Welcome to a Revolution with No Limits!
ENGLISH USER MANUAL
Rev 1.1
Introduction to the manual
Before starting, read carefully this manual to guarantee the proper use of the equipment.
Pay close attention to the warnings and security measures indicated in the manual.
The pictures of the equipment are subject to change.
3DLimitLess will not be responsible for performance issues due to changes done by the user to
the parameters of the firmware and software provided.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Safety instructions
2. Package contents
3. Product detail
4. Printer unpacking and proper handling
5. First look at the Printer 3D LimitLess ILC
5.1 Features and functions
6. Start Up
6.1 Manual printing (from SD)
6.2 Computer printing
7. Recommendations for proper use and maintenance
8. Printing problems
8.1 Lack of extrusion starting the printing
8.2 First layer does not adhere to the printing base
8.3 Lacking extrusion
8.4 Over extrusion
8.5 Holes on the top part of the pieces
8.6 Detecting fine lines on the pieces
8.7 Excessive heating
8.8 Marks on the top side
8.9 Layers sliding
8.10 Clogged nozzle
8.11 Plastic bubbles in the piece
8.12 Spaces in the top surface between parameters and filling
8.13 Warping
8.14 Layers gap
8.15 Split filament
9. Product proper disposal
10. Informative links
11. Warranty
12. EC Declaration of conformity
1. SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
Non-compliance of the security measures could lead to personal and material damages
(burns, cuts and bruises, even fires.) The following security and safety directions can
protect your health, of others, and the product’s. In the case of giving this machine to
someone else, be sure to pass the manual as well.
This machine should not be handle by people insensitive to heat and/or dependent
people who can not react quickly to overheating. In the same matter, the use of this
machine should be limited to people who have physical, sensorial or mental
difficulties, as well as lack of knowledge and experience, unless it has been explained
properly and understands the risks that entails.
Prevent children from unsupervised access to the printer.
This machine generates high heat temperatures. Let it cool down before
handling the printer.
The machine could keep warm for few minutes after printing.
The printer includes movable parts that could cause injuries. Assure yourself that
the machine has fully stopped and it has no electrical power supply before
handling it.
Do not open the lower and upper lids of the printer. The interior contents are all
electrical (power supply, control panel, and a Solid State Relay) could cause an
electric shock. The interior component should be manipulated by a professional.
There are air intakes on the sides and a fan in the back of the printer, these
elements should not be cover up for the correct operation of the device.
In case of emergency, disconnect the printer from the power outlet.
Do not leave the machine unattended while functioning.
Keep out of reach of children and always under adult supervision. It could have small
parts and material remains.
The device melts down plastics and other materials which could let out odors during
regular functioning. Place the machine in a well ventilated area.
Keep in mind the risks of the movable parts (catching, pinching, cutting or smashing)
to your body or someone else’s not following the safety measures. The motor and
movable parts don’t have enough strength to cause any severe damage under
normal use conditions.
About the hot areas, the hotend could reach very high temperatures, if touched,
could cause severe burns. The impression surface could reach temperatures high
enough to cause moderate burns.
DO NOT TOUCH ANY HOT PART OF THE MACHINE, ESPECIALLY
THE HOTEND. BURNING DANGER!!!!!!
If you need to remove filament glued to nozzle, use metal tweezers or
another heat resistant utensil.
The LCD screen shows the actual temperatures of hotend and impression
surface. Before touching or intervene in the machine, make sure the heat has
gone down to room temperature.
In need of the hot glass removal from the printer, use gloves or other form of
protection. The glass will keep hot for a long while after been finished.
The tempered glass is heat resistant but be careful not to damage, hit or
break it. There is a risk of cutting yourself in case of breakage. Dispose of it
properly and after that, it needs to be replaced.
Show caution with long hair and loose garments around pulleys, belts, gears,
and fans due to the possible risk of getting stuck in them.
Do not manipulate any electrical connection while functioning or connected
to the power supply. Make sure the device is disconnected from the main
power outlet, before any maintenance is done.
Place the printer on a flat, stable and even surface, avoiding blocking the air
supply.
