ROBO C2 Operation & User’s Manual

3 1.2 Unboxing Robo C2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1.3 Register your Robo C2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1.4 Initial set-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1.5 Connecting to Wi-Fi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 1.6 Updating Robo C2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 1.7 Calibration and setting Z offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 1.8 Loading filament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 1.9 The test print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 1.10 Removing the test print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 1.11 Using Hotspot Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 2 Operation 15 2.1 Display Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 2.2 Setting the Z offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 2.3 Loading and Unloading Filament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 2.4 Start a print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 2.5 Print Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 2.6 Using print bed adhesion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 2.7 Removing the print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 2.8 Setting Up Wifi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 2.9 Downloading the Robo App . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 2.10 Connecting your iOS device to your Robo C2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 2.11 Updating Your Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 3 Maintenance 29 3.1 Be sure to check for the following before every print: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 3.2 Cleaning the feeder gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 3.3 Lubricating the axis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 3.4 Cleaning the print bed surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 3.5 Replacing your Hotend Nozzle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 4 Troubleshooting 33 4.1 Print Not Sticking to Bed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 4.2 Grinding Noise when Starting a Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 4.3 Material Not Extruding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 i

40 4.5 Hotend Clogged . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 4.6 Hotend Falling Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 4.7 Drive Gear aligning and tightening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 4.8 Screens Goes White or Doesn’t Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 4.9 Hotend Cover is falling off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 4.10 Filament Runout Sensor Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 4.11 Firmware Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 4.12 Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 5 Cura for Robo Desktop 59 5.1 Get Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 5.2 Configure and View the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 5.3 Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 5.4 Connecting a Printer via Wifi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 5.5 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 6 Robo Web Dashboard 81 6.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 6.2 How to connect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 6.3 Uploading gcode Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 6.4 Uploading stl Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 6.5 Set temperature and move motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 6.6 View on-board camera + timelapse (Robo R2 only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 6.7 Terminal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 6.8 Manage plugins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 6.9 View history and statistics of printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 6.10 Set your z-offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 6.11 Monitor your print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 6.12 Download OctoPrint Logs for Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 7 Robo App for iOS 99 7.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 7.2 Logging In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 7.3 Adding a Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 7.4 Linking Cloud Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 7.5 Quick Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 7.6 Printer Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 7.7 Slicing a model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 7.8 Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 7.9 Connecting your printer to wifi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 7.10 Your Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 7.11 Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 7.12 Multiple Printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 ii

General Safety Information This User Guide contains important safety directions that should be followed during installation and operation of Robo 3D printers. It also includes warnings against negligence and misuse that could cause damages or injuries. It is essential to update the firmware so as to avoid any kind of failures. Visit our website: https://robo3d.com/ regularly to see the latest news and updates. Robo 3D printers operate at high temperatures and have easy to access movable components, therefore, you must be particularly careful when handling or operating the devices. While operating the printer, it is extremely important to avoid situations that may lead to burns or interference in proper functioning. Do not leave the machine unattended during the print job - check it periodically for proper functioning in order to avoid potential accidents or failures. Turn off the printer once the print job is finished. Monitor your printer for wear and tear regularly. Contact our Support Center at: http://help.robo3d.com/ for assistance while replacing worn or broken parts. Keep the printer away from heat sources, fire, flammable materials, humidity as well as water and other liquids. Place the machine away from any equipment emitting radiation. To prevent any inadvertent use, keep the device out of reach of children and animals. Do not shake or drop the printer as it may cause the printer to fail in performing as expected. Health and Safety during operation All service and maintenance activities as well as device operation require wearing safety gloves included in the Starter Kit. Wearing safety gloves is also advised while removing the finished print from the platform. The vapors released during the printing process are not hazardous, however, it is important to ensure proper ventilation in the print room. Food and beverages should be kept away from both the 3D printers and 3D printed objects. While operating Robo devices, all measures regarding health and safety provided in this User Guide as well as in separate regulations should be taken into account. Electrical Safety The Robo C2 3D printer has been tested for compliance with Low Voltage Directive. In order to ensure the high- est safety standards, including protection against short circuit, overload, overvoltage and printer overheating, do not attempt to modify the printer and do not use electronic replacement parts other than those recommended by the Man- ufacturer. Replace electronic units according to the instructions and be particularly careful while using the tools supplied with the printer. Before plugging the power cable into the outlet, make sure that the power supply voltage in the outlet matches the required value provided on the nameplate at the back of the printer. Avoid overloading the outlet with too many devices. The printer must be well-grounded. Always make sure that the ground complies with local and national regulations. Use only the original power cable supplied with the printer. Do not damage, cut or repair the cable. A damaged cable should be immediately replaced with a new one. All maintenance and repair work should be carried out while the device is off and unplugged. Do not expose the device to moisture and liquids. Modifications such as soldering of electronic subunits are forbidden. Mechanical Safety Robo 3D printers have movable components, such as the drive belts, Z-axis screw, extruder or build plate. Therefore, do not reach into the printer or put anything inside the printer when it is running, about to start running or at rest. This may lead to serious injuries or damages. Tools and accessories from the Toolbox should be used with special care for intended purposes only. Improper use may cause serious injuries. Contents 1

Removing the prints from the platform should be done carefully so as to avoid injuries. Risk of Burns There is a high risk of burns while operating Robo printers as the hotend’s temperature may reach up to 3000C [5720F]. Do not touch the hotend with bare hands. Be extremely careful during maintenance and repair work of heated units. If it is necessary to touch a heated component, use the pliers which are specially adapted for this purpose. Cooling of components should not take less than 30 minutes. Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Each Robo printer complies with Part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with this instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference - the user will be required to correct the interference at their own expense. The EMC test report for the Robo C2 or the Robo C2 is available on request at [email protected]. 2 Contents

Besides your new Robo C2, you will find the following in the box: 1. Quick Start Guide 2. Autodesk Fusion 360 design software free 1-year voucher 3. 9 print bed tape covers (with 1 BuildTak sheet already applied to your print bed). 3

4. Robo stickers to place EVERYWHERE. 5. 19V power supply 6. Filament Guide Tube 7. 2 filament spool arms 8. Toolbox with the hotend cover, 2 allen wrenches, lubricant, and stylus. 9. Robo USB drive 10. 300g Robo light blue filament 11. Spatula 1.2 Unboxing Robo C2 Now that you’ve received your Robo C2, it’s time to unbox it and get familiar with your printer and accessories. Your C2 is housed in 3 styrofoam pieces, secured together by a nylon strap. Simply lift the printer from the box using the strap and set it down. Unclip the black nylon strap and remove the two halves of the top styrofoam shell. Finally, using the handholds on the bottom of your C2, lift the printer out of the bottom styrofoam piece. 4 Chapter 1. Getting Started

Tip: Save your printer box, nylon strap, foam inserts, and inclusions box for transportation. Also, you might need the original packaging to exercise your warranty or ship your printer in the future. The printer’s accessories are stored in the inclusions box inside the printer. Simply slide the inclusion box out and be sure to remove the foam. Now we are ready to take off the additional shipping material and zip ties. There are 4 orange rod holders that need to be taken off. Simply push on the clip and it will come off. There is one at each corner of the top gantry. Next, remove the zip ties securing the rods to their plastic brackets 1.3 Register your Robo C2 Before you start, please register your Robo C2 for any servicing or warranty needs if they’re ever required. You can register your product by visiting our registration_site. 1.4 Initial set-up Now let’s move forward with your initial set-up of Robo C2. First, insert the spool holder into the rear slot of the printer. Make sure the taller tab is inserted first. 1.3. Register your Robo C2 5

Next, insert the filament feed tube into the filament sensor block, and then insert it into the extruder. Inside the toolbox you will find the hotend cover. Go ahead and take that out and place it over the hotend. It is held in with magnets so it just pops right in. From here you’ll want to connect the power cord to the designated area on the back of the printer and then plug it into an AC outlet. Now go ahead and turn on the printer. 1.5 Connecting to Wi-Fi We highly recommend connecting Robo C2 to your Wi-Fi network. Doing so provides you with necessary updates that allows for a more enjoyable 3D printing experience. Note: You can also use an Ethernet cable (LAN) to connect Robo C2 directly to your Wi-Fi network. To begin connecting to your Wi-Fi network, Select UTILITIES on home screen. Select NETWORK. 6 Chapter 1. Getting Started

Select CONFIGURE WIFI. Then select your Wi-Fi network and use the on-screen keyboard to enter your password. Once you’re done, select CONNECT. 1.6 Updating Robo C2 Ensure your software is up-to-date - it’s the best way to confirm that your machine is operating with the most recent functionalities available whenever we release them. Select UTILITIES on the home screen 1.6. Updating Robo C2 7

Select UPDATE Screen will say UP_TO_DATE if software is already updated. If not, select UPDATE and the update will begin. Note: Follow this process regularly to ensure software is always up to date. 1.7 Calibration and setting Z offset Next you’ll want to calibrate Robo C2 by selecting UTILITIES on the touch screen, and then select WIZARDS from the list. 8 Chapter 1. Getting Started

From here you’ll select Z OFFSET WIZARD. Now, the printer will wait to calibrate its home position Press up and down on the arrow buttons while sliding a piece of paper between the nozzle and the print bed until you feel some resistance against the paper Press FINISHED Note that you will see the offset progress and completion on the touchscreen. 1.7. Calibration and setting Z offset 9

