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FAQ - About 3D Printers

How does a 3d printer work?

His working principle is based on digital model files and printing in layers based on different materials. Our device first converts stl files to gcode format file codes in the slice software provided with the device. Then use pla or abs as the raw material and print by fused deposition.

How to get the source of the file model?

1. Designed by yourself, the 3D mapping software currently used can be used, such as: 3Dmax, 3DP, proe, CAD, etc., only need to be converted to the stl format.

2. Website download, the most used is I love 3D.

What is the difference between a double nozzle and a single nozzle?

Now the double nozzle is just a Selling point! There is no practical effect; because there is no print head on the market that can completely control printing and completely stop switching. Because the printing consumables are plastic, it can not completely stop discharging immediately. When a print head stops printing, there will be residual material. Continue to spit it out; and double-headed printing, the remaining material on the two heads will smudge each other! There isn't a single head print that looks good. Jingdong Mall has a machine with a price of 40,000 yuan. This problem is the same; you may see on many websites that the two-color or multi-color models are mostly stitched or painted later; I participated in Shenzhen 3D printer and Guangzhou 3D printer exhibition! I haven't seen a two-headed machine demo print a two-color model; the above are all honest! I just don't want to be misled by the introduction of dual nozzles.

What is open source?

Open source is a unique technology sharing method, which means that a company or institution publishes the complete core technical information of its product, allowing other teams to make secondary development improvements based on this technology. (Open source spirit is not cottage spirit)

Notes for first use?

1. Check whether each screw is loose. Of course, we have checked it at the factory, but it may be loose during transportation. It is best to check.

2. Adjustment platform

3. Check the material mouth, because we have debugged it, to prevent residual material at the extrusion material mouth, which affects the printing effect, we still need to check

FAQ - About 3D Printers and Debugging Process

How should the 3D printer be maintained when not in use?

1. Platform cleanup -- Find a lint-free cloth, add a little rubbing alcohol or some acetone nail polish cleaner on it, and wipe it gently to clean the platform.

2. Residual material cleaning in nozzle -- First preheat the nozzle to about 220 ℃, and then slowly pull out the waste material inside with tweezers, or remove the nozzle for thorough cleaning.

3. Other cleanup -- Clean up the garbage under the 3D printer chassis, lubricate the parts that are short of oil, and wipe the oil on the motor, screw rod and other components with a clean cloth.

After doing the above cleaning, cover the machine and store it for a long time. During the daily use of the device, developing good maintenance habits can prolong its use time.

Problem of Z aixs lead screw

A. Because there is a small gap between the lead screw and copper nut, so they are not parallel before you install them to the printer. This has nothing to do with the quality of the product.
B. You can loosen the copper nut and adjust the position of Z axis motor to try to keep the lead screw and the lead screw are parallel when you assemble the printer, and then tighten the copper nut again.

Machine cannot start ?

1)Check the power line and other wires connect correct or not.
2)Check whether the supply voltage matches the local standard.
3)Check whether the screen or power supply is damaged and replace in time.
4)Check the wires if damage or breakage.
5)Check whether the power fuse is burnt out.

Problem on connecting with computer

A. Ensure the printer is power on.
B. Restart your computer, and reset your printer and try again.
C. Check the USB cable is connected well or not.
D. Check the device manager of computer operating system to see it there is “USB Serial converter” when the USB cable plug in and it will disappear when the USB cable pull out.
E. Re install the driver(driver is stored in the SD card), please choose the corret driver.
F. Replace the USB cable and test again.
G. Check whether the baudrate of serial is 115200(“printer setting” of repetier software)
H. Test in another PC again.

The contents of the SD card cannot be read?

1)Check the card reader if damage.
2)If the connect computer show empty, please format the SD card and try again.
3)Check whether the SD card is inserted into the socket correctly.
4)The filename has an illegal character, please rename it.
5)Please replace the damaged SD card and try again.

