DysonCentre

ForEngineeringDesign


Usermanualfor
Ultimaker2Extended3Dprinter

Created/editedby Version Date

DianaThomasMcEwen V1 12/09/2017

TableofContents
1.0 MachineFamiliarisation.....................................................................................................2
1.1 Basicmachineexteriorsetup.....................................................................................2
1.2 Howdotheywork?.....................................................................................................3
2.0 Materials.............................................................................................................................4
2.1 PLA..............................................................................................................................4
2.2 ABS..............................................................................................................................4
2.3 Othermaterialavailable.............................................................................................4
3.0 WherecanIgetthedesign?..............................................................................................5
3.1 ObtaininganSTLFile...................................................................................................5
3.2 Designingafile............................................................................................................6
3.3 CheckingtheSTLfileforerrors...................................................................................7
3.4 ProcessingtheSTLfileusingCura2.1.2......................................................................9
4.0SettinguptheUltimaker2Extended+3Dprinter........................................................17
4.1 SettinguptheprinterandStartingtoprint..............................................................17
4.2 Finishedprinting.......................................................................................................19
4.3 OtherFunction..........................................................................................................19
5.0 Chargeforms....................................................................................................................21
5.1 Howdoesitwork?....................................................................................................21
6.0 HealthandSafety.............................................................................................................22
6.1 Whatcouldgowrong...............................................................................................22
AppendixATroubleshooting...................................................................................................24
NOTES.........................................................................................................................................25

 Ultimaker2Extended3DprinterUserManual

1.0 MachineFamiliarisation
1.1 Basicmachineexteriorsetup

9
8

8
7
9

10
4

2 1 3 11 12 13 14

1 Display 5 Buildplateclamps 9 Printheadcable 13 USBsocket

2 SDcardslot 6 Buildplatescrews 10 Feeder 14 Powerswitch
3 Push/rotatebutton 7 Printhead 11 Spoolholder
4 Buildplate 8 Bowdentube 12 Powersocket

 1.2 How do
theywork? ExtruderHead Filamentisdrawnthroughlow
Movessidetoside,frontand frictiontubeintotheextruderhead
back
Mechanismtodrawfilamentin. FilamentFeederismotorfeeds
Thenheatsfilamentabove the filament through low friction
meltingpoint tube.

Reelof2.85mmdiam.
Filamentspoolsoffthe
reel

Buildplate
Movesfrontandbackalsoupanddown
Canbeheated
Removableglasssheetisclippedtotheplatform(this
iswhatisprintedison)

SDCardslot Push/rotateButton&LED Switchonandoff

SDCardsareprovidedforusing displaymenusforoperatingthe ontherear
theprinters printer,settingupprintinganduse
Usedforfiletransferringtoprinter therotatebuttontoselect.


The extruder can have temperature set to anywhere between 180C and 260C and the
platformcanhavetemperaturesettoanywherebetweenroomtemperatureand100C.The
abilitytosetbothtemperaturesgovernstheabilitytoprintdifferentmaterials.Theextruder
mustbeabletomeltthematerialtobeprintedandheatingthebedpreventsshrinkingwhen
theprintcoolsandwarpingoffthebed.

WARNING:Cautionalsohastobegiventoanydangerousgaseswhichmightbegivenoffon
heatingamaterialsuchasABSdontassumeitissafe!!!
PLAisnotknowntogiveoffthesegases.

