Project Dashboard TAZ Pro S Calibration Workflow

1 Verify torque specs

Begin filling out the Quality Assurance record;
Check that all hardware is present and properly torqued.
Some of the following fasteners may not be reachable in the final assembly, verify everything that is reachable.
Torque Values:
Spool Arms: 5 in*lbs
Filament sensor mount screw: 5in*lbs
Frame: 40 in*lbs
Y End Plate: 8 in*lbs
Y corner Left/Right: 5 in*lbs
Y Mount Chassis: 8 in*lbs
Z Lowers: 8 in*lbs
Z Uppers: 5 in*lbs
Frame to Control Box: 5 in*lbs
Toolhead: 5 in*lbs
X Belt Clamp: 5 in*lbs
Case fan & Interconnect housing: 5 in*lbs
Bed Plate to Single Bearing: 5 in*lbs
Y Belt Mount: 5 in*lbs
Feet on Y corners: 3 in*lbs
Y Motor Mount: 5 in*lbs
Y Motor: 5 in*lbs
Y Idler Mount: 5 in*lbs
Electronics case cover: 5 in*lbs
Z Motors: 5 in*lbs
X Motor: 5 in*lbs
Smooth Rod Setscrew: 3 in*lbs
Limit Switches: 2 in*lbs
Bed Leveling Washers (once installed): 5 in*lbs
Wiper Mount: 5 in*lbs
Pulleys: 3 in*lbs
Inspect all printed parts for damage or imperfections.
Check the square of the XY axes.

You'll need these tools
Z lower left rear fasteners; unreachable with driver
Z lower left front fasteners; unreachable with driver
Z upper left fasteners
Z upper right fasteners
Electronics Chassis mount top rear fasteners
Electronics chassis mount top front fasteners
Electronics chassis mount bottom front fasteners
Electronics chassis mount bottom rear fasteners
Inner frame corners top left
Inner frame corners bottom left
Inner frame corners top right
Belt anchor fasteners right
feeling for belt anchor fasteners left
feeling up z lower fasteners, make sure they're present and not obviously loose
feeling up z lower fasteners, make sure they're present and not obviously loose
these fasteners, check em
the 3rd tool head mount fastener is on the back
fasteners on rear of case
fasteners under bed plate
feet on y axis
cover fasteners
z lower right and z motor fasteners
z lower left motor fasteners outside
inside z left motor fastener; just look at it
upper left x axis smooth rod set screw
upper right x axis smooth rod set screw
lower right x axis smooth rod set screw
lower left x axis smooth rod set screw
right z max switch fasteners
left z max switch fasteners
X motor pulley
make sure one is on the flat of the motor shaft
z left motor pulley set screw
Z right motor pulley set screw
Y motor pulley set screw
make sure one is on the flat of the motor shaft

2 Install Extruder Cap

Now that torque specifications have been verified on all reachable fasteners, we can install the extruder cap.
Obtain: 1x- [AS-PR0146] Extruder Cap w/ Plaque
3x- [HD-BT0157] M3x8 SHCS
3x- [HD-WA0038] M3 Washers, Black

Place the Extruder Cap [AS-PR0146] over the top of the tool head.
Ensure that all cables are inside/under the cap and not sticking out the sides.

Secure using 3x- M3x8 SHCS [HD-BT0157] with washers [HD-WA0038]
Torque all 3 fasteners to 5in*lbs

torque all three to 5in*lbs

3 Install print surface

Gather the following materials:
1x- [AS-HB0003] TAZ Glass/PEI Print Surface
1x- [AS-HB0006] TAZ Etched Modular Print Bed Heater
4x- [HD-BT0082] M3x16 Stainless FHCS
4x- [HD-MS0453] (11.11mm) length X (7.94mm) OD X (3.56mm) ID standoffs
4x- [PP-MP0082] Bed Leveling Washer, 303 SST

Place 4x- Bed Spacers [HD-MS0453] inside the bed corners as shown.
Place one Print Bed Heater [AS-HB0006] on top of the assembly with the shiny side up and the wires towards the left.

Tuck the wires from the bed heater under the cable cover as pictured.

Slide the bed to the left so that all four corners of the bed heater rest inside the flexible bed corners.

Tighten both screws on all four bed corners until the end of each screw is flush with the bottom of the bed plate.

Lay one TAZ Glass/PEI Print Surface [AS-HB0003] over the print bed heater as pictured.

