This document provides answers to frequently asked questions about 3D printing. It discusses how to change filament, common filament errors, where to find extra filament, and how to organize the filament cabinet. It also provides instructions for changing the build plate tape, what to do if a print fails, and how to address various printer error messages or noises. Further questions covered include where to find more labels/receipts, what to do when closing for the day, and how to handle customer pickups. The document concludes with directions for exporting files to SD cards, rotating/resizing objects, and printing multiple items.

1. Frequently Asked Questions
1. How do I change the filament?
2. Common Filament Errors
3. Where can I find more filament?
4. How should I organize the filament cabinet?
5. How and when do I change the build plate tape?
6. When do I patch the build plate tape?
7. What if it fails?
8. The printer gave me a weird error about a heated print bed?
9. The printer is making a clicking noise/the filament is tangled
10. The printer is making a weird rasping/scraping noise
11. Where can I find more item labels/receipts?
12. 3d printing closing
13. What do I do when a customer comes to pick up their item? (Staff Only)
14. How do I export a file to the SD card?
15. Rotating & resizing an item to print
16. Printing multiple items at a time
How do I change the Filament?
The filament is a hugely important part of the Makerbot, so it’s very important that it is loaded properly and is
the correct color for the print job.
1) To change the filament, you will first UNLOAD the existing filament by going to Utilities > Change
Filament > Unload on the LCD Screen
2) From here, the Makerbot will provide you instructions as to what to do. First you will wait for the
extruder to heat (it will tell you when it is ready) and then you will remove the guide tube and gently and
carefully remove the filament.

2. 3) Cut any melted plastic away and leave an angled tip, like this:
The angled tip will help the extruder’s motor grab on to the filament more easily.

3. 4) Next, we will want to load the correct colored filament. Identify the color needed and place the filament
with the front of the spool (labeled) facing outwards and the rear of the spool facing the rear of the Makerbot:
The filament will feed up into the guide tube like so:
5) Before you start to feed the filament into the motor, go back to the LCD panel and choose Load to load new
filament. Again, the Makerbot will provide you on-screen instructions. The extruder should already be heated
(if it is not you’ll just have to wait a few minutes for it to heat again), so once the Makerbot tells you that it is
ready, you can feed the filament down into the extruder.

4. You will need to PUSH the filament down into the motor with an even pressure. You will likely need to use
more force than you think. Once the Makerbot starts to extrude plastic let it run for just a few seconds before
exiting.
Wait for a few moment while the extruder works. It’s okay if it runs for more than a few seconds -- it’s
important to make sure it is extruding correctly. Once you have a steady flow, press the M button on the LCD
screen to stop the extruder. You can remove any heated plastic and throw it away.
Common Filament Errors
There have been some challenges with filament loading recently.
 Filament won’t load: If you are trying to load new filament and you hear a clicking noise and the
motor does not seemto be “grabbing” the filament, try cutting the filament again at a new angle
and trying again after a few minutes.
 Filament is tangled: If a job has already started and you start to hear a clicking noise from the IC
Desk, this may mean that the filament has become tangled. You can pause the print job (navigate
to the left on the LCD screen and select “Pause”) and untangle the filament. Select “Change
Filament” and then “Unload” to unload the filament, then untangle as necessary and re-load the
filament. When you are finished, select “Resume”.

5.  Filament is not extruding: Most times when the extruder becomes clogged it can be easily cleared
by unloading and re-loading the filament a few times. If you experience a clog that cannot be easily
cleared, email 3d@lib.arizona.edu
Where can I find more filament?
You just ran out of red filament and there’s none in the case. Where can you find more? First, enter A122.
Make a left just past the Equipment Lending desk.
You should now be looking right at the gray metal case that contains spare filament and other supplies (spare
build plates, build plate tape, etc).
There’s a few of these cases and they all look the same, so double check this is the right one.
If we are all out of a certain color of filament, email 3d@lib.arizona.edu

