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Ok so I just opened up my new M3D. I have not printed yet. I have followed the (terrible) instructions - which I figured out has much misinformation. One of the pieces of misinformation is that a model is preloaded as the suggested first print. Well it is not there. I am aware of and have downloaded the 6 files from M3D downloads section, the capital, spool holder, etc but have no idea what the suggested first print was suppose to be.

What should be my first print? Is there a calbration or test print that has some other usefullness?

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You could print out a marvin. Alot of hubs here do that and then are able to compare them and print settings to optimise their process. Good luck :wink:

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There is a boat that a lot of people use but I’d just dive straight in and print something you want.

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The printer is calibrated in the factory so you should be able to print anything just fine right from the start. Check out Thingiverse for ideas.

However I’d recommend do start with something small first, so if things go wrong you won’t have lost much.

5

Hi there,

Congrats on your new M3D. I have one and for the first print I did spool holder (two parts) but do it in PLA since ABS is a bit tricky.

Hope it will serve you well.

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I would start with something relatively small and simple. Use PLA to get going as it is more cooperative than ABS!

Marvin is a good idea to get settings tuned but I wouldn’t start with him since he is a bit tricky. I mean go ahead but know he may not come out great but it is ok!

Don’t set your self up for failure and frustration right out of the gate!!!

Print a calibration cube. Boring but useful. Check out thingiverse.com for models and remember that a lot of the models on there may need to be “fixed” which is run through a program to correct errors.

3D printing is really something that needs patients.

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I used PLA and printed the Capital building at 50% size.

Speaking of a spool holder, why the heck does the M3D not include an external one! I downloaded the official M3D one-piece spool holder model at Welcome - Crane Documentation but when I open it on the M3D software, it is too large to print! I know I could resize it, but then I dont know if it would be the correct size.

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Thanks.

I have printed something now, but I was wondering if there is a “standard” marvin that is used for these comparisions? where would I get it?

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Thanks. Althought I knew about thingaverse, I was not aware of calibration cubes till now.

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You can find the Marvin model on Thingiverse, here :slight_smile:

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If you advance to settings and calibration, open tab advanced calibrate bed location. Then personally I would choose the capital as a test print to show detail and support material.

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Your first print should be a spool holder. Don’t use the internal feed at all. M3D recommends one on their site http://printm3d.com/3dmodels/m3d-3d-models

it will not stick to the bed very well unless the ambient temperature in the printer area is on the high side. You can try this holder alternatively http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:705345

The printer should be reasonably in calibration fresh out of the box.

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if you have any extra time on your hands you should check out makers muse the YouTube channel he has a play list called 3D printing 101. This will help you understand 3D printing terms such as infil and layer height.

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I had the exact same thoughts