background image

05

WARNING: The MakerBot Replicator 2X Experimental 3D Printer generates high temperatures and 
includes moving parts that can cause injury. Never reach inside the MakerBot Replicator 2X while 
it is in operation. Always allow the MakerBot Replicator 2X to cool down before reaching inside.

WARNING: Do not leave the MakerBot Replicator 2X unattended during operation.

CAUTION: If opening the MakerBot Replicator 2X for service, ensure that the power supply is turned 
off and the cord is disconnected.

This User Manual is designed to start your journey 
with the MakerBot

®

 Replicator

®

 2X Experimental 3D 

Printer in the right direction. Your MakerBot Replicator 2X
is optimized for ABS, a traditional thermoplastic 
that can be tricky and unpredictable. In order to 
achieve great results, you will need to experiment and 
tinker. That’s why it’s so crucial to take the time to 
learn about your new machine.

In this User Manual, you will learn the basics of 
the MakerBot Replicator 2X, as well as how to unbox
it safely and get it set up. Chapters C through E will 
take you through calibration, printing, maintenance, 
and troubleshooting.

We are so excited to welcome you to the MakerBot 
community. Let’s get started!

A

  WELCOME, LET’S GET STARTED.

Summary of Contents for Replicator 2X

Page 1: ...USER MANUAL DUAL EXTRUSION...

Page 2: ......

Page 3: ...n 19 C STARTUP PROCESS Leveling loading testing 20 Leveling the Build Plate 22 Loading MakerBot Filament 25 Unloading MakerBot Filament 31 Making a Test Object from the SD Card 32 D Making an Object w...

Page 4: ...Welcome Let s get started A...

Page 5: ...nual is designed to start your journey with the MakerBot Replicator 2X Experimental 3D Printerintherightdirection YourMakerBotReplicator2X is optimized for ABS a traditional thermoplastic that can be...

Page 6: ...X 10 6 Physical Dimensions Without Spools 19 1x12 8x14 7in 49x32x38cm WithSpools 19 1x16 5x14 7in 49x42x38cm Shipping Box 22 75 x 22 75 x 16 75 in 57 8 x 57 8 x 42 5 cm Weight 27 8 lbs 12 6 kg Shippi...

Page 7: ...r 3D design files are translated into instructions for the MakerBot Replicator 2X and sent to the machine via USB cable or SD card Then the MakerBot Replicator 2X heats the MakerBot Filament and squee...

Page 8: ...Setting Up Your MakerBot Replicator 2X Experimental 3D Printer B...

Page 9: ...packaged very carefully at the MakerBot factory We hope you ll take your time and be just as careful unpacking it and getting set up NOTE Do not force or tear anything during unpacking and setup This...

Page 10: ...rBot ABS Filament 1lb Spools 2 2 2 1 Spool holders Handle and bolts Filament guide tubes Power supply and cable 1 1 3 1 MakerBot tape applicator Kapton tape sheets USB A to USB B cable SD card 1 4 1 1...

Page 11: ...inter MAKERBOT REPLICATOR 2X DIAGRAMs 1 Gantry System 2 LCD Panel 3 HEATED BUILD PLATE 4 Build Platform 5 Threaded z axis Rod 6 ENCLOSURE DOOR HANDLE 7 Filament Guide Tubes 8 Extruder Cable 9 Extruder...

Page 12: ...tinued 1 FAN GUARDS 2 EXTRUDER fans 3 EXTRUDER NOZZLES 4 EXTRUDER LEVER ARMS 5 FAN BOLTS 6 CARTRIDGE HEATERS 7 THERMAL CORES 8 DRIVE BLOCKS 9 EXTRUDER CABLE MOUNT 10 MOTOR CABLE CONNECTORS 11 Extruder...

Page 13: ...ribed in the manual is missing email us at support makerbot com 1c Remove the layer of foam and the sheet of cardboard underneath 1d Remove the two protective foam pieces from the sides of the MakerBo...

Page 14: ...ing items from the What s in the Box section 3 Removing the Accessory Box 1 4a Use strong scissors or a wire cutter to cut the zip ties holding the gantry system in place Discard the zip ties and the...

Page 15: ...is reach through the top of the MakerBot Replicator 2X push the door outward and raise it to a 90 angle 5c Place the handle on top of the enclosure door Align the holes in the ends of the handle with...

