Quant 3D Q300 3D User Manual

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PROFESSIONAL 3D PRINTER

USER MANUAL

Precautions

1. The Q300 3D printer requires the power adapter provided by the original
manufacturer, otherwise the machine could become damaged or even cause a fire
hazard. Please also keep the power adapter away from water and out of high
temperature environments

2. During printing, the nozzle of the printer will reach 260°C and the print platform could
reach 100°C. Please do not touch these parts with your bare hands while they are
hot—not even with the heat resistant gloves included with the machine—as the
temperature could damage the gloves and injure your hands.

Warning label on printer:
High Temperature, do not touch!

3. During printing, the nozzle and print platform will move at high speeds. Do not touch
these parts while they are moving.

Warning label on printer:
Moving Parts, do not touch!

4. Please wear goggles when removing the supporting material from models and
detaching models from the perf board.

5. When printing with ABS and PLA, the plastics will create a light odor. Please run the
printer in a well-ventilated environment. We also suggest you put the printer in an
environment with a stable temperature as unwanted cooling could cause adverse
effects to the print quality

6. When the UP software is sending data to the printer—indicated on the status bar on
the left bottom corner of the LED screen with the text "sending layers"—do not
unplug the USB cable as this will disrupt the data transfer and result in a printing
failure. The USB cable can be unplugged after the data transfer is finished.

7. The Q300's ideal working temperature is between 15°C and 30°C with a relative
humidity between 20–50%. It is recommended that you discharge any static charge
from your body before touching the machine to prevent an interruption while printing
and any potential damage to the printer.

Q300 Specifications

Printing Technology
Build Volume
Print Head
Z-Resolution
Supporting Structure

Platform Leveling
Untethered Printing
Average Operational Noise
Advanced Features Door Sensor, Air Filtration, Full-Color LED Bar
Bundled Software UP Software
Compatible File Formats STL, UP3, UPP

MEM (Melted Extrusion Manufacturing)
255 • 205 • 205mm (W • H • D); 10" • 8" • 8"
Single; Modular for easy replacement.

0.1 / 0.15 / 0.20 / 0.25 / 0.30 / 0.35 / 0.40mm
Smart Support Technology: Automatically generated, easy to

remove, fine-tunable.
Fully automatic leveling with integrated leveling probe.
Yes
51dB

Connectivity USB
Operating System Windows XP/Vista/7/8, Mac OS
Power adapter 110–240VAC, 50–60Hz, 220W
Chassis Plastic case with metal frame, enclosed
Printer Weight 20kg / 44lb
Printer Dimensions 489 • 495 • 520mm (W • H • D); 19.5" • 19.5" • 20.5"
Weight with Packaging X
Packaging Dimension (W • H • D)

Printer Body

Accessories

*If anything is missing, please contact your local distributor at [e-mail]

Removing the Nylon Ties

Remove the nylon tie from the left side
smooth rod

Remove the nylon ties from the
horizontal smooth rods.

Installing the Perf Board

Remove the nylon tie from the right
side smooth rod

Installing Filament

To install the filament spool, open
the magnetic cover and insert the
filament into the guiding tube at
the spool holder.

Push the filament into the guiding
tube until it comes out from the
other end. Put the spool onto the
cassette and cover the spool with
the magnetic cover.

Installing the UP Software

1. Go to the support section of

www.quant3d.com to download the latest

version of the UP software

2. Double-click the setup.exe file to install the
software. (The default installation path i
C:\ProgramFiles\UP.) A pop-up window will
appear. Select “Install” and follow the
instructions to finish. The printer’s driver is
now installed into the system.

After installation, in the UP folder:
The Driver folder contains the printer drivers
The Example folder contains STL files for the printed parts of
the UP printers and example files.

s

Confirming the Printer Driver Installation

First, make sure your computer and
printer are connected via the USB cable
and that the printer is switched on. The
Q300 LED bar will light up in yellow.

In the software’s main menu, click
“3D Print.”

