3D Printing on Prusa
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Quick terms
Simple - No supports needed print example
This is a walk through of an example project to print this little dino statuette.
It is a simple print with minimal overhangs.
Choose a similar SIMPLE shape for your first print. Here are some sites to search for models:
Or you can grab a model from the “1st Print 3D models folder” in the 3D Printing (Prus) Tutorials folder.
Download a simple model and save to desktop (or a place on the computer you can access).
Cute Stylized Dinosaur Toy by BMoArtist
https://www.printables.com/model/489585-cute-stylized-dinosaur-toy
Prusa Slicer - Main Window
Double click the PrusaSlicer icon to open the software.
You should see a window that looks like this blank project. (cancel any pop ups)
In the center is the “build plate,” which matches the build plate on the 3D printer. The build plate is where the 3D printed model will be physically built.
Along the left are basic tools for manipulating your models. The top has tools for adding parts, copy/paste, layout. And the right has printer settings.
We’ll look at each of these in turn.
Top toolbar - To add and remove things
The top bar has...
Most of these tools we won’t use at all.
Parts can be Added with the button, or by dragging the file from your USB or downloads directly onto the build plate. Or go to File > Import > Import STL/…
Arrange is useful if you have several parts to print. Drag them all in, and press Arrange to have it make a good guess at how to put them all on the plate. (Shortcut press “A” on the keyboard)
Undo (Ctrl + Z) and Redo (Ctrl + Y), of course, undoes the last action and then redoes if you change your mind about an undo.
Bring your file into Prusa Slicer and Arrange as needed.
Build Plate - To see and move things
Click and drag the mouse to get a better view of your model; the mouse wheel lets you zoom in and out.
The selected part has the white box corners around it.
In this example, there is an error at the bottom right of the build plate. Anything Prusa wants you to know will show up there.
It says our dino is too big. Another clue that our model is outside of the build area is that it is blue. It turns to green when it fits in the build area. To fix this, we ...
Left Toolbar - The Parts Tools
Here we have tools to:�
These tools will allow you to move your parts around the printer plate. As well as resize, rotate, “place on surface,” and measure your parts.
Since we’re making a simple toy in this example, and Prusa told us it’s too big, we’re going to use the resize tool.
Click on your model to make sure it is selected, you should see white box corners around it like this image:
Then click on the resize tool and...
Resize Tool
The white box corners change to a set of “resize anchors” to let you know you’ve changed modes.
You’ll use these to resize the model.
The red boxes will make the dino wider only in the “red” direction. The same with the blue and green boxes.
Those are used if you need to make something wider or shorter but you’re okay if it is a bit distorted.
The orange boxes in the corners will make the dino bigger or smaller in all directions at the same time, most of the time this is what you want.
Here is my Dino friend, all green and happy. You can also see on the right what size it will print out at.
By default, 3D printers use metric, but there’s a checkbox to change to inches. In this case the Dino will be 1.5 inches in the “x” direction (side-to-side), about 5 inches long, head-to-tail, and 3 ½ inches tall, foot-to-crown.
Note! The boxes in this table are also editable, so if you know the dimensions, you can enter them here.
Note! Resizing complex parts is tricky and takes practice as it can negatively affect the printed part.
Resize your model as you desire.
Place on Surface
Click on the Place on Surface tool to show planes (a plane is a smooth flat surface, here as white ovals)
Select a plane. Notice how that plane attaches to the build plate. Now choose a plane to minimize overhangs.
Note! Many times, if you downloaded your model like this dino, it would import on a good plane for printing. But not always! It is good to become familiar with this tool.
Note! Think how your print will build up layer by layer. Those layers can be weak points. Can you orient your model in a way to both minimize overhangs and reduce weak points in critical places?
Rotate Tool
The Rotate tool is like the resize tool, with red, blue, and green “anchors” which you can grab to rotate our friend in the “red” “blue” or “green” directions.
This tool is not as commonly used, but can be helpful with arranging pieces to fit correctly.
Ready to Print? Not so fast! - Materials Selection
Different materials require different temperatures and speeds and so much more. Luckily, we don’t have to worry about all that.
On the spool of plastic is a printed label. Here I’ve got “Jessie Premium PLA” in “Blood Red Light Glitter.” That’s a lot, but the important part is the PLA, and maybe the Jessie part.
