Operations Manual
Rev. 1.3
Page 1: ...Operations Manual Rev 1 3...
Page 2: ...ean vs Dirty 9 3 4 Opaque vs Transparent Plastic 10 3 5 Spooler Set Up 10 3 5 1 Spooler Assembly Instructions 13 3 6 Light Guide Alignment 13 3 6 1 What you need to check Light Guide Alignment 14 3 6...
Page 3: ...Page 2 of 28 5 1 1 Short Purge 24 5 1 2 Disco Purge 25 5 3 Purge Tips 25 6 0 Congratulations 26 7 0 Appendix 27...
Page 4: ...ations such as constraints on the size of ground particles for extrusion and safety warnings To avoid bodily harm or damage to your machine it is recommended that you read this entire document before...
Page 5: ...e material will release toxic fumes then you should not extrude it For instance PVC will release chlorine gas and under no circumstances should you try to extrude it with the ProtoCycler ABS on the ot...
Page 6: ...l overviews of the left and right sides respectively of the ProtoCycler Figure 3 Above shows a general overview of the user interface UI of ProtoCycler TODO FIX THIS Figure 4 From left to right Nozzle...
Page 7: ...outwards o Note the hex size is 5 16 5 Replace the screw with the washer under it and tighten until snug 2 1 3 Operation Note It is not advised to operate the Grinder while the Extruder is running Gr...
Page 8: ...er back into a container for regrind or back into the Grinder Hopper Pour the small particles that made it into the drawer or catch container of your choice into a container or plastic bag to save for...
Page 9: ...sensors to read filament diameter output We recommend using a canister of dry compressed air computer duster to blow out any dust or particles that may block the light sensor We will show you how to...
Page 10: ...imer for the drying times stated in Table 1 Note ReDeTec currently supports PLA and ABS If you have a specific plastic type and grade that you would like us to focus on next please do not hesitate to...
Page 11: ...ded with ProtoCycler is a sample of colorants to use with the included plastic and additional colorants may be purchased from ReDeTec along with plastic pellets 3 5 Spooler Set Up Before setting up yo...
Page 12: ...e 7 Spooler parts bundle and spooler base shown pulled out from its recess The following illustrations in Fig 8 below outline how to assemble the spooler and correspond to the set of written instructi...
Page 13: ...Page 12 of 28 Figure 8 Step by step numbered illustrative guide to assembling the spooler...
Page 14: ...ProtoCycler and set the spool geometry settings in ProtoCycler s User Interface Failure to correctly set spool geometry may result in improper spreading of filament onto the spool i Plug ProtoCycler s...
Page 15: ...wheel For reference we will call these the Puller Sensor and the Nozzle Sensor You will also need to be connected to a computer to use ProtoCycler Command Center PCC 3 6 2 Light Guide Alignment Overvi...
Page 16: ...ure that the readings are accurate Figure 10b Two examples of incorrectly aligned light guides the nozzle is very bad but the puller still has far too much drop off on the right side to work 3 6 3 Ste...
Page 17: ...in Fig 10a is obtained The process is the same for both the Nozzle and Puller sensors 2 Both light guide versions 1 0 and 1 1 allow the LED to be angled up or down to ensure the light guide is evenly...
Page 18: ...3 Make sure the puller idler wheel s spring is attached This will effectively position the dowel at the right height as it squishes the puller wheel into position Figure 13 shows the light guide align...
Page 19: ...response pattern that the pattern is a flat line at 255 where it s not blocked by the filament and that the diameter reading is exactly accurate as reported 4 0 Extrusion Operational Instructions 4 1...
Page 20: ...ion This allows the hot melt section of your device to reach a uniform temperature throughout before initiating the rest of the extrusion start up sequence This may take a few minutes depending on amb...
Page 21: ...t through the spreader guide stick the piece of tape to the end of the filament if you need a little more runway snip the filament a little more after feeding through the spreader guide before stickin...
Page 22: ...nt is a little high or low relative to the diameter sensor From the alignment process the nozzle sensor is positioned approximately half way in its range of motion Figure 18 shows ideal light sensor p...
Page 23: ...have to heat up and begin the extrusion process well manually 2 Note that there are lot of different things happening in automatic extrusion and you have to set and control all of them in manual mode...
Page 24: ...nip the filament a little more after feeding through the spreader guide before sticking tape to it Now stick the taped filament to the bottom side of your spool Note it is best to stick the filament a...
Page 25: ...urging are found in the Appendix Section 7 0 of this document 5 1 1 Short Purge 1 Power on your ProtoCycler and connect to the PCC software Pour the new plastic you wish to extrude into your Extruder...
Page 26: ...at Temperature to avoid stalling the motor 4 When up to Preheat Temperature increase auger speed back up to 75 on the slider 5 Purge for 10 minutes 6 Repeat steps 2 5 until completely transitioned to...
Page 27: ...ng all of its ins and outs hopefully means we are well underway to producing your very own filament So congratulations on your new ProtoCycler and taking the first steps towards accomplishing your rec...
Page 28: ...ing on material type and grade Special exception to ABS where the removal temperature is the same as the preheat temperature Low temperature material extrusion temperature minus 10C Temperature can va...
Page 29: ...igh temperature material is higher than the maximum extrusion temperature of the low temperature material then you will risk burning the low temperature material and clogging your extruder If there is...