Install each of the four bed leveling washers [PP-MP0082] to the bed corners using 1x- M3x16 Stainless FHCS [HD-BT0082] for each.
Press down on the glass near the bed corner to be tightened, this ensures the bed leveling washers will sit flat.
Follow the sequence shown
Torque all four fasteners to 5in*lbs

bed spacers out
bed spacers in
lay bed heater on top
wires tucked in and slide bed into place
tighten bed corner fasteners
tighten bed corner fasteners
tighten bed corner fasteners
lay glass/PEI over top, PEI side up
install fasteners and bed leveling washers
torque to 5in*lbs
torque to 5in*lbs
torque to 5in*lbs
torque to 5in*lbs

4 Connect bed harness

Connect all 3 connectors under the bed;
Ground – 3 pin molex connector
Thermistor – 2 pin molex connector
Bed Power – 2 position Anderson PowerPole connector

Place one zip tie [HD-MS0058] around all of the wires and the Y-Chain to Bed Mount as pictured.
Make note of the latch position/orientation
Cut excess zip tie flush with the latch

bed harnesses not connected
bed harnesses connected
zip tie here
zip tie tightened
excess zip tie cut flush with latch

5 Tighten wiper mounts and cable cover

Both wiper mounts and the cable cover are left loose until the bed is fully seated; torque all 6 fasteners to 5in*lbs

tighten wiper mount fastener
tighten wiper mount fastener
tighten wiper mount fastener
tighten wiper mount fastener
tighten cable cover
tighten cable cover

6 Hi-Pot Testing

Hi-Pot Testing may not occur before the unit is fully assembled

Carefully place the unit inside of the Hi-Pot Testing safety box

Power on the Hi-Pot testing unit

For North American shipments: Obtain a North American power cable [EL-CA0030] and connect it to the printer, this will be the cable shipped with the printer.
Plug the other end of the cable into the testing units receptacle.
Connect the Hi-Pot testing units gator clip securely to the stainless fastener at the rear of the chassis; bottom of the interconnect housing cover.
The green light on the Hi-Pot tester should now be illuminated, indicating proper continuity of the ground circuit. IF THE GREEN LIGHT FAILS TO ILLUMINATE, THE PRINTER HAS FAILED THE TEST

Flip the printers power switch to the “ON” position and close the doors of the safety box

Starting the test:
**ENSURE THERE IS NO PHYSICAL HUMAN CONTACT WITH THE PRINTER OR HI-POT TESTER
WITH BOTH HANDS, ENGAGE THE INTERLOCK BY PRESSING THE BUTTON TO YOUR LEFT WITH YOUR LEFT HAND AND THE BUTTON TO YOUR RIGHT WITH YOUR RIGHT HAND TO BEGIN THE TEST
HOLD BOTH INTERLOCK BUTTONS UNTIL THE TEST IS COMPLETE

ENSURE THERE IS NO PHYSICAL HUMAN CONTACT WITH THE PRINTER OR HI-POT TESTER DURING THE ENTIRE DURATION OF THE TEST**
If the Hi-Pot test unit reports "PASSED" ensure this state is recorded on the QA sheet to be sent with the printer and forward the printer (with the tested cable) to the next available calibrator.

A "FAIL" report from the Hi-Pot tester indicates a problem with the printers power supply or grounding circuit. Refer the machine to MER for proper diagnosis.

Place the unit inside the Hi-Pot testing safety enclosure
Power on Hi-Pot testing unit
Power cable connected to unit
Power cable connected to testing unit receptacle
Ground gator clip attached to Hi-Pot test point
Green light illuminated
Power switch in ON position
Close doors of safety enclosure
Engage interlock for 60 seconds until test unit reports passed
Pass report on test unit

7 Apply Certification Sticker

Materials required:
1x- [DC-LB0183] LulzBot TAZ Pro Certification Sticker

This sticker is tamper evident, so you only get one chance
Using the certification sticker placement jig provided, carefully line up and apply a Certification Sticker [DC-LB0183] to the rear of the electronics case as pictured.

Certification Sticker Placement jig in place
Place Certification Sticker on machine

8 Verify Motion of Axes

Tools Needed:
Sonic Belt Tensioner

Check the Y-Axis:

With the machine off, start by checking that the Y axis moves smoothly and check for play in bearings

Check the belt tension with a sonic belt tensioner. The belt tension should be between 23-45 Newtons.
Slide the Y axis through its full range of motion and check for binding or play. The bearings should fit snugly on the smooth rods and not wiggle. Try wiggling the bed plate, it should not have any play.

Check the X-Axis:

Check the belt tension with a sonic belt tensioner. The belt tension should be between 23-45 Newtons. Slide the X axis through its full range of motion. Again the X carriage should slide smoothly without binding or have any play in the bearings. The bearings should fit snugly on the smooth rods.

