printrbot lcd panel manufacturer

Printrbot is a 3D printer company created by Brook Drumm in 2011 and originally funded through Kickstarter. Printrbot printers use fused deposition modelling to manufacture 3-dimensional artifacts. Printrbot closed shop in 2018, noting "low sales".

Models are printed by depositing molten ABS or PLA plastic filament onto a hotbed from a print head which moves about the X and Z axes using stepper-motors, guided by metal threaded rods.USB interface using specialized software such Repetier-Host (recommended by the manufacturer for use with newer printers) or Pronterface (recommended by the manufacturer at the time of Printrbot"s initial launch).

Printrbot models can print in ABS or PLA plastic filament which can be purchased from the official store or other sources.Nylon, Ninjaflex, and Carbon fiber-reinforced PLA.

All Printrbots are controlled by nearly similar open source circuit boards called Printrboards. The Printrboard has experienced several revisions and is identified by revision letters printed on them. For example, the most recent official revision of the Printrboard is Rev F, which can be purchased separately. The Printrboard can have many types of firmware loaded on it, but they are sold with an open-source firmware from the RepRap Project called Marlin. The printer is controlled through a USB interface.

Printrbot does not come with any software and the official getting started guide recommends using the freeware program Cura 1.5 with Pronterface to interface with the printer. A freeware program with 3D visualization called Repetier-Host is also used.

The Printrbot interprets G-code produced by a computer program called a slicer, turning commands into outputs for four stepper motors, heated bed and extruder outputs, and a cooling fan port.

Import 3D models (oftentimes STL files from Thingiverse or user created in apps like Autodesk Fusion 360). The user can rotate and scale the 3D model to fit the virtual print bed. They can then convert the 3D model into G-Code that the printrbot can understand.

I actually got it! The LCD screen works great! Now I just need to design and 3D print a housing mount for it (that"s the easy part). The following website helped me out a bunch:

The site above had a pretty good walk through on how to install it, pins and all. However, for troubleshooting, I enjoy YouTube screen casts because of the visual aspects it provides; so, and I may decide to make a video that walks the user through the process step by step. You were right, thankfully I did not need to flash the firmware, the printrboard was good to go. You are also correct about he SD connector, they do wear out. The good news is that my school where I work is less than 15 minutes away from printrbot headquarters; so, if something serious breaks down I can drive on over there. They have a new option on their website called the "bot spa" treatment where they tune up and work on printers. To help with the SD card problem, I actually ordered these adapters below (see link) to help ease the wear and tear on them and just utilize a standard USB cable.

If printrbot does not create a wireless method to print, I will definitely be upgrading to octoprint here soon. I hear nothing but good things about it. I follow the printrbot forums and I notice you help out alot! That"s awesome, thanks again for your help!

In order to print with the Printrbot Simple Metal you have to connect your computer with your printer via USB and make sure that the computer continuously sends data to the printer. If your computer crashes, your printer stops and your maybe long hour print is a piece of chunk. If your computer goes into stand by the result is the same. And there are various other reasons like energy consumption. The way to go is untethered printing.

The Printrbot Simple Metal is capable of that in two ways, both of them require a Mini-SD card inserted into the printer. The first way is to write the G-Codes generated by your Slicer, typically Repetier Host and Slicr to the SD-Card. Name it auto0.gcode, insert the card into the printer. Shut it down and on again. The printer should now start to print. But you will not know if it works for a couple of minutes as it’s first heating up. Nothing moves, etc. I tried that a couple of times and found the procedure to be very annoying.

Your Printrbot is already capable of displaying a nice LCD-Menu with all kinds of options and the option to browse the SD-card and run any print from it untethered from your PC. All that is needed is a Standard 20×4 LCD Display and a rotary encoder. A rotary encoder is a special kind of input sensor that sends signals when it is rotated.