If the “Initialize” and “Maintenance”
options light up and are available for
selection, these indicate that the
printer driver was successfully

Initializing Your Printer

Initialization is required for every time the machine is switched on. During initialization, the
print head and print platform move slowly and hit the end stops of the XYZ axes. This is
essential as the printer needs to find the endpoints of each axis. The other software options
will light up and become available for use only after initialization.

There are two ways to initialize your printer:

1. The Q300 can be initialized by clicking the "Initialize"
option in the software menu (shown above).

2. When the printer is idle, hold the initialization button
on the printer.

Initialization Button

Other functions of Initialization Button:

1. Stop the current print job: During a
print, press and hold the button.
Reprint the last job: Double-click the
button.

Automatic Platform Calibration

Platform calibration is the most important step for successfully printing as it ensures part
adhesion on the first layer. Ideally, the distance between the nozzle and the platform is
constant, but in reality the distance varies at different positions due to many reasons (e.g. a
slightly tilted platform) and this could cause warping on prints or even a complete print
failure. Fortunately, the Q300 has automatic platform calibration and automatic nozzle
height detection functions. By using these two functions, the calibration process can be
completed quickly and easily.

In the "3D Print" menu in the UP Software,
select "Auto Level" to initiate auto leveling.
The leveling probe will be lowered and start
to probe nine positions on the platform. After
probing the platform, the leveling data will be
updated and stored in the machine. The
leveling probe retracts automatically.

Calibration Tips:

1. Perform calibrations when the nozzle is not heated.

2. Remove residual plastic on the nozzle before calibrating.

3. A perf board should be fitted on the platform during calibration.

Automatic Nozzle Height Detection

Select "Nozzle Height Detect" in the "3D
Print" menu of the UP Software. The print
head will move toward the nozzle height
detection device and the nozzle will
eventually touch and press the metal part on
the device to make the measurement.

The detected nozzle height value will be
stored in the in the machine.

If consistent warping still occurs after auto-leveling, this may be due
to a severe unleveling of the platform which exceeds the capability of
the auto-leveling function. In this case, you should perform a coarse

manual leveling before auto-leveling (see next page).

You may also level the platform without using the auto-leveling and

nozzle detection functions. Please refer to Appendix A for details

Coarse Manual Platform Leveling

In the 3D Print - Maintenance window, you
can move the print head to five different
positions on the platform. You can also use
the "To" button to move the print platform to
a particular height

Usually you do not need to adjust the
platform manually. This is only necessary
if the automatic leveling function was
unable to effectively level the platform.

There are three screws under the
platform of the Q300: two screws in the
front and one screw under the platform at
the back. These screws can be fastened
or loosened to adjust the leveling of the
platform.

First move print head to the center of the
platform and move the platform until it is
almost touching the nozzle (e.g. nozzle
height). Use a piece of paper to determine
the correct platform height.

Try to move the paper and feel it drag
between the platform and the nozzle. Make
sure you can feel the similar drag
resistance at all five positions by moving
the print head and adjusting the screws
while the platform height is fixed.

Other Options in the "Maintenance" menu:
Withdraw: The printer will heat up and withdraw filament from the print

head.

New Spool: Tells the software what the current filament type is.

The filament that is being used must match here.

Heat Table 1 hr: Preheat the table for 1 hour.

To Bottom: Move the platform to the bottom.

Set Nozzle Height: Set the current platform height as the nozzle height.

Platform too high;
nozzle is pinning
paper onto
platform. Lower
platform slightly.

Just right. Can
feel some
resistance when
moving paper

Platform too low;
no resistance at
all when moving
paper. Raise
platform slightly

Preparing to Print

and input the filament weight.

Make sure the printer is
switched on and connected to
the computer. Select: Main

Menu - 3D Print ­Maintenance.

Click "New Spool," choose ABS,

Click "Extrude." The print head
will start to heat up, within five
minutes. Its temperature will
reach 260°C, then the printer will
buzz and the print head will start
to extrude.

Gently insert the filament into the
small hole on the print head. The
filament will be fed into the print
head automatically when it
reaches the extruder gear inside
the print head.

Check the nozzle for plastic
extrusion. If plastic is coming out
from the nozzle that means the
filament is loading correctly and the
printer is ready for printing. (The
extrusion will stop automatically.)