The 3D Printer is equipped with safety measures against overheating which
will prevent from reaching the established limits, by stopping the heating
process. A warning will appear on the screen “MAX TEMP”. When it happens,
restart the printer.
Do not hold or lift the printer by the arm of the printing hotend (X-Axis) as
well as the lifting shaft spindle (Z Axis); these are non-structural movement
elements.
If/when it’s needed to move the printer, unplug all cables and hold with two
hands on each side of the lower structure.
If you notice any damage on the elements of the printer, do not use it; you
should contact us through the technical support channel to receive the
relevant instructions.
Avoid dissembling, loosening up, tightening up or substituting any of the
printer’s fastening elements. These should be done by the technical support.
High accelerations of movement and changes will happen while the device is
working. Do not access the full volume of printing while is performing.
2. PACKAGE CONTENTS
3D Limitless ILC Printer
USB Cable for connection to PC
Power Cord
PLA Filament Spool of 1.75 mm diameter, 750 grs.
SD Card 2GB (with preloaded 3D samples)
Printed test piece
Software CD and Documentation
Recommended Material (not included)
Small sharp Spatula
Hair Spray
Small Tweezers
3. PRODUCT DETAIL
Sturdy and durable construction in aluminum; maintenance free.
Precision linear movements with double bearings and spindle for the Z axis
Useful printing area 200 x 200 x 260mm
Precision movement XYZ: 0,018 x 0,018 x 0,0025mm
All metal hotend, max. Temperature of 300º C (572ºF)
Printer hotend of 0,4mm
1,75mm Filament diameter
Printing speed: 30 to 150mm/sec
Integrated self-leveling surface printing system
Heated impression surface to 130º C (260ºF), fast heating controlled by solid
state relay
Prints any thermoplastic: PLA, ABS, ASA, Copolymer, Nylon, Polycarbonate, PET,
special Filaments (Carbon fiber, Kevlar, Bronze, Bamboo, etc…).
Tempered glass printing surface
High torque stepper motor
Autonomous printing from SD card (2 GB card included)
Backlit LCD screen to control
Dimensions (width, depth, height): 480 x 370 x 520 mm
Weight: 10.2 kg
Power: 220v, EU cable 1,8m.
Electric consumption: 440W, 1.8 amps MAX.
Connection: 2.0 USB Cable included
Software: Repetier Host, CuraEngine, Slic3r for Windows, Linux and Mac.
Internal Software: Marlin Open Source, USB upgradeable
Supports object printing: STL, OBJ, DMF, and AMF
Limited warranty up to 12 months.
Printer mounted, calibrated and tested individually
4. PRINTER UNPACKING
Open upper box lapels and take out the accessories bag and foam protections.
Bag contents: power cable, USB cable, CD containing documentation and software, and
spool holder.
Remove the top layer and afterwards, the foam at the four corners. Lift the machine
holding the sides and place it on a stable table
Take off the foam from both sides of the Y spindle. Turn manually the spindle shaft Z
clock wise, holding on to the top and bottom sides until hotend surpasses completely
the support foam
Remove the protective hotend foam from the front side. Lastly, introduce the Teflon
pipe into the extruder fitting until stops
5. First look at the Printer 3 ILC
Important characteristics:
The 3D Printer ILC is built to last with
quality materials to ensure continuous
printing accuracy overtime. Therefore it
does not have functional printed parts
and the materials with which it has been
manufactured give it fluid movement.
It has an innovative design for printers of
its kind.
Crane style, lightened structure
Self-leveling system that allows compensating small unevenness that might exist on the printing
surface with the integration of a correction algorithm.
Displacement carriages on the 3 axis are equipped with elements used in robotics to reduce
friction and vibrations this way achieving a very high speed-precision printing ratio
The printing surface with includes a 220v hot plate, controlled by a solid state relay, will allow a
wide variety of printing materials and considerably reduce the waiting time for the start of
printing compared to the ones with 12/24v.
