Me3D ME2 Getting Started Manual

Brand: Me3D

Model: ME2

Category: 3D printers

Type: Getting Started Manual

Me3D ME2 is an awesome little 3D printer that will join Australia’s ever expanding maker community. It has a large build volume – 220 × 200 × 180, automatic bed leveling for successful prints every time, actively cooled direct drive extruder, industry standard filament available everywhere, a cold build surface – which is safe and easy to replace, and a wide range of materials including PLA, PETT, HiPS, TPU and more. Comes in a hardy safe case for transport.

Getting Started Guide

Introducing you to your new Me2 printer

Version 1.1.0

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REVISIONS

Date

Version Number

Document Changes

08/01/2015

1.1.0

Initial Draft

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CONTENTS

Introducing your new best mate in 3D printing ............................................................................................................................ 3

Out of the box and what’s what ................................................................................................................................................ 4

Putting her together ...................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Connect the gantry .................................................................................................................................................................... 5

download software .................................................................................................................................................................... 6

Connect! .................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

Check your z-height calibration ................................................................................................................................................. 8

Set up your first print run .......................................................................................................................................................... 9

Getting started with your own print ....................................................................................................................................... 11

Appendices .................................................................................................................................................................................. 13

Nozzle height diagram ............................................................................................................................................................. 13

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INTRODUCING YOUR NEW BEST MATE IN 3D PRINTING

Congratulations! You have just gotten your hands one awesome little 3D printer and joined Australia’s ever expanding maker

community.

Me2 was never designed as a “black box” printer. The working parts are visible and accessible while she’s is printing, so you

can observe, tweak and learn from the printing process as it happens. We want you to be able to interact with the whole

machine, understand how it works and be able to help the community develop the next generation of 3D printing

technology.

Your Me2 has come to you assembled and tested. From opening the box you will have the Me2 setup and printing your very

first thing in less than half an hour. We’ve also done the hard yards to come up with printing profiles for most common

materials and quality settings so you don’t need to waste hours and filament on getting set up.

Your Me2 has:

 Print speeds of up to 120 mm/s

 A large build volume – 220 × 200 × 180

 Automatic bed levelling for successful prints every time

 An actively cooled direct drive extruder

 Industry standard filament available everywhere

 A cold build surface – which is safe and easy to replace

 A wide range of materials including PLA, PETT, HiPS, TPU and more

 Comes in a hardy safe case for transport

This Getting Started Guide will take you step by step through:

 Reassembling your Me2 out of the box.

 Connecting for the first time.

 Setting up “MatterControl for Me3D” and calibrating it to your machine.

 Re-running the test print to make sure you can replicate great prints.

 Getting started with a print of your own.

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OUT OF THE BOX AND WHAT’S WHAT

Description

Qty

Image

Upper Assembly

Lower Assembly

3D Filament Material

USB Cable

Power Supply

Spares and tools

M5*12 Button Head Screw

M5 Tee Nuts

Cable ties

3mm Allen Key

2mm Allen Key

Scraper

Other equipment that it may be handy to have around include:

Vernier Callipers

Side-cutters

1 Roll - 50mm Blue Scotch Tape

All components of your Me2 are stocked separately and are available as replacement parts. If you have an oops moments or

find anything missing from this list please contact your friendly local Me3D-er via www.me3d.com.au.

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PUTTING HER TOGETHER

Prior to shipping, we have put your Me2 together, calibrated it and run a test print for you to make sure she is running

smoothly. You will need to do some minor re-assembly of her to get started.

CONNECT THE GANTRY

1. Unpack the Upper Assembly and Lower Assembly.

2. You will see a test print still on the print bed. Remove it and keep it aside, this will act as a guide to ensure you are

getting the best from your Me2 after re-assembly.

3. Loosen slightly the four M5x12 screws retaining the Handle.

4. Slide the Handle to the top of

the Z-Axis and tighten the

Screws using the 3mm Allen

Key.

5. Lay the lower assembly on its

back. Remove the 2 M5x12

screws from the base of the

Upper Assembly. Slot the

alignment tab at the base of

Z-Axis on the Upper Assembly

into the alignment slot on the

Lower Assembly and fix it in

place using the 2 M5x12

screws, and tightening with

the 3mm Allen Key.

6. At this point your Me2 is re-assembled and is ready to be connected to the host computer.

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DOWNLOAD SOFTWARE

You now need to obtain our latest custom versions of “MatterControl For Me3D” from www.me3d.com.au/downloads. This

is our supported open source program that takes care of slicing and acts as the machine interface controller. More

information is available directly from the MatterControl team www.mattercontrol.com.

