PrusaMendelV2 Howto

How to print on our PrusaMendelV2:

1. Preparing the model for printing
   1. Find your model, for example from Thingiverse or design something yourself. You will need it in the STL format. Google SketchUp has a plugin that can export to STL (don't pay for it), OpenSCAD has native support for STL export. If your model is not manifold and oriented, you should clean it using a tool such as netfabb studio, or strange things may happen to it when printed.
2. Turning on the printer
   1. Turn on the power supply (PSU) at the rocker switch.
   2. Open up Repetier-Host. Click 'Connect'. Blue text handshake should appear in the bottom window. If not, you need to select the correct USB port in Repetier settings.
   3. Go to the Manual Control tab and toggle on the 'heat nozzle' and 'heat bed' buttons (blue light on the toggle button).
3. Running a Job
   1. Use the Load button (top left) to load your STL, and use the 'Object Placement' tab to drop and center it on the bed, and scale or rotate if necessary. Make sure there is a flat surface on the object to drop on the bed!
   2. Go to the Slicer tab. 'Print Settings' and 'Filament Settings' should be appropriate for the filament you are using, hopefully PLA but if you insist on ABS there are settings for that too. 'Printer Settings' should always remain on 'Guans Prusa' and are filament independent. Click the big 'Slice with Slic3r' button.
   3. Go to the GCODE tab. You should see in blue the proposed toolpath. Scroll down to the bottom of the GCODE itself - at the end will be an estimate of filament length to be used. Calculate the cost. If it looks good...
   4. When the nozzle is up to temp (210 for PLA, 240 for ABS) remove/feed your filament as required. If the previous user used ABS, you might need to raise the temp to 240 to flush out ABS, even if you are feeding PLA. Remember, always hit the 'Stop Motor' button (Manual Control tab) and feed by hand, while turning the big extruder gear. The heated bed should initially be 55 degrees during printing for PLA, and 75 for ABS. Prime the nozzle by hitting the 'Extrude' button (down arrow button) in the Manual Control tab, until you see a nice thin single filament coming from the nozzle.
   5. You're good to go - hit 'Run Job' button and watch the printer home X Y and Z, then begin the first layer. If the first layer isn't attaching, either the filament isn't feeding correctly (check for snags in the filament feed or problem with the hobbed bolt) or the nozzle is at the wrong height above the bed. You can adjust the sensitivity of the Z endstop by turning the tiny potentiometer on the Hall Effect sensor under the left hand side X carriage. Use 1/8th turns - clockwise will bring the nozzle closer to the bed and vice versa.
   6. When the print is done, leave print for 2 min to cool after print finishes, then lever/lift print from bed (if can't remove, turn off bed heat and let bed cool to room temp before trying again.
4. Turning Off
   1. Manually retract your filament from the printer. If you used ABS, it would be courteous to flush the nozzle with PLA before you leave to prevent jams.
   2. In the Manual tab, turn off nozzle and bed heaters. Hit 'Stop Motors' and then Disconnect. Turn off PSU.