The Bowden tube filament feeding system lightens the print hotend, reducing inertia due to
weight and vibrations that could have an impact on print quality and achieving higher speeds
Printer Part description:
BACK
4. Fan
5. USB Connector
6. Power switch
FRONT
1. SD Card Reader
2. LCD Screen
3. Dial
PRINTER HEAD
8. Hotend with fan
9. Box with self-ventilation system
EXTRUDER
7. Drag element with Nema 17 motor
5.1 Features and functions
Important printer components and their function
Extruder
This printer uses a Bowden system, as previously said, in which the extruder assembly and the
hotend are not work together to improve performance
Extruder Assembly
Element responsible for dragging the filament consists of:
The Extruder Motor is responsible to power the element that drags the filament to the hotend
Extruder Assembly includes pressure lever, traction spring, toothed and towing pulleys, guiding
the filament and holding elements to the motor
Printer Head
Printer Hotend is in charge of fusing the material to form the layers of the object printed, this
consists of:
Hotend: Element that heats the filament for extrusion, formed by a Heat-Break (calibrated allmetal inner tube), fan, heater block, thermistor and nozzle.
Layer Fan: Element that controls the extruded filament temperature. It includes an axial fan
and a pipe oriented in such a way as to project the air to the hotend nozzle’s outlet and
regulate the filament’s temperature newly finished.
Self-levelling system: It is placed on the hotend and it is responsible for making a map of the
base of the impression by obtaining the height with respect to the origin of the Axis Z in 9
points. Together with the application of a calculating algorithm, provides a system for
correction of possible unevenness on the printed surface.
At the beginning of the print program, a scheduled routine performs the previously cited
process (initial G Code) it’s available in the software included with the device.
Printing Base
The surface where the extruded filament is deposited, the printed object will be formed layerby-layer.
It consists of a silicone resistor of 220v and 400w, which provides the right temperature to
perform the printing with different materials. This temperature is transmitted to a 4mm
aluminum surface and is controlled through a solid-state relay and a thermistor. The last
element of this ensemble is a 4mm tempered glass that is in direct contact with the aluminum
surface and it is the base where the material is deposited.
X-Axis Assembly
Allows the hotend movement, it consists of:
An anodized aluminum profile in cantilever.
Sliding carriage with double roller bearing where
the hotend is located.
Toothed belt movement.
Nema 17 Motor.
Limit switch to set the X Axis origin.
Y-Axis Assembly
Allows the printing base movement throughout the Y Axis, it consists of:
Sliding carriage with double roller bearing where the printing
surface is located.
Toothed belt movement.
Nema 17 Motor.
Limit switch to set the Y Axis origin.
Z-Axis Assembly
The Z axis assembly is in charge of elevating the X Axis assembly and
the extruder, giving the height to the object to be printed. It consists of:
An anodized aluminum profile
A displacement car that raises the X-Axis and the extruder
formed by a system of double bearing wheels.
Spindle with flexible coupling and bearing support.
Nema 17 Motor.
Limit switch used in this case as an emergency stop, since this
Axis origin
Is provided by the self-leveling system.
6. START UP
The printer will be ready to make the first impression after unpacking, so the 3DLimitless ILC
printer’s surface is leveled, and the offsets (distance between the nozzle and the impression
surface) are configured in the Firmware. As well as having a self-leveling system that can
correct small deviations from the initial adjustments.
Steps to follow for printing the first object:
Assembly of the spool holder:
Place the spool holder formed by the threaded rod with the set of nuts, the two pieces
of the spool holder and the locking nut, elements that come in the packaging. As shown
in the next picture:
Filament charge:
It is necessary for the hotend to be at minimum temperature so the filament can be
charged; otherwise the system will not allow the motor to move. It is recommended to
follow the instructions indicated by the filament manufacturer (information that can be
seen on the filament packaging or on the spool itself).
Access the LCD menu to Prepare by turning the dial to it and click on it. Select the
option Preheat PLA. The temperature will start rising to its target (200 C in the case of
the supplied filament).
Once it has reached its temperature, proceed to introduce the filament, as seen in the
next pictures, through the lower hole of the extruder. Manually push it until it
overpasses the sprocket and hits the Teflon pipe, pressing the extruder lever.
Continue pushing the filament through the Teflon pipe till the end.
Using the dial go back to Prepare in the initial menu and turn it until Move Axis, click on
Advance (in this case 1mm) and press again on the dial. Next, the selection of the axis
will appear on the screen and click on the Extruder Field.