Printrbot sells these LCDs for $65 in their store. But they still have that wood look. It does not match the Metals Design. And, as I am living in Germany you will have to wait a few days for it to arrive and you will likely have some issues regarding customs. I did not found a german distributor a few weeks ago so I wanted to built my own. A few days ago I have found 3ddinge.de selling the LCD Controller in Germany for €70. That’s a lot of money and by doing it yourself you will end up with 30-40 Euros for the LCD Controller.

As said before the Printrbot has everything built in. There is an expansion slot (Exp2) with 14 pins that allows for connecting the PCB that hosts the LCD Display and the rotary encoder. I have found an excellent resource: Ricks Blog. Rick explains the pinout of the Expension slot and has created his own PCB. Instead of building my own PCB, I just used Ricks PCB Layout he provides and sent them to Smart Prototyping for manufacturing. I received the PCBs 3 weeks later. In the meantime I ordered the BOM. Rick provides everything in his blog but just a quick tip to resistor R1 which will depend on the LCD display you want to use: Adafruit has a very detailed explanation of how to calculate the correct value for the Resistor: Adafruits 20×4 LCD Character Tutorial.

Find a nice LCD 20×4 HD44780 Display. There are a lot of different colors available. Adafruit sells them for example. I opted for a nice White on Blue Display.

The Printrboard electronic set was designed by members of the Printrbot team in order to eliminate the production and functionality shortcomings of older RepRap electronics sets. Printrboard improves upon the previous production-grade electronics set (Gen6) by adding heatbed and SD card support, reverting to 1/16 microstepping Allegro stepper drivers, and improving connectivity reliability and reducing cost by elimination of the FTDI UART chip. Printrboard also has expansion headers supporting I2C, SPI, UART, and ADC pins. All extra I/O ports of the AT90USB have been broken out to headers for prototyping and expansion.

Note: PrintrBot Simple Metal Plus swaps phases 1 and 2, and their polarities, on the X-axis, by attaching the crimp housing and wires with its ends swapped. Alternatively, if the crimp housing is attached with the same orientation as the other axes, wires from either phase (but not both) can be swapped to achieve the same effect.

Signal Input from sensor (for induction sensors like Printrbot"s auto-level sensor, this will be +5 or +12V, depending on jumper selection, when triggered)

RevB [February 2012]: First release to manufacturing (RTM), built for first batch of Printrbots. Each stepper driver IC utilizes an SMT solder jumper, MS-X, MS-Y, MS-Z, MS-E to set the microstepping ratio. These jumpers are manually soldered in production and will be eliminated in future batches.

RevC [April 2012]: (Non-Printrbot Release) Fixed manufacturability of SMT solder jumpers, MS-X, MS-Y, MS-Z, MS-E. Fixed "printrbot" logo on bottom silkscreen.

The Printrbot Simple Metal is a very simple 3D printer with not much to offer. Despite its price tag, it’s still not fast enough to meet today’s standards.

Today, we’re talking about the Printrbot Simple, sometimes called the Simple Metal. Despite being superseded by the Simple Pro, this remains an excellent way to get started. We’ll be looking for its strengths and weaknesses so you can decide if it’s the right printer for your needs.

It doesn’t actually come with any printing software, however, Printrbot recommends using Cura. As this is available for free online, it’s not a major issue. This software is compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux, so there aren’t any limits on the computers you can print from.

This model performs admirably given its low price. That said, because the upgraded version costs about the same and includes an LCD screen, there’s really no reason to opt for the original. There’s even a heated bed variant of the Pro version, although it costs around $100 extra.

As Printrbot don’t offer phone support, you’re limited to either asking for help on the forums or sending them an email explaining your problem. This is a little underwhelming: even though the products don’t cost all that much, you’d still expect some assistance from the manufacturer if you run into trouble.

This was made to house a printrbot LCD screen with encoder wheel and mount to a laser-cut opening. I updated it by making slightly larger openings and now fits perfectly. This was designed in inches and will need to be scaled to 25.4 if you use mm. ...I...

