NWA3D Afinibot A31 User Manual Download

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NWA3D A31 User Manual

1. 3D Printer Parts Diagram

2. Assembly

3. Fine Tuning

4. Leveling the Build Plate

5. Loading and Removing Filament

6. Operation: The Four Steps of 3D Printing

7. Troubleshooting

8. Glossary of 3D Printing Terms

9. Additional Resources

Version 2.2

Summary of Contents for Afinibot A31

Page 1: ...arts Diagram 2 Assembly 3 Fine Tuning 4 Leveling the Build Plate 5 Loading and Removing Filament 6 Operation The Four Steps of 3D Printing 7 Troubleshooting 8 Glossary of 3D Printing Terms 9 Additional Resources 2018 NWA3D LLC Version 2 2 ...

Page 2: ...NWA3D A31 User Manual 1 3D Printer Parts Diagram FRONT 2018 NWA3D LLC 1 ...

Page 3: ...NWA3D A31 User Manual BACK 2018 NWA3D LLC 2 ...

Page 4: ...Scraper Nozzle cleaner microSD card with USB adapter Spare parts bag with extra fasteners nozzle and Bowden tube coupler 2 Install the gantry frame A to the base frame B a On the gantry frame make sure the nozzle assembly is on the front and the long vertical lead screw is on the back On the base frame make sure the black belt cover is on the front and the motor is on the back b Use the M5x20 scre...

Page 5: ...h goes on the right a Loosen the t nuts by hand so that they will fit into the grooves on the frames You want the nuts to be loose so that when you tighten the bolts the nuts will rotate 90 C and grab onto the inside of the groove b Align the nuts to the grooves and insert the T shaped plates into the frames c Tighten all eight bolts using the M4 hex key Allen wrench 2018 NWA3D LLC 4 ...

Page 6: ...ol box using two thumbscrews Tighten the screws by hand Do not overtighten b Remove the nut from one side of the filament holder tube Install the tube into the bracket and re install the nut to hold it in place Tighten the nut by hand so that the tube is snugly attached to the bracket Do not overtighten c Tighten the nut on the other end of the tube by hand Do not overtighten 6 Place the power con...

Page 7: ...ce them After the pins are fully inserted hand tighten the knurled nuts so they won t become unplugged c Connect the motor and limit switch cables The Y cables go to the motor and switch at the back of the base frame that move the build plate The Z cables go to the motor and switch on the left side of the base frame that move the nozzle gantry The X and E extruder cables go onto the gantry frame T...

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Page 10: ...e back of the power control box and to a standard 110 volt electrical outlet e Turn the power on using the switch is on the back of the power control box f To operate the controls rotate the button to scroll and push the button to select 2018 NWA3D LLC 9 ...

Page 11: ...is tight against the Y axis frame and the carriage no longer rotates c Re check the tension of the build plate assembly The assembly and the belt should move forward and backward without much effort but there should have no side to side wiggle or play 2 Adjust the tension of the gantry on the right pillar of the gantry frame a Check the tension of the gantry assembly at the right pillar of the fra...

Page 12: ...k the tension of the nozzle assembly Hold the mounting bracket behind the nozzle and try to wiggle it back and forth If the nozzle assembly wobbles on the X axis frame it is too loose b To tighten the nozzle assembly rotate the one eccentric nut that connects the wheel to the bottom of the nozzle assembly Use the open end wrench to rotate the nut slightly a quarter turn is usually enough until the...

Page 13: ... the tension of the belt driving the Y axis under the build plate The belt should be taut with no slack or slop If the belt is loose a Loosen the four bolts at the front of the base frame holding the belt follower pulley to the base frame b Using an Allen wrench as a lever push the follower pulley away from the frame to tighten the belt c Holding the belt taut tighten the four bolts 2018 NWA3D LLC...

Page 14: ...uld be taut with no slack or slop If the belt is loose a Loosen the two bolts at the right side of the gantry holding the belt follower pulley to the gantry b Using an Allen wrench as a lever push the follower pulley to tighten the belt c Holding the belt taut tighten the two bolts 2018 NWA3D LLC 13 ...

Page 15: ...tup Auto home This will move the nozzle to the home position at the front left corner of the build plate where the X Y and Z axis are set to 0 0 0 2 When the motors stop select Setup Disable motors This will allow you to move the hot end of the extruder assembly X axis and build plate Y axis by hand Pro Tip The Z axis motor is also disabled and you don t want it to move at all So you should handle...

