Mendel User Manual

Mendel Documentation

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General

• Powering up the RepRap

Using RepRap

• How to print parts

Designing things to make

The simplest scenario: converting a simple 2D image into printable object

Preparation

 This short guide assumes you are running a free software *nix operation system and free software tools only. It will probably work on Mac OS, and you might even get lucky on a Windows system.

In addition to your raster image, you will need the following software tools:

• inkscape vector drawing program
• openscad 3d cad modeller
• skeinforge 3d model slicer
• pronterface reprap printer graphical interface

HINT: If you want to follow the instructions below in English even though your language environment is different, you can force a program to start in English. With inkscape for example, open a terminal and type: LANG=C inkscape

Raster to vector image conversion

• Start inkscape.
• "File" -> "Open". Open the bitmap image you want to convert. When asked if you want to embed or link the image, choose "embed".
• Select the bitmap image by clicking it.
• "Path" -> "Trace bitmap". Fiddle with the options until you get things approximately right.

 The trace preview doesn't seem to work perfectly yet in Inkscape 0.48!
 A detailed tutorial on tracing in Inkscape

• Move the vector image overlay you just created out of the way a little.
• Select the original bitmap image and delete it.
• Move the vector image overlay back in place.

More

• File:FFFDesignGuide.pdf

If you are designing things to be made in RepRap, Ed's guide on to how to design for FFF above may be useful. It's written for the Stratasys Dimension proprietary RP machine, but almost all of what it says is relevant to RepRap too. One difference: ignore the section on adjusting hole diameters to get them to come out right. On RepRap, if you specify a 3mm hole, it comes out as 3mm...

Rather than design things completely from scratch, you might save a bit of time by starting from something in the Available Files and tweaking it to fit your needs.

See also the Useful Software Packages to create STL models.

Mechanical

• Extruder Help
• Bed Help

Software and Firmware

The pages linked here contain some duplication of material and topics. Please help us to clean this up.

• Installing RepRap Host Software
• Configuring your RepRap
• Firmware Help
• Host Software Help
• Mendel User Manual: Host Software

Files and Formats

• RepRap G Codes - This defines all the G Codes used to communicate from the host computer to the RepRap machine.
• Java Software Preferences File
• RFO file format - Saving and loading multiple objects on RepRap's build base.

Translations of this page

Deutsch: Mendel_Gebrauchsanleitung