Fabber 3D Printing
A three-dimensional printer is a machine used for rapidly building prototypes of three-dimensional objects. The materials available vary by machine, but ours is limited to photopolymer, machinable wax and other easily moldable materials. The goal of this is to have a printer that is affordable by most consumers at a price of $4,000 (considering that most three dimensional printers sell at a price of $50,000 to $500,000, our price is reasonably affordable).
Step 1: Connect The Hardware
First, one must connect the USB cable running from the back of their PC to the LPC-H2148 board, located at the back of the fabber.Three lEDs should begin to light up on the board.
Step 2: Run Application
Open folder where “FabAtHomevx_xx.exe” is located andf open apllication. You should see a representation of the Fab@Home model.
Step 3: Initialize The Hardware
Go to “Printer”, then to “Printer->Initialize Hardware” to begin communicating with the printer. Go to “View-> Show Printer Status” to verify the connection. If properly connected, the status display should show an increasing “Elapsed Time.”
Step 4: Power On
Connect a standard power cord from an outlet to the printer. If on, a light should appear on the Xylotex board.
Step 5: Verify Motion
On the FabAtHome application, bring up Jog Tool (CTRL+T) and Jog Carriage (CTRL+J) dialog boxes and use the up/down arrows to verify the motion of the axises. You should see both movement in the graphical display and the printer itself.
Step 6: Define Tools And Material
Go to “Printer-> Materials” and choose the correct syringe tool and material that you are using.
Step 7: Load STL Files
Use “Model-> Import Geometry” to load the STL files to create. Use CTRL+A to select all parts of the geometric figure and manipulate the files using the “Model” window.
Step 8: Assign Properties To Geometry
Go to “Model-> Properties” and assign material properties and priority to layers of the geometric object. Layers with higher priority are completed before others, so make sure that base layers are completed before upper layers.
Step 9: Cover Building Surface (Z Axis Table)
Often, materials have a habit of sticking to the board, so it would be prudent to use plastic wrap, wax paper or aluminum foil to cover the Z Axis Table as to prevent any damage to the machine.
Step 10: Plan Process
Use “Fabrication-> Plan Process” to generate toolpaths for the object you’re printing.
Step 11: Verify Material Flow/Change Syringe
Go to the “Jog Tool” dialog and advance the motor position using the keys VERY SLOWLY. When material begins to emerge from the syringe tip, reverse the motor until it rests at the top of the material.
Step 12: Execute Process
Use “Fabrication-> Start Printing” to commence the printing process. To pause the machine at any time, use “Fabrication-> Pause Printing.” This is useful when changing syringes or refilling materials. To resume printing, use “Fabrication-> Resume Printing.”
Step 13: Power Off Machine
Once complete, use “Jog Tool” to return syringe to default position and remove the power cord.