I"ve moved my designs over to www.youmagine.com All updates will be posted on that site https://www.youmagine.com/designs/printrbot-lcd-housing-and-knob-for-simple-metal

I liked the Idea of the LCD screen mount for the reprap style LCD, however it was too large for a printrbot simple to print. So I split it into two pieces with a jigsaw puzzle style connector. The second addition was the inclusion of the wrap around...

An LCD mount for the printrbot play that sits underneath the print bed for space efficiency. Note: This does not work with the LCD provided by Printrbot as of yet. And it may not. As I don"t have one, it would be difficult to redesign for one. ...

Here is a little case I designed for the Printrbot LCDv1. Did not like the ones out there as they were too hard to print. This is very easy to print. I wanted something I could clip to my new Printrobot Metal Plus so I made holes on the back for...

This system does the following; Raises the printer on legs to help stability and give extra room for cabling (such as the extended ATX power supply jacks) Provides an interlocking, flush mounted LCD housing for standard RepRapDiscount 20x4 LCD...

Please note this is not for the printrbot LCD screen that used to on the printrbot"s website for purchase. Also, the .stl file needs to be scaled 10x times larger in order for it to be the correct scale. ...For a detailed explanation on how to install...

A simple tight fitting bracket that holds an easy to find ~$20 RepRap LCD 2004 Module to the upper tower spool holder of a Printrbot Simple with either the XL upgrade or the tower upgrade instead of the $65 addon lcd screen.

If you have the most recent Printrbot LCD kit (with the wooden enclosure) and a Printrbot Simple with a tower (standard or tall) this will allow you to mount your LCD on the outside of the tower; it retains the two wooden faceplates, but replaces the...

This is an ok version to hold the lcd panel. You still need to modify it a bit with a dremel tool. ... I will update this later with a better version.

This is a desk mount for a 20x4 generic lcd screen with seperate encoder used on a Printrbot maker"s kit (1405) The Knob is http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:517242 Instructions Printed in PLA with 20% infill The mount is my design, however i forgot...

THIS BEZEL WILL NOT FIT THE OFFICIAL PRINTRBOT LCD Instructions Manufacture the board as laid out. Build with all components on the back of the board except the rotary encoder and LCD. Attach Standard 20x4 LCD directly to the base board with...

Please note this is not for the printrbot LCD screen that used to on the printrbot"s website for purchase. Also, the .stl file needs to be scaled 10x times larger in order for it to be the correct scale. ... For a detailed explanation on how to...

This is a remixed version of https://www.youmagine.com/designs/printrbot-lcd-v2-case It is remixed to be used with http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:403555 I also cleaned up the inside for a better fit for the lcd assembly. I have also included my...

I can send you .stl file if you want stelmo@pyramidpower.co.za Instructions Measured out actual printrbot LCD panel then cut on laser. After few iterations the fit was excellent. ...Also made spacer frame to space LCD.

Printrbot LCD v2 mount with 3 auxiliary switch holes with diameter of 0.5 in or 12.7 mm.The case has an open back design for easy access of the cables and has for 4 mounting points for the LCD with an interference fit so that a 6-32 or 3 mm machine...

Printrbot Simple Metal stability feet and lcd mounting if you have the x axis upgrade you can print these flat if not you will need to turn them at a 45 degree angle on the z axis and they will print with supports. you need supports either way for...

Bracket for a cheap (Chinese) Geeetech Ramps 1.4 LCD controller to mount it on the Printrbot Play (http://www.geeetech.com/reprap-ramps-v14-smart-2004-lcd-controller-with-adapter-p-615.html) Please note there is also an official Printrbot LCD...

The many cases and mounts for the standard LCD display, are too big to be printed on the metal simples 150mm bed, which is not surprising since the physical size of the board (Sain Smart version) is 150mm wide. So I created this mount plate with four...

I have left the link here in case the wayback machine archived it...( http://help.printrbot.com/Answers/View/9702/What+LCDs+work+with+the+Printrboard+Rev.+D#answer9885 ) Basic board build can be seen on my blog - AT THIS LINK (Yes, that is a wayback...

