D3D Universal FAQ

D3D Universal FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about the D3D Universal 3D Printer

How do you make sure you have proper extrusions? (3 items)

1. Make sure filament diameter is set correctly in Cura. 2. Make sure the nozzle diameter in Cura matches the physical nozzle. 3. Make sure the stepping (steps / mm) is set correctly. M92 command in startup code in Cura configuration.

What is difference between gcode and the stl file? STL is the generated geometry file for Cura. It can be generated by FreeCAD, Inkscape or other programs. gcode is the motion code for the 3D printer.

• My nozzle is oozing, what is wrong? My printer is leaving strings over empty space, what is wrong?

Retraction or too high temperature.

• Filament size

• What do I need to set in Cura?

Basic

What is the max / min layer height?

0.96 is the maximum layer height for a 1.2 nozzle. The minimum would be approximately 0.2, but thinner layers becomes impractical, as it increases print time.

What is the max / min shell thickness?

1.9 max, as the movement is slow 0.6 min to maintain shell integrity

What is retraction? When the printer retracts the filament into the print head. This prevents leaving strings over gaps. Retraction is enabled in Cura under Basic Quality. Beside the checkbox is 3 dots for expert configuration.

What is fill? The ability to control the fill of an object. 0 = hollow object, 100% is completely solid object. In Cura, we have settings for the Bottom/Top thickness. It is usually 2.4. This is the solid thickness of bottom and top layers of the print for all fill settings.

Perimeter before Infill?

Print Speed 25mm / sec for 1.2 nozzle works well. The limit is determined by thermal transfer. Thicker layers require slower print speed.

Print Temperature 230 C works well for most PLA material. Temperature for other materials may vary.

Support type For supporting "free floating" printed parts

Platform adhesion Brim gives extra adhesion to bed Raft

Filament Diameter - We use 1.5 mm and 3 mm filaments, but we are planning larger filament sizes. Flow - Normally 100%, but can be reduced for finer (slower) prints or increased for jobs that require a lot of material but low precision.

Retraction Retract filament into nozzle. Speed - normally 40 mm/s Distance - length of filament to retract, normally 2.5 mm - this can be increased to stop oozing. An online test is available for calibrating retraction.

Quality Cutoff object bottom - sink object into bed for better adhesion.

Speed Travel speed - usually 50 mm/s Infill speed - typically 25 mm/s, but can be increased for speeding up prints.

Cool Minimal later time (sec) - slows down print speed to allow for the material to cool between layers. Enable cooling fan - Usually on, can be turned off to leave molten material Expert config - Fan full at height - Usually 2 mm after initial layer adheres to plate, for finer prints.

Start/End GCode Rate of extrusion, in steps / mm. 100 for D3D Universal, 425 for Titan Arrow printer.