Other examples are PLA, PETG, or ABS. Different materials have different qualities. For first time printing, choose PLA. Then as you learn more from staff, practice and research you can choose the correct materials for the correct application.
Find a 3D filament you will like to use on a 3D printer. Take note of the type of filament as well as the printer (see next slide.)
Machine Selection
Prusa MINI - We have more of these!
Prusa Mark 4 (MK4) - Bigger bed, but fewer available
Putting it all together!
Print settings - This will change the speed by changing the thickness of each layer. To print faster, the object will have thicker more noticeable layers. 0.15 is a standard choice.
Note! Do not go lower than .10 without talking with staff.
Add your selections for Print Settings, Filament and Printer.
For supports, we will select None, because our Dino friend was well designed.
And I almost always use a brim.
See the advanced tutorial for more information about supports.
Slice the Model
At the bottom of the print settings is a “Slice now” button.
Click that to generate the printer’s instructions
Slicing Information Overview: How long will it take? And how much plastic?
At the bottom right we can see some quick, important statistics. The “Used Filament (g)” tells us an idea of how much plastic the model is going to use.
A full spool is 1000 grams, and my dino friend, at 1.5” wide, is 25 g.
And at the bottom, it’ll take 1 hour and a half to print out.
Note! Please keep prints under 200g if using our filament.
Note! Only print once a visit unless approved by staff.
Note! All overnight prints must be approved by staff. Overnight prints are risky for 3D printers as unattended errors become big problems. Staff need to look overall the model to make sure it does not damage the printer.
Additional Slicing Information
This window tells us how long the printer will be spending on different types of lines.
We can ignore this, really.
But it’s fun if you are into the statistics of it all, and knowing where the “mass” of the part is going.
You can hide it completely with the arrow next to “Legend”
Warnings?
Check for errors and consult with staff as needed.
If Prusa thinks we’re going to have any issues with the print, it’ll tell us about them on this screen.
Pressing [More] will show the details.
For our Dino Friend, it’s worried about “Floating bridge anchors” and “Loose extrusions”
In this photo of my test friend, you can see some “stringing” on our friend’s belly.
I’m not too worried about it this but we can go back and add “support material” to prevent it.
We need Support!
The box button (below) will let you go back to “layout mode,” which is where we started!
You’d go back if you wanted to add parts, or move them around. Or if you wanted to add support material like to our Dino’s belly!
“Supporting” models can be complex. You can read more about support material options on Prusa's website.
The simplest option is to add supports Everywhere on the right part of the screen, and it works OK.
With a Little Support for our Friends
Adding support to the Dino added 4 grams of plastic (that’s about four paperclips, by weight), and bumped our print time by about 25 minutes.
Supports do add time and material to a print, and they’ll need to be removed later, it’s a little extra work you’d have to do after the print is done, if you go that route.
Most prints will need some support, and it’s worth learning how to do it, eventually.
Export G-code
Grab a USB drive from the Lab’s collection to use. You don’t really want to use your own drive, as it has to stay in the 3D printer until the print is done, making it easy to forget.
Plug the USB drive into the computer, or the ports on the side of the monitor.
Click Export G-Code! and select the correct drive (typically the D drive)
The G-code is machine language that the printer will use to print your file. It has info like X,Y, Z coordinates, temperature, fan speed, and more.
Rename if you want and save. Wait until it says “Exporting finished” then remove the USB drive.
Put it in a Printer, Get it going!
Bring the USB drive to a printer and plug it in the port.
Note! Double check the correct filament is installed. Ask a staff member to show you how to change if needed.
It should recognize that you have put in a drive, and it’ll pick the newest file to start. If not use the Print icon to find your file.
Push the knob in to start printing.
The printer will start heating up, and should start moving soon.
Next Steps…
Wait in the lab until the first few layers are laid down. This is when most of the failures happen.
If you have to leave before the print is done, leave a note with your name in front of the printer. That way we can set aside for you to pick up.
Note! We highly recommend saving your project. This is useful in case your print fails and you have to make a small adjustment. Then you can open your project and quickly adjust. The G code is not editable, but the project file is. Go to File > Save Project as… Then save to whichever device you want.
Talk with staff for additional training and/or explore the Prusa website. There are many possibilities!