The printer available in the Systems Integrations Lab is an Ultimaker S5 pro. The handiest slicing software for this is Cura. A slicer takes your model and turns it into a path for the 3D printer to follow. Cura can be downloaded from here: Cura Program. After downloading Cura you have to select the correct printer. For now we will select a non-network attached printer. Select the Ultimaker S5. Next a model will need to be supplied. There are many 3D file types but Cura can handle most of them. Open the file in Cura or simply drag it onto the build area. Now you will see it on the build area of the printer.

The material we print with is called filament. In the humidity controlled chamber underneath the printer you can place the material you would like to use. If you do not have any specific needs for the part the basic plastics to use are PLA and ABS. Select these in Cura as well so it can use the correct temperatures. For supports it is easiest to use a breakaway filament or water soluble PVA. Only use PVA support for prints with hard to reach cavities where normal supports are hard to remove.

There are multiple types of nozzles but for most use cases 0.4AA is the standard. If you want to make a large part that does not need to be super precise use the 0.8AA nozzle and for a very precise print use 0.2AA. if you want to use water soluble PVA supports use one of the BB nozzles as these are optimized for that filament. To swap nozzle just open the printhead and swap them. It might tell you to calibrate xy axis with a new combination of nozzles. Refer to the appendix for this (STILL TO DO)

Turn on supports and adhesion. Then select default normal resolution. Don’t hesitate to experiment a little. The software has a good sense of the limits of the printer so it is safe to try. Though with different settings your print has a higher chance of failing so don't take it too far.

Remove the glass printbed and set it down on the drawer table. Remove the entire print and break away the supports if you use breakaway filament or soak in water for some time if you used PVA. Use files and clippers for final cleanup

For more information, please check the User Manual