Before You Press Print

There is one important point to clarify before you press print. Understanding this will ensure an enjoyable 3D Printing Experience.

You must have your .STL file completely prepared to print within the 8" x 8" x 8" build chamber of the mantis. It must be prepared BEFORE sending to the Mantis.

99% of the 3D files found on Thingiverse are completely “Ready to Print” and require no further prep.

For those who intend to use their Mantis 3D Printer for Advanced and/or Specialized applications, please understand that file preparation is the key to success here.

Things like scaling parts, adding supports, splitting files into multiple pieces, and/or preparing "batch builds" all must be done before sending the files to the printer.

Once the file is properly prepared, you are ready to send it to your 3D Printer... just select your file and press print!"

• This means, if you need 3D Printed supports to achieve a successful 3D Print, you must prepare your file with support BEFORE sending it to the Mantis to print. It's very simple, but also very important that you understand this point.

• This means that if your part is larger (or much smaller) than 8" x 8" x 8", you must scale your file to the correct size BEFORE sending it to the Mantis 3D Printer. Or you must slice/split the file into separate prints BEFORE sending it to the printer, one at a time.

• If you want to create "batch prints" of your design, you must prepare your .STL file so that it contains the exact layout and quantity that you desire BEFORE sending to the Mantis 3D Printer.

All of this is advanced functionality, and 99% of users will never run into these issues, especially if you are only running files from Thingiverse.

If you are interested in this advanced functionality, rest assured that it is easy to do, and you may prepare your .STL file in any 3D Modeling software you prefer to use!

There are many YouTube videos that showcase the process and can guide you through the process.