Fifteen and half hour print just started

3D Printer Software, Specs, and Settings

I have found that these links to be useful.

Wanhao Duplicator i3 on 3D Printer Wiki - This is the link sent to me by Wanhao USA support to get me started.

Wanhao Software Downloads - This page links to the corporate Wanhao site. From here you can download Wanhao's version of the Cura slicing software.  The current version is 16.01

Click on the link to CURA WANHAO EDITION USER MANUEL.REV.B Download to download the Cura software user manual.

Part Specifications - This link has the hardware specs for the parts that make up the printer.

General Slicer Software Specs - Here are some general settings for Cura.

Duplicator i3 FAQ Videos

First Layer Tips and Tricks

The printer arrives...

The printer arrived on Monday, September 19th, 2016.  We setup the print on Wednesday, September 21st.  It was easy to setup.  My son and I put it together without issues.  I read through the user manual and watched a few videos on Youtube before we started.  The videos I watched are linked to below.

I recommend watching all of the videos on the Winplus Australasia Youtube channel.  The Winplus Cocoon Create 3D Printer is a rebranded version of the Wanhao Duplicator i3.

Winplus Australasia

This video will help you put the printer together after taking it out of the box.

Cocoon Create 3D Printer - Unboxing

This video will help you level the print bed.  Which you will be doing often on this model printer.

Cocoon Create 3D Printer - Levelling Print Bed

This is another video, about bed levelling, that I found helpful .

How to Level the Build Plate on a 3D Printer by 3D Noobie

This video will help you load in the filament.

Cocoon Create 3D Printer - Loading Filament

In my opinion, the PLA filament that was shipped with the printer worked flawlessly.  Our first print was a 10mm cube keychain and it turned out great.

10mm cube keychain on Thingiverse

After we ran out of filament, the only place we could buy filament locally was at Best Buy.  The Best Buy in our area only carried on brand of filament.

3D Systems - 1.75mm PLA Filament - Blue

The 3D Systems filament comes in a crazy proprietary plastic housing that only works for 3D Systems printers.  In order to get to the filament, I had to break open the case so that only the spool of filament was left.  No worries, since the filament was on sale for $25.

Please note:  this filament isn't quite 1.75mm in diameter.  The only way we could create reliable prints was to change the filament diamenter to 1.70 in the Cura slicing software.

Our next adventure is to look into auto bed levelling techniques.

Later.

The 3D Printing Journey Begins

I just order the Duplicator I3 V2.1 from Wanhao USA
http://wanhaousa.com/products/duplicator-i3-steel-frame
This printer was recommended to me by a friend and we are hoping to make many cool prints with it.

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The First Post

Just the first post.