... flat bed and a 0.3 mm nozzle using the Ubis 13s hotend. I have also included the front LCD cover from the original project so that it can all be found in one place, though it may still need some slight work to shorten it to fit with the new design.

Here is a little case I designed for the Printrbot LCDv1. Did not like the ones out there as they were too hard to print. This is very easy to print. I wanted something I could clip to my new Printrobot Metal Plus so I made holes on the back for...

A case for a QAPASS LCD Display With Funduino LCM1602. I designed it in Autodesk Inventor, and included the .ipt file with the upload as well. it is designed to allow for a more stylish front reading view, as well as a flat back for easier mounting.

I was unhappy with the standard printed case that Printrbot suggests for the LCD v2 (with card reader). Moving my metal simple with hits heated bed, associated big power supply and the non-attached LCD screen was just ridiculous. Buying an...

Case for an Arduino LCD display (only the backpack version). Print in white or black color(PLA), connect with screws and nuts. No supports required. ...0,2 mm quality(will take a long time to print)

A case for a 7" LCD display (destined for the trashcan) with a cheap (chinese) controller board. This started as a test whether the board actually worked with this type of display, and additionally if i could fit all parts in a minimal case. The...

Here you can find a design of a display housing. ...The housing was constructed for 1602 2x16 lcd displays which can be used for arduino and raspberry pi. Print instructionsI printed it with pla-filament. Temperatur: 210 Infill 15% Layer Height 0.15

HDMI/VGA/2AV+Reversing Driver board + 7inch AT070TN90 800*480 lcd display for sale on ebay.http://www.ebay.com/itm/HDMI-VGA-2AV-Reversing-Driver-board-7inch-AT070TN90-800-480-lcd-display-/180974436891 My printer has a small envelope so I cut the...

... (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3293019). ... This case is compatible to mount my Pi-case via snap on.. I tested the case with this 7" LCD (https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/bhrkXZtX) I bought, but will also fit other displays of the same size.

This is a display case for a 20x4 i2c LCD display with a FT232h USB breakout board. With some basic programming you can use this to put notification messages from your computer on a separate display, or to display messages from a Pi or Arduino. I...

This case is big enough to hold an Arduino Mega board, 2 shields, a 2x16 character LCD display, and a 9v Battery. ...I"ve designed it to enclose a recifal aquarium monitor system, using a GSM shield and a custom shield (open sourced here:...

... IC and protecting the contrast pot some. Instructions The 2 halves are not fastened strongly together; just the case friction and the LCD pins. Use tape for more holding power. ... Screw holes and bosses would require a larger overall case size.

A case for the Smart LCD 2004 Controller with SD-Slot Cable can be disconnected without opening the case. The display can be bolted to the case with little wood screw. The case is stiff, so there are no screws necessary for the front mount. ...Hole at...

Designed for Waveshare capacitive 5Inch display -→ https://www.waveshare.com/product/raspberry-pi/displays/lcd-oled/5inch-dsi-lcd.htm Mounts to 30x30 T-Slot ProfileScreen is fixed by case front clipping to case back. Additional bolts to hold...

Printrbot founder and CEO, Brook Drumm apparently foresaw the demand for these larger-than-normal 3D printers begin to gain traction over a year ago. Back in June, we reported that he had been working on creating a larger than normal 3D printer. He had built it for a company called 11dy as a trade for photography work that they did for him. While we had a feeling that Drumm had something up his sleeve, more so than just creating a one-off design for a client, Drumm never mentioned anything about mass manufacturing these machines at that time. Things changed yesterday though, when the Printrbot Pro was officially unveiled.

