User's Manual
2 ACRONYMSANDABBRE VIATIONS
STL STereoLithography is the common file format used for sharing and printing 3d files
Additive Fabrication The technical term used for the more user-friendly term of 3D printing.
ABS Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene. This is a lightweight thermoplastic with resistance to
high heat and is the most common plastic used in 3d printing. A strong and generally
easy material to print with, but printing large parts can warp.
PLA Polylactic Acid is a biodegradable material derived from corn. Unlike ABS it warps less
but support removal can be harder. A great material to obtain low cost steel parts by
sending the PLA printed part to a foundry to use investment casting / lost wax casting.
Raft The printer lays down a foundation before it starts print the model. The raft is used to
anchor the model down onto and into the perfboard. During the printing of the raft, any
unevenness in the leveling of the platform is correct during the raft.
Perfboard A reusable and removal build platform that the model is printed onto. (included)
Shell The external layers of the printed part, much like an egg shell.
Infill The internal honeycomb structure that gives the part strength
Smart Support The Afinia software automatically generates the required supports / scaffold to support
any overhangs of the model during printing. Much like building a bridge over water and
having scaffolding to support it.
MEM Melted Extrusion Melting, the process of melting plastic and 3d printing. Much like a
hot glue gun on steroids.
Wind Barrier A small flap at the bottom of the print head that controls the air flow onto or away from
the nozzle. Cool air blowing over the nozzle, cools the molten plastic quickly and can
cause: weaker parts, better print quality and warping
Warping When a part lifts away from the platform. Caused by the uneven cooling of the part
during printing as the material shrinks back to its normal state. All materials expand
when heated and shrink when cooled. Molten plastic as it is printed is in an expanded
state, as the part cools it contracts. The larger the part the worse the effect and ABS is
more prone to warping where PLA does not warp as much.
Air Printing When the printer is moving and acting as if it is printing, but nothing is being extruded
out of the nozzle. Check the trouble shooting section for help.