Check the Z-Axis:

Check the belt tension with a sonic belt tensioner. The belt tension should be between 40-90 Newtons. Utilize CuraLE or the LCD controller to move axis through its full range of motion. The Z-Axis should move smoothly through the whole range of motion.

Verify all axes home properly by selecting “Auto Home” from the menu

Check Y-Axis belt tension
Check X-Axis Belt Tension
Check right Z-Axis belt tension
Check left Z-Axis belt tension

9 Check Fans & Firmware

Verify the following:
Case fan spins freely and is blowing outwards
Heat sink fan spins freely whenever unit is powered on
Extrusion cooling fan turns on & off as expected (activate through temperature menu)

To upload the latest firmware version from CURA Lulzbot Edition: Settings > Printer > Manage Printers > Upgrade Firmware > Automatically upgrade Firmware

Ensure the Case Fan is operational and blowing outwards
Heatsink Fan should move freely when power is applied to the machine
Extrusion Fan should turn on and off as expected

10 Verify belt alignment

Move each axis through the entire range of motion while observing where the belt rides in each idler.
The belt should not rub on any printed or machined parts.

The position of the Z axis belt in the idlers can be adjusted by use of the 2 set screws in the Z-Top plates behind and in front of the Z belt tension screw.
If the belt is riding towards the front, tighten the set screw in front of the Z belt tension screw.
If riding towards the rear, tighten the rear set screw.

X belt position can be slightly corrected by tightening one of the X belt tensioner screws tighter than the other and thus securing the belt at an angle;
If riding towards the front, tighten the rear tensioner screw further than the front.
If riding towards the rear, tighten the front tensioner screw further than the rear.

BAD belt alignment, rubbing on metal edge of idler
BAD belt alignment, rubbing metal edge of idler
GOOD belt alignment, riding in middle of idler

11 Run burn in gcode

Do not load filament into the extruders yet

Place the machine on the burn in rack, connect to power and turn it on.

From the preloaded USB drive, run the burn in gcode

During burn in, listen for any excessive vibration or binding.

Allow the burn in gcode to complete, ensure the quality assurance record is up to date and follows the machine.

Select "sample_prints" and "open"
Select "calibration" and "open"
Select "burnin.gcode" and "Print"

12 Run Auto Calibration sequence

This step is best performed prior to loading any filament in the tool head, as even a small amount of residue on any of the nozzle surfaces has the potential to interfere with the calibration

Select Menu > Advanced Settings > Nozzle offsets > Measure automatically > Yes

The unit will now run through the auto calibration process and takes about 5 minutes to complete. Watch the beginning to ensure the first nozzle finds the calibration cube correctly.

Select Menu
select advanced settings
select nozzle offsets
select Measure automatically
select Yes

13 Load Filament

Obtain PLA sample filament to be used, 2 different colors are required for contrast.

For loading filament, navigate to the Change Filament menu:
Menu > Change Filament

Begin heating both extruders to 210c (a shortcut to the temperature menu can be reached by tapping the “Current temp” value)

Feed filament through the front feed tube at the filament sensor and through the idler lever of the E1 extruder (left)

If necessary, pull the feed tube out of the idler lever tube clamp to assist with feeding through idler lever. Try also cutting the end of the filament at a sharp angle before feeding through the filament sensor.

From the Change Filament menu, select “Continuous” under “Load”
The E1 extruder motor will now extrude continuously
Wait for filament to begin extruding from the nozzle before turning extrusion off by tapping “Continuous” again
Push the feed tube into the idler tube clamp and tighten the clamp screw.

Repeat the process for E2, first using the number 2 button at the top of the change filament menu to select E2.
The rear feed tube from the filament sensor is for E2 and goes to the right-hand side E2 extruder.

In the menu, select "Change Filament"
Select 200C temp preset
Once available, select "Continuous"
Continue extruding until filament exits the nozzle, press again to toggle off
Select E2 Extruder
E2 selected
Select 200C temp preset
Wait until target temp is reached
Select "continuous"
Allow to extrude until filament exits the nozzle
Select again to turn off extrusion

14 Run Vernier calibration print

With both nozzles primed, insert a preloaded USB drive
Once available, select “USB Drive” from the main screen
Select the vernier gcode and tap “Print”

Allow the print to finish (~20min)

Remove the completed print and the skirt from the bed for use in the following steps

In the USB menu, select "sample_prints" and "open"
Select "calibration" and "open"
Select vernier calibration print and "print"

15 Measure skirt and adjust Z OFFSET

Start the vernier print and watch it print the skirts.

This is the best time to adjust the Z nozzle offsets on the fly and eyeball the squish.