3

2.0 Materials
Thereareavarietyofdifferentmaterialsthatthis3Dprintercanbeuseduetoitsrangein
temperatures.

2.1 PLA
PLA(polyestercalledpolylacticacidorpolylactide)isderivedfromrenewablesourcessuchas
cornstarch.Thismakesitbiodegradableandrecyclablethereforeeasiertodisposeofandwith
noharmfulgasesgivenoffwhenused.TheextrudermeltsthePLAatatemperatureof220C,
byheatingthebedtoatemperatureof70Cforprintofanythingofsignificantsizeorheight
canmaintainadhesiontothebed.TheDysonCentrecurrentlystocksnatural(offwhite),red,
blue,orange,yellow,blackandgreyatapriceofaround25perkg(forreasonablequality
filament).Othercolourscanbeorderedsuchaswhite,clear,grey,green,purple.Also(forup
totwicethecost)fluorescentcolours,goldcolour,translucentfilament,thermochromaticand
photochromaticcolourswoodcolours,filamentswithsparklyinclusions.

PLAisanorganicmaterial,oftenmadefromcornstarchorsugarcane,makingitquitesafe
to use as far as fumes are concerned. Currently there is very limited official information
availableabouttheeffectsofPLAonourhealth.Takenfromhttp://3dprinthq.com/desktop
3dprintersafety/

2.2 ABS
ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) is made from fossil fuels and therefore will release
harmfulgassesandlikePLA,isrecyclable.Therearesomebiodegradableversionsnowcoming
onmarket,butmostarenotbiodegradable.Theextrudertemperatureneedstobeat240C
withthebedtemperatureat100Corhighertocreateasuccessfulprint,theareaalsoneed
tobeventilatedduetothegassesreleased.Suppliersstockarangeofcolourshowever,due
totheproblemofventilationtheDysoncentredoesnotcurrentlyusePLA.ABAistechnically
strongerthanPLA,howeverdoesntbondtoitselfaswell,resultingin3Dprintedpartsare
aboutsamestrengthasPLA.ABSisalsoalittlebitmoretemperatureresistancethanPLA.

AfewstudieshaveshownABSfumestobetoxictoratsandmiceandthereisafairchance
thatABSfumesaremoreharmfulthanPLAfumes,mostlyduetohigherlevelsofemissions
andhighertoxicity.RecentstudieshaveshownthatABSemitsaround10timesasmany
UFPs(UltraFineParticles)asPLAwhenheated,againmakingABSmorelikelytoaffectour
healththanPLA.Takenfromhttp://3dprinthq.com/desktop3dprintersafety/

2.3 Othermaterialavailable
Manyotheroptionsareavailableincluding:
Metalladenfilaments

 Woodladenfilament(sometimesreferredtoaswood)
Flexiblefilaments
HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene) dissolvable so might be useful for making a mould
whichcanlaterbedissolvedaway.
PC(polycarbonate)
PA(polyamide)
PVA(polyvinylalcohol)
Nylon

We have yet to investigate any of the above, in terms of availability (in 2.85mm diameter
filament)/cost,Safetyoffumesandhowwellourprintersworkwiththem.Theprintermay
beharmedbyusingthem(e.g.acidiccompoundsgivenoffonheating)sofurtherinvestigation
isneededbeforeusingtheseineverydayuse.

3.0 WherecanIgetthedesign?

Therearemanyonlinedatabasesthatofferfreedownloadabledesignsthatjustneedtobe
convertedintotherightfileformat.

3.1 ObtaininganSTLFile
Websites such as Thingiverse (a universe of things!) and instructables makes this very
quick/easy to obtain STL: Standard Triangle/Tessellation Language (or other similar file
formats

Simplygotothewebsitetypeintheitemorthemethatyouareinterestedindownloading,
searchthroughofthousandslisteddesignsanddownloadthefilesneededtocreateit.

3.2 Designingafile
TheSTLfilegeneratesverysensitivesettingssotheuserwillneedtochecktheSTLfileprovides
closed(watertight)surfaces.StillworthcheckingeveninthecaseofThingiverseSTLfiles,orif
filehasbeen3DprintedbeforeasdifferentprintersoftwareprocessesSTLfilesdifferently.

