Witbox User Manual Witbox
User Manual Witbox English Welcome Thank you for choosing bq. This manual will help you use your new 3D printer correctly. Welcome to the world of Witbox! How to use this manual To ensure you use your Witbox correctly, read this manual carefully before using your printer for the first time. These instructions are based on the factory settings for the device. The images of the device shown in this manual are not binding and may be subject to change.
User Manual Witbox English CONTENTS 6 Introduction 6 What is a 3D printer? 6 Online resources for the Witbox 7 Getting started 7 Box contents 10 Basic glossary 12 Unpacking your Witbox 13 Attaching the side panels 14 Attaching the top panel 14 Attaching the print base 15 Attaching the spool and support 16 Connecting the power cable 17 Setting up 17 Control panel Home screen 18 Main menu 18 Print from SD menu 19 Control menu 21 Preparing the print base 21 Levelling the print base 24 The importance of adhe
User Manual Witbox English 28 Unloading the filament 29 Options during printing 29 How to change the filament during printing 31 Printing with the Cura program 31 What is Cura? 31 Installing and configuring the program 31 31 31 32 32 35 35 36 37 37 38 38 39 39 41 42 Compatible operating systems Minimum/recommended hardware requirements Compatible file types Downloading and installing the software Configuring the software Working with Cura Main Cura interface Mouse controls Printing an object Loading t
User Manual Witbox English 64 How to package your Witbox for transportation 73 Safety precautions 75 Technical specifications 77 Correctly disposing of the product 78 Declaration of compliance 5
User Manual Witbox English INTRODUCTION What is a 3D printer? A 3D printer (see fig. 1.1) is a device that is able to create solid three-dimensional objects using a design produced on a computer. Currently, there are various technologies that make this possible. Your bq Witbox uses the method known as Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), which builds objects by adding one layer of melted polymer filament on top of another until the item has been completed. Figure 1.
User Manual Witbox English GETTING STARTED Box contents Witbox 3D printer Print base Set of two keys Two side panels and one top panel USB cable Power cable Spool of 1.75 mm PLA filament Metal spool-holder SD card (preloaded with 3D test models) Printed test object Four underside supports Maintenance kit, comprising: One replacement Hot-End Two cleaning needles Three Allen keys (1.5, 2.
User Manual Witbox English Print base 2 side panels and 1 top panel Set of 2 keys USB cable Spool of 1.
User Manual Witbox English Replacement Hot-End 4 underside supports 2 cleaning needles 3 Allen keys (1.5, 2.
User Manual Witbox English Basic glossary 1 LCD screen: Backlit blue screen that displays information regarding the status of the device. 2 Control wheel: Metal wheel used for scrolling through the menus. 3 SD card slot: Slot located inside the printer at the rear of the control panel, where the SD card is inserted. 4 Print base: Rectangle of thick glass onto which the object is printed.
User Manual Witbox English 6 5 4 3 1 2 7 9 12 11 11
User Manual Witbox English Unpacking your Witbox Your Witbox printer has been carefully packaged using durable materials that incorporate safety features to protect it during transportation. 1 The box is made from two pieces of cardboard: a tray-shaped piece on the bottom and a printed cover on top. To remove the cover, first undo the two round plastic tabs connecting it to the bottom piece (fig. 2.1). Then lift the cover using the handles near the top (fig. 2.2); it should lift off easily.
User Manual Witbox English 3 After taking the printer out of its protective bag, grasp it firmly by the sides and lift it onto a table (fig. 2.5). Figure 2.5 Lift out the 3D printer 4 The Witbox sits on four metal underside supports that are designed to allow one printer to be stacked on top of another. These are packaged along with the Witbox and can be attached immediately in order to protect it. To avoid scratching the table, take care when moving the printer and try not to drag it.
User Manual Witbox English Attaching the top panel Remove the plastic protectors from both sides of the top panel and place it on top of the Witbox. In the box of accessories you will find four screws: place them in the holes in the corners of the panel and press down on them with your fingers (fig. 2.8). Figure 2.8 Put the top panel in place Attaching the print base Open the door at the front using the keys you will find in the box of accessories.