FAQ - Debugging Process

No connection

1) the driver is not installed or installed correctly (the driver software is installed correctly)
2) the serial port is not selected correctly (the computer selects the correct serial port)
3) the software parameters are not consistent (each parameter of the software should be reasonable)

Problem on key and LCD

LCD backlight turns on but display nothing
A. Check whether the LCD cable connect well, EXP1 on LCD screen has connected to EXP1 on the control board and EXP2 on LCD screen has connected to EXP2.
B. Exchange the two LCD cables and test again.
C. Upload firmware and test again.
D. Replace a new LCD cable and test again.

LCD display normal but the button (knob) is not response
A. Check whether the LCD cable connect well.
B. Check whether keypads have been broken.
C. Check whether the devices on PCBA (keypad, socket, resistance) have bad soldering. If yes please replace it.

LCD show error characters
A. Check the power supply grounding.
B. Don‘t tie the LCD screen to the other lines (especially the motor line) and let it be alone.
C. Check whether the LCD cable connect well.

Problem on heat bed

Heat bed don’t heating
A. Check both the temperature of extruder and heat bed. If shows 0℃(or def) on LCD. It means the control board can’t measurement temperature(In order to protect the heater, the control board wouldn’t heat when the temperature cannot be measured). Please check whether the temperature sensor connected well or not.
B. Check whether heat bed heater connect well or not.
C. Test the voltage of HOTBED terminal by using the multimeter(Pens of multimeter must be at the two ends). It shows 11~12V when heating.It shows 0V without heating.
D. Connect the heat bed power wire to the power supply V+ and V-(COM) terminal, and check if the heat bed heat, if not please check whether the power wire is disconnected from the heat bed.

When heat bed start heating, the control board restart automatically
A. Check the choices of power supply 220V/110V,according to the local actual situation.
B. Check DC power wire connect well or not(including both the ends of switch power supply and of control board ).
C. Connect the heat bed to the DC output terminal of power supply. Test the voltage by multimeter. If voltage less than 10V. There maybe something wrong with the heat bed or switch power supply.

Heat bed heating but can’t reach to setting temperature
A. Refer to 4.2 steps to check.
B. Make sure the ambient temperature is over 25 degrees, and don‘t let the fan blow into the heat bed.
C. Put some insulation material(cut a little “Pearl cotton” from the packing) under the heat bed to reduce the heat lost.

Problem on hot end on hot end

Hot end cannot warming or heating up slowly
A. Check current temperature of extruder and heat bed. If shows “def” on LCD. It means the control board can’t measure temperature(In order to protect the heater, the control board wouldn’t heat when the temperature cannot be measured). Please check whether the temperature sensor connected well.
B. Check whether the heater wire and the heat bed power wire connect well. please note you should remove the insulating wrapped outside before connect the heater wire to the connector.
C. Test the voltage of HOTEND by a multimeter. (Pens of multimeter must be at the two ends). It shows about 5~12V when heating.It shows 0V without heating.
D. Disconnect the heater from the control board. test two ends of heater by a multimeter (using resistance grade), if resistance is over 10 OHM, it means the heater is broken or the wire is disconnected.

Extruder cannot heat up to setting temperature
A. Check the blowing fan is on off or not when extruding, if on please turn off it first.
B. Check whether the heater wire connected well or not.
C. Disconnect the heater from the control board. test two ends of heater by a multimeter(using resistance grade), if resistance is over 10 OHM, it means the heater is broken.

Temperature of extruder bounced with large range when heating
A. Check whether the temperature sensor is fall out from the heated block.
B. Check whether the “ETEMP” connect well.
C. Replace a new temperature sensor and test again.

Extruder motor sounds”Ka-Ka” noise when printing
A. The problem only occurs on printing the first 1 or 2 layers:
  1. Increase a little the distance from the nozzle to heat bed.
  2. Set the first layer thickness to a bigger value when slicing.
B. Occasionally sounds Kaka when printing, but print quality is OK:
  1. Decrease the flowrate(e.g. 90%).
C. Always sounds the noise and there is broken line or less filament on the printed object:
  1. Set to higher temperature and test again.
  2. Set to lower print speed and test again.
  3. Clean the nozzle and test again.
  4. Replace Teflon tube and nozzle.