“I have wrestled with this monster for over a year,” explained Drumm. “I buil[t] 5 prototypes from scratch and hated them all. The last one was too ambitious with servos and ballscrews… That last one printed beautifully after, oh, SO much work, but I tore it down the next day and went back to the drawing board, hacking together a totally new design in a couple days from spare parts lying around. The Printrbot Pro is aimed at those who want a very large build volume but don’t want to pay the big bucks for other options out there. “

Drumm also made two more announcements. He unveiled a Printrbot CNC router called the “Crawlbot”, which will have the ability to cut objects 4’x 8′ in dimensions, and announced that the Printrbot Play has gone on sale today for just $399, completely assembled. Orders for the Play can be placed now, and shipping will commence on June 1st.

The Printrbot Play is constructed of metal and features the all new Alu Extruder v2 as well. It is targeted toward beginners, kids and “enthusiasts”, and it has the following specifications:

Without a doubt, these two new printers and the CNC router will all bring Printrbot even more satisfied customers. Drumm has quickly built his company up from a Kickstarter baby into one of the more popular desktop 3D printer manufacturers in the world. His customers are usually extremely happy because his machines are built with such high quality.

Several years ago, I purchased a Printrbot Metal Plus with a dual extruder option and the LCD attachment/accessory. Printrbot has now gone out of business, and the USB connection isn"t working very well for reasons I"m not quite sure of (It has native USB that emulates a UART connection to a computer, but it hasn"t connected to Cura since a few months after I bought it, not that I really noticed at the time).

My problem is that, due to the extra controller board for the second print head and due to the LCD being installed, I am not sure if the hardware UART (there"s supposed to be one somewhere, but it wasn"t well broken-out since the controller uses USB instead) is being used or is available right now.

Materials PLA; heated bed allows for ABS. Tested with supplied Printrbot PLA, Proto-pasta carbon fiber, Taulman t-glase, SainSmart wood PLA, Taulman flexible PCTPE

Following the metal-framed makeover of its smaller simple sibling, the Printrbot Metal Plus transitions from a laser-cut wood frame to a new, beautiful powder-coated metal housing. The sturdy frame offers a number of upgrades over the previous generation, getting great results in our tests. It holds a z-axis that’s been beefed up from the last model, and both the x- and y-axes are now running on linear rails and carts, giving the printer very smooth movement. Our unit shipped with the ceramic Ubis hot end and the aluminum extruder, as well as an aluminum build plate and heated bed that were quite responsive and quick to heat up thanks to the use of the standard ATX power supply. The pre-applied Kapton tape worked great with the flexible filament we tried, although for most of the tests we went with the commonly used blue painter’s tape.

Our testing wasn’t entirely problem-free, but the issues we experienced using an early machine have already been fixed in the production models along with a few other additions. Both the single and double extruder versions have heated beds, with the associated heat shielding to prevent binding due to expansion. Wiring fatigue has been reduced with a Delrin extension on the x-carriage that allows for better strain relief for the harness. We took the issues we did encounter as a chance to get inside the machine, letting us see what future maintenance and upgrades will require. The machine is laid out in a fairly straightforward manner and the wiring was easy to follow. While a machine of this size is far from simple, it is well within the wheelhouse of an average Maker, thanks to the mechanical diagrams and assembly instructions available online. This is good news for those looking to add an LCD panel, or even an extra cooling fan for the electronics, both of which already have the necessary access points built right into the base.

The Metal Plus delivers exactly what one would expect from Printrbot: a solid, robust package at a comparatively affordable price. It has a large print bed, performs well out of the box, and can be adapted by advanced users for more exotic purposes. Really, this printer could fit into almost any user category: educators, artists, and designers, those looking to get started with a bit more capable machine, or those looking to add a larger workhorse to their stable.

Printrbot Crawlbot lives. It’s big and it’s small. A Cnc router that cuts 4x8′ material, yet occupies a small footprint in your garage. CAD/CAM software included.

That"s right, Printrbot makes software, thanks to Mick and Sean - the two newest members of the Printrbot family. Mick is the coder / maker in the pic.