User Manual Witbox English In the box of accessories you will also find the print base, which is made of glass and has four magnets attached to one side. Place it gently on the support inside the printer with the magnets facing downwards, as shown in figure 2.10. Figure 2.10 Insert the print base Attaching the spool and support The spool of filament needs to be placed on a spool-holder. First, attach the metal support to the rear of the printer by inserting the short end into the corresponding slot.
User Manual Witbox English Connecting the power cable Before connecting the power cable, make sure the switch is in the “0” position (fig. 2.12). Then connect the cable to the printer and plug the other end into the power socket (fig. 2.13). Figura 2.12 Make sure the switch is in the “0” position Figure 2.
User Manual Witbox English SETTING UP Once you have plugged the Witbox in, it’s ready to be switched on. The LCD screen will light up and display the name of the current firmware version. Control panel When you switch the Witbox on, the LCD screen will display information regarding the status of the device, such as its temperature, name, etc. Next to the LCD screen is a control wheel that you can press in order to display the main menu.
User Manual Witbox English Main menu If you press the control wheel while you are on the main information screen, a new screen will appear showing the printer’s two menus (fig. 3.2). Figure 3.2 Main menu The main menu contains three options: Print from SD, Control and FW info. This last option tells you which version of the firmware is installed. Generally, when you access a sub-menu, the first option in the list will allow you to go back to the previous screen.
User Manual Witbox English Control menu This menu allows you to adjust the various parameters of the Witbox (fig. 3.4). Figure 3.4 Control menu Below we explain each of the parameters that can be adjusted via this menu: • Filament sub-menu (fig. 3.5) If you access this sub-menu you will find two options: ◦ Load: select this option to load the filament into your Witbox in order to start printing.
User Manual Witbox English ◦ Jog: select this option to independently move any of the printer’s motors (fig. 3.6). There are three sub-options: -Move 0.1 mm -Move 1 mm -Move 10 mm These options can be applied to any of the motors; however, there are certain restrictions: - The Z-axis motor can only be moved by 1 mm at a time. Therefore, only the second option is available for the Z-axis motor, while all three options are available for the X- and Y-axis motors.
User Manual Witbox English • Preheat/Cooldown sub-menu This option allows you to preheat or cool the device (fig. 3.8). It can help you ascertain whether or not the printer is heating up correctly and to begin the heating process so that later, when it is time to print the object, it takes less time to do so. This option also allows you to cool the Hot-End, if you need to replace it. Figure 3.
User Manual Witbox English If your printer has a methacrylate base, you must carry out the levelling process while the nozzle is cool. To cool it, go to the main menu and select the Control > Cooldown options. To help you with the levelling process, step-by-step instructions will be given on the LCD screen. To level the print base you need to adjust the three screws located underneath the base support (fig. 3.9). Figure 3.
User Manual Witbox English Press the wheel to start levelling (fig. 3.11). Figure 3.11 Starting the levelling process 2 The extruder will first position itself at the reference point (the rear right-hand corner), then immediately move to the first levelling point (fig. 3.12). Check the space between the base and the extruder using the sheet of paper, and (if necessary) adjust it by turning the screws located underneath the print base.
User Manual Witbox English 4 Finally, the extruder will move across to the centre of the base and you will be asked to verify the distance between the nozzle and the print base once again. Once you have done so, press the control wheel to exit the levelling program (fig. 3.15). It is recommended that you repeat the levelling process as many times as necessary in order to make sure the base is correctly levelled. Figure 3.
User Manual Witbox English Loading the filament Now you’re ready to load the filament into the Witbox and print a test object: 1 Go to Control > Filament > Load. The extruder will heat up to a temperature of 220 °C. You can monitor the temperature increase on the LCD screen. Once the correct temperature has been reached, the message Insert & Press will appear (fig. 3.17). Figure 3.
User Manual Witbox English 4 Press the control wheel. After a few seconds, a small stream of melted plastic will appear in the extruder nozzle. Each time you press the wheel, plastic will be extruded for a few seconds. Figure 3.19 Test extrusion to check the system is functioning correctly 5 Let the extruded plastic cool for a few minutes before opening the printer door.