Abnormal noise and vibration of wire feeder motor

1) nozzle blockage (cleaning nozzle or replacing nozzle)
2) poor filaments (cleaning nozzle)
3) unreasonable software setting (wire drawing and wire feeding must be consistent with actual conditions)
4) motor does not rotate (motor damage)
5) when the motor turns, the feeding gear does not move (the gear is not locked or stuck).

FAQ - Debugging Process

Motor out of step?

1)Check the tightness of the belt, whether the pulley is not locked.
2)Check the current voltage.
3)Check X/Y/Z axis motion is smooth.
4)Print speed too fast.
5)Environment temp too high.
6)Need flash the firmware.

Abnormal motor noise or vibration?

1)Check whether the motor line is in bad contact, loose or wrong connection.
2)Motor temperature is too high.
3)Check whether the motor is damaged.
4)Flash the firmware.
5)The printing load is too heavy.

Problem on motor

Motor of X,Y or Z can not work
A. Check whether the motor cable connected well.
B. Check the motor wire sequence.
C. Replace a new motor cable and test again.
D. Replace a new motor and test again.
E. Restart the power supply of printer and then Using a multimeter to test the DC voltage of the motor joint. If the voltage is not about 12V, means the motor driver’s chips is damaged, please connect with us, we will help you fix it.

Motor direction of X,Y or Z are not correct
A. Refer to the installation guide to change the direction of motor.
B. You can modify the direction of the stepper motor by changing the firmware.

Abnormal noise are made when motor working

WARNING!!! If the motor sounds abnormal noise, please do not allow the motor to work for more than 3 seconds before you fixed the issue, otherwise it may damage the control board.Wrong wiring/control board has issue/motor is damaged/excessive movement resistance may lead to abnormal noise of the motor.

A. Power off, and Manual X, Y, Z axis, make sure they move smoothly.
B. Check whether the motor cable connect well, bad connection of stepper motor’s cable may lead abnormal noise even damage the control board.
C. Replace a motor wire and test again.
D. Replace a motor and test again.
E. Reset the control board. Test the voltage of control board motor connect to GND by using multimeter. If it isn’t about 12V. It’s the problem of control board.

X,Y or Z motor can only turns in one direction
A. Replace a motor wire and test again.
B. Replace a motor and test again.
C. Disconnect the ENDSTOP, power on and test the voltage of endstop connector (S and -). If it’s less than 4V, means the control board is damaged. Please contact with us,we will help you fix it.

Motor of extruder don’t work
A. Check whether the temperature of extruder is over 170℃(In order to protect the extruder, when the temperature is lower than 170℃, the motor wouldn’t work ).
B. Check whether the motor cable is connected well or not.
C. Replaced a motor cable and test again.
D. Replace a stepper motor and test again.
E. Restart the control board. Test the voltage of control board motor by using multimeter. If it isn’t about 12V.Means the control board is damaged.Please contact with us,we will help you fix it.

Extruder rotates but does not feed the material
A. Adjust the temperature of extruder to 230℃ and test again.
B. Check whether the jbckscrew of gear on the extruder motor is loosened.
C. Check the elasticity of the pressure head.
D. Clean the nozzle.
E. Replace nozzle and throat.

The mainboard

1) no response to the plug (whether the socket is correct/port contact is bad or the plug is not in place)
2) automatic shutdown and restart (firmware is abnormal or the continued hitting element is damaged after power failure)
3) insufficient heat dissipation (excessive temperature reduces the environment)
4) no reaction (the main board is burnt)

FAQS-Printing Process

Nozzle no silk

1. Check the wire feeder. Heating the wire, if the external gear structure feeds the wire and observes whether the gear rotates, the built-in stepper motor feeds the wire to observe whether the motor vibrates slightly and emits a working sound when the wire is fed. If not, check whether the wiring of the wire feeder and its motherboard are complete. Incomplete and timely repair.
2. Check the temperature. The temperature of ABS printing nozzle is between 210 ℃ -230 ℃, and the temperature of PLA printing nozzle is between 195 ℃ -220 ℃.
3. See if the nozzle is clogged. Nozzle temperature is heated, ABS is heated to 230 ° C, PLA is heated to 220 ° C. After the wire is finished, push the hand slightly to see if the nozzle is silk. Clean the nozzle or replace the nozzle.
4. Whether the table is close to the nozzle. If the workbench is close to the nozzle, the workbench squeezes the nozzle and cannot get silk. Adjust the distance between the nozzle tables. The distance is just right to put down a business card.

