FAQ

Filament questions

Does Mini accept ABS filament?
  • Mini is designed for the PLA filament – the use of other filaments may cause the extruder nozzle to jam and result in printer failure.

What is PLA?
  • Polylactic acid or polylactide (PLA, Poly) is a biodegradable thermoplastic aliphatic polyester derived from renewable resources, such as corn starch, tapioca roots, chips or starch, or sugarcane.

Can the filament of all da Vinci series be used with Mini?
  • No, the Mini uses NFC filament designed for only the da Vinci Mini and Junior. This filament can be purchased here.
  • When you purchase new XYZprinting filament, it comes with a NFC sensor chip that you need to load into the filament spool ring before use.This sensor chip tracks the type of filament, how much you have used, and will let you know if you have enough to complete the print. Without the sensor chip the printer will not be able to work.

 

Hardware questions

What is the size of the Mini's printable area?
  • The Mini can print up 15 x 15 x 15 cm.

How many 3D printers can be connected to one PC?
  • Multiple printers can be connected to one PC, however, XYZware can only send one job at a time.

 

Other questions

How long is the warranty period?
  • The warranty for the printer is 1 year, the extruder module is under warranty for 90 days.

 

X-axis adjustment

If you have tried calibrating the Mini and adjusting the Z-axis offset, but you are still having issues. For example, prints won’t stick to the print bed, or the tape on the printing bed has been scratched, we recommend following this guide to adjust your X-axis support.


Connect to a PC, open XYZware, and click on Printer monitor > Setup > Jog mode. Then click Home axes.

Check and make sure the Extruder module has returned to its home position.

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Move Z-axis up by 10mm.

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Manually move the extruder module to the right.

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Open the black cover on the left-hand side of the machine.

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Take the leveling tool supplied with the da Vinci Mini, and place it on the print bed under the X-axis support.
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Unloosen the 4 screws manually, but do not take them off completely.

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In Jog mode, move Z-axis downward by 1mm.

Repeat the above steps until the X-axis support and the leveling tool are flush.Image 006


Check that the leveling tool and X-axis support are in full-contact with each other, then tighten the 4 loosened screws.

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Remove the leveling tool – X-axis adjustment complete.

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Trim Guide Tube


Before trimming the guide tube of the da Vinci Mini, you need to unload the filament. Instructions for this can be found in the link below:

Unload filament 


In the printer monitor panel, click Setup > Jog Mode.

Make sure the extruder module has returned to the home position.

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Remove the guide tube from the feed module.

Push down on the black ring on the feed tube grip and pull out the feed tube.

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Remove the guide tube from the extruder module.

Push down on the black ring on the feed tube grip and pull out the feed tube.

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Prepare the following:

  • Feeding path cleaning wire
  • Diagonal pliers
  • Scissors

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Insert the feeding path cleaning wire into the guide tube.

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Use the pliers to cut the guide tube cleanly.

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Remove the feeding path cleaning wire from the guide and reinstall the guide tube.

Note: If the guide tube is under 50cm, we recommend that you replace it.

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Clean Feed Module


During filament unloading, if the filament breaks off or gets stuck in the drive gears, you will need to clean the drive gears. Below is a detailed explanation on how to do this.

Push down on the black ring in guide tube connector and remove the guide tube from the feed module.

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Open the feed module cover.

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Unloosen the screws on both sides of the cover.

Note: do not remove them entirely from their sockets – you will be tightening them back up shortly.
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Remove the cover protecting the motor.
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Clean the left side idle roller and right side motor gear with the brush.
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If the filament breaks off inside the feed module, or is stuck, push the release arm and remove the broken filament.
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Reattach the cover protecting the motor, then reattach the screws.
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Reattached the feed module cover.
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Reinstall the guide tube.
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Clean Nozzle


Before cleaning the nozzle of the da Vinci Mini, you need to unload the filament. Instructions for this can be found in the link below:

Unload filament 


In the printer monitor panel, click Extruder > Clean Nozzle.

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Click Start to begin the cleaning process.

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After the extruder module has moved to the center of the print area, remove the guide tube from the extruder module.

To remove the guide tube, push down on the black ring around the guide tube connector. This will release the teeth that hold the tube in place.

After removing the tube-end, place the tube to one-side.

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Insert the cleaning path feeding wire deep into the extruder – any remaining molten plastic should come out of the nozzle head.

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Using needle nose pliers, hold the cleaning wire and insert it into the nozzle head.

Insert the cleaning wire at different angles to make sure that the nozzle is clean.

Caution: The nozzle head is hot, be careful when handling the extruder module.

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Holding the extruder module with one hand, insert the cleaning path feeding wire again to remove any excess filament.

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Reinsert the guide tube into the extruder module.

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In XYZware, click Finish to complete Nozzle cleaning.

Jog mode

Jog mode enables you to freely move the extruder module along the X, Y and Z-axis. This is useful for maintenance and repair.


Click Home Axes. 

In order to move the extruder module, you need to home it first. This gives the machine a reference so that it knows the exact position of the extruder.

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Click the buttons to the left and right of the increment number to control the direction of the extruder module.
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To adjust the increments that the module will move by, click on the arrows above and below the increment number.
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After you have moved the extruder module, click Finish to exit.

 

Calibration

Calibration is important to ensure the quality of your prints. If you notice the first few layers of your print are different from the rest of your model, or the filament is having trouble sticking to the print bed, it is good first calibrate your printer and see if the quality improves.

Click on the Printer monitor icon in the bottom-right of the screen.

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Click Setup, then Calibrate to start the calibration steps

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Click Start and follow the onscreen instructions

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Press Button 1 on the extruder module, then click Next.

This will extend a sensor that is used to measure the distance between the extruder module and print bed.

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Calibration is complete, press Button 2 on the extruder module, then click Next.

This will put the sensor back in its housing so it does not interfere during printing.

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Click Finish to complete calibration.

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WiFi Setup

Note:
Before connecting to the da Vinci Mini via wireless, first ensure:

1. The da Vinci Mini is connected to your computer via USB (after you have connected via wireless, you can remove the USB cable). 

2. The computer you are operating XYZware with is connected to the network that you wish to connect the da Vinci Mini to.

 

Click on the “eye” icon 

This is located in the bottom-right of your screen.

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Click on Printer monitor

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Click on My printer

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Note: If your computer did not automatically connect to the da Vinci Mini, click Scan, select the da Vinci Minithen click Connect.

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Click Wireless setting

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Scan for wireless networks close by and select the network your computer is connected to.

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Enter your network password and click Start wireless connection.

 

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Click Yes to connect the da Vinci Mini to your wireless network.

 

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Unload Filament

Open Printer monitor 

Click on the Printer monitor icon in the bottom-right of the screen.

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Click Filament to access all the filament options

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Click Unload filament

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Click Finish and remove the filament

First pull the release arm, then pull the filament from the feeder module.
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