The Kraken

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The Kraken and his creator Redbeard

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Kraken printing a kraken

Zone

01: 3D Printing

Owner

• Freeside

Permissions

For general use by members. Treat equipment as if it were your own and put away as or better than you found it.

Restrictions

TODO: specify all the restrictions

• Use only with members-only terminal connected to Kraken
• Use with 1.75mm PLA filament only

About

Freeside member Redbeard designed this custom build RepRap machine. In 2012, Redbeard taught a series of 3D printing classes/meetups and used the proceeds to donate all the material and hardware to Freeside. The printer was assembled and commissioned by Freeside members. In 2014, Freeside members designed and built a new printing platform that can be easily leveled, and built a new extruder assembly, drastically increasing the quality of prints the Kraken is able to produce.

In late 2015, The Kraken was rebuilt into a new design. Info about the rebuild can be found here: Kraken Rebuild Details

Basic Instructions

TODO: complete instructions on use

• Log in with your credentials to the attached members-only terminal.
• Check that the print-bed is square and centered on the platform. You should not need to re-level the bed unless your print suffers from noticeable deleveling. The printer's bed leveling screws are tightly secured and should keep the bed level without need for regular maintenance.
• Use a clean paper towel to clean printer surface with denatured alcohol (preferred) or acetone. There should be a small labeled bottle nearby the printer.
• Apply a thin layer of Disappearing Purple Elmer's Gluestick to the print surface to help adhere your print to the heated bed. There should be a gluestick attached to the holder on top of the printer. Return the gluestick back to the holder when done.
• The only tweaks you should need to make for your prints are layer thickness and infill style/density related.
• Please do not change the bed level or limit switches.
• Turn off machine when done.

Basic Operational Knowledge

• How to home
• How to slice and send a job to it
• How to abort a failed job
• How to properly remove a print once it has completed
• How to load and unload filament (optional, but you'll be stuck with the loaded plastic type and color)

Advanced Operational Knowledge

There are some more advanced tasks that not everyone needs to know to print, but needs to know to troubleshoot:

• How to level a bed
• How to tighten belts, fix misaligned axises, replace worn out parts, etc.

Slic3r Preconfigured Profiles

There are several Print and Filament profiles that have been preconfigured for Slic3r. Use these before creating or modifying your own.

Print Profiles

The preconfigured print profiles will give you a good starting point for adjusting print quality. If you create a new profile, be sure you name it descriptively and include the name of the printer in the profile.

• Kraken-Default: Ideal configuration settings for print height, speed, and infill. Supports are disabled by default.
• Kraken-Speedtest: Testing configuration for tuning printer speeds. Not guaranteed to work. Use at your own risk.

Filament Profiles

There should be profiles configured for filament colors. Different colors of filament will work best at slightly different temperatures. If you are printing with a new color be sure you save a new profile for the name of the color.

• Kraken-PLA-TransGreen: 205C extruder, 60C bed
• Kraken-PLA-DarkGreen: 215C extruder, 65C bed

Specifications and Detailed Instructions

This printer is intended to be a dedicated PLA printer

• PLA Plastic - Polylactic Acid or polylactide (PLA) is a thermoplastic aliphatic polyester derived from renewable resources, such as corn starch (in the United States), tapioca roots, chips or starch (mostly in Asia), or sugarcane (in the rest of the world).

General Specs:

• Approx Cost: $700
• Printing Size: 200mm x 200mm x 200mm
• Precision: 0.1mm (position/printing)

• Printed Parts: PLA components by Redbeard
• Non-Printed Parts: Extruded aluminum frame using components from Misumi.com
• Control Card: RAMPS 1.4 with Polulu stepper drivers running Sprinter firmware
• Endstops: Mechanical
• Motors: 5x Kysan-1124090 Nema 17 Stepper Motor with 1.8°/step
• Extruder Nozzle: J-Head Mk V-BV 0.35 for 3mm pla

- nozzle temp 180-220°C

• Heated Bed: Prusa PCB Heated Bed

- bed temp 60°C

• Kraken BOM Bill Of Materials

Warnings

• Keep loose hair and sleeves away from all moving parts.
• *****WARNING***** Long/loose hair may become entangled in the z-axis(vertical) threaded rods and all motor pulleys and idlers.
• Kraken Print-bed operating temperature is 60°C (140°F)
• Kraken Print nozzle/extruder operating temperature range is 180-220°C (356-428°F)

Safety

• Keep loose hair and sleeves away from all moving parts.
• Do not touch the printer nozzle/extruder while hot during print cycle.
• PLA Plastic sample MSDS
• PLA is not intended for:

(A) in any application which is intended for any internal contact with human body fluids or body tissues

(B) as a critical component in any medical device that supports or sustains human life; and

(C) specifically pregnant women or in any applications designed specifically to promote or interfere with human reproduction.