Printing on the Prusa will always start with an STL file that you export from Solidworks or download from the internet. However, the printer cannot interpret a STL file and must be converted to a gcode file which instructs the printer on how to complete the print. The process of creating a gcode is called "slicing" and is done in the Prusa Slicer software. Prusa Slicer allows you to customize any part of the print process and is color coded to distinguish simple settings from expert settings so you can tell which settings can be adjusted without risk of messing things up. For the most part, the preset setting options will work well but feel free to experiment with settings to improve print detail or speed (check out [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kW9SnK4LKc this video] for example). After you have sliced your STL file the rest of the setup is simple. Save the new gcode to the SD card found in the printer, turn on the machine, select "print from SD card" to find your file, and then click to start the print. Make sure to clean the print bed with isopropyl alcohol before the print starts and watch the print for the first five minutes to make sure it doesn't fail. Also, the video below walks through the setup process in detail starting from downloading a stl file which is helpful. | Printing on the Prusa will always start with an STL file that you export from Solidworks or download from the internet. However, the printer cannot interpret a STL file and must be converted to a gcode file which instructs the printer on how to complete the print. The process of creating a gcode is called "slicing" and is done in the Prusa Slicer software. Prusa Slicer allows you to customize any part of the print process and is color coded to distinguish simple settings from expert settings so you can tell which settings can be adjusted without risk of messing things up. For the most part, the preset setting options will work well but feel free to experiment with settings to improve print detail or speed (check out [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kW9SnK4LKc this video] for example). After you have sliced your STL file the rest of the setup is simple. Save the new gcode to the SD card found in the printer, turn on the machine, select "print from SD card" to find your file, and then click to start the print. Make sure to clean the print bed with isopropyl alcohol before the print starts and watch the print for the first five minutes to make sure it doesn't fail. Also, the video below walks through the setup process in detail starting from downloading a stl file which is helpful. |