Congratulations! You’ve completed the setup process for your Vision Miner 22 IDEX 3D printer. Now, it’s time to start learning and mastering high-temperature 3D printing. The journey may have challenges, but the rewards are worth it. We are here to support you every step of the way via email or phone. Use this manual as a resource to learn and implement your skills in practice.
We suggest beginning your learning curve with simpler materials like PLA, ABS, or PETG to get familiar with the machine. Use the standard mode initially. As you gain experience, move on to higher temperature materials like Nylon. Once you master these, you can experiment with high-temperature materials with carbon fill or glass fill materials for ease of printing and begin with small prints. After achieving good results in standard mode, you can explore mirror and duplicate modes to double your throughput and productivity.
Select the Build Plate:
- Use either a glass fiber build plate or a carbon fiber build plate.
- Cover it with nanopolymer adhesive.
Apply Nanopolymer Adhesive:
- Ensure the build plate is cold before applying the adhesive.
- Clean the build plate with isopropyl alcohol to remove any grease or oil.
- Apply the adhesive by depositing evenly spaced drops about 1 inch apart across the entire build plate.
- Spread the adhesive evenly with the included brush or a wide painting brush.
- Let the adhesive dry. This will serve as your base coat.
- One coat of adhesive is enough for multiple prints. Avoid touching the coated surface with your fingers to prolong its effectiveness.
- Remove prints by rapidly cooling the build plate, which helps the parts separate on their own.
- After each print, wipe the build plate with isopropyl alcohol using a paper towel to remove any residue or grease. Avoid depositing alcohol directly on the build plate.
Maintenance:
- If prints stop adhering, apply additional coats of adhesive.
- Each coat enhances adhesion, but keep the build plate clean.
- Install the Build Plate:
- Insert the build plate back into the machine.
- Secure it with the thumb screws lightly. Do not over-tighten them.
- The screws are designed to expand and tighten further when heated. Over-tightening them when the machine is cold can cause damage.
To help you get started, we will guide you through printing a simple, yet practical part: a phone holder. This phone holder is compact, designed to fit easily in your pocket or on a keychain, and can hold your phone in a horizontal orientation on your desk or wherever you are.
Download the File:
Open the Slicer:
- Drag and drop the STL file into the slicer, or go to
Files > Import > Import STL, or press CTRL-I on your keyboard.
Set Up the Slicer:
- Ensure the selected printer is "22IDEX" in standard mode.
- Select the material you have previously loaded. For this print, we recommend PLA, ABS, PETG, or CFNylon.
- If printing with PLA or PETG, open the lid and front door for optimal cooling.
- Select the print setting "22IDEX - Standard".
Generate G-Code:
- Click
Slice in the bottom right corner to generate the G-code for your file.
- After the G-code is generated, send it to the printer by clicking
Send to printer and selecting Upload.
- Initiate the Print:
- Go to the
Jobs tab and select the print you have sliced and sent to the machine.
- The machine will preheat, turning the LEDs inside blue to indicate it's cold.
- Once it reaches the desired temperature, the LEDs will turn red, and the machine will start homing.
- After homing, the machine will move to the purging buckets, heat the nozzles to the desired temperature, and purge plastic to prepare the nozzle for printing.
- The print will then begin.
Observe the Print:
It is strongly recomended continue printing only if the first layer looks perfect. For this - pause printing and inspect the first results
- Watch the print closely to ensure the nozzle is laying plastic correctly.
- Adjust the Z - offset by Z-baby stepping up or down as needed.
- If the layer lines are too far apart, the nozzle is too high.
- If they are too close and you see waves or over-extrusion, the nozzle is too low.
- Save the Z - offset if it was adjusted:
Dashboard > Macros > Save Current Z - Offset
Advanced guide for bed calibration is here:
BedLevelingCalibration
If all looks good - continue the printing. If there was implemented some adjustments we recomend to cancel current printing, clean the build plate from plastic and start new printing from the scratch.
Make sure it is cold enough to deal with it!
Finish the Print:
- Once the print is complete, give machine some time to cool down. Opened dor and cover can speed up this process.
- Carefully remove the part from the build plate.
- Remove odd plastic if any from build plate and cleaning brushes .
- Your printer is now ready for your next project.
We are here to support you throughout your learning journey. If you need assistance, please reach out via email or phone. However, we highly recommend reviewing the entire user manual first. We’ve compiled all our knowledge and experience to help you achieve a quick and efficient learning curve for high-temperature printing.