Go to www.me3d.com.au/downloads and download the appropriate version of the software for your operating system and

install.

CONNECT!

Its time to turn on your Me2 and get aquainted.

1. With your hand, move the X,

Y and Z axis to the home end

stops. This is the position

where the print head is off to

the rear left of the build

plate, shown below.

2. Ensure the Switch on the

Me2 is in the OFF position.

3. Connect the USB cable and

Power Cable to the rear of

the Me2.

4. Connect the Power Cable to the mains supply and turn on the Me2.

5. Connect the USB cable to an available USB port on the Host computer.

6. Open “MatterControl for

Me3D”.

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7. Click “- Add Printer -”. In the

dialogue box that appears,

name your printer and select

“Me3D” from the “- Select

Make -“ menu and select

“Me2” from the “- Select

Model -“ menu. Then click

“Save & Continue”.

8. “MatterControl for Me3D”

will now set up your printer.

We recommend you follow

the instructions given by the

connection wizard.

9. If you are having any trouble with this part of the connection process please refer to The online MatterControl guide

found here www.mattercontrol.com/articles/mattercontrol-getting-started#setupandinstall

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CHECK YOUR Z-HEIGHT CALIBRATION

1. Navigate to the Z Offset

parameter located in the Slice

Setting Tab->Printer-

>General. If it is not visible

check the “Show all Settings”

check box. For a new setup

this is set to 25mm to ensure

that if this procedure isn’t

completed, the printer will

not be damaged.

2. You will have noticed a

label with a number on it on

the extruder fitted to your

machine. This is the Z Offset

height for that particular

extruder. Enter the newly

discovered Z Offset position

and press SAVE at the top

right to complete the setup.

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SET UP YOUR FIRST PRINT RUN

1. You are now ready to repeat the test print which has already been produced on your machine.

2. Feed the printer filament

through the handle opening

and into the filament drive

block (right side hole). Push

gently on the filament until

you can feel it just grip in the

filament gear. Make sure

there is enough filament (a

slack for it to feed through)

for your print.

3. Ensure the test print has been removed, the build surface is clear.

4. Select the settings for the

material you are using by

going to slice

settings>material

settings>select material and

choosing from the drop down

box.

5. You will need to select print settings appropriate to the print you are running. This will normally require some

knowledge and experience and is generally achieved by trial and error. Your first test print will be the Me3D-designed

spool holder and because we are such nice guys we have included in the print file, settings that are a good start for you

to experiment with based on how long you want to print, how much material you want to use and how shiny the result

is.

6. Go to “LIBRARY”, hover over

“Spoolholder” and click

“Print”. As the first layer is

being printed you will start to

be able to make an

assessment of the accuracy of

the Z-Offset calibration.

Please review the images in

the Nozzle height appendix to

make sure this is working

smoothly. If you are having

any issues refer to our paper

“Setting the Z-Offset” found

www.me3d.com.au/downloa

ds/.

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7. The machine will first complete a homing and auto-levelling routine moving to the extreme positions of the bed and

then waiting for the print head to reach temperature, this can take up to 2 minutes.

8. The Me2 will now complete the test print, taking approximately 15-20mins.

9. Inspect the test print to ensure you are achieving the same high quality and then it is time to move onto preparing your

own files for printing.

YOU SHOULD NEVER LEAVE A PRINT RUNNING WHILE THE MACHINE IS UNATTENDED!!!!

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GETTING STARTED WITH YOUR OWN PRINT

1. To print a 3D object using

“MatterControl for Me3D”,

you'll first need an object to

print. Press the 'Add' button,

either at the bottom of the

Print Queue or near the top

of the application.

2. A file dialog will open

allowing you to select a .STL,

.AMF or .GCODE file. Once

you've selected a file, it will

be added to your Print Queue

and available for printing.

3. To begin a print, check to make sure that the bed is clear, then press 'Print'. You can pause or cancel a print by selecting

'Pause' or 'Cancel' once the print has begun. After a print has finished, you can choose to reprint the object or select

'Done' to remove it from your print queue.

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If want a great way to quickly

demonstrate why your Me2 was

the best purchase ever, check out

the “Create” feature. You can very

quickly generate a customised

basic print using the simple

interface a shown below.

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APPENDICES

NOZZLE HEIGHT

Me3D ME2 Getting Started Manual

Brand: Me3D

Model: ME2

Category: 3D printers

Type: Getting Started Manual

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Me3D ME2 Getting Started Manual

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