3d-printing

The goal of this page is to provide information about 3d-printing at Zeus: from rules and agreements to tips & tricks.

⚠ 3d printing at Zeus is new and the rules & agreements have not yet been decided. If you want to print something, check the Mattermost ~3d printing channel first for the latest information.

• Pay per gram of filament used shown in your slicer software, 1kg PLA = 25 euro, 1kg PETG = 30 euro. For reference, 75 grams ≈ 25m filament ≈ 2 euros. You can pay to the Zeus account on Tab with the transaction details containing the type of filament you used (for example “3D print, black PLA”)
• Add your entry to the print logs (Zeus filament)
• Try to print at night or in the weekends for longer prints to avoid noise disturbance in the basement

Available printers:

• Prusa i3 MK3S in Zeus basement
• Prusa SL 1 in Therminal (❓ not sure which edition)

Available filaments at the moment are:

• Prusa PLA (❓ colour)
• Prusa PETG (❓ colour)
• Some other PETG and PLA filaments are property of J (and are marked as such). Please ask before using :)

Build your own designs using:

• FreeCAD
• OpenSCAD (open source, recommended)
• Blender
• Any other CAD software that can export to STL

Or find some at:

• https://www.thingiverse.com/
• https://www.printables.com/

Export your models as .stl files

Slicing software:

• PrusaSlicer https://www.prusa3d.com/prusaslicer/ (all platforms)

Ask in the Mattermost channel ~3d if you're not sure which settings to use. General advice is:

• 0.30 mm PLA for rougher “functional” prints
• Go smaller if it has to look/feel nicer

Export your sliced models as .gcode files. Write down the weight in grams that the slicer reports for the model, you will need it to fill out the printing log.

Menu controls on the printer: press the knob next to the display to open the menu or to select an option. Turn the knob to choose an option. Turning the knob on the start screen will change printing speed.

• Put the gcode on the SD card, and insert it in the printer on the left of the control panel.
• Turn on the printer with the switch on its back.
• Check that the desired filament is inserted. If you want to change filament, use the menu option to unload the filament and follow the instructions on the display. Once the filament is removed, you can insert a new one just like that: the printer will notice you're inserting filament and will start the loading procedure (you will notice it pulling a little on the filament). Snip the end of the new filament off if it isn't flush. For reference, watch: this video. Note that the Zeus printer has a changed hot-end because of the MMU2 upgrade, you'll need to push the filament in quite hard until you overcome the initial resistance. After that, you don't need to push anymore, the printer will pull the filament in.
• In the menu, choose Print from SD card and choose the (correct) file. The printer should now start printing.
• You can follow the progress of your print on the printcam (broken at the moment)

Let the print-bed cool off before retrieving it, this makes it easier to pull the print off and has less chance of damaging you print. If you're impatient, you can pull it off immediately, but you risk damaging your print.

Normally (~4/5 of cases) you don't need any equipment to remove the print. The printer bed has a top layer that is attached magnetically, you can take it off to make it easier to remove the print (take care as the bed might be hot). There is a scraper available should you want to use one. Try to avoid touching the bed with your fingers so it remains clean. In case you touched the plate, use some alcohol (the cleaning kind) to clean the plate.

Remove any remaining plastic on the plate. If you removed the plate, put it back on the printer.

If warping at corners occurs, you can add helper discs to make the corners of your print stick better to the bed (no guarantee it still won't warp though):