Print it

[last updated: 2019-01-17]
3d printing home page
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• Power up the Prusa
• It can be a good idea to power-down and power-up the Prusa at times.
  If you've manually set printer parameters during a print (speed eg.) via the Tune menu, those settings will persist to the next print unless you cycle the power to reset.
• Clean the bed:
• Use different cleaning techniques for different filament materials:
  (link to:) Prusa instructions for cleaning bed
• My Prusa has the PEI-coated spring steel sheet. I did some PLA printing on it and it worked well, but then switched to PETG and decided to try blue painter's tape. That's working well for me. I used 1" wide tape, laying down rows with tight butts and no overlap, then smoothed it all with a wide putty knife.
  Sometimes a print will pull a piece of tape off with it when I remove it from the bed, especially if I haven't let it cool completely, so I just remove that strip of tape and replace it. Very efficient IMO.
• Clean the nozzle:
  The method I use is to heat it up to temperature of whatever filament I'd been using, then take small pieces of either paper towels or green scotch brite and wipe sections of the nozzle until it's clean.
• If you're changing to a different filament than what you have loaded, Unload filament
• if filament is not loaded, Load filament
• Start the print:
• On LCD, click knob to get menu, scroll to "print from SD"
  scroll to desired file, click knob to select
• During the print:
• Be sure to watch the first few minutes of printing (usually through first layer).
  Make sure calibration and test bead look OK.
  Make sure first layer prints and adheres well.
• if the test bead is not how you want it, and you want to increase or decrease squish,
  click knob and select "Live Z adjust" and rotate knob to adjust
• When printing is done:
• Remove steel plate from the bed. It will cool faster off the bed.
• Let it cool to room temperature, then flex it to remove the part.
• Very thin parts will need to be pried off. I use a sharpened putty knife.
• Clean and replace the steel sheet.
  Repair any blue tape that has torn.
• go to: Post-Processing notes

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