6. How should I organize the filament cabinet?
The filament cabinet is organized by row. On the top row there should be a neat display of 3d printed items.
Items with labels should be grouped together so that the label is clearly visible and associated with that
object. Sometimes the items and labels can get separated as we take objects in and out of the case.
The second row should be filament starting with black, cool gray, warm gray, clear (“natural”), white and
arranged in color order (ROYGBIV) for the next row. Specialty colors, such as photochromatic blue &
magenta, as well as the translucent colors, should be kept on the second row. Although this may seem
nitpicky, the reason for this organization is to keep specialty colors separated from colors that they could be
confused with. For example, the difference between the clear (natural), translucent, and photochromatic
colors is not always visually clear.
How do I change the build plate tape?

7. Use the laminated build plate template to cut the build plate tape to the correct size. Then, carefully peel the
sheet of tape off and apply it to the build plate with as few wrinkles and bubbles as you can. It’s okay if you
have to reposition it or try more than once before you get the hang of it. If you run out of build plate tape,
more is located in the filament cabinet. Hint: To do multiple sheets of tape at a time, you can use the paper
cutter at the IC Desk!
When do I patch the build plate tape?
- Patch the build plate tape with leftover trim or the painters tape roll only when there are very small,
minor tears. Do not patch with any other kind of tape.

8. - If there are large holes or rips in the tape, do not patch. Replace the sheet entirely. We have plenty of
these large sheets so there is no reason to try and stretch their longevity
- When we patch a lot, we end up with an uneven build plate. For example, patching the tape like this in
multiple overlapping areas can create uneven ridges in our prints :
What if it Fails?
Is it failing? If you see any of these signs, then the print job may be failing :
- filament printing in midair (scribbling)
- filament is becoming disconnected from the build (lacing)
- the original base position of the item has moved
- it is warping (a flat surface is breaking away from the build plate)
- it looks anything like this:

9. Scribbling
Warping
Lacing
If you see an item failing

10. When in doubt, get a second opinion! Remember from your training: if you are CONFIDENT of the reasons
why the build has failed (it tipped over, someone bumped the bot, etc), you can reprint it. If you are not sure
why it failed, just highlight the item in the spreadsheet and leave a note. Make sure to email
3d@lib.arizona.edu if this happens.
The printer gave me a weird error about a heated print bed?
Sometimes this happens! Just press the “M” key and it will continue to print as normal.
The printer is making a clicking noise/ The filament is tangled
Filament mounted to the rear of the printer can often become tangled as the spool is used. This most often
happens when the spool is halfway or more depleted. The “clicking” noise is actually the filament tangling and
rubbing against itself. Since this most often occurs during printing, the best thing to do is temporarily untangle
the spool (see the video below) and untangle it fully once the print is complete. If the tangle is exceptionally
bad, pause the printer by selecting “Pause” on the printer’s LCD screen and untangle the spool. The best way
to clear a tangle is to select “Change Filament” and unload the filament altogether, untangle the spool, and
then re-load it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX6TvrDp8oE&feature=youtu.be
The printer is making a rasping/scraping noise
The printer will sometimes make an odd rasping or scraping noise. Usually that rasping noise indicates that the
build plate needs to be leveled and what you are hearing is the extruder head scraping on the printed surface.
If the printhas justbegun,cancel the joband re-level the buildplate (if you know how to do this). If the print is already
mostly completed, make sure to watch it carefully as the extruder can knock over support structures or cause other
parts of the print to fail. Unfortunately there is no way to fix this while the object is printing other than adjusting the
build plate without a guide (not recommended). Otherwise, email 3d@lib.arizona.edu
Where can I find more item labels/receipts?
More item labels can be found in the Box in the 3D printing subfolder of the AIS Student Employees folder.
The image is titled “Completed Item Receipts.jpg”