1.8 Loading filament To begin loading filament, hang your filament spool on the spool holder. Be sure to unroll at least 11”— or 30 centimeters — of filament and thread it through the base of the filament sensor block and into the filament feed tube. Continue feeding the filament through the filament feed tube until it reaches the extruder. Then, press the extruder lever arm down and feed the filament into the printer’s gears. Now select UTILITIES on the touch screen. Then select WIZARDS from the list. 10 Chapter 1. Getting Started

Finally, select FILAMENT LOADING WIZARD. Follow the on-screen prompts: • Heating up the printer • Ensuring you’ve cut off the tip of the filament • Now, look for filament to exit the nozzle • Press NEXT, and • Press FINISHED 1.8. Loading filament 11

1.9 The test print To create your first test print, select FILES on the home screen. Then select a file to print from the list. Now, select START to print—and be sure to wait several seconds while Robo C2 prepares to print the file. 12 Chapter 1. Getting Started

The file will start printing. Just note that you can select PAUSE to pause your print, or you can select CANCEL to cancel your print. 1.9. The test print 13

1.10 Removing the test print When the test print is complete and cooled down, remove the print bed with the finished print still in place by lifting the bed up and away from the magnets. Slowly slide the print bed out of the machine with both hands. Now, carefully flex the print bed from several positions to help loosen the print from the print bed. Repeat this process until the most of the print is loose from the bed. Carefully remove the print from the print bed with your hand. Note that if the print is not coming loose after flexing the print bed, put the bed back in Robo C2 and use the provided spatula to carefully remove the print at its borders. Then slowly work your way underneath the print until it’s loose. Don’t force the print loose by pulling it up directly up from the print bed, since this may cause your print to break. 1.11 Using Hotspot Mode Your printer is capable of starting If no Wi-Fi signals are available for connection, you can use Hotspot Mode to emit a Wi-Fi signal from Robo C2 in order to connect to it wirelessly from your smart device. To access Hotspot Mode, do the following: 1. Select “Utilities” on the home screen of the Robo C2 touch screen 2. Select “Network” from the list 3. Select “Start Hotspot Mode” from the list 14 Chapter 1. Getting Started

The color touch screen display on the front of your Robo C2 is the main access point for setting up, controlling, and reviewing all components of your 3d printer. You can navigate through the menus by touch or a stylus. Files -Here you are able to navigate through your files, whether they are on a USB thumb drive or on the local hard drive internally. 15

Printer -The print screen is the default screen when printing. This will show you file printing, extruder temperature, a progress indicator, and pause and cancel buttons while in use. Utilities -The Utilities menu offers a variety of options including: motor control, temperature control, z-offset wizard, network settings, and a way to update your printer 2.2 Setting the Z offset Here we will calibrate Robo C2 by setting the Z-Offset and making sure your first layer is applied correctly. We will be covering three ways of zeroing in on your Offset. The first is the Z-Offset Wizard found in Utilities> Wizards; the second is the Fine Tune Wizard - also under Utilities> Wizards; the final is manually adjusting your Offset in the EEPROM manager. What is “Z-Offset”? Simply, its the distance between your nozzle and your print bed when the print bed is at home (bottom of printer), which is technically known as a Home Offset. This offset can change by not seating your print bed correctly or a shifting hotend. 2.2.1 Z-Offset Wizard From the home screen select “Utilities” Then select “Wizards” 16 Chapter 2. Operation

Next select “Z-Offset Wizard” Your printer will now home itself and get in position to set your offset Follow the directions on the screen using your calibration card that came with your printer or a standard piece paper. Press on the ‘Up’ arrow to raise the bed up toward the nozzle of the printer. Slide the calibration card in between the nozzle and bed and continue pressing the ‘Up” button until you feel slight resistance on the calibration card between the Nozzle and the print bed. Note: You still want to be able to slide the calibration card back and forth but with enough resistance that it is touching both the bed and the nozzle. Select ‘Finished”. Your printer will calculate your Z-Offset and then press ‘Finished’ to complete setting your Z- 2.2. Setting the Z offset 17

Offset. 2.2.2 Fine Tune Wizard If you are experiencing the nozzle dragging (too low) or your prints are not sticking (too high), you can fine-tune your Z-Offset. It’s a little more work, but you will tune your offset by actually printing on the bed to get the perfect height. Your Robo R2 will print a series of vertical lines, one at a time. Between each pass you can increase or decrease the Z-Offset value as needed. To use the fine-tune offset wizard, follow these steps below: Note: It is very important to make sure that the print bed is level by adjusting the thumb screws below the print bed before starting this wizard. 1. To start, select ‘Utilities’ from the home screen, then select ‘Fine tune offset’. Select the material currently loaded in the printer. Then the wizard will ask you which corner you’d like to start from. This simply sets where the printer will start printing out the test lines. You can start from whichever corner you prefer. 2. Once the printer homes and positions itself to begin testing, you will see a visual reference on the screen to help you know what to look for in order to find an ideal Z-Offset value. 3. You will come to the “Adjust Offset” screen, where you can set the adjustment increment, move the bed up or down, and test the offset. We recommend testing the offset first so you can get a visual reference to fine tune the current offset. Move the bed up and down with the provided buttons on screen, and test with the ‘test offset’ button to see if it looks satisfactory. 4. When you’ve found a satisfactory Z-Offset value, press the forward arrow in the top right corner and select ‘Save’ to finish the wizard. 2.2.3 Manually setting Offset in EEPROM Manager If you are a printing veteran and are comfortable with manually setting your Offset, you can do so under Utilities> Options> EEPROM> Home Offset. In the “Z” screen you will see the value of your current Offset, as well as two arrows that will increase or decrease this value. The arrows are arranged so that they correspond with raising or lowering the bed. A smaller value brings the bed closer to the nozzle, while a larger value increases the distance away. If your Offset seems close but prints are still not sticking, you can decrease the value by 0.1mm - 0.2mm and try again. Generally only small changes may be needed. 2.3 Loading and Unloading Filament Loading Filament From the home screen select ‘Utilities’ 18 Chapter 2. Operation

Next, select ‘Wizards’ Select ‘Filament Loading Wizard’ 2.3. Loading and Unloading Filament 19

After you printer heats up, ensure you’ve cut the tip of the filament. Place the filament inside the feed hole, and press ‘Next’. The feeder gear will push your filament down, through the extruder, and out of the nozzle Once you see filament coming out of the bottom of the nozzle, select ‘Next’ and ‘Finished’ Unloading Filament 1. From the home screen select ‘Utilities’ 2. Next, select ‘Wizards’ 3. Select ‘Filament Change Wizard’ 4. After you printer heats up, the feeder gear will start to retract the filament from the nozzle 5. Once you see filament coming out of the top of the extuder, select ‘Next’ and ‘Finished’ 2.4 Start a print Starting a print from your internal storage Select ‘Files’ from the home screen Select a file you would like to print 20 Chapter 2. Operation

Now select ‘Start’ to print - and be sure to wait several second while the Robo C2 prepares to print the file Note; you can select ‘Pause’ to pause your print, or you can select ‘Cancel’ to cancel your print Note; you can change the nozzle temperature by pressing on the extruder and adding in your desired temperture Starting a print from a USB flash drive 1. Insert the USB flash drive into the usb slot on the front of the printer 2. Select ‘Files’ from the home screen 3. Select which file you would like to print 4. Next, you can choose whether or not you would like to download the file directly to the printer or print directly from the usb 5. Finally, select ‘Start’ to start the print 2.4. Start a print 21

2.5 Print Status There are three ways to check on the status of your print while your Robo C2 is at work printing away Screen • While your Robo C2 is printing, you can simply check the status by selecting ‘Printer’ on the home screen. This will indicate the name of the file printing, what percentage done your print is, along with the nozzle temperature Robo App • If you have the Robo App, you can check on the status of your print by selecting the printer under the ‘Dashboard’ tab This will indicate the name of the file printing, what percentage done your print is, along with the nozzle temperature Web app • If you have a web browser on your computer or mobile device, you can check on the status of your print by navigating to its IP address in the navigation bar of the browser • To see the IP address of your printer, select ‘Utilities’ from the home screen • Next select ‘Network’ 22 Chapter 2. Operation

• Then select ‘Network Status’ and note the IP address of your Robo C2 • Copy that number into your browser navigation bar, and it will bring you to a web app to see all things with your Robo C2 2.6 Using print bed adhesion The Robo C2 has a print bed adhesion tape already installed with your printer. These will usually last about 10-30 prints depend • In order to make sure you get good adhesion of your print, make sure to wipe the print bed adhesion with isopropyl alcohol before every print. • If your prints have a hard time sticking to the bed, you can replace the print bed adhesion with the extras that came in your inclusions box or buy directly from www.robo3d.com store 2.7 Removing the print 1. When the Print is completed, remove the print plate with the finished print on it from the C2 by lifting the bed up and away from the magnets. 2. Slowly slide the print bed out of the machine and hold with two hands on opposite ends of the print plate. 3. Now, flex the print plate back and forth to create a gap in between the print and the print plate. Move to the opposite corners and repeat twisting until the majority of the print has come loose. 4. Carefully remove the print from the print plate with your hand. Note: If the print is not coming loose after flexing the bed, use the provided spatula scraper carefully to skim the border of your print. Slowly work your way underneath the print toward the middle until your print comes loose. Do not try and pull the print from the plate directly up from the middle, as it may cause your print to break. 2.6. Using print bed adhesion 23