Printer Control Buttons

Press & Hold

Double-Click

Single-Click

LED Light Bar

The different colors and behaviors of the Q300 LED light bar
indicate different statuses of the printer.

Pulsating: Printer is switched on, uninitialized

Pulsating: Printer is initialized, ready to print.

Single letter Rotation: Data transfer and printing in
progress.
Pulsating: Paused

Error. If single letter is always on, it may represent the
following errors:
B: Print head Error
U: Motion System Error
I: Print Head Temperature Error
L: Build Platform/Chamber Temperature Error
D: SD Card Error

Software Interface

1. Open: Load a model.

2. Save: Save the model into .UP3, a proprietary 3D file format for UP printers.

3. Unload: Unload the selected model.

4. Print: Print the current model.

5. About: Display software version, printer model, firmware version, etc.

6. View Perspective: Choose from a variety of preset viewing perspectives.

7. Adjustments: Move, Rotate, Scale.

8. Set the value of adjustments.

9. Set the orientation of adjustments.

10. Place: Place the model on the center of the print plate. If more than one model is
the software will optimize their positions and distances to each other.

11. Stop: If connected to printer, clicking this will stop the printing process. (The print cannot be

resumed after stopping!)

loaded,

Loading a Model

print plate.

window.

Click "Open"

Choose your model.

The loaded model
will appear on the

Click "Print" to open
the print preview

Click "OK" to start
printing.
The program will
process the model
and then transfer the
data to the printer.

After sending the data, the
program will suggest the
amount of material and the
time needed for the print in
a pop-up window. At the
same time, the nozzle will
start to heat up. The print
will start automatically.

Annotation of the "Print Preview" Interface:

a. Printer model selection.
b. Nozzle height.
c. Click to enter printer preferences to set printing parameters.
d. If your model is not solid (defective), turn this option on.
e. No raft will be printed if this is turned on. Print bed leveling will be disabled as well.
f. Print Quality: the better the print quality, the slower the print speed.
g. Set the pause height. The printer will pause at indicated heights for changing

filaments.

h. Enables continuous heating of the platform after printing. This shortens the heating

time for consecutive printing and prevents breakage due to rapid cooling in cold
weather.

When printer finishes receiving the data, you can disconnect it from your
computer for untethered printing.

Printing Progress

Printing progress is shown in the LED progress bar above the Q300 letters. The first two red
LEDs represent that the model raft is printing, and the others represent that the rest of the
model is printing.

Pausing a Print

During a print, the machine can be paused
through the "Maintenance" interface.

When the printer is idle, there is a "Table heat
1 hr" button under the "Stop All" button. Press
this button to keep the platform heated for one
hour.

When the printer starts to print, the "Table heat
1 hr" button will disappear. The button will
reappear after the model raft is finished
printing, but the button becomes "Pause Print,"
which indicates that the pause function is now
available. Press this button to pause the print
and the button will become "Resume Print" for
resuming the print.

While the print is paused, the other buttons on
the maintenance interface will become
available. You can change filaments using the
"Withdraw" and "Extrude" buttons or move the
print head and print platform with the location
buttons and the "To" button. Make sure to not
crash the print head into the model.

Pausing a Print without Using the Software

During a print, you can pause the print automatically by opening
the front door. After closing the front door, the print job will not
resume until you double-click the pause button.

Alternatively, during a print, double-clicking
the Pause/Stop button will pause the print.
You can then use the Extrude/Withdraw
button to change filament while paused.
Double-click the Pause/Stop button again to
resume the print

Click the model to select it.

down menu.

Press and hold the Ctrl key,

the "Merge" function in the "Edit" menu.

Click the "Move" button.

Select the distance
value in the drop-

Choose an axial
direction to move
the model in.

Moving a Model

Dragging the model with your mouse on the XY-plane:
then left click and hold on the target model to drag it along the XY-plane.
Dragging the model with your mouse on the Z-axis: Press and hold the Shift key,
then left click and hold the target model to drag it along the Z-axis.
Multiple models can be stacked. They can also be fused into a single model by using

Click the model to select it.

button.

down menu.

button.