User Manual Witbox English When the printing process has been completed, open the door and take out the print base (fig. 3.22). Rest it on a table and pull firmly on the printed object to remove it. You can now check that it matches and connects to the test object that came with the printer (fig. 3.23). Figure 3.22 Remove the base Figure 3.23 Check that two pieces connect How to remove objects from the print base Sometimes, objects may adhere too firmly to the print base and become difficult to remove.
User Manual Witbox English Unloading the filament To unload the filament, do the following: 1 Go to Control > Filament > Unload. The extruder will heat up until it reaches a temperature of 220 °C. You can monitor the temperature increase on the LCD screen. 2 Once the desired temperature has been reached, the extruder will extrude filament for a number of seconds. At this point, the filament can be removed from the Fibonacci tube manually (fig. 3.25). Figura 3.
User Manual Witbox English Options during printing If you press the control wheel while the printer is printing, a number of options will appear: • Pause print: pauses the ongoing printing process. Press it again to resume. • Stop print: stops the printing process completely. • Change filament: allows you to change the filament in the middle of the printing process. We will look at this option in more detail later on in this manual.
User Manual Witbox English To change the filament during printing, press the control wheel and do the following: 1 Select the Change filament option. The printer will stop automatically and the following message will appear on the screen: Press & unload fil. 2 Press the wheel again and then unload the filament as swiftly as possible. The screen will then display the message Press to continue. Select this option once you have removed the filament completely.
User Manual Witbox English PRINTING WITH THE CURA PROGRAM What is Cura? Cura is a computer program designed by Ultimaker for printing objects using 3D printers. Its clear, intuitive interface lets users quickly and easily make decisions regarding the appearance and quality of the 3D object they wish to print. While users are setting the print parameters, Cura separates the design into layers so that it can be printed as quickly and easily as possible.
User Manual Witbox English Downloading and installing the software Cura is designed by Ultimaker. You can download it free of charge via the downloads section on bq’s official website: www.bq.com/gb/products/witbox.html Because it is a free program, Cura is constantly evolving; for this reason, we recommend that you download the most recent version for your operating system. Configuring the software When you open the program for the first time, a wizard will help you set up your printer (fig. 4.1).
User Manual Witbox English If you click on Next >, the following will appear (fig. 4.2): Figure 4.2 Printer selection window In the printer selection window (fig. 4.2), specify the printer you wish to set up. For the Witbox, click on Other. Then click on Next > in order to select the Witbox as your main printer (fig. 4.3). Figure 4.
User Manual Witbox English After you have selected the Witbox as your main printer, a window will appear to tell you that the setup process is complete (fig. 4.4). Figure 4.4 Setup complete Click on Finish > to go to the main Cura interface (fig. 4.5).
User Manual Witbox English Working with Cura Main Cura interface 1 2 4 3 5 6 8 7 9 10 11 Figure 4.5 Main Cura interface The main Cura interface (Figure 4.5) comprises a main window in which you can view the 3D design of the object you wish to print, plus a smaller window on the left-hand side where you can adjust the print settings. Below is a description of the various elements that appear in the main Cura interface: 1. Menu bar. This bar contains the File, Tools, Machine, Expert and Help options.
User Manual Witbox English 9. Rotate. Rotates the object along the three axes (X, Y, and Z) by the specified number of degrees. 10. Scale. Adjusts the scale of the object. 11. Mirror. This function allows you to make quick adjustments with regard to the object’s symmetry. Mouse controls In order to navigate the Cura interface and view the object you wish to print from all its angles, you will need to familiarise yourself with the controls that allow you to interact with the software.
User Manual Witbox English Printing an object Loading the object To print a 3D object you must first separate it into layers. Cura allows you to convert a 3D file into a layered .gcode file. To do this, click the Load button and a window will pop up where you can select the file you wish to convert (fig. 4.6). Figure 4.6 Pop-up window to select the object you wish to load into Cura The majority of 3D design programs allow you to save a pre-designed object in .stl* format.
User Manual Witbox English Rotating the object Once you have loaded the object, one of the things you can do is change its orientation within the virtual space (fig. 4.7). Figure 4.7 Rotating the objecta Changing the size of the object This option allows you to change the size of your object.