Fork of the PrintrBot Firmware to work with RAMPS, it was tested with RAMPS 1.4 - Arduino Mega (Chinese, very much Chinese) - Drivers DRV 8825 - PrintrBot Power Supply . I haven"t test the LCD Smart display that you will find in the description Below, Work in Progress.

In the file "configuration.h" you will find between line 306 and 336 all settings for PrintBot Model available at the time of publish except the new PrintrBot Simple, AND by the way is not SIMPLE at all... Just saying...

ELEGOO"s Saturn 2 8K is equipped with a gorgeous 8K 10-inch mono LCD screen, which the company has jointly developed with Innolux, a subsidiary of the industry-leading Foxconn Technology Group, a professional TFT-LCD panel manufacturer and a supplier of the Apple company. Measuring 51.5% larger than the Mars series" 6.6-inch screen, the Saturn 2 8K"s screen delivers even more clarity and precision for 3D printing tasks. Plus, with a screen resolution reaching 7680*4320 pixels, Saturn 2 8K is more than capable of reproducing the exquisite details needed for realistic 3D models.

ELEGOO also released new iterations of highly popular products in its portfolio. A step up from the popular Neptune 2, the Neptune 3 printer is priced at $209.99, making it the most affordable option among 3D printers with features of RSG (Resistance Strain Gauge) Auto Leveling System, Filament Runout/Clog Detector and taking less than 10 minutes to install. In tandem, ELEGOO has launched its new Mars 3 Pro LCD Printer and Mercury XS Bundle Clean and Cure machine, priced at $300 and $180 respectively — making them highly cost-effective 3D printing products.

This 3D printer is the Printrbot Simple Pro (model 1608). It is the newest version of the “Simple” printer from Printrbot, and is priced in the mid-range among the other 3D printers offered by Printrbot.

For the Printrbot Simple Pro, a resolution of 50 microns is listed on the Printrbot website, which seems to match the resolution I have observed after a few test prints.

The Printrbot website still lists the speed as TBA (to be announced), but other users have measured approximately 100mm/s (millimeters per second of filament).

The auto-leveling for this printer works great, and couldn’t be simpler. When taping the print button on the LCD touchscreen display, the extruder first aligns itself to the middle and heats up.

One of the great things about this Printrbot Simple Pro is that it can print with flexible rubber like filament, so printing a timing belt will be one of the things that I try in the future, to see if I can print replacements.

Opening the box, we are greeted with a sheet of paper that first says “to get started visit printerbot.com/simplepro” (this URL redirects to http://printrbot.com/project/2016simple/).

The following steps are the instructions I followed for the pre-assembled Printrbot Simple Pro. I am including additional steps if you purchased the heated print bed, indicated with [OPTIONAL HEATED BED STEP] after the step number.

According to the Printrbot instruction videos: printing directly onto the heating board with the calibration too low could cause the extruder nozzle to cut into the heating board, cutting or shorting the copper heating elements.

16) [OPTIONAL HEATED BED STEP] Gently thread the wires into the hole on the right side of the Printrbot Simple Pro base assembly, located just above the USB port. Guide part of the braided wire wrap into the hole, and secure the rubber grommet into the hole so that it sticks around the inside of the hole. The rubber grommet protects the braided wire wrapping and wires from the potentially sharp edge of the metal hole.

21) Position the print bed assembly on the base, making sure print bed is aligned correctly with the motor back to the LCD screen and the motor axis towards the electronics boards. There is a plate under the print bed assembly that the X motor is attached to. This plate is rectangular and has four screw holes. It should be positioned so that the X motor hangs inside the base assembly, and the screw holes line up with the mount holes on the base assembly.

Note: If you purchase the build kit that is not pre-assembled, then there will be a much longer set of build instructions, which can be found in detail on the website. In addition, there are several videos of build instructions available from the YouTube 3D printer community. Including the full build instructions in this review would detract from the main purpose of reviewing the printer, so instructions for the full assembly can be found on the website. I will note that the instructions for the full assembly seem to be missing a few steps, and could use some additional polishing. One step that is missing from the full assembly instructions is the step for connecting the LCD display to the power board. The full assembly instructions should also include additional detail for properly aligning the print bed, axes, and extruder gears, as this seems to be very tricky with the un-assembled kit.