Page 16: ... parallel lines of filament on the first layer will look mounded with gaps in between them Pro Tip You can Hot Level your printer by carefully adjusting the nuts during the first layer of the build while the plate is moving until the distance between the build plate and the nozzle is producing smooth extruded lines Be careful of the moving parts to not get pinched After you have fine tuned the bed...

Page 17: ...e filament at an angle so the irregular melted plastic at the end doesn t cause a clog It will also be easier to feed into the extruder and Bowden tube c Feed the end of the filament into the extruder by hand as you squeeze the extruder release lever d Push the filament all the way through the Bowden tube until it stops when it hits the back of the nozzle e Select Setup Preheat PLA 2018 NWA3D LLC ...

Page 18: ...leanly you should do a soft pull This involves heating the nozzle to 100 C and then pulling the filament out of the printer a Select Setup Preheat soft pull and wait until the nozzle to reach the set temperature b Wait a minute for the temperature to become stable c When the nozzle temperature is a stable 100 C squeeze the extruder release lever and pull the filament out of the extruder with a ste...

Page 19: ... programs it s as easy as the Save command In others you need to select the File Export option and choose the STL format OBJ files can also be sliced and 3D printed b You can find 3D models in many online libraries of digital content Thingiverse GrabCAD and Instructables are examples and many other sites exist 2 Slice the file for 3D printing Video Tutorial How to set up Cura 3 2 Slicing is the pr...

Page 20: ...are included on your microSD card b Open the Cura application When it s opened for the first time you ll see the Add Printer window Select Custom Custom FDM machine In the lower left type NWA3D A31 for the printer name and then click the Add Printer button on the lower right 2018 NWA3D LLC 19 ...

Page 21: ...achine Settings window enter the following settings X Width 300 mm Y Depth 300 mm Z Height 400 mm Build plate shape Rectangular Origin at center unchecked Heated bed checked GCode flavor RepRap Number of Extruders 1 2018 NWA3D LLC 20 ...

Page 22: ...Extruder 1 in the top left corner and enter the final settings Nozzle Diameter 0 4 mm Compatible Material Diameter 1 75 mm e Don t change any other settings Click the Finish button at the bottom right of the window 2018 NWA3D LLC 21 ...

Page 23: ...load this profile from the microSD card to reset your profile to this default g Here are the key Cura parameters for the NWA3D A31 Layer Height 0 2mm Wall Thickness 0 8mm Top Bottom Thickness 0 8mm Infill Density 20 Gradual Infill Steps 0 Printing Temp 220 C Build Plate Temp 50 C Diameter 1 75mm Flow 100 Enable Retraction On Print Speed 50mm s Travel Speed 120mm s Initial Layer Speed 15 0mm s Prin...

Page 24: ... h The following images show these settings visible with the default visibility settings in Cura Initial Layer Speed is an advanced slice setting activated by clicking the gear icon next to each input box 2018 NWA3D LLC 23 ...

Page 25: ...acement depending on the shape of the part you are printing Also you can change the layer height from 0 2mm to 0 1mm for a smoother higher quality part although the print will take longer k As you become more advanced with 3D printing you may want to experiment with many settings Remember that you can always revert to these default settings at any time by reloading the NWA3D A31 Printer Profile cu...

Page 26: ...ter and print over USB using the Monitor feature 3 Send the file to the printer a Remove the microSD card from the computer b Insert the microSD card upside down into the slot on the side of the A31 control box The contacts on the card should be facing up c By using this method no computer needs to be plugged into your printer and it will run autonomously until the print is finished 4 Print a On t...

Page 27: ...The most common mechanical problems are caused by a build plate that is not adjusted correctly a clogged nozzle or an unplugged connector on a motor or limit switch Digital problems are in the slice file that you prepare in Cura or other slicing program Important slice file settings include layer height print nozzle temperature and print speed c Step 3 Fix the problem Once you ve discovered what t...

Page 28: ...ild temperature 220 C while the printer is idle The melted plastic remaining in the nozzle will bake onto the nozzle and become a hard carbon blockage a Try to pull the clog out of the nozzle using the soft pull method 1 Turn the machine on select Setup Preheat soft pull and wait until the temperature reaches 100 C 2 When the nozzle temperature stabilizes at 100 C squeeze the extruder release leve...

Page 29: ...ith one hand and push the filament into the extruder manually 6 Alternate flossing with the nozzle cleaner and pushing the filament through the extruder until a consistent bead of filament is extruded through the nozzle c Try to push the clog through the nozzle 1 Select Setup Preheat PLA Wait for the nozzle to reach the set temperature of 220 C for PLA 2 When the nozzle has reached 220 C squeeze t...