User Manual Witbox English Simmetry This option allows you to apply conditions of symmetry to the object you wish to print. There are three symmetry options, to be used depending on the axis to which the symmetry is to be applied (fig. 4.9). Figure 4.9 Applying symmetry to the object View mode This option allows you to view the object you wish to print in various different ways (fig. 4.10). Figure 4.
User Manual Witbox English Below is a description of the different view modes: • Normal: the standard mode, allowing you to view the object exactly how it has been designed. • Overhang: this mode allows you to identify the critical areas of the object with regard to the printing process. The critical areas are shown in red, to indicate that they will need additional support during printing.
User Manual Witbox English Exporting the object Once you have loaded the object into Cura and made all the necessary adjustments, the next step is to export the object to the SD card. To do so, insert the SD card into your computer and click on Save toolpath (fig. 4.12). This will save your file in .gcode format and ensure it is ready to print. Figure 4.
User Manual Witbox English Updating the printer’s firmware with Cura Our team of experts is constantly striving to improve the printer’s firmware and achieve optimum functionality. For this reason, we recommend that you download the latest updates from bq’s official website (www.bq.com) in order to keep your device up to date. To update your printer’s firmware, follow the steps below: 1 Download the latest version of the firmware from bq’s official website www.bq.com (fig. 4.13).
User Manual Witbox English Figure 4.14 Main printer menu Figure 4.15 Select Install custom firmware Figure 4.
User Manual Witbox English 5 The new firmware will be automatically loaded onto the printer (fig. 4.17). Figure 4.17 Software update in progress 6 Your printer has now been updated! (fig. 4.18). Figure 4.
User Manual Witbox English PARTS, SPECIFICATIONS AND OPERATION OF YOUR WITBOX This section of the manual will help you identify the main parts of your Witbox and learn how they work. Extruder As we mentioned in the introduction, the Witbox uses the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) method, which consists of building an object by adding layers of melted polymer filament on top of one another. In order to do this, your printer contains a very important unit called the extruder (fig. 5.
User Manual Witbox English • Fibonacci tube: this guides the filament into the extruder without it breaking. It ends at the tube connector. • Hot-End: this is the part that melts the polymer filament. As this element is more complicated, we will look at it in greater detail later on in this manual. Extruder body Extruder lever Pulley Figure 5.2 Interior of the extruder Fibonacci tube Tube connector Extruder motor Fan and heat sink Fan Hot-End Blower Figure 5.
User Manual Witbox English Hot-End The Hot-End heats the filament so that it can be extruded. It is comprised of the following parts: Screw PTFE tube Ceramic heater Bushing 100K thermistor Die Nozzle Figure 5.4 Constituent parts of the Hot-End • Nozzle: the polymer is extruded from here. The nozzle is made of brass and has an opening of 0.4 mm. • Die: this is where the polymer is melted, and is the part that reaches the highest temperatures (around 210 °C). It is made from 6082-grade aluminium.
User Manual Witbox English X and Y unit The X and Y unit allows the extruder carriage to move along the X and Y axes. To do this, it uses a system of pulleys to transfer the movement of the motors onto the various moving parts. The motors used by the unit are as follows: • X-axis motor: Nema 17 stepper motor (12V DC, 1.7A, 4000 g/cm of torque). • Y-axis motor: Nema 17 stepper motor (12V DC, 2.5A, 4800 g/cm of torque). Figure 5.
User Manual Witbox English Screw drive Metal coupling Z-axis motor Figure 5.6 Z unit • S crew drive nut: connects the print base unit to the screw drive, enabling the print base support to travel along the Z-axis. • G uide rails: these are attached to the rear of the Witbox and help ensure correct travel along the Z-axis. They also provide the printer with extra stability while the base support is moving along the Z-axis.
User Manual Witbox English Electronics The electronic components of your Witbox printer have been carefully selected to ensure it is capable of printing independently, without the need to be connected to a computer. Essentially, they comprise: • R AMPS 1.4 board with mosfet heat sink: the RAMPS 1.4 is a fully independent board designed by the RepRap community. You can find all the diagrams and blueprints related to the board at the link below: www.reprap.org/wiki/RAMPS_1.4 reaudino Mega 2560 v2.