2.8 Setting Up Wifi • To begin connecting to your Wi-Fi network, Select ‘Utilities’ on home screen. • Select ‘Network’. • Select ‘Configure WIFI’. • Then select your Wi-Fi network and use the on-screen keyboard to enter your password. • Once you’re done, select CONNECT. 24 Chapter 2. Operation

Your printer is capable of starting If no Wi-Fi signals are available for connection, you can use Hotspot Mode to emit a Wi-Fi signal from Robo C2 in order to connect to it wirelessly from your smart device. To access Hotspot Mode, do the following: Hotspot Mode 1. Select “Utilities” on the home screen of the Robo C2 touch screen 2. Select “Network” from the list 3. Select “Start Hotspot Mode” from the list 4. Your Robo C2 is now casting it’s own wireless network 2.9 Downloading the Robo App From your iOS Device 1. Open the App Store app 2. On the bottom dock, tap on search 3. Enter “Robo 3D” 4. Tap on the Robo 3D app 5. Tap download on the right of the icon, and rate us 5 stars if you like it! 2.10 Connecting your iOS device to your Robo C2 Connecting via a local wifi network 2.9. Downloading the Robo App 25

1. Make sure your smart device is connected to the same wifi network as your Robo C2 2. In the ‘dashboard’ screen of the Robo App, tap ‘+Add a Printer’ in the middle of the screen 3. Select ‘Scan for Printer Name/IP’ 4. A pop up will appear with all of the printers on the same network as your smart device, go ahead and select which printer you would like to add (your printer has a unique name, example - Curious Tesla, or Brilliant Einstein). (You may look on the back of your printer and find out which name your printer has been given). 5. Now you will need to scan the QR code on your screen to fully connect the 3d printer to your smart device. • On the screen of your machine, select ‘Utilities’ • Select ‘network’ • Select ‘QR Code’ 6. Tap on ‘Scan Printer Barcode for Key’ 7. Point your camera at the barcode and wait for the app to recognize the 3d printer 8. Tap ‘add printer’ at the bottom of the screen 9. Congratulations, you have now added your Robo C2 to your app 10. note that you can add multiple machines to the same app, and control each one independently Connecting via Hotspot Mode 1. Make sure that you are connected to the wifi signal that the machine is emitting 2. Follow steps in the previous section to successfully connect your printer to the app 2.11 Updating Your Printer Make sure to update your printer to grab the benefits of all the latest Robo has to offer, as well as making sure your Robo C2 performs to the best of its ability. • Select “Utilities’ from the main screen 26 Chapter 2. Operation

• Select ‘Update’ • Check to see if you have the most up-to-date software. If not, go ahead and update to get the best use from your Robo C2 2.11. Updating Your Printer 27

3.1 Be sure to check for the following before every print: • Make sure the print bed is free of any/all objects • Make sure nothing is blocking the extruder head from moving freely around the build area. • Make sure no objects are below the print bed that could prevent it from freely moving up and down. 29

• Make sure there are no broken pieces of filament within the extruder. • Make sure all cords are neatly tucked away to avoid unnecessary accidents while the printer is in operation. • Make sure all of your software is up to date (on screen prompts will let you know when updates are available, but only if you are connected to a Wi-Fi network). And to ensure the best 3D printing experience now and in the future, use the following Robo C2 maintenance tips regularly (every 6-12 months, depending on use): 3.2 Cleaning the feeder gear Steps to take to clean your feeder gear 1. First, turn off your machine and remove the extruder cover. 2. Once that is off, go ahead and use a toothbrush to brush the feed gear to remove debris. 3. Rotate the feeder gear by turning the motor shaft by hand and repeat steps until the entire feeder gear is cleaned. 4. Place the extruder cap back onto the top of your extruder assembly and plug in Robo C2. 3.3 Lubricating the axis There are two types of linear rods, and two types of bearings in Robo C2, and they must be lubricated differently to ensure best prints. White Lithium Grease • The rods that carry the extruder head are ball bearings and should be lubricated with a white-lithium grease to ensure smooth travel. • The z-axis lead screw also needs a white lithium grease for lubrication. Dap a small amount onto the rod, and let the printer move up and down from the next print to lubricate itself. 3-in-1 Oil • The x and y brackets have a smooth bushing inside of them, and need to be lubricated once every 2-4 months. Wipe down the build up that these bearing produce on the rods over time with a cleaning agent. The bearings can be greased with a few drops of 3-in-1 oil, or sewing machine oil to lubricate sufficiently. 3.4 Cleaning the print bed surface • The Robo C2 print bed surface is a sheet of black painters tape. Make sure to clean it with rubbing alcohol to ensure your print sticks to its surface. • After 15 or 20 prints, you may need to replace this sheet if you see that your prints are not sticking to it. Ensure that the print sheet is laid completely flat on the build platform, and that it is flush and level across the surface. • When you run out of print surfaces, you can order more at www.robo3d.com. • When removing and replacing the entire print bed, double check that its magnets align with the magnets on the platform to ensure it is seated correctly. Build platforms that aren’t seated correctly will result in failed prints. 30 Chapter 3. Maintenance

3.5 Replacing your Hotend Nozzle Follow these steps to remove your hotend nozzle 1. Make sure to turn your Robo C2 off, and unplug the power cord from the back of the machine 2. Remove the magnetic extruder plate to expose your entire hotend and wires 3. The allen screw located on the front aluminum plate is the tensioner that holds your hotend in place. It is likely that this has come loose. Grab the allen wrench out of the the tool kit that came with your printer. 4. Loosen your hotend by turning the tensioner screw counterclockwise a few turns. 5. When the hex screw is loose enough, your hotend should be able to fall out of its housing 6. Carefully pull the wires by hand to remove them from their housings 7. Place new hotend in by reversing these steps 8. Push the hotend as far as it can go up into the seated ring and make sure it is flat against it. 9. While you are holding it there, screw the allen screw clockwise until you feel a good amount of resistance and the hotend cannot be pulled out with your hand. Make sure you align the heater block to be parallel with the front of the extruder so the hotend cover will lay flat against the magnets when reinstalling. 10. Turn the printer back on and test. 3.5. Replacing your Hotend Nozzle 31

If you are experiencing problems with the plastic not adhering to your print bed, there are a few things that can be done; 1. Update • Make sure to update your printer to the latest version of RoboOS. This will ensure that you have the latest version of the firmware that is flashed to your controller board, and have the most up-to-date and tested version of build plate leveling. 2. Re-run the z-offset wizard • Re-running the z-offset wizard will make sure that your bed is properly leveled. To do this, on the menu screen go to Utilities> Wizards>Z-offset Wizard. Use the fine tune offset wizard • If you are experiencing the nozzle dragging (too low) or your prints are not sticking (too high), you can fine-tune your Z-Offset. It’s a little more work, but you will tune your offset by actually printing on the bed to get the perfect height. Your Robo R2 will print a series of vertical lines, one at a time. Between each pass you can increase or decrease the Z-Offset value as needed. To use the fine-tune offset wizard, follow these steps below: 33

• Note: It is very important to make sure that the print bed is level by adjusting the thumb screws below the print bed before starting this wizard. To start, select ‘Utilities’ from the home screen, then select ‘Fine tune offset’. Select the material currently loaded in the printer. Then the wizard will ask you which corner you’d like to start from. This simply sets where the printer will start printing out the test lines. You can start from whichever corner you prefer. Once the printer homes and positions itself to begin testing, you will see a visual reference on the screen to help you know what to look for in order to find an ideal Z-Offset value. You will come to the “Adjust Offset” screen, where you can set the adjustment increment, move the bed up or down, and test the offset. We recommend testing the offset first so you can get a visual reference to fine tune the current offset. Move the bed up and down with the provided buttons on screen, and test with the ‘test offset’ button to see if it looks satisfactory. When you’ve found a satisfactory Z-Offset value, press the forward arrow in the top right corner and select ‘Save’ to finish the wizard. 3. Replace the build plate adhesion • After some time, the build plate adhesion can become unsticky and plastic will no longer be able to stick to it. Replace this with the black tape that came with your printer or order more from our store at www.robo3d.com. Unpeel the used build tape from the build plate, and replace with a new, fresh piece. Remember to re-calibrate your offset by selecting the z-offset wizard from the utilities menu. 4. Using a raft • Make sure to use a raft on all of your parts when preparing your print. This will allow a bigger surface area of plastic to stick to the bed, and can compensate for a small amount of unlevel bed. 5. Lower fan speed • If your prints are still curling after the above solutions are attempted, you can try lowering your fan speed to stop the plastic from cooling too fast and shrinking, causing warping. To do this go into your desktop software Cura for Robo. Under the settings> speed> fan speed and turn this setting down to 30%. 6. First Layer Height and Width • Set your first layer height to 0.3mm. This will allow more plastic to flow out of your nozzle, allowing a better adhesion to your print bed. You can also try making your first layer width of plastic higher. Usually a first layer width of 1mm is optimal - this will extrude more plastic at a lower layer height to allow more surface area of plastic bind to the print bed. 4.2 Grinding Noise when Starting a Print If you are experiencing a grinding noise when trying to start a print, or when your printer is homing, there are some things to take a look at to make sure your printer hardware is in the right place. Sometimes during shipping or traveling, some things can come loose, so lets check those. 1. Rods are out of place 34 Chapter 4. Troubleshooting

