Monday, April 15, 2013

Initial setup



I would read thru the user guide completely before doing anything. The user guide is very basic, not much detailed info, but important to follow.

Plug the CubeX into a powerstrip that has an on/off switch and place the powerstrip next to the CubeX, so you can quickly turn it off if something goes wrong.

Make sure the printbed has the magnet glued on at the bottom, otherwise your printbed will not stop when it moves up and run into the printjets.
(Some users had an issue because the magnet had fallen off during shipping).

 

Note: Do not operate the CubeX without the print bed in place. The lower stage might run into the print jets.

 


After the basic setup :

- Check if the print bed sits tight and can't be pushed back and forward when is position. The white plastic bar in front of the print bed should be butted up against the print bed. By loosening the two allen screws and holding the nut underneath, you can if needed adjust the white plastic bar and butt it up against the print bed to prevent the print bed from moving.








- Level the print pad. (I use a 12" long, and 0.2mm thick stainless steel feeler gauge, which makes it easier to reach to the back corners of the print pad). NOTE: See my other post "print bed leveling aid", This is a "must" do, so you don't have to remove your top print platform to adjust the leveling .


- Check that all print nozzles are at the same level.
If you need to level the print nozzles (only applies to Duo and Trio), see this document:


Print jet replacement / leveling




- Adjust Z-gap using the z-gap menu. (I used to use a 12" long, and 0.1mm thick stainless steel feeler gauge for that but now go a little tighter) Some use just a sheet of paper to check the z-gap.

Note: Always "Home" before setting or checking the z-gap. this has been most consistent.
Before checking the z-gap, make sure there is not any dried up plastic at the end of any print jet before checking the z-gap. Sometimes it's just a tiny piece of plastic stuck at the end of the jet tip and it can give you a wrong z-gap reading.
- Check that the jet wiper is installed properly and that the Offset is properly adjusted. I my case the jet never moved behind the wiper to get cleaned off. But that was easily adjusted in the "Offset" menu. The user guide does not mention it, but I got the info from cubify support:

 
 


The distance between the wiper can be adjusted by using the offset feature on your Cube X.
You can adjust the offset of the wiper blade for your Cube X by tapping "Offset" on your Cube X's touch screen and changing the wiper setting.
Once in the offset menu, the wiper setting can be adjusted by finger tapping the number for the "Wipe" option and using the plus/minus icons.
This will allow you to adjust the X-Y wiper position of your Cube X. You will want to set the position so the wiper stick on your Cube X's print jet carriage is just behind the wiper bar.





This is about the position the wiper stick should be behind the wiper bar when adjusting the wiper offset



The vertical position of the wiper can be adjusted by turning the orange screw beneath the wiper bin.
Use the "Move" command to move the print jet behind the wiper bar as shown in picture. Then turn the orange screw below the wiper bin up or down to raise or lower the bin with the wiper. See picture below.



 

This is about  the height the wiper bar should be in relation to the print jet tip.






- Make sure the print pad is clean and dry before applying the "glue".
Have the proper amount of glue applied on the print bed. For PLA you only need a very thin even layer of glue. I spread the glue very thin evenly over the print area and let it get tacky. If you apply too much glue or don't let it get tacky, the plastic might smear on top and not stick. If you apply too little glue or no glue, the plastic might not stick as well. The glue also helps to remove after the print since it is water dissolvable. Overall it does not need much glue for PLA, just and even tacky thin layer. I swipe back and forward over the applied glue with the foam of the glue stick to even out the glue and to make it evenly tacky. I apply the glue before loading the file, that gives the glue some time to get tacky. I apply the glue before loading the file, that gives the glue some time to get tacky. The user guide says apply 3 layers, but I find that way too thick for PLA. You want to let the glue dry a little but still be tacky before starting the print. Key I think is for PLA to be thin, even and evenly tacky.

- Make sure the print nozzle does not have any leftover plastic stuck on it before starting to print. The print jet you are going to use for the print is always getting cleaned (wiped) automatically before every print, but if you have multiple print heads, the other not used print heads don't get wiped off, so you could have left over filament stuck at the end of the other print jet and it could mess up your print by dragging the leftover stuff over your new print.


One more thing:








2 comments:

  1. Just picked up my CubeX Duo yesterday - your blog has been very helpful and I'm off to a good start. Thanks!

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  2. I've had my CubeX for a little while now and this is very helpful. The descriptions and the pictures are great. Wish I found this when I was doing my initial set up it would have saved me time and concern.

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