Click the "Rotate"

Choose an angle of
rotation in the drop-

Choose an axial
direction to rotate

Rotating a Model

Click the model to
select it.

Click the "Scale"

Choose the scaling
value in the drop­down menu.

Click the "Scale"
button again to apply
the scale change.

Scaling a Model

Click the model to

duplication.

specific model to unload or unload all models.

select it.

Right click the model to
open the menu.

Under “Insert Copy,”
select the number of
copies you want for

The right click menu also contains an "Unload" function. You can either choose a

Duplicating a Model

Printing Parameters

1. Z Resolution:

Set the thickness of each printed

layer. The lower the value, the more details will
be generated.

2. Part:

Angle: Determines the range of dense

support generation.
Surface: Choose how many layers will be
made for the bottom of the model.

3. Support:

Dense: How many layers will be created for

dense support generation.
Space: Set the density of the support
structure. The higher the value, the less
dense the supporting structure becomes.
Area: If the supporting area is less than this
value, no support will be generated. (You can
turn off support by choosing "Only Base.")

4. Stable Support: Generates more stable

support. Using more stable support can make it
more difficult to remove it from the model.

5. Infill: The photo to the left shows the effects of

the four different infill options.

No infill in the
shell mode.

The model will
be printed
without the
bottom and top
layers. Only a
surface with a
single layer’s
thickness will be
made.

Annotation for Printing Parameters

Dense (support)

Dense (support)

Surface

Print Platform

Infill

Support

Dense (support)

Raft

Dense:

Solid support structure ensures that the surface being supported retains its

Support Range:
<30°

shape and surface finish.

Infill: The inner structure of the printed object. The density of the infill can be adjusted.
Raft: The thick structure that assists with the adhesion of the object to the platform.
Surface: The bottom layers of the printed object.

Support Range:
<80°

Repairing a Model

to repair it.

The UP Software features a model repair function that can be used to fix simple model defects.

If the model contains
defective surfaces, the
software will highlight
the surfaces in red.

After selecting the
model, select Edit –
Fix to automatically
repair the model.

The red defective
surfaces will resume a
normal color when
repaired.

If the model cannot be repaired, please use other 3D modeling or mesh modifying tools

Calibration for the Correct Dimensions

Select 3D

Print

–

the calibration panel.

If your printed models are too big, too small, or skewed, you can re-calibrate the printer
to print in the correct dimensions by printing a calibration model, measuring its
dimensions, and sending feedback to the software.

Load and print the
calibration model:

C:\ProgramFiles\UP\Exa

mple\Calibrate96.UP3

Calibrate. This will open

Click "Reset" to revert the
value back to the default.
Make sure the window
ribbon displays:
XY: 0.00Deg / XZ:

0.00Deg.

Manually measure the
printed model as shown
in the calibration window.
Input the measured
values into the software
and finish the calibration.

Printing Techniques

1. Ensure accurate nozzle height. If the nozzle height value is too low, it will cause warping; if it is

too high, it will crash the nozzle into the platform, causing damage and clogging. You can
manually fine-tune the nozzle height value in the "Maintenance" and "Print Preview" panels.
You can try to adjust the nozzle height value plus or minus 0.1–0.2mm from the base on
previous results.

2. Calibrate the printing platform well. An unleveled platform usually causes warping.

3. Allow enough time for sufficient pre-heating. Please use the 3D Print – Preheat function. A

well preheated platform is essential for printing large objects without warping.

4. The airflow direction of the fan on the print head is

adjustable. There is a small lever on the fan duct.
When printing in PLA, turn the lever
counterclockwise to direct the airflow to the nozzle.
This will cool the PLA as soon as it is extruded and
improve print quality. When printing large object
using ABS, turn the lever clockwise to direct the
airflow away from nozzle to slow down the cooling
and to prevent warping. For smaller ABS prints with
which warping is less likely to occur, you can direct
the airflow to the nozzle for a better print quality.

5. Printing with no raft. It is highly recommended to

use raft for normal printing as it improves adhesion
and is required for leveling compensation. It is
turned on by default, but you can turn it off in
the "Print Preview" panel if you desire to.