• Make sure your rods are in the correct position. While moving to the home position, these rods will hit switches to let the printer know it is in the 0 position. If these rods have been moved out of the way, they will not hit the switch, and the printer will try and continue to travel past its 0 position, resulting in a grinding noise. The picture below will show you how they will look out of place, and also how they should look to work correctly. • To correct these, hold the plastic bracket the end of the rod is being held by with one hand. With your other hand, grab the rod that is furthest to the back left of the printer and slowly slide it into place (left on the x axis, away from you (back) on the y axis). • Note: Make sure that the rod is not directly touching the side wall of the printer when placing back into its position. Once you have slid the rod over to the edge of the wall, back it off just slightly so it is not rubbing the side wall when moving back and forth. 4.3 Material Not Extruding 1. Nozzle isn’t heating up • Make sure all of your wiring is plugged in and firmly mounted in its correct brackets. • Nozzle Wires should be plugged into the correct terminals on the underside of the extruder. 4.3. Material Not Extruding 35

• Wires should be plugged in and seated correctly on the top electronics board at the top of the extruder. Remove the extruder cover then check the wires. 2. Drive Gear is not cleaned 36 Chapter 4. Troubleshooting

• Turn Off the Printer • Take off the extruder cover • Use a toothbrush to clean this drive gear of debris shown in the picture • Turn the shaft, and continue scrubbing until it is cleaned of debris 3. Material is stuck around the spool • Every so often, the material can get stuck on the spool holder or in the spool itself • If the material is tangled on the spool holder, unwind about 12 inches or 25 cm of filament to loosen it, then reel it back around the spool neatly, trying not to cross over plastic as it spools onto itself • If the material is tangled within the spool, you will need to unwind some the spool and see where it is crossing over itself. Cut the plastic where you find it is crossing over itself, and feed it back into the machine. 4. Drive Gear is not tightened down • If your motor shaft is turning, but the drive gear is not, it means you need to tighten down your drive gear. • To do this, turn off your machine and remove the extruder cover. • Next, unscrew the extruder tensioner cover with a screwdriver. 4.3. Material Not Extruding 37

• Take the allen wrench that came in your tool kit, and unscrew the bolt connecting the extruder tensioner to the extruder. 38 Chapter 4. Troubleshooting

• Once that is off, go ahead and use the smaller allen wrench to screw the drive gear set screw tight. Make sure it is seated all the way up to the spacer. 4.3. Material Not Extruding 39

• Now reverse these steps to put it all back together 4.4 Shifting Layers/bad print quality 1. Loose Pulleys • If the pulleys on the X and Y axis come loose, you may need to tighten down the set screws to hold these in place. • Move the Extruder into the center of the printer, and find the set screws on the pulleys in the corners of the axis. There are a total of 10 pulleys that you must check (2-3 in each corner), and each has 2 set screws to make sure to tighten down. 40 Chapter 4. Troubleshooting

2. Unaligned Axis • Re-align your axis to be perpendicular to each other. To do this, use the orange clips that came with your printer. • Unplug your machine, and move your extruder to the front right corner. • Using the orange rod stabilizers, attach one at each corner of the gantry, completing a square. This should re-align your brackets and revive your print quality. 4.5 Hotend Clogged 1. Not Heating up enough • Make sure all of your wiring is plugged in and firmly mounted in its correct brackets. • Nozzle Wires should be plugged into the correct terminals on the underside of the extruder. • Wires should be plugged in and seated correctly on the top electronics board at the top of the extruder. 4.5. Hotend Clogged 41

2. Material stuck below the Drive Gear • If your motor shaft is turning, but the drive gear is not, it means you need to tighten down your drive gear. • To do this, turn off your machine and remove the extruder cover. 42 Chapter 4. Troubleshooting

• Next, unscrew the extruder tensioner cover with a screwdriver. • Take the allen wrench that came in your tool kit, and unscrew the bolt connecting the extruder tensioner to the extruder. 4.5. Hotend Clogged 43

• Once that is off, go ahead and use the smaller allen wrench to unscrew the drive gear set screw loose. 44 Chapter 4. Troubleshooting

• From here, you can use the tweezers that came in your tool box to grab onto the filament that is stuck. Be sure to heat up the hotend before trying to pull out the filament. 3. Hotend fan is not on • If your hotend fan is not on (the third fan on the back of the extruder), then it is most likely your hotend isnt being cooled enough and will jam your nozzle. The fan is most likely unplugged. • Take the red and black fan wires, and look for the terminal plug that is empty on the back underside of the extruder. 4.5. Hotend Clogged 45

4.6 Hotend Falling Out If you are experiencing your hotend falling out from the extruder, there is a simple fix that will lock your extruder in place 1. The tension screw is not tight enough • The allen screw located on the front aluminum plate is the tensioner that holds your hotend in place. It is likely that this has come loose. Grab the allen wrench out of the tool kit that came with your printer. • Make sure to turn off your printer. • Loosen your hotend by turning the tensioner screw counterclockwise a few turns. • Push the hotend as far as it can go up into the seated ring and make sure it is flat against it. • While you are holding it there, screw the allen screw clockwise until you feel a good amount of resistance and the hotend cannot be pulled out with your hand. Make sure you align the heater block to be parallel with the fron of the extruder so the hotend cover will lay flat against the magnets when reinstalling. • Turn the printer back on and test. If it still falls out, try tightening the allen screw even more. 46 Chapter 4. Troubleshooting

4.7 Drive Gear aligning and tightening If your drive gear has come loose and/or it is not aligned with the filament to hotend pathway, take these steps to realign and retighten: Note: Make sure there is no filament loaded into the extruder. If there is, heat up your extruder and remove any filament. 1. Remove your extruder cover. 2. Turn the extruder motor shaft so that the flat surface of the shaft is pointing at 10 o’clock (see picture below). 3. Use your allen wrench to loosen the set screw on the drive gear so that it is able to freely spin on the motor shaft. 4.7. Drive Gear aligning and tightening 47

4. Now we are going to align and tighten your drive gear. Grab a small length of filament to help you through this. 5. Apply pressure to the filament lever arm and insert the filament through the filament feed hole. 6. Push and pull the filament, while making sure it is centered with the drive gears grooves, until the drive gear is in position (it will self align when the filament starts passing through it). 7. Align the set screw with the flat surface of the motor shaft. Visually check to make sure the groove on the drive gear is aligned with the hole going down to the hotend. 8. Tighten the set screw on the flat surface of the motor shaft. 9. Replace your extruder cover and you are all set. 4.8 Screens Goes White or Doesn’t Work If the screen is not working there is a few steps that need to be taken to solve the issue. 1. Loose Wiring • First, remove the black bezel (which is the black plastic holding the screen) by gently pulling inward from the inside edge of the plastic. From here you will be able to see the electronics of the printer. • Next, raise your bed by manually turning the long threaded z screw until the bed is mostly all the way up. Now remove the internal lid under the bed that says Robo on it for better access to the electronics. 48 Chapter 4. Troubleshooting

• Here, you will see a ribbon cable attached that attaches the screen to a green electronics board. On the screen side, detach the screen cable and re-attach. Do the same thing for the green electronics board side. • Next, find the micro usb cord that is plugged into the bottom right corner of the green electronics board. Unplug this and plug it back in. • Finally, follow the micro usb cord you just unplugged and follow it to the other end on the black board. It should be plugged in on the black electronics board in a terminal labeled 5V right next to Fan2 plug in. Unplug and re-plug this back in. 2. If your screen is still broken • Contact customer support at www.robo3d.com/support 4.9 Hotend Cover is falling off If your hotend cover is falling off when printing, or is teetering side to side and not flat against the extruder, more that likely your hotend is blocking it. To fix this, follow these steps: 1. Remove your hotend cover. 4.9. Hotend Cover is falling off 49

2. Loosen the hotend tensioner screw slightly. You do not need to loosen it completely, only enough to be able to rotate the hotend while it is still inside its mount. 3. Align the heater block to be parallel with the extruder carriage. Make sure the heater block is not turned in such a way that it is sticking out past the extruder carriage. 4. Tighten the hotend tensioner screw. Remember to not overtighten this screen, as it may be hard to perform maintenance later. 5. Replace the hotend cover 4.10 Filament Runout Sensor Error If you see an error while printing that lets you know you are out of filament, but you are not, check the next couple of steps: 1. Make sure you are not bypassing the filament block • In order for the filament sensor to work correctly, the filament needs to be run through the filament block on the backside of your printer. The filament sensor is located in this black block and will give an error of no filament if the filament is being run on the outside. Make sure you run all filament through this block to ensure the filament sensor will detect your material. 2. Disable the filament runout sensor • If the filament runout sensor is still reading that there is no filament inside your printer, even though it is going through the filament sensor block, you can disable this software setting via the web browser. Take these steps to disable the filament sensor: 1. Connect your printer to Wi-Fi. Go to Utilities> Network> Configure Wi-Fi and connect your printer. 2. Once you are successfully connected to the internet, lets find your IP address. Go to Utilities> Network> Network Status. Here you will find the IP address. 50 Chapter 4. Troubleshooting