Recommendation: You may use the circle.gcode because it gives you more time to make adjustments on the fly.

Note: If you’re using the vernier print you’ll need to stop the print after it prints the skirts and allow it to cool down before you remove them from the bed to measure them.

If you’re using the circle.gcode then just let the print finish and then measure the skirts.

Once you start the print, go to Menu > Nudge Nozzle > select 0.1 increments, toggle “Adjust both nozzles” to “off”, and toggle “Show offsets” to “yes”.

Watch as it prints the skirts and make adjustments on the fly. If it is too squished, tap the “+” for the Z value until the squish looks right. If the squish is too light then tap the “-” for the Z value until the squish looks right. Do the same thing once the second nozzle starts printing.

Measure at least 2 points, one on the left, one on the right.
Acceptable range: 0.3-0.45mm
Ideal: 0.4mm

If either measurement is outside of the acceptable range, adjust the Z nozzle offset by repeating the instructions above. You want the squish of the black and green to be as similar as possible, but they at least need to be in the mentioned spec.

Measure thickness of at least 2 points

16 Inspect the X axis vernier

Navigate to the nozzle offset menu;
Menu > Advanced Settings > Nozzle offsets

Inspect the X axis vernier:

The X-Axis scale is along the front of the print

The long center black and green lines should be aligned with each other.

If the green and black lines are not aligned, look towards the left/right of the center lines. Pick the black line you feel lines up the best with the green and count how many steps it is from the center lines.

Each step represents 100 microns (0.1mm) For example: If the best line is 2 steps to the left of center line, you will adjust X nozzle offset by adding 0.2mm to the X offset value. If the best line is 2 steps to the right of center line, you will adjust X nozzle offset by subtracting 0.2mm from the X offset value. Select the 0.1 increment and apply the correct number of adjustment based off of the results from the vernier print.

Note: These adjustments may not be perfect and further adjustments may be required.

X axis vernier
Example: Needs nozzle offset adjustment

17 Inspect the Y Axis vernier

Still operating within the nozzle offset menu;
Menu > Advanced Settings > Nozzle offsets

Inspect the Y Axis vernier; The Y-Axis scale is on the right side of the print. The long center black and green lines should be aligned with each other.

If the green and black lines are not aligned, look towards the left/right of the center lines. Pick the black line you feel lines up the best with the green and count how many steps it is from the center lines.

Each step represents 100 microns (0.1mm) For example: If the best line is 2 steps to the left of center line, you will adjust Y nozzle offset by adding 0.2mm to the Y offset value. If the best line is 2 steps to the right of center line, you will adjust Y nozzle offset by subtracting 0.2mm from the Y offset value. Select the 0.1 increment and apply the correct number of adjustment based off of the results from the vernier print.

Note: These adjustments may not be perfect and further adjustments may be required.

Y axis vernier

18 Inspect circular dimensional accuracy

Using digital calipers, measure the diameter of the 10mm printed cylinder on the vernier print.
Measure only one color, as errors in X/Y offset calibration can affect this measurement.

Spin the print in hand while applying gentle closing pressure on the calipers.
Measurements within the range of 9.75mm to 10.25mm are acceptable.
Measurements outside of that range indicate an issue with the X or Y axis of the machine.

Check for:
Loose belts
Loose motor pulleys
Dragging belts
Axis with excessive overall drag

Measuring cylinder in X axis
Measuring cylinder in Y axis

19 Backlash Adjustment

If the circle tower of the print isn’t within spec and there aren’t any mechanical issues causing the print to not be in spec, you need to adjust the backlash for the X and the Y.

If the circle tower isn’t within the spec from front to back, then you need to adjust the Y backlash, and if it isn’t in spec from side to side then it's the X backlash that needs adjusted.

If it’s below the spec you need to increase the backlash value for the axis that isn’t in spec.

Go to Menu > Advanced Settings > Backlash and select 0.1 increment, then tap the “+” once on the axis that needs adjustment to increase the value by 0.1mm.

Example: This circle tower is out of spec. Backlash adjustments would be necessary

20 Verify calibration adjustments

If any adjustments were required in steps 13 thru 17, run the vernier print again to verify measurements.
If further adjustments are required, repeat steps 13 thru 17.

21 Complete Quality Assurance record & pass to packaging

By this point, you should be able to complete the Quality Assurance record.
Production serial numbers are also tracked in a spreadsheet log, see your supervisor for questions regarding logging.

Please complete the Quality Assurance record, log the machine’s serial number, and pass the unit, the cables tested with it, the test print, the USB drive, and the QA record to packaging.

Nicely done!

Done! Take me home