If drawing in any of the 3D drawing packages below please see,

www.dysoncentre.eng.cam.ac.uk/stlforhelpoutputtingSTLfiles.
[formerlyGoogles]Sketchup
Creo(ProEngineer)
Solidworks
AutoDeskInventor
Catia
IronCAD
McNeelRhino
SolidEdge
UGSNX

Note that molten plastic has to be supported, so consider adding supports in your model
(pleaseseesectionforfurtherdetails).

Inspiration of what to print and the uses for 3D printing designs can also be found on the
UltimakerwebsitealongwithadviseonusingtheUltimakersoftware,Curaandtechnicsin
howtogetasuccessfulprint.

3.3 CheckingtheSTLfileforerrors
AquickcheckofSTLfilescanbedonewithaviewere.g.gotowww.viewstl.comanddrag/drop
(orupload)your(<35MB)STLfile.

Onlinesitespinsobject
foryou,currentlylooks
Version2offile
okay

Maybesomething
oddgoingonhere Version2offile
andhere

ThisuserthenreexportedtheirSTLfileusingdifferentsettings,andtheproblemseemsfixed
inthisview.

Definitelyaproblemhere.
Thethinhorizontalsurface Version2offile
hasvanishedwhenviewed
fromthisside

Version3offile

NOTE:ittakessecondstocheckinthisway.Thefilewontprintproperlywithissuessotends
towasteafewhoursofprintingtime.

WARNING:Alsoimportanttokeepaneyeonthesizeofyourmodel,theIdeaWerkmachine
canprintatmost150mmx150mmx140mmhigh.
Notethatyoucanprintlongthinpartsdiagonally.

Inthiscase,wecouldscaledownthesizeofthepart(seelateronusingDoraWare-P).

Alsonotethatexcessivescalingdowncanreducepartthicknessesbeyondwhatispractically
printable/durable.

3.3.1 FixingtheSTLfileerrors
OncetheerrorshavebeenfoundintheSTLfilewebsitessuchastheonebelowcanbeused
tofixtheseerrors.

https://netfabb.azurewebsites.net/

SigninusingIwindowsaccount(ifyoudonthaveanaccountyoucancreateoneheretoo)
uploadyourSTLfileandclickRepairthesitewillgothroughyourfileandfixtheerrors,then
youcandownloadthefile.ItisrecommendedthatthefilebeviewedagainintheSTLchecker.
Iferrorsstillremainthefilewillneedtobecorrectedintheprogramoriginallycreatedin.

3.4 ProcessingtheSTLfileusingCura2.1.2
ToprocesstheSTLfiletocreatetheGcodefilewhichcanbefedintotheUltimakerprinter,
we use a package called Cura 2.1.2. You can install this on your own PC via the Ultimaker
website(https://ultimaker.com/en/products/curasoftware)oritisinstalledonthemachine/s
indicatednearthe3Dprinters.

Thesoftwaretakesthearrangementoftrianglesin3Dspace,whichrepresentyoursurface/s
and turns them into instructions for making 2D layers. Instructions for such machines
(includingCNCmillingmachines)isknownasGcode,whichisinstructionssuchasmoveXby
somanymillimetres,ormoveinanarcintheXYplane,centredonthispoint,etc.Thecreated
GcodecanthenbeusedtoprintontheUltimaker.

10

 UsethisbuttontoimportyourSTLfile

scalingallaxessimultaneously

x,y,zrotation
x,y,zmovement
Mirroringtheprint

ShowingfilenamethattheGcodewillbesavedas,thiscanbeeditedviathepencilicon.Belowistheheight,width
andlengthoftheprintinmillimetresandlastistheestimatedprinttimeandcost.


Oncetheprintposition,scalingandorientationthen
selecttheprinter,theUltimaker2Extended.

Forsimpleprintsetupselectthesimpletab

SettheProfile(thequality/detail)oftheprint,thehigher
thequalitythelongerandmoreexpensivetheprint.

SettheInfill(thehoneycombstructureinthemiddleof
the print) the higher the density the longer and more
expensivetheprint.