3. Next, open up your browser (such as Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox), and enter that same IP address into the address bar. You should see a dashboard come up that looks like this: 4. Click on the ‘Settings’ button in the top right of the interface. 5. A settings window will pop up. On the left hand side, scroll down and select the item labeled ‘Plugin Manager’ under ‘Octoprint’ about half way down the list. 6. You will now see a list of plugins that are installed onto your printer. From here click the next page over until you see the line item labeled ‘Filament Sensor’. Click on the small black button to the right of the item (circled in green in the picture below). 4.10. Filament Runout Sensor Error 51

7. Once you have de-selected this plugin, you will need to restart Octoprint. A pop up will show on the top right of the interface - click ‘restart now’. You should be good to print without filament runout detection interruption. 4.11 Firmware Update This will walk you through the steps to update your firmware from the touchscreen and a USB drive. 1. Make sure you have the latest firmware. Download here: C2_Firmware. 2. Unzip the file and place the file onto a USB drive. 3. Place the USB drive into the USB slot on the front of your Robo C2. 4. On the touchscreen, navigate to Utilities > Options > Firmware Update 52 Chapter 4. Troubleshooting

5. The next screen will show the .hex firmware file from your USB drive that you put on in step 2. 6. Click on the file name, and click ‘Start’ to start your firmware update. 4.11. Firmware Update 53

7. Wait a few minutes for the firmware to be loaded onto your Robo C2, and it will automatically reconnect. 8. Your Robo C2 should now have the latest firmware updated. 4.12 Error Messages If you are receiving error messages on your Robo C2, the following instructions will give you information about them, and also show you how to fix them and get you back up and running in no time. 54 Chapter 4. Troubleshooting

4.12.1 Connection Interrupted This connection interrupted error is a result of the main electronics board not being detected. There are a few ways this can happen - more discussed below. 1. First step in resolving this error is trying to reset the connection to the printer. A button is displayed within the error message labeled ‘Reset’. Press that to initiate an electronics reset. If this doesn’t work, look to the next step to try and resolve the problem. 2. Check your wiring on the top of your extruder. Make sure the two ribbon cables on the top of extruder are locked into place. Also, make sure the other white plugs are seated into their sockets all the way. 3. Check the wiring on your hotend. Sometimes these can come loose and send an error to the electronics. There will be two sets of wires. One for the temperature reading, and one for the heating power. Make sure these plugs are seated all the way up into their sockets. The wires should be seated all the way to the left. The thinner wires are the ones that go toward the front of the extruder, and the thicker, all red wires should be plugged into the plug towards the back of the extruder. 4.12. Error Messages 55

4. Check the wiring on your main electronics board. Every so often, the ribbon cable coming from the main electronics board can come loose. You will need to first take the inner panel out, located inside the printer below the bed, to get to the inside of the printer. Once that is out, you will see two electronics boards. We want to look at the one on the left, which is black. On the back right of the black electronics board, there is a ribbon cable plugged in. Make sure this ribbon cable is seated all the way down into its plug to ensure there is a proper connection. 56 Chapter 4. Troubleshooting

Robo™ C2 User Manual by Robo 3D, Inc. Copyright © 2017 Robo 3D, Inc. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC BY-SA 4.0). Published by Robo 3D, Inc., 5070 Santa Fe Street Suite C, San Diego, California, 92109 USA. 4.12. Error Messages 57

To get your 3d prints out looking great, Cura for Robo Desktop Software is the recommended software. This software takes your 3d models, and turns them into a language that the Robo C2 can read, and uses it to produce an object. For the Quick Start Guide on using Cura for Robo, click here: Cura_for_Robo_QSG. 5.1 Get Started To Download Cura for Robo, click here: Cura_for_Robo. Requirements 1. Operating Systems • Windows Vista or higher, 64 Bit • For Mac instructions, follow this link: Cura_for_mac. 2. Hardware • OpenGL 2 compatible graphics chip • Intel Core 2 or AMD Athlon 64 or newer Installing and Setup 1. Starting Cura for Robo for the first time • After installing Cura for Robo, go ahead and open the application from your applications folder (or wherever you have installed it). 2. Selecting a printer • The first time you open Cura for Robo, you will see a Add Printer Wizard window. Here is where you will select which printer you have by selecting either the Robo C2 or the Robo R2. Once selected, click the ‘Add Printer’ Button and your profile will be saved with the correct settings for your printer for optimal printing. 59

Overview This is the main view of Cura for Robo. You can reference back to it if you ever need a quick refresh of where things are located within the software. 60 Chapter 5. Cura for Robo Desktop

1. Loading a model • Click on the ‘Open File’ icon at the top left of the screen. Find your .stl file you would like to load and click ‘open’. Once this is done, the model should appear on the build platform in the main viewer. 2. Selecting Material • Once your model is loaded, the next option you will need to select is your material. Make sure the material you select is the same one that is loaded into your printer. 3. Selecting a Profile • Next, click on the dropdown menu marked ‘Profile’. • Here, you will see different profile settings that will determine the quality of your print. • Select the profile desired - Low, Medium, High, Ultra High Quality. 5.1. Get Started 61

• Below the Pofile settings, you will find the simple recommended print settings. Here you can change infill density, as well as using print build plate adhesion for better adherance on your first layer, and support structure for generating scaffolding to support overhangs and bridges. 5.2 Configure and View the Model Configuring the Model To further configure your model for printing after you have loaded it onto the build platform, click on the model so it becomes highlighted. 1. Move • You can move your model around the build platform with the Move tool. Either by the click-and-drag method, clicking the arrows projecting from the model, or entering values in the fields provided. 62 Chapter 5. Cura for Robo Desktop

2. Scale • Selecting the Scale tool will allow you to scale the model in 3 different ways; • Dragging the handles located on the model itself will scale the model in whichever way the handle is oriented • Entering the size desired into the number field scales the model into an exact dimension desired • Selecting a percentage to scale will allow you to scale the model by a certain percentage based on its original dimensions • Note; if you want your model to come out uniform, select the ‘Uniform Scaling’ check box when scaling 3. Rotate • Selecting the rotate tool will bring up different ways to rotate your model • You will notice colored rings around your model for different axis. Click and drag one of these rings to rotate in that direction • Also shown is the ‘Reset’ and ‘Lay Flat’ buttons to orient you model in a way that best suites you 5.2. Configure and View the Model 63

4. Mirror • The Mirror tool will allow you to mirror the model in the X, Y, and Z axis. • Simply click on one of the arrowheads that pop up on your model to mirror it in that direction. Viewing the Model Once you have satisfied all of your configuration and profile settings, you can view the model in layer mode. Layer mode allows you to inspect the way your model is sliced and will be printed. It is usually best to inspect your model this way to see if it will be printed the way you are intending. 1. Solid • Solid view is the defualt view when the program is started. You can view the digital model to see if it is created like it was intended, and also see where it might have imperfections when examining it. • The model will be colored yellow if it is selected and within the usable print area, and grey if it is either deselected or out of the printable build area. 2. X-Ray • With X-Ray view, your model will show gaps and intersections throughout your model. These will be shown in red. • If an error is located in your model, go ahead and adjust it in your 3d design software and reload the model to check if the error has been fixed. 3. Layers • Layers view is one of the more important views to check before you start printing your model. The Layers view is a virtual representation of the where your nozzle is going to move throughout the print process of the physical model. • When the Layers view is selected, a slider will appear beneath the button. 64 Chapter 5. Cura for Robo Desktop

• Use the slider to look through your layers one by one and see how your model will be built. • You can also input a layer number to jump directly to the specified layer of your model. • Note: Every time a setting is changed, the view has to be completely reloaded with the new settings in layer view. 5.3 Settings Settings profiles are provided to you as defaults, but depending on the specific model or personal preference, you can modify your settings by clicking on ‘Custom’ under Print Setup on the left hand side of the main window. Below are what different settings that may be changed. Quality 1. Layer Height The layer height of your model will ultimately determine how detailed your print will visibly look. Layer height refers to the thickness of a single printed layer. The smaller the layer height, the more detailed your model will look, but will take longer to print. The larger the layer height, the less detailed your model will look, but will take less time to complete compared to lower layer heights. 5.3. Settings 65