6. Printing with no support. It is possible to print

without supporting structures. You can turn off
support by choosing "Base Only" in the "Area>"
drop down menu of the "Printing Preference"

panel.

Airflow Adjustment Knob

7. Removing the nozzle. After a long period of printing, the nozzle can become very dirty or even

clogged. You can replace it with a new one while the old one is cleaned for reuse:

1. Use the "Withdraw" function in the "Maintenance" panel. The nozzle will heat up to the

printing temperature.

2. Wear the heat-resistant gloves provided in your printer kit and wipe the nozzle with tissue

or cotton.

3. Unscrew the nozzle using the wrench provided in your printer kit.

4. Remove the clog using any of the many methods to do so, such as drilling through the clog

using a 0.4mm drill bit, submerging the nozzle in acetone, or using a heat gun to melt and

blow away the clog.

Troubleshooting

Problem Solution

1. Initialize the printer.

The printing platform cannot reach the
target temperature or overheats

The filament won’t extrude.

2. The heater cartridge may be broken.
Replace the cartridge

3. The heater cable may be broken.
Replace the cable.

1. Withdraw the filament from the print
head. Cut off the melted tip and reload it
into the print head.

2. There may be plastic clogged in the
nozzle. Replace the nozzle or remove the
clog.

3. The filament may be too thick. This
usually happens when using a filament of
poor quality. Please use UP brand filament
for quality assurance.

4. For some printer models, PLA can
present a consistent issue. Switch to ABS.

My computer won’t detect the printer.

All other problems.

1. Make sure the printer drivers care
installed correctly.

2. Check for and replace a defective USB
cable.

3. Restart both the printer and your
computer.
Contact our technical support at
[e-mail]

Appendix A

Open:

Menu

-

3D Print

-

Platform Calibration

.

move the platform accordingly.

height as the nozzle height.

Initialize the printer.

Fine Manual Calibration

A. Moves the platform up/down:
click and hold the buttons to

B. Displays the current platform
height.

C. Sets the nozzle height: click
this to set the current platform

D. Nine platform calibration point
buttons. After clicking these, the
nozzle will move to the
corresponding positions. The drop­down menu beside the button is
for setting the leveling
compensation values.

1. Setting the Nozzle Height

Put a piece of paper on the platform.

Open the calibration interface and
press the up arrow key. Note the
current height value and stop raising
the platform at about 190.0.

Hit the "5" button to center the nozzle

resistance.

Platform too

high;

slightly

.

Just right. Can feel

Platform too low;

note their platform height values.

on the platform.

Raise the platform until it is just
touching the nozzle. Move the
paper between the nozzle and the
platform to see if there is any

nozzle is pinning
paper onto platform.
Lower platform

When the ideal platform height is
obtained, note the value of the
"Current Height." This is the platform
height value. Repeat steps 1–6 for
all of the other eight positions and

when moving paper

some resistance

no resistance at all

when moving

paper. Raise

platform slightly

When you have obtained the platform

button.

height values for all nine positions,
find the lowest value among the
values.
In this example, the first calibration
point has the lowest value and is thus
the highest point on the platform. The
platform does not need to rise any
higher than the lowest value.

Move the nozzle to the point on the
platform with the lowest platform
height value as determined in Step 7
and click the "Set Nozzle Height"

2. Setting the Compensation Values

As shown on the left, when the
platform is at the "nozzle height," only
part of the platform is close enough to
the nozzle. Therefore, you need to
set the compensation values for all of
the other calibration points to inform
the printer about the distance
between the nozzle and the print
surface throughout the XY plane.

After setting the nozzle height, the drop-down menu next to the nine position buttons
will be available. A compensation value between 0–1.0mm will be available for
selection.

To calculate the compensation value:

Platform Height - Nozzle Height = Compensation Value

For example: setting the
compensation value for calibration
point 3. Assume the "platform
height" is 208.7 and the "nozzle
height" is 208. The compensation
value should be set to 0.7.

After setting 0.7 in the drop-down
menu, the nozzle will move to point
3 and the platform will rise 0.7mm.
Now use the paper again to verify
the compensation value.

After setting all calibration points,
click "Appy/Save Current Values"
to finish the calibration.