3D Printing

Overview

Dr. McNulty's group makes heavy use of 3D printed parts. Some of the components for ShowerMax are 3D printed. Many past experiments relied on 3D printed parts, and many will in the future. Having good 3D printing capabilities will be a tremoundous asset to the lab. This tutorial is meant to introduce the important concepts, and get you printing your own parts.

In this tutorial, you'll learn how to use a 3D printer, specifically the Ultimaker S5, to create a small calibration cube. We'll walk you through the entire process, from designing the part in Fusion 360 to printing it on the Ultimaker S5. Additionally, we'll provide tips for troubleshooting common issues and changing printer materials.

If you are going to use the S2+ printer the basic workflow is the same, but you will have to use an SD card instead of a USB drive, and you will probably need to level the bed first.

Tutorial Objectives

By the end of this tutorial, you will be able to:

Design a basic 3D part using Fusion 360.
Export the design from Fusion 360 to Cura for slicing.
Use Cura to slice the 3D model and generate a G-code file.
Print the 3D part on the Ultimaker S5 printer.
Troubleshoot common printing issues.
Change printer material on the Ultimaker S5.

Limitations

This tutorial is not exhaustive and focuses on basic functions and common issues.

Other Resources

Ultimaker S5 User Manual: Manual (opens in a new tab)
Fusion 360 Tutorials: Fusion Tutorials (opens in a new tab)
Using Cura: Getting Started (opens in a new tab)

Prerequisites

A computer with Fusion 360 installed. You can use any CAD software you like, but this tutorial will use Fusion 360.
A USB drive to transfer files between the computers.

Cura Download and Installation

Download the latest version of Ultimaker Cura from the official website: Download (opens in a new tab). Open the installer and follow the on-screen instructions to install Cura.

Tutorial

Basic Drafting in Fusion 360

Open Fusion 360 and create a new design.

Select "File" and then "New Design."

Use the "Sketch" feature.

Pick a plane (Doesn't matter for this example).
Click the Create drop down menu, highlight Rectangle, and select Center Rectangle.

Click on the origin point and drag the cursor, then click the cursor again to create the rectangle. Don't worry about the dimensions we will set them next.

Click on the dimension tool.

Click on the top line of the rectangle and drag the cursor up then click the cursor again, now set the dimension to 10 mm and press enter. Then do the same thing to the right side of the rectangle and set the dimension to 10 mm.

Now on the right side panel (Sketch Palette) click Finish Sketch.

Now we want to take this 2D sketch and Extrude it out into a 3D object. Select the Extrude tool.

It should have our square already highlghted, if not click on it. Now we want to extrude it 10 mm, so type in 10 mm and press enter.
Now rotate the view by grabing the cube in the top right corner and dragging it around. You should see a 3D cube now.

Great!

Now we want to save our unit cube so we can print it in our S5. Click Cmd + S or go to File drop down menu and click Save. Give it the name unit_cube. This will save it as a Fusion 360 file. We will need to export it as an STL file so we can print it.
Select the File drop down menu and click Export. Under the Type drop down menu select STL as the file type and click Export. This will save it as an STL file.

Critical Components of the S5 Printer

Before we get started printing our part lets take a look at the critical components of the S5 printer.

Print bed

This is where the model is printed. Always ensure it's clean. Depending on the type of material you're using, you may need to apply a build plate adhesive to the print bed. Standard glue sticks work well for PLA and nylon.

Print Head: Extruder, Nozzle, Fan

The print head contains the extruder, nozzle, and fan. The Nozzle and extruder are combined into one unit. The fan is used to cool the material as it is extruded.

Check for clogs and always use the proper temperatures for the material you're using.

The nozzle is the tip the material comes out of, the standard size is 0.4 mm, but there are many others. The standard material it is made out of is brass, but there are others that work well for different materials that need to get very hot.

Filament spool

The spool that holds the material; ensure it's properly loaded.