2. Initial Layer Height Initial layer height determines the first layer height of your print. More often than not, the initial layer height is thicker than the remaining layers to create a stronger bond to the build platform by laying down a bit more plastic onto it. This helps the print not come loose from the bed when printing the rest of the model. If you have a raft (build plate adhesion option) enabled, your initial layer height can be the same as your layer height. If you do not have a raft enabled, it is best to use a thicker initial layer height. 3. Line Width Line Width determines the width of a single printed line. Normally, the line width should equal the diameter of your nozzle for most prints. Cura for Robo will automatically calculate how much plastic should flow out of the nozzle based on line width. Left: smaller line width - Right: larger line width Shell 1. Wall Thickness Wall thickness determines how many walls (or perimeters) your print will have. Set this value to be a multiple of line width from the section above. The larger your wall thickness, the sturdier your print will be, but the more time it will take to print. An average wall thickness is about 3 times your line width. Left: 3 walls - Right: One wall 2. Wall Line Count You can also set a wall line count if you do not want to set your wall thickness. The wall thickness will be automatically calculated if you enter a wall line count number into this field based on your line width. 3. Top/bottom thickness The top/bottom thickness setting will determine how many solid (fully filled in) layers of plastic you will print on the top and bottom of your print. The higher the thickness count is, the less gaps you will see in the top and bottom layers, but will increase print time and use a bit more filament. When setting this value, set it as a multiple of your layer height to ensure even distribution of plastic. For thicker layer heights (.2 mm), .6 or .8 mm thickness should be sufficient. For thinner layer heights (.1 mm), use .8 or 1 mm thickness to get a clean top and bottom layer. 66 Chapter 5. Cura for Robo Desktop

4. Top or Bottom thickness Here you can set different thickness for both the top and bottom of your print independently. In general, bottom thickness does not need to be set as high as the top layers because you are printing onto a flat surface. For the top layers, it is better to have more layers to fill in all voids in the print sufficiently. 5. Number of Top/Bottom layers Instead of setting the thickness of your top and bottom layers, you can adjust the specific number of layers if you wish. When you do this, the top/bottom thickness will be automatically calculated to match the layers input. 6. Top/bottom pattern You are able to change the pattern of your top and bottom layers. There are 3 options; concentric, lines, and zig zag. Concentric fills in your layers with the same pattern from the outside in. Lines and zig zag both fill in your layers with a diagonal patern, either connecting to the shell or moving around the shell to infill the layers. Left: lines pattern - Right: concentric pattern 7. Z seam alignment On most prints, there is a visible seam that appears on a model from when your printers’ nozzle pauses to change layers in the z direction. Z seam alignment allows you to place where each new layer in the z direction starts, effecting where the seam will be. There are 3 options to choose from; shortest, back, random. • Shortest will use the z seam wherever the last layer left off and will start the new one right away, producing a shorter print time, but a visible seam. • Back will simply put all layer changes at the back of the model, so make sure to rotate the model towards the back of the build plate where you dont want the seam to show up. • Random will choose a different spot to put the seam, which will eliminate visibility, but increase print time. Infill 1. Infill density The infill density determines how dense your print will be by filling in your print with plastic by a certain percentage. 100% infill density means your print will be totally and completely filled in with plastic, while 0% infill density means your print will only print the perimeters with no plastic filling in the middle, making it hollow. More infill produces a sturdier print, but takes more time, whereas less infill produces a weaker print, and takes less time to print. An average infill density is around 20% for visual models, whereas higher infil density parts are used more for structural or mechanical use models. 5.3. Settings 67

2. Infill pattern Infill pattern will vary depending on what you are looking for in the use of your model. There are 7 options; • Grid: A grid shaped infill, with lines in both diagonal directions on each layer. This option is the most common to use. • Lines: Creates a grid shaped infill, printing in one diagonal direction per layer. • Triangles: Creates a triangular shaped infill pattern. • Cubic: A 3D infill of tilted cubes. • Tetrahedral: A 3D infill of pyramid shapes. • Concentric: The infill prints from the outside towards the center of the model. This way infill lines won’t be visible through the walls of the print. • Zig Zag: A grid shaped infill, printing continuously in one diagonal direction. These are a few of the infill options 3. Infill layer thickness Infill layer thickness determines how thick your infill layers are. Because you do not see the infill of a print, you can choose to make these layers less detailed and drastically reduce print time. If this setting is used, make sure the thickness is a multiple of the layer height (i.e. .1 layer height, .2 infill layer thickness). This will allow your printer to print two layers of perimeters, and then go back in and fill in the inside of the print, essentially printing the equivalent of two infill layers at a time. 4. Infill before walls If infill before walls is enabled, the layer being printed will fill in the infill before the perimeters. Printing the infill first leads to sturdier walls, but the infill pattern might sometimes show through the surface. Printing the walls first may lead to more accurate walls, but overhangs may print worse. Material 1. Printing temperature Printing temperature determines the heat of the nozzle while printing. Most filaments print between 175°C and 250°C, although some can print lower or higher than this. For PLA, a temperature of 190°C is optimal for Robo branded filaments, while ABS has an optimal printing temperature of 230°C. 2. Build plate temperature 68 Chapter 5. Cura for Robo Desktop

Build plate temperature determines how hot your heated build platform will get in order to adhere the plastic down to it. The Robo C2 does not have a heated build platform, while the Robo R2 does. For the Robo R2, PLA is best printed around a 50°C build platform, and ABS plastic at 80°C for best stick on the first layer. 3. Enable Retraction Retraction is used when the printer is traveling from one point to another without laying down any plastic. During this time, there can be melted plastic in the nozzle, which could ooze out and cause unwanted plastic on your model. In order to elimiate this ooze, enable retraction to retract, or pull back, the filament while on these travel moves. Different material require different settings for best results. Contact your material manufacturer for best retraction settings. 4. Retraction distance Retraction distance determines how far the material, in millimeters, will get pulled out of the nozzle when performing a retraction move. A short retraction distance will result in less potential damage to your material, such as snapping or clogging, but will cause more oozing. A long retraction distance will result in more potential damage to your material, but will have less oozing and a nicer print finish. 5. Retraction speed Retraction speed determines how fast or slow the motor pulling the material up the nozzle will turn. A fast retraction speed will result in a larger potential damage to your material and drive gear, but will have less oozing. A slow retraction will have less potential damage, but result in potentially more oozing. 6. Retraction minimum travel This determines how far your nozzle must travel in order to execute a retraction move. If your model has a lot of small areas, this will cause the printer to retract a lot, and will be more prone to clogs and potential errors. To decrease the chance of errors on a lot of retraction moves in a small area, increase the retraction minimum travel. Be mindful that increasing this setting too much can result in stringing and unwanted artifact on your printed part due to oozing. Speed 1. Print speed Print Speed determines the speed of the print head while printing (in mm/sec). Printing faster will get your print done faster, but also risk the print job failing duo to motors failing or material not being extruded properly or heated optimally. The default profiles set for the C2 and R2 are best used to keep the machine lasting longer, at the same time as printing quickly. 2. Infill speed This setting changes the speed in which your infill is printed. Note that because the infill of a print is not seen, you can increase this speed if you would like. Be mindful that a faster infill speed can potentially affect the strength of your print. 3. Outer wall speed The speed of the outer wall, or outer perimeter. Printing the outer wall slower than the inner walls and infill will result in a better surface finish of your printed model, while not adding too much time to your printing job. 4. Inner wall speed The speed of the inner walls, or inner perimeters. Because this does not affect the surface quality of your printed model, this speed can be as fast as your infill or print speed setting. 5. Top/bottom speed 5.3. Settings 69

Top/bottom speed determines how fast your solid top and bottom layers are printed. Note that the slower bottom layers give you more reliability of the model by giving it a dependable base, and slower top layers give you a more reliable roof on your print to give it a nice surface and close off all gaps. 6. Travel speed Travel speed determines how fast your print head will move when it is not extruding material and printing your model. This move can be higher than your print speed to make printing time lower, but be mindful of moving too fast and motors or belts failing. 7. Initial layer speed The speed for the first layer. A lower value is used here to improve adhesion to the build platform and get a reliable first layer down. 8. Initial layer travel speed The travel speed for the first layer. A lower value is used here to ensure that the print nozzle does not potentially touch existing plastic laid down on the build platform and pull it up, resulting in a failed print. 9. Number of slower layers The number of slower layers determines how many layers from the beginning of the print are going to be slower than the rest. The overall success rate of a print is relying on the first layers adhering to the bed correctly. The speed of your print is gradually increased over these layers. Travel 1. Combing mode Combing mode keeps the print nozzle within the interior of the model whil traveling from one point to another. This reduces the number of retraction moves because the extruder wont retract if enabled, but will increase print time. If combing mode is off, the print nozzle will travel the shortest distance from where it stopped to the next point it needs to go, not minding what is in its path underneath it. Green: Combing ON, avoid distance ON - Yellow: Combing OFF - Blue: Combing ON, avoid distance OFF 2. Avoid printed parts when traveling Avoid printed parts when traveling will move the nozzle around printed parts to make potential oozing not get hit by the printed part. Sometime this can lead to the nozzle hitting an existing printed part and knocking it over as well. Enabling this will increase the surface quality of your printed part. 3. Travel avoid distance Travel avoid distance determines how far a distance your print nozzle will will be from your existing printed parts when ‘avoid printed parts when traveling’ is enabled. The further this distance is away, the less chance you have at running into a part with your nozzle, but will increase printing time of your model. 4. Z-hop when retracted 70 Chapter 5. Cura for Robo Desktop