Page 16: ...sert the other end of one filament guide tube into the corresponding guide tube holder on the back of the MakerBot Replicator 2X Make sure that the end of each filament guide tube is flush with the bo...

Page 17: ...eeze the spool holder and push the spool on until it locks Do not let the filament uncoil or tangle as you load the spools onto the back of the MakerBot Replicator 2X Both spools should spin so that t...

Page 18: ...or 2X The box containing the enclosure lid should have arrived with the box containing your MakerBot Replicator 2X 9b Unpack the enclosure lid and place it over your MakerBot Replicator 2X so that it...

Page 19: ...self to release it from the power input port 10 Attaching the Power Supply 19 ATTACHING POWER SUPPLY and POWERING ON 11a Plug the AC power cord into an electrical outlet 11b Set the power switch to th...

Page 20: ...Startup Process Leveling Loading Testing C...

Page 21: ...roll to Run Startup Script and select it You can use these menus to return to the Startup Script at any time You can view videos of the startup process on the MakerBot Replicator 2X video page at make...

Page 22: ...level the build plate you must adjust the three knobs under the build platform These three knobs lower and raise the build plate Tightening the knobs turning them to the right moves the build plate aw...

Page 23: ...f the three knobs underneath the build platform approximately four turns To do this you will need to raise the build platform Grasp the black plastic arms at the sides of the build platform and gently...

Page 24: ...his allows for fine tuning This time the Support card should slide between the build plate and nozzles with more friction 3 Adjust Each Knob Again After the second set of adjustments the nozzles will...

Page 25: ...f both filament guide tubes from the holes in the top of the extruders Feed the free ends of the MakerBot ABS Filament from the spools into the ends of the filament guide tubes where they attach to th...

Page 26: ...Startup PROCESS leveling loading testing Free the ends of the MakerBot ABS Filament from the filament spools With a pair of scissors cut a clean edge on each filament end Feed the ends of the MakerBot...

Page 27: ...from the bottoms of the spools toward the tops of the spools Ensure that the filament mounted on the right spool holder when viewed from the back unspools clockwise and that the filament mounted on t...

Page 28: ...ESTING Take the end of the MakerBot ABS Filament emerging from the tube closest to the right extruder and firmly push it into the hole in the top of the right extruder Ensure that the filament goes in...

Page 29: ...ilament continued After the MakerBot ABS Filament is loaded into the right extruder the LCD panel will prompt you to load filament into the left extruder Click through the message until your MakerBot...

Page 30: ...de tubes back into the openings on the tops of the extruders 11 Return the Filament Guide Tubes Watch the left extruder nozzle After a few moments you should see a thin string of the MakerBot ABS Fila...

Page 31: ...have problems or need to load MakerBot Filament again you can use the up and down arrows to scroll through the top level menu on the LCD panel and use the M button to select Utilities Scroll to Change...

Page 32: ...s on the SD card 2b To select a file press M 2c The MakerBot Replicator 2X Experimental 3D Printer will begin to 3D print your object You can use the LCD panel to monitor the temperature of the extrud...

Page 33: ...t Set File Name Nut and Bolt Make Time 27 minutes Design By aubenc Thingiverse 9095 Comb File Name Comb Make Time 14 Minutes Design By repraprook Thingiverse 1140 Mr Jaws File Name Mr Jaws Make Time 1...

Page 34: ...ffic Cone Make Time 42 minutes Design By CocoNut Thingiverse 21773 Makerbot Pendant File Name pendant Make Time 8 minutes Design By Todd Thingiverse 25556 1 Insert the SD card into an SD card reader o...

Page 35: ...35 NOTES C Startup PROCESS leveling loading testing...

Page 36: ...Making an Object with MakerBot MakerWare D...

Page 37: ...37 How to make an object using a computer and MakerBot MakerWare D MAkING AN OBJECT WITH MAkERBOT MAkERWARE...

Page 38: ...to your computer 1a Go to the computer you plan to connect to your MakerBot Replicator 2X and open a browser session 1b Enter the URL makerbot com makerware and download the correct MakerWare installe...

Page 39: ...ldings by JonMonaghan Click on the link 2b At the right of the page you will see a button that says Download This Thing Click this button to open the Downloads window 2c For this example we chose the...

Page 40: ...n button to open the Change Rotation submenu and rotate an object by a specified angle and direction 6 Scale Click the Scale button or hit the S key to go into Scale mode In this mode click and drag w...

