Zortrax M200 3D Printer
 Location: Electronics Room |
| 3D Printer |
|---|
| Brand: Zortrax Model: M200 |
The Zortax M200 is a 3D printer generously donated by Northrop Grumman Corporation.
User Guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1d5R4mEZI3laMhDZAmBS_YOvCCKxeParys71TMqCmo_Q/edit?usp=sharing
Critical Information
Automatic Leveling
Since the Zortrax automatically levels by forming a conductive path with the hotend, it is critical to perform the following steps while the hotend is heating:
- Clean the extruder nozzle and ensure that any charred plastic is removed from the nozzle surface
- Scrape the conductive pads on the printbed and ensure that there is no leftover plastic obstructing the conductive path between the pad and the nozzle
- Babysit the printer through automatic leveling and power off the printer if a nozzle collision occurs
Failure to perform the previous points can result in a printer damage, bad rafts, or failed prints.
Circumstantial Information
Hotend Information
Qualification testing is not successful with PLA. This may be attributed to potential cooling issues with the hotend.
The hotend has a working fan (Fan2) that replaced the fan with a broken blade (Fan1). Fan2 is salvaged from the replaced IIIP sheet-metal filament cooler. Fan2 is actually a 24v fan and therefore generates less airflow but also less noise; this is non-ideal since the Zortrax extruder design probably under-cools the heatbreak. Fan2 has been showing signs of bearing degradation and has therefore been slated for replacement in the near future. It has been noted that sleeve bearings such as the one found in Fan2 are subject to increased wear and significantly reduced service life at elevated temperatures, so a replacement with ball bearings is recommended.
The hotend is currently insulated since the bare hotend would take too long to heat up and is susceptible to significant thermal losses.
Historic Information
Hotend Information
It was found that the hotend heatsink had a partially-threaded hole for the setscrew in 2021. This issue was fixed in mid 2022. This possibly augmented thermal performance, but the printer still does not pass PLA qualification tests.
The hotend had a partial-working fan replacement Fan2 since the original fan had a blade fall off.
Fume Filtering
The Zortrax was attached to the Pruex filter with a foamboard upper enclosure. The purex's suction would continuously draw more heat from the extruder than the extruder could supply, so the enclosure had to be set up so that the lid was ajar.
Some members had difficulty leaving the lid ajar even when instructed to.
Operators' Log
Brandon 2022-12-12
Y.S. Tech YW04010012BSS Ball bearing fans were purchased and a new fan was selected Fan3. The Zortrax M200 was placed under maintenance to finally replace Fan2. Fan replacement may be complicated by the state of the fan cable since previous fan replacement noted that the splice on the fan cable made it harder to thread through the cable harness in the printer's extruder assembly. It may be necessary to have two splices and three lengths of wire: a length to the red JST-XH 2-Pin connector, a length that would sit inside the extruder wiring path, and a length left wired into the fan.
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