When z-hop when retracted is enabled, the build platform of your printer will drop by a certain height. The reason for this is to prevent your nozzle from hitting already printed parts on your build platform, as well as eliminates unwanted extra plastic on your parts due to oozing or stringing. 5. Z-hop height The z-hop height determines how far down your build platform will lower every time there is a retraction. The larger the height, the safer it is, but the longer your print will take. Cooling 1. Enable print cooling Cooling fans are essential when printing with certain materials. Print cooling will make sure that the previous layer of material that is extruded is cooled enough so that the next layer can be printed on top of it with a solid base beneath it. Cooling also is needed for overhangs and will dramatically increase the surface quality of prints. For some materials (like ABS plastics), cooling is not needed because of the material inducing uneven shrinking and bad print layer adhesion. 2. Fan speed Different materials require different fan speeds to optimize print quality. Some materials can shrink more than others when cooled faster, while some dont need fans at all. 3. Regular/maximum fan speed threshold • Regular fan speed is the speed when the printer is doing most of the work. • Maximum fan speed is the speed when your printer is spending a minimal time on a layer and needs to cool down the plastic very quickly to make sure it is hardened before moving to the next layer up. 4. Regular fan speed at height The regular fan speed at height value determines at which layer the fans will turn on. Because the Robo C2 and Robo R2 are suggested to use rafts, we determined this value to be higher due to the fact that fans can cool the bottom layers too well, and cause warping of your print and ultimately delaminate the plastic from the bed and causing a failed print. 5. Minimum layer time The minimum layer time determines how long the printer should take to at least print a single layer. If the actual print time of a single layer is below this value, the printer will automatically slow down so the minimum layer time is reached, allowing the plastic to cool properly before the next layer is printed on top of it. 6. Minimum speed The minimum speed determines the lower threshold of how slow the printer will actually print regardless of minimum layer time. This will make sure that the printer is not printing too slow, causing extrusion and motor issues, and degrading the sureface finish of the printed model. Support 1. Enable support Enabling support will give your model a scaffolding underneath parts of the model that may need some support underneath their overhangs. Overhangs are part of your model where the plastic is being laid down in mid air. Instead of the model being printed onto air, the support structure will be able to assist the overhangs to be held up when being laid down. 2. Placement Placement determines where the support structure is placed. There are two options to choose from: 5.3. Settings 71

• Touching Buildplate: The support structure is only printed on overhangs that are directly over the build platform. • Everywhere: The support structure is printed everywhere there is an overhang, even if it is some- where inside or on the model itself. Left: Touching buildplate - Right: Everywhere 3. Overhang angle The overhang angle determines the angle at which support material will be used. The larger the angle, the less support material is used. If set at 90°, there will be no support material, whereas a 0° angle will use supports everywhere on the model. 4. Support pattern Support pattern determines the ease of removal and sturdiness of the support structure. There are five patterns to choose from: 5. Support density The density of your support will result in different strength of your support structure. A lower density will be easier to remove, but not as strong compared to a higher density, which will be harder to remove from the finished print, but give you a stronger support structure. 6. X/Y distance X/Y distance determines the distance between the support structure and the model itself in the x and y directions. A bigger value increases the distance, which will make the support structure less likely to touch the model and fuse the support to the model. Be aware that as the value increases, the more likely a small overhang in the x or y direction would not be supported because the distance is further away. 7. Z distance 72 Chapter 5. Cura for Robo Desktop

Z distance determines the space between the top and bottom of the model and the support structure. Top distance determines the distance between the top of the support structure and the bottom surface of the overhang. Likewise, the bottom distance determines the distance between the bottom of the support structure and the top area of the model. This value should always be small, but depending on the model, might need to be tweaked higher and lower. A smaller value will result in a cleaner surface finish of the model, but will be harder to remove from the model. A higher value will be easier to remove, but will result in a more rough surface finish on the model. 8. Horizontal expansion Horizontal expansion determines how much the support structure will be printed beyond the model in the x and y direction. A higher value will result in a stronger support structure, but small areas where there are support structure may be harder to remove. A lower value will result in less support structure, which may be hard to remove on areas where there is a lot of support needed to remove after the print is finished. 9. Enable support roof If a support roof is enabled, the support structure will create a solid layer of plastic at the top of the support structure. When using a support roof, the model will come out with a very clean surface finish, but may be very hard to remove compared to not using a support roof. Platform Adhesion 1. Brim Using a brim adds a single layer around your object, fused to the outline of your model to improve adhesion to the bed and prevent warping. A brim is very useful for models that have very small surface area as the first layer as the brim prevents those small surfaces from curling up. 5.3. Settings 73

2. Raft A raft is the best method for using platform adhesion on a Robo C2 and Robo R2. A raft is a couple layers of plastic that will adhere to both the bed platform and the print itself. If the model has very small surface area, a raft is also the best option for platform adhesion. A raft is comprised of three main parts: Base layer, middle layer, and top layers. • Base layer: This is the first layer of plastic put down and should have a larger layer width, looking almost smushed, to help adherance to the bed. • Middle layer: Layers that are between the base and top layers. The middle layer gives more surface area for the top layer of the raft to lay down upon. Normally, there is only one middle layer. • Top layers: The top layers are the layers which adhere the model to be printed to the raft iself. Top layers work best when printed with 100% fill and two or more are printed to give it a nice clean surface area for the model to be printed onto. • Raft air gap: This creates a gap from the top layer of the raft to the actual print in order to remove the raft after printing is finished. A higher value will result in an easier removal of the raft from the print, but can make it harder for the first layer of the print to lay down and adhere correctly. Likewise, a smaller value will lay down the first layer well, but can result in a harder to remove raft from the model due to fusing of the plastics. 3. Skirt 74 Chapter 5. Cura for Robo Desktop

A skirt is a line printed around the model, but is not fused to the model directly. The skirt acts as a priming line to help make sure the material is flowing out of the nozzle properly before beginning to print the model. cura-for-robo-desktop/images/skirt.png 5.4 Connecting a Printer via Wifi There is a way to connect Robo C2 directly to Cura for Robo enabling you to print right from within the software. Take these steps to connect your printer; 1. Click on the Robo C2 icon in the top right of the interface. 2. Under the ‘Printer’ dropdown menu, select ‘Manage Printers’. 5.4. Connecting a Printer via Wifi 75

3. A ‘Printers’ window will pop up. In the middle right of this pop up window, click on the button labeled ‘Connect Octoprint’. 4. A new window labeled ‘Connect Octoprint’ will pop up. In the top middle of this window, click on the button 76 Chapter 5. Cura for Robo Desktop

labeled ‘Refresh’. This will bring up all of the printers that are connected to the same wifi network that your computer is connected to. 5. Once you see your printer name populated in the list of printers, select it. Next, select the button labeled ‘open webpage’ located in the middle right of the window. This will then open your browser and direct you to the printers’ web interface. 6. Once you are in the web interface you will see a webpage that looks like this. 5.4. Connecting a Printer via Wifi 77

7. Click on the ‘settings’ button in the top right corner of the window. 8. A settings window will pop up. On the left hand side, scroll down and select the item labaled ‘API’ under ‘Features’. 9. An API key will be present just above a QR code. It is usually a long string of numbers and letters. Go ahead and highlight this number and copy it by pressing ctl+C on windows or command+C on a mac. 78 Chapter 5. Cura for Robo Desktop

10. Next, go back into Cura for Robo desktop application. Paste this API key into the field provided by pressing ctl+V on windows or command+V on a mac. 11. Finally, click on the ‘Connect’ button. Then press ‘close’. 12. Congratulations! You can now not only monitor your printer from within Cura for Robo, but you can also send your print jobs directly to the printer with a single click! Note; You should see a green check mark on the printer icon in the top right of the main interface. If you see a question mark, try restarting the program. If you are still seeing a question mark, make sure both the printer and your computer are connected to the same network. 5.5 Troubleshooting 5.5.1 Connecting Octoprint plugin for Mac If you have downloaded the Mac version of Cura and are having problems seeing the ‘Connect Octoprint’ button in your machine settings, follow these steps: 1. Find Cura 2.5 in your Applications folder. 2. Right click on Cura 2.5 and select “Show Package Contents”. 3. Navigate to the folder shown in the picture below: 5.5. Troubleshooting 79

4. Unzip, and add the folder labeled OctoPrintPlugin to the “plugins” folder. Download here: OctoPrintPlugin. 5. Restart cura 2.5 5.5.2 .dll error for HP computers If you are having trouble opening Cura for Robo Desktop because of the dll error, follow these steps to get you to be able to run the software. 1. Download http://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp78001-78500/sp78033.exe and extract the files. 2. Open windows Control Panel by right clicking on the windows start icon. 3. Open Programs and Features, right click the entry for HP 3D DriveGuard and select Uninstall. (If it is not in the list, just run the setup file from step 1 and select Remove if that option is available) 4. When this has completed, restart your computer. 5. Run the setup again from step 1. If you get an INI error during setup, it doesn’t matter, the necessary files have been deployed, just close it. 6. Cura for Robo should now run properly. 80 Chapter 5. Cura for Robo Desktop

For the Quick Start Guide on using the Robo Web Dashboard, click here: Robo_Web_Dashboard_QSG. 81