Page 41: ...TTINGS Opens a menu that allows you to assign a display color to each extruder 13 STATUS Displays the status of your connection to your MakerBot Replicator 2X 1 2 8 9 10 11 12 13 3 6 7 4 5 D Making an...

Page 42: ...e Woolworth stl and select it Now you should see both the Flatiron Building and the Woolworth Building models in your virtual build space 4d With both models open you can manipulate them separately or...

Page 43: ...les in MakerBot MakerWare Continued 5a Select the Save button The save dialog allows you to save your plate as an STL or a thing file STLs can be opened by a wide range of programs but thing files all...

Page 44: ...re detailed models and longer build times 4 Raft Select this to have your object built on a raft Rafts provide a foundation for supports and help your object stick to the build plate if the build plat...

Page 45: ...ess to the newest features A pop up will appear in MakerWare when a new version is available for download To download a new version of MakerWare go to makerbot com makerware and follow the installatio...

Page 46: ...E Troubleshooting Diagnostics and Maintenance...

Page 47: ...is chapter describes basic troubleshooting and maintenance tasks For details on more advanced troubleshooting and maintenance tasks go to makerbot com support E Troubleshooting Diagnostics and Mainten...

Page 48: ...the filament has slipped under the extruder bearing instead of going straight down into the heater Use the Extruder Disassembly instructions later in this chapter to remove the fan and heatsink Then t...

Page 49: ...The object should come free Object won t stick to build plate Re level your build plate by going to Utilities Level Build Plate Inconsistent plate height will lead to inconsistent adhesion If any one...

Page 50: ...you received with your MakerBot Replicator 2X 3 Unscrew the two bolts at the lower corners of the fan guard using your 2 5mm hex wrench As one piece remove the fan guard the fan the heat sink and the...

Page 51: ...ull the filament free 4 Set the extruder lever arm to the open position The extruder lever arm is open when it points out towards the side of the MakerBot Replicator 2X and closed when it points in to...

Page 52: ...are engaged This option appears only when the stepper motors are disengaged Disable Steppers Disengages the stepper motors You can manually move the build platform or the extruder only when the steppe...

Page 53: ...efault Note that with acceleration turned off you should not use printing speeds faster than 45 mm s Heat hold Specifies a time period for your heated build plate and extruders to continue heating whe...

Page 54: ...plate Applying Kapton Tape INFO AND SETTINGS Version Number Displays the version number of the firmware Restore Defaults Returns all the settings on the MakerBot Replicator 2X to factory settings Thi...

Page 55: ...icator to smooth the tape from the center out 6 WhentheKaptontapeisapplied assmoothly as possible trim the edges of the sheet or fold them over the sides of the build plate Applying Kapton Tape Contin...

Page 56: ...platform and move it to the top of the MakerBot Replicator 2X 6 Use a clean lint free rag or your finger to spread the PTFE based grease onto the bottom section of the threaded rod Make sure you get...

Page 57: ...2X s extruders These move the bearing inside the extruder away from the drive gear allowing for easier loading and unloading of filament FAN GUARDS The grills that protect the extruder fans and prote...

Page 58: ...ORG Free open source software that allows you to manipulate and edit stl files and GCode files and send them to the MakerBot Replicator 2X SD CARD Secure Digital memory card that can store digital dat...

Page 59: ...2X send an email to the address above to open a ticket with the MakerBot Support Team To help us understand your problem from the start it is very helpful to include pictures or a video as attachments...

Page 60: ...le of any item purchased from this Website By placing an order you represent that the products ordered will be used only in a lawful manner 3 ShippingandDelivery Whenanorderisplaced itwillbeshippingto...

Page 61: ...ny of our respective affiliates are responsible for any content materials or other information located on or accessible from any other website Neither we nor any of our respective affiliates endorse g...

Page 62: ...ROUGH THIS WEBSITE THE INFORMATION MATERIALS AND SERVICES PROVIDED ON OR THROUGH THIS WEBSITE MAY BE OUT OF DATE AND NEITHER MAKERBOT INDUSTRIES NOR ANY OF ITS RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES MAKES ANY COMMITME...

Page 63: ...icemaybe revisedatanytimeandfrom timetotime by updating thisposting Youshould visitthispagefromtime totimetoreviewthe thencurrenttermsof service becausethey arebindingonyou Certainprovisionsoftheseter...

Page 64: ...MakerBot One MetroTech Center 21st Floor Brooklyn NY support makerbot com makerbot com...

Reviews: