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3.0 Important Things to Know Before Extruding
3.1 Puller Wheel Storage
The plastic is pulled from the extruder nozzle using 2 wheels. These 2 wheels have soft silicone tires, and use a spring
to hold force between them for gripping the filament. If left stationary in one position for an extended period of
time, the tires can develop a flat! Therefore, it is important to disengage the spring and rotate the puller idler
wheel out of position when not un use to avoid developing a flat. The following images clearly depict Puller
operation and Puller storage positions.
Figure 5: Shows the puller idler wheel spring engaged (left image), and disengaged (right image).
3.2 Cleanliness
It is important to make sure your device is clean before use. We make sure to thoroughly clean each ProtoCycler
before shipping, but over time dust can accumulate. Before extruding, inspect your extruder hopper for dust and
other contaminants. If material other than the plastic you wish to process makes it through the system then you
risk defects in the output filament.
ProtoCycler also uses two light sensors to read filament diameter output. We recommend using a canister of dry
compressed air (“computer duster”) to blow-out any dust or particles that may block the light sensor. We will show
you how to know if there is dust getting in the way of the LED or photoresistor in the “Light Guide Alignment” section
of this manual. If compressed air doesn’t do the trick then we also recommend using a softer material (a skinny piece
of PLA filament works very well) to clean the photoresistor “slot” on the UI panel where the LED shines light into.
Never use metal or anything sharp to clean the diameter sensors, as permanent damage can occur.
Lastly, if other un-meltable materials or dissimilar materials with higher melting temperature than your plastic of
choice enter your system, you may find over time that your nozzle becomes clogged. Referring to Fig 4 (Nozzle parts),
inside of the Nozzle Cap there is a breaker plate and screen whose purposes are to aid in building stable pressure,
and to act as a last line of defence against contaminants entering your filament. In the event that your screen
becomes clogged, please contact ReDeTec support for assistance in how to clean your screen! This process requires
special care and safety when executing and a trained specialist will be happy to advise.
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