6.1 Overview 6.2 How to connect There are three different ways to connect to the web dashboard from your browser: Note: Make sure your Robo C2 or Robo R2 is connected to the wireless network or in hotspot mode or else you wont be able to connect to your printer in the web browser. IP Address 1. Here we can use the IP address of your printer to login to the web dashboard. On the screen of the Robo C2 or Robo R2, go to Utilities> Network> Network Status. Here you will see an IP address. Copy this IP address down and bring it over to your computer. 2. Open up your web browser (such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox), and enter this IP address into the address bar. If you entered it correctly, you will see a web dashboard come up. Note: You can also connect via a web browser on a smartphone for on-the-go connectivity Printer name via Bonjour 1. Mac and iOS Users 82 Chapter 6. Robo Web Dashboard

• First, locate the printer name. There are three places this is shown; On the back of the printer, on the screen under Utilities> Network> Network Status, and on the bar code sticker that came on original box • With this name known, go to your web browser and type the name into the web browser address bar followed by a .local/ (examples below). • Example - Printer Name: plastic-gordon, you would enter plastic-gordon.local/ into your web browser address bar. • Example - Printer Name: compassionate-shirley, you would enter compassionate-shirley.local/ into your web browser address bar. 2. Windows and others • In order to use bonjour to connect to your printer on a browser via it’s name, you will need to install the bonjour extension in order for your computer to recognize names as IP address’. Download here • Once installed follow the steps used for Mac and iOS users above. Hotspot Mode 1. To use hotspot mode, select hotspot mode on your printer via Utilities> Network> Start WiFi Hotspot 2. Now look for your IP address under Utilities> Network> Network Status 3. Next, go to your computer and make sure to connect to the printers wifi hotspot. 4. Now, type the IP address into your web browsers web address bar and the dashboard should pop up. 6.3 Uploading gcode Files If you have already sliced your file via Cura for Robo, or another slicer program, there are two main ways to upload gcode files to your printer. By the ‘Upload’ button, as well as a ‘drag-and-drop’ approach. 1. The ‘Upload’ Button is located where the file list is towards the bottom of the list. 6.3. Uploading gcode Files 83

2. You can also simply drag your gcode file from your computer into the dashboard. The dashboard will get dark, and you may then drop the file onto the left side of the dashboard where it says ‘upload’ 84 Chapter 6. Robo Web Dashboard

6.4 Uploading stl Files If you have an stl file that you want to print, you can slice it on your printer directly through the web dashboard. You can grab an stl model from places like www.thingiverse.com, www.myminifactory.com, or upload your own from your 3d modeling software. Once you have your stl file, go ahead and upload it to your printer by either of the two ways from the section above Uplading gcode Files (link) Once you upload your stl file to the printer via the web dashboard, a pop up window will show up asking you if you would like to slice the file, and with what settings. Choose from your print profile settings of Low, Medium, High, or Ultra High - with or without a raft. Once your profile settings have been selected, you can choose to name your file and choose to start printing or do nothing after slicing. 6.5 Set temperature and move motors 1. Under the ‘Temperature’ section of the web dashboard, you can set temperatures for your nozzle and your bed (Robo R2 only). This is a good place to toggle your temperatures if your material needs more or less heat. 6.4. Uploading stl Files 85

2. Under the ‘Control’ section of the interface, you can move your motors and extrude filament. Use the arrows and the distance to move ijn the desired location. Remember to heat up your nozzle before using the ‘extrude’ and ‘retract’ buttons. 6.6 View on-board camera + timelapse (Robo R2 only) 1. Viewing your print with the camera • Under the ‘Webcam’ section of the web dashboard you will see a live stream of the inside of your Robo R2. Here you can monitor not only your current print project, but also if the printer is clear of any print on the print platform, and if it is ready to start another print. 86 Chapter 6. Robo Web Dashboard

2. Timelapse feature • Under ‘Additional Controls’ you will find ‘Timelapse Configuration’. This will allow you to take intermittent snapshots of your print, which will automatically put together in a timelapse video. Here, you can control the settings such as: on/off, timelapse frame rate, and timelapse post roll. Right below this, you will find a list of all the Finished Timelapses on that particular Robo R2. 6.6. View on-board camera + timelapse (Robo R2 only) 87

6.7 Terminal The terminal is where you can see all of the commands being sent to your printer. You can also send specific commands in the terminal to troubleshoot and get feedback on your printer. 88 Chapter 6. Robo Web Dashboard

6.8 Manage plugins Plug-ins are a great way to add functionality to your Robo C2 and Robo R2. There a several plugins that make the entire experience of using your 3d printer easy and accessible. You can manage all of your plug-ins from the web dashboard by going to the ‘settings’ button in the top right of the main interface. A ‘settings’ pop up window will show up, where you can locate the ‘plugin manager’ on the left hand menu about half way down. There are many plugins installed on your printer, but here are explained a few essential ones that are made to make the experience better; EEPROM Marlin Editor Plugin • The EEPROM Marlin Editor Plugin allows the user to pull the EEprom setting directly through the web dash- board. This plugin also directly talks to the Robo C2 and Robo R2 LCD screen and translates the information quickly and accurately. Filament Sensor • The filament sensor plugin has been designed to take an input from a sensor located in the filament bracket, and output that signal to the on-board computer. If it realizes there is no filament loaded in the filament bracket, it will pause the print and show a pop-up on the screen to let you know to add more filament before proceeding. Lani • The Lani plugin enables Robo C2 and Robo R2 to be remote monitored with admin access through the Lani platform www.lanilabs.com. How to view the Lani plugin 6.8. Manage plugins 89

In order to view the Lani plugin, you must first disable the Robo Theme plugin. To do this, see section “How to enable and Disable Plugins” below. Next, you must enable the Lani plugin from the plugins list. Now, when you restart Octoprint, you will be able to view Lani and all of its contents. Mainboard Connection Plugin • This connection plugin is built to maintain a connection from the on-board computer to the main board that drives the hardware on the printer. Robo Theme • This is a theme that has been created specifically for Robo 3d printers. It is a more unique experience, and has been built to layout the web dashboard so it is easier to access and view. RoboLCD • RoboLCD is the plugin that lets the on-board computer run the front facing LCD screen on the Robo C2 and Robo R2. How to Enable and Disable Plugins Below is a way of disabling a plugin, but you can use this method for other plugins as well as enabling them. From the plugins section of the settings, click the next page over until you see the line item labeled ‘Filament Sensor’. Click on the small black button to the right of the item (circled in green in the picture below). This will disable the plugin. (If you are trying to enable the plugin, it will be an unshaded circle. Click it to enable and it will fill in to be a solid black circle). Once you have de-selected this plugin, you will need to restart Octoprint. A pop up will show on the top right of the interface - click ‘restart now’. Your plugin will now be disabled and ready for printing. 90 Chapter 6. Robo Web Dashboard

How to connect the printer to the wireless network through hotspot mode If you are having trouble connecting to a wireless network directly through the Robo C2 or Robo R2 screen, you can use the web dashboard to get around this issue. 1. First, we must connect to the printer via hotspot mode. Once we have secured a connection through hotspot mode, click on your ‘Settings’ button in the upper right of the interface. 2. Next, scroll down to ‘Network connection’ at the bottom of the left hand menu. Here you will see a list of available wireless networks that you can connect to. 3. Choose a wireless network that you wish to connect to, and press ‘Connect’. 4. A pop up will come up to enter a password. Enter it and press ‘confirm’. If you connected correctly, the ‘connection state’ will show you if you are connected to the wireless network of your choice. 6.8. Manage plugins 91

6.9 View history and statistics of printer There are a few modules on the web dashboard that allow you to view some statistics of your printer. Some of the things you can get info on are; history, prints per day and success rate, printer statistics, and power usage. This is a good way to track your printer and will be displayed as the following; 6.10 Set your z-offset With the web dashboard, you can manually adjust your z-offset value. To do this, click the ‘Settings’ button in the upper right of the interface. When the settings window pops up, scroll to the bottom of the menu on the left hand side. Here you will find a menu option named ‘EEPROM Marlin Editor Plugin’ that you will need to select. This will bring up an almost empty page. There are two buttons labeled ‘Load EEprom’ and ‘Save to EEprom’. Go ahead and click the ‘Load EEprom’ button. 92 Chapter 6. Robo Web Dashboard

This will load the values of some of the core settings that your printer runs on. From here, scroll down and find the ‘z-offset’ value. Here, you can manually adjust this value (note: a higher negative number will increase your z-offset, meaning the bed will be farther away from the nozzle). 6.10. Set your z-offset 93

From here, you will need to scroll back to the top of the page and select ‘Save to EEprom’ to correctly save the value to your printer. Once that is saved, you can then click save on the bottom right of your window. Remember: if you don’t click the ‘Save to EEprom’ button, your new z-offset will NOT be saved and will use the old value entered previously. 94 Chapter 6. Robo Web Dashboard

6.11 Monitor your print From the web dashboard, you are able to monitor your print, as well as start, pause, and cancel a print. In the top left of the interface under ‘state’, you will find information such as: the file selected, total print time, elapsed print time, print time left, as well as the option to print, pause, and cancel your current file. 6.11. Monitor your print 95

6.12 Download OctoPrint Logs for Support The OctoPrint Logs will enable our support team to better diagnose your problem and help get your Robo up and printing ASAP! Once on the Robo Dashboard, navigate to Settings at the Top right of the Screen. Here scroll down the Side Bar and Locate the Logs tab. 96 Chapter 6. Robo Web Dashboard