Axes

The X, Y, and Z axes that control the movement of the print head; checkfor smooth movement and alignment.

Bowden Tubes

The tube that feeds the material from the spool to the extruder; check for proper tension and alignment.

Filament Feeder

The component that feeds the material from the spool to the extruder; check for proper tension and alignment. You can unclamp it to release tension on the filamnet.

Touchscreen Display

The interface used to control the printer's settings and start prints; familiarize yourself with the menus and options.

Slicing with Cura

Open Cura and import the STL file by selecting "Open File" and selecting the STL file.

If this is the first time using the software, select the printer drop down menu and select Add printer.

Then click Add non-networked printer and select Ultimaker S5 and press Add.

Make sure you have the correct material selected. In this case we are using Tough PLA with an AA 0.4 nozzle.
In the printer settings menu the Profile drop down menu select Draft -Fast.
Insert your usb drive into the computer.
Now click the blue Slice button.

You should now see something like this:

Select the Save to Removable Drive option.
Then properly eject the usb drive from the computer.
Now plug the usb into the usb port at the front of the S5.
On the touchscreen select Print from USB and select the file you just saved.
Then press Print.

That's It! You should now see the automatic bed leveling process and then the print will start.

When the print is done you can safely remove the print from the bed.

Troubleshooting Basic Problems

The best guide we have found for trouble shooting issues is here (opens in a new tab). We suggest you start there, but here are few common issues and how to fix them.

Poor Bed Adhesion: If the first layer isn't sticking well to the print bed, try cleaning the bed and applying an adhesive solution (e.g., glue stick).
Warping: If the printed object is warping or curling, try using a brim or raft, increasing the bed temperature, and or reducing the cooling fan speed.
Stringing: If string-like material is present between parts of the print, try reducing the print temperature, adjusting retraction settings, or reducing print speed.
Clogged Nozzle: If the material isn't flowing smoothly or at all, check for a clogged nozzle. Perform a cold pull or use a cleaning needle to remove the clog.
Layer Shifting: If the layers of the print are misaligned, check for loose belts, obstructions in the printer's movement, or issues with the print G-code.

Changing Material

On the Ultimaker S5's touchscreen display, select "Material" and then "Change Material." Follow the on-screen instructions to unload the current material from the printer. Load the new material spool onto the printer's spool holder. Feed the new material into the printer's filament feeder and select the correct material type on the touchscreen display. The printer will automatically feed the material through the Bowden tube and into the extruder. Confirm that the material is extruding correctly by observing the material coming out of the nozzle during the material change process. Once the material change is complete, you're ready to start a new print with the newly loaded material. Congratulations! You've completed the basic tutorial on 3D printing with the Ultimaker S5. We hope you've gained valuable knowledge and skills to confidently create and print your 3D designs. Happy printing!

Ultimaker S2+

Using the S2+ is very much the same as using the S5. The only real difference is you need to use a SD card instead of a USB drive to transfer the files to the printer. The S2+ does not have a USB port. The S2+ also does not have the automatic bed leveling feature. You will need to manually level the bed before each print.

Wrap Up

By completeing this tutorial you have learned how to make a simple 3D model, slice that model using 3D printing software, and print that model on the Ultimaker S5. You have also learned how to troubleshoot common problems and how to change the material. You should now be able to move on to more difficult projects and start printing your own designs.

Here's a few more tips:

You should stay with the Cura pre-set profiles espescially in the beginning.
As you grow in experience you can start to tweak the settings to get the best results. At first make changes suggested by other sources to fix problems.
To test a new design print with a lower resolution (like Draft -fast), then make any changes to your CAD model, if the dimensions are not correct. After you have the correct dimensions, then you can go to a higher resolution (like Engineering - Normal).
Make smaller sections of your larger prints and test them seperatly. This will help you find any problems before you print the whole thing.
Avoid Over hangs and bridges. These are the most difficult parts to print. If you need to print something like this, print it in sections and find a way to fit them together.

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