36) Locate and tap the settings icon (looks like three stacked lines, similar to android style menu icons). The settings icon should be in the bottom left corner of the LCD screen, once the OS boot completes.

49) As suggested by the instructions on the Printrbot website, for the first print, keep your “finger on the trigger”, meaning keep your finger near the on/off toggle switch in the rear of the base assembly. This is in case the extruder nozzle is too close to the print bed. If it is too close you will see the print bed tape being torn by the extruder nozzle, and you will likely hear a clicking noise from the extruder since the filament cannot flow. In this case you should immediately flip the toggle switch into the off position. For image examples of what too close and too far from the print bed would look like, see the getting started page on the website at the URL: http://printrbot.com/project/2016simple/

50) Before the Printrbot Simple Pro begins to print the project, you will notice two additional and automatic steps: First) the printer will align the nozzle and auto leveling sensor on three positions, for automatic leveling of the print bed, and Second) the printer will print an initial test line of material at the front of the print bed, as part of the alignment.

If during the first test print above the nozzle tore the blue print bed tape, then you need to calibrate the extruder nozzle, called by the LCD the “Hotend Offset”:

61) Repeat the calibration until the bottom most layer of the First Test Print prints just right. Again, see the images on the web site getting started guide to determine if the first layer of the test print is too low, too high, or just right: http://printrbot.com/project/2016simple/

The Printrbot Simple Pro comes with an LCD touch screen display. The GUI (graphical user interface) for the LCD was designed specifically to work with the Printrbot.cloud web based software. The intention is that you connect via Wi-Fi to the internet, download projects, and the Printrbot.cloud online software handles all of the processing of slices for your 3D model. This actually works great! The interface is slick and simple.

Things get a bit more difficult if you intend to design your own 3D models, as you then have to create a new project on Printrbot.cloud, upload the design to the new project, and then download it to your Printrbot Simple Pro via Wi-Fi. Instructions for creating an account, creating projects, and downloading to the printer can be found on the getting started page at http://printrbot.com/project/2016simple/. I will include WiFi connection instructions below in the section titled Connectivity, because the method is a bit complicated if you have never connected a device to WiFi in this way before.

If you do not have WiFi, or want to use your own computer to handle the processing of the slices for the 3D print model, you can do that by connecting the Printrbot Simple Pro to your computer by USB cable (USB A to USB B). The website and documentation indicate that this Printrbot is compatible with the Cura 2 software, and I’m sure with some additional configuration it can be used with other software as well. This definitely seems to speed things up if you have a slower WiFi connection, and reduces the number of times that you need to be present to intervene or take action during the print process.

I have read that some users of this Printrbot Simple Pro have taken the base assembly apart in order to gain access to the SD card in the back of the LCD screen. With this SD card you can apparently pre-load models to the SD card, and then skip the steps of having to connect to WiFi or USB. This however would likely take at least as long as the WiFi or USB method, likely longer due to disassembly and reassembly. I would think this would only be a good idea if you did not have a USB cable, had no WiFi, or were taking your Printrbot Simple Pro with you to your local maker space or somewhere else for a demonstration or other purpose.

Probably the main improvement with the Printrbot Simple Pro over the previous model is the addition of WiFi connectivity with the LCD touch screen. This definitely reduces the number of steps to some degree, can be confusing if you have never connect to a device using this type of method before. The included instructions on the Printrbot website are linked here: http://printrbot.com/project/2016simple/#wifi

For this setup, there are two location you need to be for various steps: in front of your computer, and in front of your Printrbot. For the purpose of these instructions below, I am indicating the location after the step number as follows: (Printrbot) indicates you need to be at the Printrbot Simple Pro, and (Computer) indicates you need to be at your computer.

