Step  1.  How  to  Connect

1.  Plug  the  USB  port  into  your  Solidoodle  and  the  other  end  into  your  computer.  Do  not  be  alarmed  if  the  standard  messages  do  not  appear.  Because  of  the  Solidoodle’s  drivers,  it  may  show  up  as  a  generic  USB  device.  

2.  Plug  the  Solidoodle  into  wall  power.  You  should  see  the  LED  lights  and  fan  come  to  life!  You  may  be  able  to  hear  the  motors  idling.  

3.  Open  Repetier  Host  and  ensure  that  you  have  a  valid  port  selected  for  communications.  To  do  this  simply  hit  “Printer  Settings”  in  the  upper  right-­‐hand  corner  (Control-­‐P)  to  bring  up  the  printer  settings  menu.  If  you  have  the  “Virtual  Printer”  port  selected,  change  it  to  a  COM  port  (on  windows)  or  a  USB  SERIAL  port  (Mac  and  Linux).  

 

4.  Hit  connect  in  the  upper  left-­‐hand  corner.  You  should  see  the  details  of  the  connection  in  the  console  window  in  the  bottom  section  of  the  screen.  Show  image  here  

5.  In  the  right  panel,  click  on  the  Manual  Control  tab  (Windows)  or  Print  Panel  (Mac).  

6.  Scroll  down  and  click  both:  

 

 buttons  to  activate  your  heaters.  You  will  know  they  are  on  if  they  turn  a  bright  blue.  The  heat  will  gradually  rise,  as  you  will  see  from  the  status  bar  on  the  bottom  of  the  window.  The  extruder  should  be  set  to  195°  and  the  bed  should  be  set  to  95°.  

 

7.  Once  full  heat  has  been  achieved  do  a  few  quick  tests.  Hit  the  X+/X-­‐  arrows  

 to  ensure  that  movement  is  possible.  Hit  the  extrude  button,  with  the  down  arrow,  in  the  Extruder  section  to  ensure  extrusion  is  possible.  

 

Step  2:  Remove  The  Starter  Filament

Your new Solidoodle arrives with starter filament installed from our factory’s test print. To install your new filament you will need to remove the initial filament using the Repetier-Host software.

a)  Open Repetier-Host, select the “Manual Control” tab and click on “Heat Extruder”

b) Watch as the temperature increases. The desired temperature is about 215C.

c)  Click the “Retract” button while gently pulling the filament. You should see the filament start to back out of the extruder and feel it retracting. Note:  You  may  need  to  press  the  retract  button  more  than  one  time.  

Step  3:  Install  New  Filament Now you’re ready to install the new filament. a) Check the extruder temperature and ensure it reads about 215C If not, please follow the steps above to set the temperature.

b) Insert the filament through the rear hole of the printer case as shown.

c)  Insert the filament into the top of the extruder until it stops as shown.

 

d)  Gently push down on the filament while pressing the “Extrude” button to feed the filament into the printer. Stop pushing once

the extruder grips the filament.

 

e) Press the “Extrude” button in Repetier Host a few more times until filament starts coming out the nozzle.

f)  If you have changed colors, then press “Extrude” until the old color (in this case white) is purged from the extruder. Notice how in this photo the bottom of the coil is white (old color) and the top is green (new color).

 

Step  3.  How  to  Print  

 

Printing with the Solidoodle   is fun and easy! The icons above describe the process you will use to print with your Solidoodle 3D printer. Note:  This  guide  assumes  that  you  have  already  installed  software  and  filament.  

If  you  have  not,  please  view:  How  to  Install  Software  &  How  to  Install  Filament

Step  1:  Connect  

 With the power supply and USB cable plugged in, simply select your COM port and click, ‘connect’. Note:  If  you  are  experiencing  challenges,  please  refer  to:  

How  to  Install  Software  or  How  to  Connect Step  2:  Heat  Build  Plate/Extruder  

 Select  the  Manual  Control  tab  and  click  “Heat  Printbed”  &  “Heat  Extruder”.  The  default  temperatures  we  use  are  105C  for  the  Printbed  &  215C  for  the  Extruder.  

Note:  The  Printbed  takes  slightly  longer  to  heat  compared  to  the  Extruder.  Slight  nozzle  leakage  is  normal.

 

   

Step  3:  Load  STL  

 Now  that  you  have  connected  and  your  heaters  are  heating,  it  is  time  to  load  a  file  in  .stl  format.  An  .stl  file  is  a  simple  universal  3D  file  format  that  stands  for  Stereolithography.  For  the  ease  of  this  walk  through,  please  download  the  Spool  Mount  as  your  .stl  file.  

Open  Repetier-­‐Host  and  load  the  Spool  Mount.stl  by  pressing  the  “Load”  button  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner.

Repetier-­‐Host  will  ask  you  to  “Open”  a  3D  file  (.stl  format).    Locate  the  Spool  Mount.stl  and  press  “Open”    Note:  It  is  recommended  that  you  make  a  folder  specifically  for  your  3D  Files!

Notice  

the  Spool  Mount.stl  is  highlighted  pink  and  the  file  extension  is  highlighted  blue  underneath  title  “STL  Objects”.

     

Step  4:  Slice  Your  .STL  

 The  next  step  is  to  convert  your  3D  file  (Spool  Mount.stl)  into  a  format  that  your  printer  can  understand.  For  this,  you’ll  use  Slic3r.  Slic3r  takes  the  3D  file  in  the  universal  .stl  format  and  converts  it  to  G-­‐Code  (the  language  the  printer  can  understand).    

a)  Once  the  file  is  loaded,  hit  the  Slicer  tab  in  the  upper  right  hand  corner.  Notice  the  “Slicing  Info”  window  open.  Please  leave  the  “Start  

Job  after  Slicing”  box  unchecked.  b) Wait for Slic3r to convert the 3D file (Spool Mount.stl) into G-­‐Code. This may take several minutes depending on the size of the file.

c) Once slicing has finished, Repetier-Host will automatically display the G-Code. Notice the 3D file(Spool Mount.stl) is now in blue. This is a designation that Slic3r has converted the .STL to G-Code correctly. Note:  If  you  are  having  any  challenges  with  converting  an  .stl  to  G-­Code,  we  recommend  using  netfabb  to  analyze,  check  and  repair  your  STL  

files.

Step  5:  Begin  Printing  

You are now ready to print!

Once the Build Plate (105C) & Extruder(215C) reach proper temperature, hit the “Run Job” button.

Check to make sure that the Extruder begins the first layer at the appropriate height above the build platform (.3mm). The first layer should stick. Note:  Review  these  helpful  guides  if  you  are  experiencing  challenges  with  

First  Layers/Setting  the  Z-­Offset  &  Filament  Not  Sticking  To  Bed

Watch in amazement as the Solidoodle builds the part, one strand at a time!

 Voila! To print another copy of the same part, simply click “Run Job” If you have any questions contact us at [support] [@] [solidoodle.com].