The value 0,00 will show, turn the dial clockwise seeing the value increasing while the
extruder drags the filament through the hotend, coming out through the nozzle as seen
on the lower picture. It is recommended to extrude 10mm minimum as soon as the
filament begins to flow through the extrusion nozzle.
CAUTION!! HIGH TEMPERATURE, DO NOT TOUCH ANY PARTS.
Preparation of the printing surface
How the material is adhered to the printing surface and more exactly the firsts few layers, it will
be determent to the quality of the end product. To obtain the correct adhesion, follow the next
recommendations:
The tempered glass must be completely clean. To be able to do it, loosen the clamps
from the aluminum base, take out the glass from the printer and clean it (it is
recommended to use soapy water and a clean rag).
Once the glass is clean, dried and put back on the aluminum base, spray a very thin layer
of hairspray on it to help the material stick more easily.
The printer will be ready for the first impression with these two simple steps.
There is an object made from this printer included to prove correct operation after assembly.
Let’s see how to proceed with the first printing:
6.1. Manual Printing from SD Card
The SD card is inserted in the reader after the display, and
the sense of introduction is with the label back and the
gold contacts forward. It is inserted in the reader this way:
to insert or remove the SD card, hold it with the index
finger and the thumb for more comfort. You will not be
able to be inserted upside down as it will not enter into
the reader.
There are a couple of files included in the SD Card: one is a file of the tested piece and
the other is a test piece to determent the ideal temperature point of PLA (temperature
range from 190 C to 210 C, 5 by 5 ºC).
The SD card is already included in the reader, so only the printer will need to be turned
on, access the menu of the LCD’s SD card and choose the print file. For example, the
ship sample piece (BENCHY.GCODE)
Startup routine will begin immediately, by zeroing all axes and performing a leveling
measurement of the printing base, taking the height data in 9 points of the surface, so a
map of the printing base is established. An algorithm is programmed to correct any
unevenness that could happen on the hotend.
The printer will start the warm up of the hotend and the extruder after the self-leveling
is performed. Once both temperatures are reached, it will position itself on the center
to start printing.
Options while printing:
We can stop the printing in two ways:
Pause (printing’s temporary stop)
is very useful when you need to
introduce a new fixing element to the
previous model (for example a recessed nut inside
the piece) and then continue printing.
Stop Printing will fully stop the printing process.
Other modifying options are:
Flow Parameters: Filament amount that comes out of nozzle
(measured in percentage).
Printing Speed: You can increase or decrease the speed of the
printing. Keep in mind that increasing the speed could have repercussions
in the quality of the final print.
Ex. shown: The hotend’s (nozzle) and bed’s temperatures, as well as ventilation’s speed (layer
fan).
6.2. Computer Printing
Software installation
- Run with administrator permits “setupRepetierHost_1_6_1” application
included on the CD or download the latest version of:
http://www.repetier.com/download-now
The version must be updated when required (Windows 7, 8, 10). NOTE: The
program requires Microsoft .Net 4 or higher.
- Select LANGUAGE.
- Click on CONTINUE to start the installation program.
- Accept the installation agreement of the software manufacture.
- Specify the folder where the program will be installed.
-
- Select the options you want to install, Uncheck the option “Repetier-server”
and continue.
- Click Next.
- Create an Icon on the desktop.
- Click Next.
- The program will copy the necessary files on your computer.
- Once it is finished, click on End and it will open the program directly.
This installation program process is similar to all Microsoft Windows applications. There can be
some differences for Linux and Mac OS systems.
This is the initial screen in the program, a 3D object will appear to demonstrate, that you can
erase. After the first installation you must click the Configure Printer icon.
You will enter the following data in the Connecting tab. Make sure to select the right port COM
since it could be different in your computer.
On the Printer tab adjust the parameters as shown:
On the Extruder tab adjust the parameters as shown:
On the Printer Dimensions tab adjust the parameters as shown:
Note: The parameters dimensions are located on the printer firmware so introducing higher
dimensions will have no effect on the printing surface. In the contrary, lowering the dimensions
of the already specified ones will reduce the printer’s useful surface area. It is recommended
not to modify the printer’s hardware specifications.
The scripts and advanced tabs will be set by default.
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