Anet ET5 X 3D Printer User Manual

Printing Process Overview

The general printing process involves the following steps:

• Check power supply ?.
• Turn on the printer ⚡.
• Home the printing head ?.
• Level the print bed ?.
• Load filament ?.
• Slice STL file.
• Insert the SD card ?.
• Start printing ?️.
• Remove the model.
• Power off ?.

1. Leveling Preparation

Before auto or manual leveling, ensure the printer is assembled correctly. Tighten vertical rods by hand. Observe the distance between the build plate and nozzle, ensuring a small gap (approximately the thickness of an A4 paper ?) for leveling. The nozzle should be about 2-3mm away from the platform initially (slightly higher than the thickness of a ruler).

Adjust the four knobs at the bottom of the printing platform ?️ until the four vertices of the platform are horizontally consistent with the bottom base.

Note: The printer is factory-leveled, but adjustments may be needed.

2. Auto Leveling

Power on the printer. Navigate to [Setting] ⚙️ > [Manual] ? > [Home] ?. Then, go to [Prepare] > [Leveling] and double-click "Auto Leveling". Confirm with "Yes". The printer will perform a 5x5 point auto-leveling process (though only 3x3 points may be displayed on screen), which takes approximately 6 minutes. After completion, click [OK] on the pop-up interface.

Check the distance between the nozzle and the platform using an A4 paper ?. If you set a "-" value, the nozzle will print closer to the build plate; a "+" value means it will print farther away. Click [OK] to save the offset value. Repeat steps until a successful first layer is achieved.

3. Manual Leveling

Power on the printer and home the extruder ([Setting] ⚙️ > [Manual] ? > [Home] ?).

Go to [Prepare] > [Leveling] and double-click "Manual Leveling". The nozzle will move to the center of the platform. Use the [+] ➕ and [-] ➖ buttons to adjust the offset value, ensuring a small gap for an A4 paper ? between the nozzle and the build plate.

Select leveling point [1]. The nozzle will move to that position. Adjust the leveling knob ?️ underneath the platform to achieve the correct A4 paper ? gap. Repeat this process for points [2], [3], and [4]. Refer to the diagrams for correct nozzle height (correct height, nozzle too far, nozzle too close).

If needed, repeat these steps until a successful first layer print is achieved.

4. Load Filament

Use Anet 1.75mm filament, PLA is recommended. Trim the filament end neatly and feed it through the filament detector to the extruder ?.

To load: Click [Prepare] ⚙️ > [Filament] ? > [Load] ?. The printer will load filament once the extruder reaches the set temperature. Ensure an evenly extruded filament is coming out of the nozzle. If not, click [Load] ? again.

To unload: Click [Prepare] ⚙️ > [Filament] ? > [Unload] ?. The printer will unload filament once the extruder reaches the set temperature.

5. Print

Save your sliced print file onto the TF card ?. Insert the TF card into the slot on the left side of the printer.

On the touch screen, select the file you wish to print. Click [Print] ?️ > [Select] > [OK]. The print will begin.

6. In Print Job Management

During a print job, you can manage various settings from the [Print] ?️ interface:

• Change filament ?.
• Pause print ⏸️ or stop print ⏹️.
• Set extruder temperature ?️.
• Set build plate temperature ?️.
• Set print speed ⚡.
• Set fan speed ?.

To change filament, first pause or stop the print job, then use the [Filament] ? interface steps for loading/unloading.

After printing, wait for the build plate to cool down before removing the model. Turn off the printer ?. If no further prints are planned, unload any remaining filament ? before powering off.

Print Setup Interface

The printer interface allows for various settings:

• Speed Setup: Adjust print speed ⚡ and fan speed ?.
• Temperature Setup: Set intended temperatures for the extruder ?️ and hot bed ?️.
• Filament Control: Load ? or unload ? filament.
• Print Information: View total print time ⏱️, file name ?, and print completion percentage %.

Leveling Interface

Auto Leveling: Initiates the automatic bed leveling process.

Manual Leveling: Allows manual adjustment of the nozzle height at specific points using offset values (e.g., -0.3) and save ?. It also includes a "Control interface" for fine-tuning and "Stop leveling" ?.

CH Fila & Pre-Heat

This section allows users to manage filament loading/unloading and pre-heating. You can set the length of filament to load or unload and the speed for these operations. Pre-heating functions for the extruder and hot bed are also available, with options to set target temperatures.

Manual & Print File Interface

Manual Controls: Manage motor movements (X, Y, Z, E) with position values ?. Options include disabling motor ?⚙️, stopping ⏹️, and returning to home ?. There's also an "Upgrade" ⬆️ option.

Print File Controls: Select files for printing. Options include upward ⬆️ or downward ⬇️ movement, confirming print ✅, and returning ↩️. A 15-character maximum is noted for file names.