If the print head does not produce enough material?

1)Check whether the print head temperature have not reached 200 ℃ above (PLA), led to consumable cannot squeeze, waiting for the temperature rises to the set target.
2)Check whether the consumables are knotted, which leads to unsmooth feeding.
3)Check whether the consumables or pipes are not inserted in place, resulting in the failure of feeding.
4)Check whether the temperature of the print head is too high, which leads to excessive softening of consumables and can't be extruded normally.
5)Check whether the diameter of consumables is inconsistent with the diameter set in the slicing software, so that the amount of extrusion consumables is not enough.
6)Check whether the consumables are blocked by dirt or nozzle blocked during extrusion.
7)Replace with better quality consumables.

Problem on off-line printing(Print from SD card)

Documents in SD card cannot be found
A. Check if the LCD cable connect well.
B. Re insert SD card and restart power supply, Repeat it several times to check.
C. If there is a SD card adapter, replace one and test again.
D. Unplug SD card. Clean the pad of SD card (you can clean it by eraser).
E. Clean the socket of SD card on the control board and try again.
F. Format the SD card and try again.
G. Replace a new SD card and try again.

Direct stop in the printing process
A. Check if the LCD cable connect well.
B. Replace a new SD card or SD card adapter and test again.
C. Reset control board and try again.
D. Format the SD card and copy the files and try again.
E. Change as a smaller g-code file and try again.
F. Check the connection of the power line and try again.

Cannot start after chose a file when your SD-card printing
A. Reset the printer and test again.
B. Format the SD card, and copy the test g-code file and try again.
C. Slice again to generate g-code file for testing.

How to solve the unstable extrusion

A. Set to higher extruder temperature and lower print speed and test again.
B. Clean the nozzle and test again.
C. Check whether the filament roll can rotate and filament can be fed into the extruder smoothly.
D. Check if the nozzle is blocked.
E. Layer height is not suitable the nozzle diameter when slicing, recommend layer height is 0.15~0.36mm. The extrusion width shall be within the range of 100%~105% of the nozzle size.

X,Y and Z axis keep moving but stop feeding filament when printing

A. When this issue appeared, watch the LCD screen, if it shows “def” or “dec” on the current temperature position, please refer to 3.Problem on hot end to fix it.
B. When this issue appeared, watch the current extruder temperature, if it is less than 150 degree, please check the g-code file or extruder heater wire connection.
C. Check if the nozzle is blocked.

FAQS-Printing Process

Why the filament can't stick on the heat bed

A. Paste high temperature adhesive tape on the heat bed or using 3D print heat bed glue.
B. The distance between the nozzle to heat bed is very important, please keep the distance is about 0.2~0.3mm.
C. Some types of filament need higher temperature of heat bed, usually PLA is 50~60 degree, HIPS/ABS/PC is about 80~105 degree.

Print model misalignment

1. The slice model is wrong. The most common software used today are Cura and Repetier. Most of them are open source, so we cannot guarantee the stability and professionalism of the software, and each design model diagram is not necessarily perfect for the software, so if the printing is misplaced, the model diagram is not changed first. The model diagram is re-sliced and the model is moved It is also good to let the software regenerate GCode print.

2. Model drawing problems. After the dislocation occurs, the model is still dislocated. Replace the previously printed model diagram successfully. If it is correct, redraw the drawing.

3. The nozzle was forcibly blocked in the middle of printing. First, do not touch the moving nozzle during printing. Secondly, if there is a built-up cut on the top layer of the model drawing, the next print will increase the built-up cut repeatedly. A certain degree of hard built-up cut will prevent the nozzle from moving normally, causing the motor to lose steps and cause dislocation.