2) (Computer) Connect your computer to the WiFi network with the SSID of “printrbot”. This network will be on the 2.4 Ghz WiFi frequency, so all computers with WiFi should connect without trouble. There should be no security on this printrbot WiFi network.

14) (Computer) Login to printrbot.cloud (If you need to setup an account, do so first, using the serial number from the WiFi screen on the Printrbot).

15) (Computer) Once you are logged into printrbot.cloud for the first time, there should be a large yellow notice at the top of the first page with a message informing you that you have no printers connected. Click “Add new printer” in this Yellow box, and then enter your printer name and IP address from the Printrbot WiFi screen. If you have configured a password for your Printrbot, enter that on this screen as well. Finally click the “Save” button.

16) (Computer) If you have multiple printers, or already have a printer setup and need to edit it or add a new printer, you can see the printers listed in a drop down box in the top right of the printrbot.cloud site (after logging in). Click the printer name to get the drop down printer menu, then either click “Edit” under the printer you need to change, or click “Add new printer”.

17) (Computer) If your printrbot.cloud account and your Printrbot Simple Pro are successfully connected, you will see the name of your Printrbot Simple Pro in the upper right corner of your printrbot.cloud account dashboard as well as a green indicator box next to the printer name.

One thing to note that I have read from just about every user, as well as on the Printrbot website: If your printer indicates that it is updating its firmware, DO NOT TURN THE PRINTER OFF WHILE UPDATING. Turning the printer off while it is updating firmware will corrupt the software. Fixing this is relatively simple: take apart the base assembly and removing the SD card from the LCD board to replace the broken files manually from your computer. It is best to avoid having to do this if you can. There is a firmware update feature that you can conduct manually either via WiFi or USB, and instructions for this can be found on the Printrbot website.

Another thing to note is that the Printrbot website indicates that printrbot.cloud does not currently support heated bed printing. If you have the heated bed, you will need to print via USB, or apparently you can send G-code through the cloud. More information about those print methods are provided on the Printrbot support pages.

The first full print that I conducted produced a high print quality, with only a few minor imperfections near the bottom. Adjusting the calibration of the hotend offset (or nozzle height) seems to have nearly fixed this. As with all 3D printers, there is a minor striped line pattern along the edges of the print. Depending on the print material, you can smooth this either with a fine grit sand paper, or using an acetone vapor bath. The prints I have produced so far from the Printrbot Simple Pro do not in my opinion require this, as the resolution is quite high and the quality is what I would consider nice. The acetone bath or sanding method is really only needed for parts that are meant to be added to products with parts made with other material, such as blending in with metal or cloth parts. The print quality has actually improved after a few prints, leading to some great quality and functional pieces.

I have not needed to do any real troubleshooting, but there is a page on the Printrbot website with suggestions and troubleshooting guides here: https://printrbot.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/sections/203324566-Simple-Pro-Troubleshooting

You can also submit a support request if you have questions that you cannot find answers to at the Printrbot support page here: https://printrbot.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

Now that you know a bit more about how 3D printing works, and what the current technology limitations are, I must say that the 3D print quality of the models produced with the Printrbot Simple Pro are quite good! Very little support material if any is needed for objects that have air between the print bed surface and parts of the printed object. There are also very few examples of excess material glitches such as strings, filament hairs, or flecks needing to be removed. Similar, I have so far seen very few notable print glitches or burrs on any of the several prints I have completed. Specifically, only two of my nearly 30 prints had any noticeable burrs, and only about 8 had a few filament hairs in tight corners needing removal.

The Printrbot Simple Metal Pro is one of the best 3D Printers currently on the market for its price. This printer is great for those who want to start out with a 3D printer and want to get going on more advanced projects immedaitely, or for those that also have been toying with the idea of upgrading to something better. We hope you enjoyed our Printrbot Metal Simple Review. If you have anything you’d like to add, feel free to do so in the comments below.