Unboxing Replicator #3 (Pfizer Brooklyn)

[Liz Barry]

Friday night with the Makerbot and Leif: 

• Plugged Replicator #3 in, turned on
• downloaded and installed Makerware, checked that the Things folder was created in my home drive, 
• downloaded the new cuvette holder: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:257928
• upgraded firmware from 7.3 to 7.5 (via that tiny inset button)
• trimmed end of filament and fed into left spool, then found out about the right defaults so re-fed it into the right spool. 
• downloaded and printed a homestyle calibration print: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:13053 and leveled the build plate on the fly by adjusting the screws underneath while printing
• Repeated until all the corners stuck to the uncovered build plate.
• sent the new cuvette holder to print.  
• It didn't do very well the first time, so back in Makerware i used Advanced options and turned up the heat on the build plate to 120 degrees. 
• Still didn't work. Raided Leif's stash of kapton tape. he applied it to the damaged surface of the build plate while it was heated to 120 using a card from his wallet 
• printed again. the corner began to curve up. grabbed for the bag of mylar left over from a ripped balloon and taped up the box. used some clear cellophane for the front. Noticed the front left bottom corner of the wood case was a little banged up. 
• continued to print. signed up for Makerbot account. lalalalala...lalala. 
• finally realized what those loud tic noises were -- the filament was wrapped around the spool in the back and the extruders were not extruding even though they were still following the print path. paused print, fixed filament, resumed printing, but it was too late--too many layers were skipped and the filament was printing onto the air and tangling. cancelled. 
• sent to print again! this time from the SD card not USB, and with rafts and supports set to "color-matching"
• it is now printing beautifully, on a fine gloppy raft. Half an hour in, still doing perfectly.....fingers crossed. 

more soon, 

Liz

Liz Barry
director of urban environment
@publiclab

publiclab.org

+1-336-269-1539