User Manual Witbox English Most important connections on the board Blower Hot-End Extruder motor Endstops LCD screen Power X-axis motor Y-axis motor Z-axis motor Figure 5.
User Manual Witbox English USING AND MAINTAINING YOUR WITBOX Why is correct use and maintenance important? Correct use and maintenance will prevent problems occurring in the future. The printer comes with a basic maintenance kit comprising three Allen keys, two cleaning needles and a replacement Hot-End.
User Manual Witbox English Cleaning the nozzle If an excessive amount of polymer debris builds up around the nozzle, it may block it. For this reason, we recommend that you periodically clean the nozzle with a wire brush (fig. 6.1). Figure 6.1 Clean the nozzle with a wire brush If a blockage occurs, your Witbox also includes a set of two cleaning needles that you can use to unblock the nozzle.
User Manual Witbox English 4 Open the printer’s main menu and select Control > Filament > Load. The Hot-End will be heated to 220 °C. This will also heat up any plastic residue that may be blocking extrusion of the melted filament. 5 Insert a 1.5mm Allen key into the connector and push downwards in order to expel any leftover filament. Do not leave the Allen key inside the connector for an extended period of time, as the heat may cause it to expand and block the connector.
User Manual Witbox English How to replace the Hot-End Sometimes it is necessary to replace your printer’s Hot-End, due to blockages in the nozzle or faults in the thermistor or heater cartridge. In this section we provide you with a step-by-step explanation of how to replace the Hot-End quickly and easily. You can also watch an instructional video by following the link below: http://goo.gl/Qnw6ou For this operation, you will need: • R eplacement Hot-End • 1 .5 mm Allen key • 2 .
User Manual Witbox English 3 Select the options Control > Cooldown to cool the Hot-End so that it can be replaced with the new part. 4 Turn off the printer via the switch at the back and unplug the power cable. 5 Unscrew the printer’s top panel and lift it off.
User Manual Witbox English 6 Disconnect the Fibonacci tube from the extruder by pressing down on the connector and pulling the tube upwards. 7 Remove the blower using the 2.5 mm Allen key. 8 Remove the fan and heat sink using the 2.5 mm Allen key. The fan will remain partially attached to the extruder, although the heat sink can be removed completely.
User Manual Witbox English 9 Unscrew the extruder and detach it from the X-axis carriage. 10 Disconnect the cables from the heater cartridge and thermistor. 11 Using the 1.5 mm Allen key, undo the set screw on the Hot-End.
User Manual Witbox English 12 Gently remove the Hot-End and replace it with the new unit. 13 Push the new Hot-End in as far as it will go, ensuring the cables are pointing backwards, and screw it in firmly to make sure it won’t slide out. 14 Gently bend the cables.
User Manual Witbox English 15 Position the extruder on the carriage and screw it back in carefully, taking care not to damage the cables. 16 Put the fan and heat sink back into place. The heat sink must be positioned between the fan and the extruder. 17 Connect the cables. Position the thermistor cable underneath the motor and place the others next to the carriage, to prevent them from moving.
User Manual Witbox English 18 To check that everything is OK, slide the motor along the X-axis. 19 Screw the blower back on. 20 Reconnect the Fibonacci tube, pressing down on the blue circle.
User Manual Witbox English 22 Follow the steps below to make sure everything has been reconnected correctly: • First, check that the thermistor is working by making sure there is a temperature reading on the screen. • Then check the heating process by selecting the Control > Preheat options. • Finally, check that the heater cartridge is working by seeing if the temperature rises. 23 Load the filament in order to make sure the Hot-End is working correctly.
User Manual Witbox English If you notice excessive friction when the carriage travels along the X-axis, this may be caused by incorrect alignment of the rails. To solve this problem, do the following. 6 Loosen (but do not undo completely) the four screws that hold the X-axis rails in place. 7 Move the X-axis carriage along the rails by hand. 8 Position the carriage on the left-hand side and tighten the two screws on that side.
