Idea Accelerator: MP Select Mini 3D Printer V2

Welcome to the Idea Accelerator's Makerspace!

Today we will be teaching you how to use the printers to print what ever you want!

3D Printing is an indispensable tool and anyone can pick it up.

If you do not feel comfortable or want someone to guide you through the process feel free to personally contact me at ylopez@villanova.edu.

To be done:

OVERVIEW SECTION

WHAT IS THE WORKFLOW OF 3D PRINTING

We're going to download a couple of things before we start.

• Manual for MP Mini Printers - YOU MUST READ THE WARNINGS AND SETUP SECTION!!!
• Latest version of Cura Slicer - When downloading select "I don't want to share any information" so you don't have to fill out a form.
• Very useful page on most common printing problems

This is what is automatically checked off when installing Cura, just make sure that

• "Open STL files with Cura" is selected as those are the 3D model files that will be used to slice.
• After Cura is installed proceed to run the program.

When you first open up Cura you should see this window.

• If you don't go to Preferences>Configure Cura>Printers>Add

Once you're at the window select

• Other>Monoprice Select Mini V2 (E3D)>Add Printer

You should see the following Machine Settings window as seen in the third picture.

Hit Finish

We are now done configuring the printer to slice in Cura

DO NOT CHANGE ANY SETTINGS IN THIS WINDOW IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING

Head on over to Thingiverse this is the largest community for sharing 3D printable models.

Use the search function to find something you want to print and download it.

Note: There are two ways to download a file off thingiverse

1. You can hit download all files or
2. You can navigate to the Thing Files tab and individually download STL files

Finally make sure you downloaded an STL file so we can now open it in Cura.

There are two ways to open files in Cura

• If you don't already have Cura just simply double click the STL file and open in Cura
• Drag and drop the STL into Cura

This is worth pointing out because every time you double click a file to open Cura it opens a new instance and you have to wait for Cura to launch which can be pretty long sometimes.

Once you have your file in Cura it should look something like the picture above.

These are the Print Settings:

Select PLA as your material

If you are super new to 3D Printing I HIGHLY recommend you stick to Recommended Settings for PLA and use the following settings.

• Layer Height: 0.22 mm
• Infill 10%
• Use Build Plate Adhesion when needed with prints with low surface area to print bed

IMPORTANT NOTE: DO NOT OVER DO IT WITH THE INFILL ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE PRINTING AESTHETIC PIECES

YOU SHOULD NOT NEED MORE THAN 20% PRINTING AT ICE IS FREE FOR THE TIME BEING AND IF WE WANT IT TO STAY THAT WAY YOU MUST KEEP YOUR FILAMENT USAGE TO A MINIMUM

LOWER INFILL = FASTER PRINTS

IF YOU USE A HIGH INFILL PERCENTAGE YOU WILL WASTE PLASTIC AND WE WILL HAVE TO CHARGE TO PRINT

Once you get comfortable using Cura I highly suggest you learn how to use Cura.

Check out this link to learn about the configuration options Cura gives you

Cura allows you to fine tune options such as layer height, speed, and temperature.

After you are done dialing in your settings make sure your print is flat on the bed of the printer in Cura and the hit >Save to File

Select where to save it and Cura will output a GCODE file.

GCODE is the actual file a 3D printer uses to print your object. Now you're probably asking yourself whats the difference between an STL file and a GCODE file. An STL file is the actual 3D model and GCODE is a file that contains Cartesian instructions (think XYZ axis) which actually tell the printer where to move. I attached a screenshot so you can see what the GCODE actually looks like.

Once you have your GCODE we are going to push it to Octoprint. Octoprint is the program used to control and manage all the MP Mini's wirelessly. That way we don't need to be constantly pushing SD cards in and out all day.

Navigate to

• Mini 2 - http://153.104.170.125:82
• Mini 3 - http://153.104.170.125:83
• Mini 4 - http://153.104.170.125:84
• Mini 5 - http://153.104.170.125:85

Login info is written on the whiteboard in the Makerspace

Once you are logged in drag and drop the GCODE file into the Octoprint window.

Connect to the Printer by hitting connect.

Once you are connected make sure the print bed is clear and the filament of your choice is loaded.

Hit load and print and you are set!

One last thing though, before you leave watch the printer get through the first layer if your first layer sticks and looks good the rest of your print should be fine. If not you need to cancel your print clean the printer and try again.

(If you have no luck the print bed may need to be leveled. Please ask for assistance when it comes to bed leveling)