Week 11: November 17, 2014

Project 2 presentations

Today, we'll take a look at the collective fruits of our labor.

Let's focus on providing thoughtful and constructive feedback for everyone.

I would like for this discussion to be led by you not me.

A little structure...

For each group:

  • First, we (the audience) provide feedback or ask questions based on observation.
  • Then, you (the presenters) can talk a bit about what you were trying to accomplish.
  • Finally, back and forth between all of us.

Lunch

Lunch time!

Printrbots in 217

Don't be afraid of them!

Do buy 1.75mm PLA!

Do watch these videos!

Cura

Cura is a nice all-in-one slicing and printing solution that has some built-in support for Printrbots.

You can download it here.

You can find the manual here

Please note that Cura is primarily developed by Ultimaker and their documentation is largely geared towards their machine.

Still, the manual explains a lot about how to use the interface, where all of the various settings and preferences live, it.

Using Cura with Printrbots

Startup Wizard - Choose Printrbot

Cura Machine Setup Wizard - choose 'Printrbot'

Update Settings

The default Cura settings for Printrbot may not give the best results. Below are some suggestions for getting a good profile together.

1. Nozzle size (mm) to 0.4
2. Change Start G-Code

Suggestions can be found here.

Remember that printers can differ. Your Mileage May Vary.

Example:

M104 S{print_temperature} ;set temperature line
G21 ;metric values
G90 ;absolute positioning
M82 ;set extruder to absolute mode
M107 ;start with the fan off
G28 X0 Y0 ;move X/Y to min endstops
G28 Z0 ;move Z to min endstops
M109 S{print_temperature} ;wait on temperature line
G29 ; Auto bed levelling
G92 E0 ;zero the extruded length
G1 F{travel_speed}
3. Be sure to save your profile (File | Save Profile)
4. Walk through Basic and Advanced print settings.

This should be familiar to you by now. Shells, infill, speed, temperature, filament diameter, etc.

5. Slicing is automatic (and fast!)
Printing from Cura

Make sure the printer is plugged in.

File | Print !

Remaining time

Work on your project documentation.

If you are missing any homeworks, now is a chance to work on those, as well. Check the Assignments Page to see if you are missing anything.

If you need help with anything, please let me know.

Homework

Project 2 Documentation

I need the following from each student:

  • 1 high quality, edited image (minimum) of your finished form. Neutral backdrop.
  • 1 brief, edited video* of your work if there is an interactive component. 1-3 minutes. No music please.
  • Files (excluding video/series of images) uploaded to each student's GitHub account using the repository structure established for classwork (src, exported, readme, license, images)
  • In addition to the usual GitHub stuff, each repository should also contain a brief (roughly 200 word) PDF describing your project (goals, choices made, outcome, etc.)

* A series of 5-6 high quality, edited photographs documenting the interaction can be substituted for a video