User Manual Witbox English HOW TO PACKAGE YOUR WITBOX FOR TRANSPORTATION If you wish to transport your Witbox anywhere, we recommend that you follow the steps below in order to ensure the printer is not damaged while in transit. 1 Unload the filament from the extruder. To do so, switch on the Witbox and select the options Control > Filament > Unload. 2 Pull the filament out from the rear of the printer until all of it has been removed.
User Manual Witbox English 3 Remove the spool and metal spool-holder and place them in the box of accessories. 4 Detach the two side panels, the top panel and the print base and place them in the box of accessories. 5 Turn off the printer using the switch at the rear. Unplug the power cable and place it in the box of accessories.
User Manual Witbox English 6 Move the extruder over to the left-hand side of the printer in order to immobilise it on the X-axis.
User Manual Witbox English 7 Move the extruder to the bottom left-hand corner of the printer in order to immobilize it on the Y-axis.
User Manual Witbox English 8 Prepare the packaging base on which the printer will sit.
User Manual Witbox English Place the four buffers in their respective slots The cardboard box in which the foam base will be placed Turn the foam base back over and place it in the cardboard box Add the final foam section to the middle of the base 69
User Manual Witbox English 9 Carefully place the Witbox onto the base you have just assembled. Make sure there is nothing loose inside it, as loose items could cause damage during transit. Wrap the Witbox in its protective bag and place the protective foam corner pieces 10 in the four corners of the box.
User Manual Witbox English Fold the side pieces upwards as shown in the picture Position the four side buffers Place the assembled top protection onto the Witbox 12 Place the box of accessories onto the top protection you have just assembled.
User Manual Witbox English Slide the cover over the foam structure and secure it using the two circular white13 coloured fasteners (turn them until you can see the image of the locked padlock). Finally, place the protective brown box over the cover and seal it using packing 14 tape.
User Manual Witbox English SAFETY PRECAUTIONS This symbol indicates the presence of components that may cause electric shock. This symbol indicates the presence of moving parts inside the device. This symbol indicates that important documentation is attached. This symbol indicates that the printer operates at high temperatures.
User Manual Witbox English • Do not touch the power cable or other connectors with wet hands. When connecting the power cable or other connectors to the printer, make sure they are attached firmly. Do not pull on the cables in order to unplug them from the printer: instead, grasp them firmly by the plug and pull them out. • Disconnect the power cable if you are not going to use the printer for an extended period of time. • This printer operates at high temperatures and contains moving parts.
User Manual Witbox English TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Dimensions Printer: (x)505 x (y)388 x (z)450 mm Print area: (x)297 x (y)210 x (z)200 mm Box: (x)620 x (y)515 x (z)620 mm Mechanics (general) Powder-coated steel chassis Toughened chrome bars for the X, Y and Z carriages Igus bushing for X, Y and Z Igus E-chains Igus screw drive for the Z-axis with flexible motor coupling Powder-coated steel supports and moving parts 3-point cushioned levelling system for the print base Quick-change
User Manual Witbox English Electronics Ramps 1.4 Mega 2560 LCD screen with rotary encoder and push-button navigation Non-heated glass base, size A4 (29.7 x 21.0 cm) 348W input power 100K thermistors in the extruder 40W 12V heater cartridge Software Marlin-derived firmware Recommended software environment: Cura Permitted file types: .gco, .
User Manual Witbox English CORRECT DISPOSAL OF THE PRODUCT (Waste electrical and electronic equipment. Applies within the European Union and in European countries with selective sorting processes for waste materials). The inclusion of this symbol on the product and/or its accessories (extruder, cables, etc.) and documentation indicates that they cannot be processed as household waste at the end of their useful life.
User Manual Witbox English DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY Mundo Reader, S.L. Pol. Ind. Európolis Calle Sofía, 10 28232 Las Rozas - Madrid (Spain) Tel. +34 91 787 58 59 CIF: B85991941 Made in Spain I hereby declare that the: Witbox Complies with the provisions of Directive 2006/42/CE and the following harmonised standards: UNE EN ISO 12100-1 and 2 EN ISO 14121-1:2007 EN 60204-1:2007 UNE EN 13849-1:2007 Madrid, December 2013. Alberto Méndez Peydró CEO Firmware 1.
User Manual Witbox English For more information, contact: witbox@bq.com www.bq.
