We're going to start our deep dive into the core systems that make up a desktop 3D printer, while looking at the control system interactive interface. The units we're using have an onboard interface but remember that a device doesn't need this feature in order to be considered a 3D printer. Many entry-level and DIY kit options forego the interface to save on costs. But enough of these assembled desktop printers offer one, that now it has become standard practice. These interfaces are the primary controls you will use to calibrate, operate and service your printer. In some cases, the interface complements the computer controlled advice. In others, it replaces computer control entirely. What the interactive interface subsystem is and isn't. Within the control system, the interactive interface subsystem is the first of the subsystems and components we will highlight. The interactive interface subsystem is a set of controls and display elements on the 3D printer hardware itself, that allows an operator to communicate to the control system electronics and calibrate, operate and service the printer. The role of the interactive interface is to move the access point for a majority of the features you need from within the heart of the printers electronics on out into the component seated on the device itself. This accessibility proofs essential for basic print job set up configuration and moving that operation off of an external computer. Even though the interactive interface is the element you can see and interact with the most directly, hence its name, it may be separate from the Central Electronic Control Board subsystem. In the case of the Ultimaker 3, rather than being managed by the electronics control subsystem, the interface subsystem communicates with the outer view embedded system and printer Control Board. Functions. Interactive interface. The primary function of the interactive interface is to provide a means to operate and receive feedback from your machine before, during and after print. Another critical function is to provide a means to calibrate and configure elements that cannot be automatically sensed in position by the machine itself. A third function is as a service panel. To allow you access to core utility functions such as setting up networking access, updating and reverting firmware and reverting user assignable settings to factory default. Components. Control, display, job delivery. In the case of the Ultimaker 2+ and 3 families, the interactive interface system has been windowed down to just three primary components; control toggle, display and fall delivery. To operate the subsystem, you can navigate through the menus and sub-menus by rotating and pushing the button on the right side of the display. Rotate to select, push to activate. As minimalist as the interface is, feedback details such as the blinking LED under the Ultimaker 3 button, can add an intuitive user experience. A blinking button means the Ultimaker 3 is waiting for user input. The interactive interface system on your printer might not have the real estate you're used to with a laptop tablet or even smartphone. But by breaking up options into multiple nested menus and operations, you can squeeze quite a bit of behavior into a few lines on LCD character display. For example, the display on this Ultimaker 3 offers three sub menu options on the primary boot menu. Print. This allows you to select a file to print from your USB thumb drive, displays a few details about each print option as you scroll through them and offers a menu while printing that allows you to tune the print settings or even abort the print entirely. Material/print core. The material printcore sub-menu allows you to load or unload materials and printcores, as well as run a number of the on-the-fly utilities to move the materials and tweak the baseline print temperature. System. A number of handy configurations and utilities are bundled into the system menu. Options to connect to a local network, to in the manual and automatic build plate calibration, adjust the brightness of the LEDs and the print head and frame, as well as perform useful maintenance and diagnostic tests. This is a menu you will explore in greater detail, should you need to troubleshoot your hardware. Ultimaker 2 units offer a similar set of sub-menus; print, material and maintenance and they address a smaller set of capabilities than the newer unit. In contrast to these character displays, the interface on an Ultimaker S5 is a highly responsive full-color tablet display meant to more closely match smartphones and tablets. In addition to covering the critical areas demonstrated on the Ultimaker 3 and 2+, the S5 UI is able to move beyond the limitations of a character display to include visualizations of the parts available to print, tune and tweak responses to suit more intuitive user interface expectations and offer a few nice new features such as full color photographs to help guide the operator through maintenance stages such as the hot and cold tool head cleaning stages shared here. First run wizard. These days, many hardware manufacturers have picked up on a nice trick from software and web developers. When you power on the machine for the first time, instead of booting up the main operator menu, the machine will activate an interactive first-run experience that guides a new user through the first steps of preparing machine for use. This includes a tutorial for how to use the interface. If you're using a new machine for the first time, it behooves you to follow the sequence. Not only because you might pick up a few tips including insights into the latest interface and firmware updates, but the sequence could be the contexts for completing a few settings and physical configuration stages that the machine is hard-coded to accept as correct and complete the next time it runs. Skip key configuration stages at your peril. That's the way to crash all flooded heads in other printing disasters. Tips for mastery. Here are the areas of the interactive interface I recommend that you explore for every machine before use: How to start a print job, how to pause or abort and in a hurry, how to calibrate and configure your machine for use with specific materials, nozzles and environmental conditions, how to monitor your prints and what alerts you should watch for, how to reset your machines for the next user, how to update your printers firmware to take advantage of the latest round of fixes and improvements. Learning more. If you're looking to learn more, here's one helpful consequences from the lack of field wide designed standardization for interactive interface subsystems. Many machine vendors take it upon themselves to provide detailed instructions outlining the interface options. Sometimes including a menu tree to save you from hunting and clicking. Often, all the critical elements you need to know can be picked up at a glance with such a resource instead of sorting fruitlessly through menu item after menu item uncertain which options lead to what setting. So the next time you're standing in front of an unfamiliar machine, take a moment to flip through the menu or search online for details that can make your experience more pleasant and successful. Machines that don't offer an onboard interface tend to be tethered to a computer for the start or duration of a print job. With communication between computer and onboard electronics via serial connection or similar protocol. Another popular control option is the use of a 3D host embedded system to permit headless remote activation of print jobs, bringing access to the control interface of a printer, a room full of printers right to a web browser, a tablet, or a phone.