SettheProfile(thequality/detail)oftheprint,thehigher
thequalitythelongerandmoreexpensivetheprint.



Onethedesignissetup,scaledetctheprintisthensetup.
Theprogressbarwillslicethedesignbeforesayingready
toprintnowtheprintcanbesavedtotheSDcardtoprint.



11

Advancedoptions
FormoreoptionsselecttheAdvancedsetuptab.
Quality
Thelayerheightcanbemodifiedtobethicker
so the print will print quicker. How thick a
layer(inmm)theprintertriestolaydownat
once,andhowfastitistraversingwillhavean
effectinprintquality.

Shell
Enablesyoutovarythethicknessofthesolid
shell.Whattopickwillvaryalittledepending
onwhatyouwantthepartfor,butthedefault
settingforbothisnotabadstartpoint.

Infill
3Dprintedobjectsarerarelysolidusuallythey
consist of a honeycomb centre and a solid
shellthedropdownforfilldensityallowsyou
to vary the amount of material in the
honeycombintheformofapercentage.

Material
Allowing you to select material specific
setting.

Printspeed
Standardprintspeedseemstoproducegood
results, as do faster and thicker settings for
crude items. Faster printing may mean that
layerbelowdoesnthaveenoughtimetoset
beforethenextlayerisputon,thereforetheprintismorelikelytocomeawayfromthebed.

Cooling
Adjustmentscanbemadetocoolingandonwhatlayerthiscoolingshouldbefrom.

Support
Supportcanbeaddedtosupportanyoverhangingarea,thisallowsyoutoselecttheareasand
fromwhatangleanddensitythesupportisneeded.

12


PlatformAdhesion
Adhesiontotheplatformisimportanttoconsiderdependingontheprintbeingcreated.There
areThreedifferentoptionRaft,BrimandSkirt.ARaftproducesalayerunderyouritem,which
helpsittostaystucktotheprintbed,whilsttheitemisbeingprinted.Itwilleasilypeelaway
from your item. A Brim produces a single flat layer around the base of the print to aid in
preventingwarping.LastSkirtproducesasinglelinearoundtheprintbutnotconnectedtoit.

SpecialModes
Toselecttheprintsequenceandwhethertoprintallobjectsonelayeratatimeortowaitfor
oneobjecttofinishbeforemovingontothenext.Oneatatimemodeisonlypossibleisall
modelsareseparatedinsuchawaythatthewholeprintheadcanmoveinbetweenandall
modelsarelowerthanthedistancebetweenthenozzleandtheX/Yaxes.

Experimental
Adjusting Enable draft shield will create a wall around the object which traps (hot) air and
shieldsagainstexteriorairflow.Especiallyusefulformaterialswhichwarpeasily.Adjusting
theConicalSupportwillmakesupportareassmalleratthebottomthanattheoverhang.

NOTE:Temperaturesettingaresetautomatically

3.4.1 SavingthefiletoGcodefileformattoprint
ClicksavetofiletogeneratetheGcode,theprogressbarwillthenstarttoshowbarasit
processeseachlayofthedesign.Notethatthisiscomputationallyfairlycomplexandthattime
takenmayvaryfromafewminutesforsomethingsimpletoabouthalfanhourfortheexample
itemwithnosupporttoafewhoursforaverycomplexpiece.Theratethattheprogressbar
movesisausefulindicatorsomethingishappeningandhowlongitcouldtaketocomplete.

13

TrackingtheproblemwiththeGcode
SometimewhenproducingtheGcode,theprintdoesnotturnoutthewayyouexpecti.e.
holesingearsarefilledin.YoucancheckthattheproblemisnotwiththeGcodeviaGCODE
ANALYZER,gotohttp://gcode.ws/

a. UploadyourGCode

14

 b. Lookingatthe2Dtabwillshowtheroottheraftwillbeencreated.

c. Lookingatthe3Dtabwillshowthemodelbeingcreated.