Page 30: ...y need to select Everywhere for the support type If it s intricate it may need to select Raft for the Build Plate Adhesion Type A raft is a hatch pattern on the build plate that the model will print on If the part warps when you begin to build it you may need to select the Brim adhesion type and reslice the file A brim will help the part stick so it doesn t curl up at the edges d If you think your...

Page 31: ...ree dimensional objects from a digital source This machine usually reads g code files that give it specific instructions on how to print an object Examples include the A5 A31 and all the other awesome printers we carry 3D Design Program A type of software used to visualize design and manipulate 3D products while providing a test environment for strength and dynamic analysis Also known as a Compute...

Page 32: ...ovider of the NWA3D A31 Changes include hardware upgrades custom operating system and our unmatched warranty lifetime training and support for educators ABS Stands for Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene which is a thermoplastic used for 3D printing ABS is a common form of plastic found in most household items that were injection molded Additive Manufacturing The process of creating an object from a d...

Page 33: ...sfer to filament pressure point thereby reducing plastic buildup and clogs CAD Computer Aided Design or CAD is the process of digitally designing 3D models see also CAM Calibration The act or process of adjusting a device or instrument to perform correctly or more efficiently CAM Computer Aided Manufacturing or CAM is the process using digital programs and or CAD to physically manufacture objects ...

Page 34: ...t Endstop Mechanical switches that indicate where the home or zero position is on each print axis see also Limit Switch Extrude The act of dispensing build material onto the build platform through a small nozzle commonly referred to as a hot end Extruder The assembly that handles feeding and extruding filament during a print The extruder has two parts the stepper motor and feeding system that push...

Page 35: ...filament category are used interchangeably in 3mm and 2 85mm material extrusion 3D printers Fill The area within a 3D printed object that connects the top bottom and side layers See also Infill Fill Density A percentage value that determines how much of the interior volume of a 3D printed object is filled with material This value can range from 0 100 recommended is 5 25 Flow The action of filament...

Page 36: ...ystyrene HIPS is a thermoplastic used as a 3D printing material that can be dissolved using limonene and therefore used for dissolvable supports on delicate prints Hot End The heated portion of the extruder assembly that includes the nozzle and heating block Infill The area within a 3D printed object that connects top bottom and side layers This creates a rigid structure and determines print durab...

Page 37: ...terial through a nozzle or orifice Also known as FFF or FDM see also FDM FFF Minimal Layer Time The least amount of time required of the printer to maintain action on any layer of a printed object for the filament to sufficiently cool before fusing a layer on top if it Mesh A collection of polygons attached by edges and vertices that makes up a net like surface area in CAD Motor In 3D printing the...

Page 38: ...printing Also known as the build plate see also Build Plate Print Speed The rate at which a 3D printer is capable of moving while extruding plastic A print speed of 50mm s will be successful on most FDM printers A print speed of 20 30mm s will produce higher quality prints Print Quality Refers to the quality of the print and is determined by many factors including mechanical capabilities of the pr...

Page 39: ...gram used for the preparation of STL files prior to 3D printing Allows manipulation of files prior to printing rotating scaling and duplication Resolution The smallest movement a printer s extruder can make within a single X Y layer Often indicates the produced quality of a printed model Retraction Backwards movement of an extruder motor to reduce the amount of material stringing or oozing SD Card...

Page 40: ...gram such as Cura or Repetier Host that allows manipulation of a 3D model and converts the file type into a coordinate system usually gcode the printer follows to create a model see also Cura Repetier Host Soft Pull Soft Removal The process of heating filament to the phase transition temperature solid to liquid and removing it from the extruder assembly The process helps to remove unwanted materia...

Page 41: ...ane TPU is a semi flexible plastic that is used in 3D printing Travel Speed The rate at which the nozzle assembly will move to a new position when not extruding USB Connection USB short for Universal Serial Bus is a connection type to send files from a slicer on a computer to a 3D printer via a USB cable Viscosity A measure of a fluid s resistance to flow The higher the viscosity the more resistan...

Page 42: ...ich is usually oriented vertically Z Lift The process that a printer uses to lift the hot end upward prior to retraction and moving Z Axis Carriage The part of the extruder assembly and X Axis motor that moves up and down on the Z Axis of a 3D printer see also Gantry 2018 NWA3D LLC 41 ...

Page 43: ...move clogs load and change filament Video Tutorial How to level the build plate Video Tutorial How to set up Cura 3 2 The Simplify3D Troubleshooting page provides good explanations and photographs of common problems in 3D printing https www simplify3d com support print quality troubleshooting 2018 NWA3D LLC 42 ...

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