11. 3d printing closing issues
Sometimes a job isn’t done before we close on Fridays and Saturdays. If this happens, navigate to the left on
the LCD display and choose “Cold Pause (Sleep)”.
What do I do when a customer comes to pick up their item? (Staff Only)
When a customer comes to the desk asking about their 3D printed object
1) First, ask if they have received a notification email letting them know that the object is ready. If they haven’t
received a notification email, it can mean:
a. The object hasn’t been printed yet
b. The objecthas beenprinted but the charges have not yet been added to the customer’s account. They
may have seen the object in the case and assumed that it is completed.
In any case, please let the customer know to wait until the email is received. At that time the charges will be
added to their account. If they have any questions about their charges or the object itself, please encourage
themto email 3d@lib.arizona.edu ratherthana specificstaff member.These emailsgotoall members of the 3d
printinggroup,whichcurrentlyconsistsof Jessica Calderwood, Rachel Castro, Alia Moore, and Scott Buchanan.
2) If the customer indicates that they have received the email, check their Millennium account under the “Fines
Paid” tab.
a. If the object has been paid for, retrieve the item from the case and have the customer sign & date the
receipt. Make sure to check the customer’s CatCard to verify their identity.
b. If the object hasn’t been paid for, please let the customer know that they can pay online or directly at
the EDC during open hours.

12. c. If there is nocharge pendingorpaidon theiraccountbut theyreceivedanotificationemail,itmaymean
that they have been processed like a community user. Sometimes UA affiliates do not give us their
CatCard number when submitting job requests, so we process those requests as we would for a non-
affiliate.
i. Checkif the objectis inthe case. If the object is in the case and has a label attached, give them
the label and let them know that they can pay at the EDC. The price should be clearly listed.
If theypreferto have the chargesaddedto theiraccount,please letthemknow toemail 3d@lib.arizona.edu andinclude
their CatCard number. They will be able to pick up the object once the charges are paid.
How do I export a file to the SD card?
Open your file in the Makerbot Desktop software

13. Once the item is positioned on the build platform and is ready to be exported, click on “Export Print File”.
Navigate to the correct SD Card on the computer and save. It’s that easy!
REMEMBER: The Makerbot can ONLY read files in the .x3g format from the SD card. While the desktop
software can open .stl files and other file types, if you load a .stl onto an SD card the Makerbot will NOT
recognize it.

14. Printing from an SD Card
From the display panel from the front of the Makerbot, choose “Build from SD” and then navigate to the file
you want. Press the center “M” button to select.
Rotating & Resizing an item to print
1) Sometimes when you open up a printing file it will look like this - flipped on the wrong side, way too
big, etc. We will want to rotate and resize the item so that it can print optimally.

15. 2) Firstly, let’s rotate the shark so that he is standing the right way up. The easiest object for the printer
to build is a column, so let’s orient the shark so that he can print correctly. In this case, you will add +90
degrees on the X-Axis, but I’ve also highlighted the Lay Flat button which can help for other objects in the
future.

16. 3) Now you can see the shark is standing upright, but his feet are positioned under the build plate. The
object won’t print properly this way, so let’s put him On Platform and Center him.
4) Next, we will need to check the queue to make sure he is the right size. In this sample, you can see the
submitter has specified that he be 100mm tall, so we will need to adjust the dimensions to fit.
Usually we will want to maintain the aspect ratio (the highlighted box checked Uniform Scaling).

17. The Makerbot’s X, Y, & Z notations can be a little tricky when you are used to thinking of length, width, and
height, so here’s a handy translation:
5) Now our shark is the right size and is oriented the right way - he’s ready to print! Before you print,
however, make sure to check the following:
● Does the object need Rafts or Supports?
● What is the Size of object?

18. ● What color Filament will be used?
6) Next, send the item to print. Make sure to collect your data from the following screen:
Printing multiple items at a time
Printing Two Different Items: From the Makerbot software, navigate to File -> Add and then choose the file
you want to add.

19. It will default to adding the object to the center of the build plate, so make sure to move it so the items are
not touching.

20. Copying an item is easier, just select it (it will be highlighted in yellow) and copy (ctrl+c) and paste (ctrl+v) it.

21. When in doubt: Consult the Makerbot User Manual!