15

OtherinformationincludedisProgressindicator,Modelinfo,LayerInfo,2DRenderingoptions,
GCodeanalyseroptionsandPrinterInfo.

d. LookingattheGcodetabwillshowthecodeofthemodelbeingcreated.
16

4.0SettinguptheUltimaker2Extended+3Dprinter

NowthattheGcodefilehasbeencreatedtheprintercanbesetup,beforeusingpleasecheck:
Theprinterison(atthewallandatback).
Alsothataglassbedisclippedwithfourclipstothealuminiumplatform.
Check that the printer is loaded with the correct filament (both type of plastic and
colour)locatedatthebackoftheprinterandthatthereisenoughfilamenttocomplete
theprint.

4.1 SettinguptheprinterandStartingtoprint
Whentheprinterisfirstpoweredupthestartupscreenwillappearasshownbelow

InsertyourSDCardintotheSDcardslotlocatedtotheleftofthescreen,nowusetheglowing
dialtotherightofthescreentoselectthePrintoption(pushthedialtoselect).Selectthe
fileyouwanttoPrintandpushthedialtoconfirm,alongthebottominformationsuchasthe
printtimeandthematerialsizescrollalongforeachhighlightedprint.

17

Oncetheprinthasbeenconfirmedtheprinterwillstarttoheatup,atthispointtheprinter
head will move into position ready to print. By selecting Tune the printer settings can be
modifiedsuchasprintspeedandbuildplatetemperature.

Thereisalsoanoptiontoaborttheprint,ifselectingthistheprinterwillthenaskAbortthe
print?

However,ifyoujustwishtopausetheprint,oncetheprinthasstartedthereisalsoanoption
forthistoo.

18

4.2 Finishedprinting
Oncetheprintiscompleteitwilldropthebeddowntothelowestpositionandstartcooling
down,seewhatthecurrenttemperatureofextruderandplatformare.

NOTE:Throughouttheprintyoucanthedisplayshowsthetimeoftheprintsprogressandhow
longisleft.

When you are happy the bed is cool enough (so as not to burn you, but also so that your
componentisntstillsoftandpliable)pull/rotatethefronttwoclipsofftheglassplateand
slide the buildplate out from the printer. When the printed item is cooled to room
temperature,itshouldbepossibletopullitoffthebed,mayneedtousethespatulatoremove
theprint,takecarenottomarkorcracktheglass.Pleasethenreplacetheplateandclipsand
dontforgettopaywhatisowedforthecostofmaterials.

4.3 OtherFunction
Theotheroptiononthestartupscreenshouldonlybeaccessedbyfullytrainedpersonnel.

19

TheMaterialsoptionwillallowyoutoChangethematerialtypeandthereforethedefault
buildplateandextrudertemperatures.

Maintenancealsoallowsyoutomoveandheattheheadandthebuildplatealongwithother
functions.

20

5.0 Chargeforms
We would suggest that a print is trialled on the RS Ideawrek printers before using the
Ultimakersincasetheprintisnotwhatyouwantedorhowlikelytheprintistofail.

Wehavefundstobuy3Dprintersforundergraduateusebutwedonothavefundstobuy
materials,soweaskyoutopayforthese,butthecostisrelativelylow.Wedonothavefunds
topayfor3Dprintingforresearch,exceptfor4thyearprojects(orhaveenoughprintersfor
this additional use). If you are a postgraduate/postdoc researcher or a member of staff
readingthispleasecontacttheDysonCentreManagertodiscussfurther.

5.1 Howdoesitwork?
Please use the
electronic scales to
work out the mass of
PLA used, include any
scrap, rafts, supports
and all failed attempts
(theseareatyourcost).
Thechargeis1per20g
of part thereof, for
example.
18gis1
30gis2
40gis2
41gis3

For the time being

pleaseseetheManager
to make payments and
ensure you get a
receipt. We will try to
streamlinethepayment
processinthefuture.

