Change in your CAD Project File - it happens all the time in robotics.

Insert a rectangle with the dimensions of 2.5”, 1”

Use the Top tool. You should now see the following figure.

Now using the 3Dtext tool, set the following parameters. Now enter the letters after the first letter in your first name in lower case. Suppose that my first name was Paul, then I would enter the last three letters.

If the letters you enter fit inside the rectangle, the letters you chose works (see left bottom figure). If you had used any more letters, it would not have worked (see right bottom figure).

So if you cannot fit your full first name in the rectangle, then either make a nickname or change the height from 1” to ¾” or smaller.

CAD file to.gcode File

SketchUp – Exporting to STL After printing, click on the “Select” tool and then triple click the box around your initials to select it. Then use the Edit->Hide menu option to hide the box. This will leave just your last letters in your first name showing.

Select File and check and see if you have a tab Export to STL which should be under Export. If you have it, select that tab. If you do not, you need to go to Extension tab and download the extension.

You will get a window with export options. Adjust them so that it looks like the following.

In the next window, add the abbreviation “.stl” at the end of the file name and then navigate to where you want to save the file and press the Save button. This will put a file called aul.stl in the directory you selected. The file icon that is saved should look like this. Use the Edit->Unhide->All to display everything in your SketchUp model. Save your file.

The first step in 3D printing is to build a model of what you want to print. The steps above have done that. The second step is to convert the STL file you created from your model into a format the 3D printer will understand. Open the aul.stl file.

Your display will now look something like this. You may need to rotate the letters 90 degrees to get them positioned in this direction. You can select your initials and use the rotate icon near the bottom of the window to rotate as needed.

Next you want to confirm your print setting are correct. To do this you will need to be in the “full settings” profile. You can confirm you are in the “full settings” mode by using the Expert menu option as shown below.

Your Basic Tab Parameters should look like this:

Your Advance Tab parameters should look like this:

Your machine settings should look like this:

Next use the Save Toolpath icon to export the.gcode file. The.gcode file is what the printer uses to print your initials. This icon will ask you where you want to save the file. The default is to save the file in the same folder as your.stl file and to use the same file name. The default folder and name will work fine.

It is also possible load multiple STL file when using the Load icon. Here is an example of 4 sets of initials loaded at one time.

3D Print - Printing After the.gcode file is created, you need to put it on an SD card and take it to the printer for printing. The printers take a microSD card but comes with a microSD card to SD card adapter. Use this adapter and either place the SD card in you computer or use a USB stick to SD card adapter. After you can see the SD card on your computer, copy the InitialXX.gcode file from the computer to the SD card. Go to the 3D printer and put the micro SD card in the slot. Make sure you have WolfBite on the printer glass. Preheat the printer. Use the menu to select Print from SD. Sometimes the printer does not read the SD card. If this happens, turn the printer off for a few seconds and then turn it back on. You should now be able to read the SD card. Navigate to your InitialXX.gcode file and select the file to start it printing. Note the printer will go through a warm up sequence again, but this time should be much faster since you went through the preheat cycle. There is a tendency to want to reach into the print area to clean up different pieces of filament. Don’t do this as thing are very hot in the print area. The extruder is running at about 480 degrees fahrenheit. After the print has finished, let the bed cool down before trying to remove the print. The WolfBite will hold the part on the bed while the bed is hot, but after the bed cools down, the part is easy to remove.

That’s It!!!!!