4. The voltage is unstable. When printing the misalignment, observe whether it is a high-power electrical appliance, such as an air conditioner. When some of the electrical appliances are turned off, the printing is misaligned. If there is, the printing power supply plus voltage stabilization equipment. If not, observe whether the print misalignment occurs when the nozzle reaches the same point every time the stroke is blocked. The misalignment occurs after the nozzle is locked. Generally, the X, Y, and Z axis voltages are uneven. Adjust the X, Y, and Z axis currents on the motherboard to make it pass. The triaxial current is basically uniform.

5. Motherboard problem. None of the above problems can be solved, and the most common problem is that any model is printed with the same height. Replace the motherboard.

Printed model is not dense enough

A. Increase the number of full fill layers at the top of the slice.
B. Add fill density rate when slicing.
C. Adjusted extrusion multiplier when slicing(PLA is about 1 and ABS is about 1.05)

If the first layer upwarp ?

1)Check that the hot bed has been leveled.
2)Check the surface of the hot bed for dirt.
3)Check whether the distance between the nozzle and the platform is too high, resulting in insufficient adhesive force.
4)Check the hot bed for adequate temperature.
5)Check the first layer of the slicing software to see if it is printing too fast.

The model is not easy to take off?

1) Heating the hot bed to 50-70 ℃, and after cooling to try again, or use the shovel.
2) It is recommended to buy TRONXY magnetic stickers.

FAQS-Printing Process

Can't heat it up?

1)Check the heating rod and thermistor for poor contact or damage.
2) Check that the slice software has set the target temperature.
3) Check whether the thermistor wire falls off.

Model dislocation and fault

1) nozzle filaments (clean nozzle or replace nozzle)
2) poor filaments (cleaning nozzle)
3) printing speed is too fast (reduce the printing speed)
4) poor quality of consumables (replace with new consumables)

Lost steps or staggered floor when printing

A. Check whether the pulley is not fixed.
B. Check whether the X axis mechanism and Y axis mechanism can move smoothly. Add some oil on the bearing if necessary.
C. Properly adjust the belt tension, too tighter will lead to big movement resistance and too looser lead to slip.
D. Check whether the filament roll can rotate and filament can be fed into the extruder smoothly.
E. Reduce print speed and test again.
F. Belt looseness leads to belt slip. Adjust the tightness of belt properly.

How to smooth the surface of printed object

A. Using lower flowrate(e.g. 95~100%).
B. Replace slicing software, we recommend Cura or Simplify3D.
C. Optimize slice parameters.
D. Replace high quality filament.
E. Adjust the Z-axis lead screw, try to make that the motor shaft and the lead screw are concentric.
F. Add oil to the lead rod and lead screw let it move smoothly.

The model does not stick to the workbench when printing by FDM 3D printer

1. The nozzle is too far away from the workbench. Adjust the distance between the workbench and the nozzle so that the distance can just pass a business card.
2. The table temperature is too high or too low. The temperature of ABS printing table should be about 110 ℃, and the temperature of PLA printing table should be stable at about 55 ℃.
3. Printing supplies problem, change supplies supplies supplier supplies to adapt.
4. Printing ABS generally attaches high temperature tape on the workbench, and printing PLA generally attaches textured paper on the workbench to help adhesion.

FAQS-Printing Process

What should we do when the printer's edge is curling / warping

1. First adjust the lower knob of the platform to minimize the platform, then the platform calibration in the printer selection setting;
2. Then every time the nozzle descends to the calibration point, adjust the knob corresponding to the platform angle so that the platform just contacts the nozzle;
3. Calibrate the four platform angles in this way and then perform the second calibration. This time, you do not need to lower the platform, you only need to fine-tune the distance between the nozzle and the platform to make it fit perfectly.(Do not adjust if it is just right)

Then confirm that the machine restarts and you're done.

What to do if the 3D printer nozzle is blocked?

1. Close the print head by operating the software, then remove the print head to leave the model in print;
2. Separate the raw material from the nozzle to prevent further blockage;
3. Remove the plastic residue from the nozzle;
4. Turn on the nozzle to work and wait for the plastic in the nozzle to melt automatically.Will spout automatically;
5. Reinsert the plastic consumables into the nozzle.