NOTE: All 3D printing

filament payments will
go into a dedicated
account intended for
buyingmorefilament

21

6.0 HealthandSafety

Aswithmanysuchmachinesinworkshops,thesemachinesarenotdefaultsafetouse,you
cancauseharmtoyourselfandothersandtothemachineifyoudontunderstandhowtouse
itcorrectly.Anappreciationoftherisksandwhattodoaboutthemisimportant

6.1 Whatcouldgowrong
Couldgetburntbyextruderorbymoltenplasticcomingoutofitusuallybetween200and
280C(significantlyhotterthanboilingwater).
Donttouchextruder,ormoltenplasticcomingoutofextruder,evenifitlookscool.
Pleasewearprotectiveglovesprovided(tobesufficientlyinsulated).
Makesureyouknowwherenearestsinkisandgetburnsundercoldwaterpromptlyand
keepthemtherefor10to20minutes!
Couldgetburntbytheplatform/bedoritemrecentlyprinted:ifthebedisstillbeingheated,
itcouldbearound100C
Donttouchbeduntilyouaresureithascooleddowntouchscreenwilltellyoucurrent
temperature (be careful not to get mixed up with target temperature or same for
extruder/nozzle).
Becautiouswhenmovingtohandlethebed ortheitemprinted.
Could get trapped above or below the moving [heated] bed and/or the moving [heated]
extruderhead.
Keepclearoffallmovingparts
Harmfulgasescomingfromextruderfromheatingnonstandardmaterials
Orfromoverheatingstandardmaterials.
Doublechecktargetandactual temperatureofextruder.
Doublecheckwhatmaterialisbeingused.
Askforadviceifprintinganonstandardmaterial.
Ifyoudothinkyouhavebeenexposedtopotentiallyharmfulgases,summonafirstaider
asperthreeslidesago.
Astheextruderisabovetheautoignitiontemperatureofthingslikepaper,thereisachance
ofthemachineeasilybeingabletostartafire.
Keeptheareafreefrompaper,andanyotherdebris.
Ifrealisticallypossible,staywiththeprinterwhilstinuse,ormonitoritusing the
webcamswhichwillshortlybeprovided.
Ifyoudofindafire:
1. immediatelyraisethealarm.

22

 2. ifsafetodoso,useafireextinguishertotrytoputthefireout,andifpossible
disconnecttheprinterfromthemains(assumingtheelectricitycablesarent
nowdamp)
3. ifindoubt,leavethebuildingandraisethealarm.
4. becarefulofbreathinginanyfumesfromthefire.

Alsoseekhelpfromafirstaideraskatreceptionifyoucantfindone,orifoutsidenormal
hours,callsecurityon 31818fromthephoneontheManagersdesk,or01223331818on
yourmobilephone.FurtherdetailsatManagersdesk.

23

 AppendixATroubleshooting

Problem:MyPrintkeepscomingawayfromthebed.
Solution:Thiscouldbeoneoffourproblems
1. Thebedisnotheatingup
Checkthetemperaturesettingforthebed
Checkthecurrentsettingtoensureitisheating
2. Theextruderheadistoofarawayfromthebed
AskatechniciantoadjusttheZvaluefortheextruderhead
3. Thedesignbeingprintedisatananglethatrequiresadditionalsupportstocomplete
theprinting.
4. Thebedisnotlevel(pleasereportthistoatechniciantobefixed).
5. Theambienttemperatureistoocold.
6. Brimitturnedoff
7. Theprintspeedistoohigh

Problem:Mydesignwontprint;itheatsupbutthensaysthatmyprintiscomplete
Solution:TheGcodefilemighthavebeeninterruptedordidnotfullysaveontotheSDcard,
redotheGcodeandresavethefileontoSDcard.

Problem:IfindmyfileontheSDwhenIplugitintoprint.
Solution:Thefileisnotintherightformat.

24

NOTES

25