis [90 and 270°])
- Additions:
- Use a skirt if you do not have a cleaning station installed
- Infill
- T4
- Temperature
- Between 225 and 235C
- Scripts
- Additional terminal commands...:
-
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Diabase Engineering LLC\PostProcess.exe" "[output_filepath]"
- This will auto-run the Wizard after you save the Gcode file
- Speeds
- 40mm/s is a good starting point
Process the file with these settings in Simplify 3D by clicking "Prepare to print!" and save the file to your computer by selecting "Save Toolpath to Disk" on the following screen:
A preview of the toolpath will be displayed:
Simplify3D should open the Wizard automatically if you included that script (otherwise, simply open the Wizard manually by navigating to the install directory, searching Windows for "Diabase" or "Print Wizard", or finding the Diabase icon on your desktop). The Wizard won't do much to the file in this case, but it is useful to become familiar with the screens. Here are some key settings:
- First screen
- Configure manually (ignore the other options)
- Second screen
- If you opened the Wizard manually, here is where you would load "G-code File for Additive Processing". Navigate to the file you previously saved from Simplify3D
- When run automatically from S3D, this field will be pre-populated (unless there are spaces in the filename, which it will not tolerate)
- Third screen
- Tool 4 is "Nozzle"
- Check "Auto-Clean" for Tool 4
- Standby temperature and Preheating Time are not important here, since there are no mid-print toolchanges
- Fourth screen
- No changes
- Fifth screen
- Save toolpath (or upload directly to your machine if it was selected on the First screen. CalCyl.g attached below is the file as run through the Wizard.
Sanity check:
Open the Gcode file and check the first few lines, which should look like this:
G90
M83
M106 S0
G10 P4 R235 S235
G28
G32
; layer 1, Z = 0.160
; feature inner perimeter
G1 Z0.160 F3000
M98 P"tprime4.g" ; tool change
G1 X3.181 Y3.026 F30000
G1 Z0.160 F1512
G1 E10.00 F6000
G1 X2.974 Y3.230 E0.0093 F1512
G1 X2.754 Y3.419 E0.0093
G10 P4 is setting the active and standby temperature of Tool 4, which is good. Make sure the S### is the print temperature you want. G1 Z0.160... is the first layer starting height, which is 80% of the layer height, also good.
Prepare the Machine
Home the machine and select T4. If this is your first time printing with the H-Series, do a couple sanity checks. Jog T4 down to the bed (slowly as you get close) to make sure the nozzle is barely in contact with the bed at Z=0. If not, you will need to adjust the Tool Offset.
Next, heat up the tool and extrude filament to make sure that is working properly.
Now let's send the file to the printer (unless you already did from the Wizard), by hitting "Upload and Print" in the upper-right corner or G-Code Files -> Upload G-Code File.
That is that. First print done.
The next tutorial will do exactly the same thing, but with an adhesion layer (so a 2-material print).