GCreate GMax 2 PRO Manuel utilisateur

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gMax 2 PRO

Updated 210827

The gMax 2 Pro is a large format desktop FDM 3D printer. These machines can create an infinite number

of designs in all shapes, sizes, colors, and functionalities. The possibilities are truly endless. We at

gCreate hope you enjoy this machine as much as we have enjoyed making it. For the best experience

with your gMax, please review this user guide before operating and keep it handy for future reference.

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Cautions and Warnings

3D printing is a very fun and useful way to generate physical objects from your 3d models but it is still a

complex process with specific restraints.

•The gMax can accept new accessories including filament spool brackets, hotends, and

external peripherals, however unauthorized repairs or modifications that lead to

damage are not covered under the warranty.

•Prior to plugging in your printer, always inspect the printer for damage caused by

shipping or from a failed print. Be prepared to immediately power down (with the

power button) or unplug your printer in the event something undesired happens.

•Never open the electrical box when the printer is powered on. When performing any

electrical work, unplug it from the wall and let sit for several minutes to avoid any

possible electrical shock. Use a ceramic screwdriver when adjusting electrical

components

•As with any product utilizing high heat and electricity you should always have a proper

fire extinguisher nearby and always observe on the printer during operation.

•This machine must be always kept out of the reach of children and pets.

•This machines uses a very hot nozzle to melt plastic on to an acrylic or heated bed. You

should never leave the printer unattended and ensure the printer is placed on a sturdy

table with adequate free space around it. Do not place near combustible materials.

•At the beginning of each print you should verify the first several layers are adhering well

to the bed and that the print will not detach from the print surface. If your print pops off

the bed and the printer is unattended the printer may continue printing causing damage

to the hotend, extruder and/or bed.

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Contents 
Basic Operation.............................................................................................................................................5 
Loading Filament.......................................................................................................................................5 
Inserting Filament.................................................................................................................................5 
Changing Filament Manually ................................................................................................................5 
Changing Filament Automatically.........................................................................................................5 
Filament Runout ...................................................................................................................................5 
Bed Leveling..........................................................................................................................................5 
Using Your Printer.....................................................................................................................................6 
Start from SD, USB or Host Software....................................................................................................6 
Heated Bed Operation ..........................................................................................................................6 
Setting Temperatures and Fan .............................................................................................................6 
Removing Prints....................................................................................................................................6 
The First Layer.......................................................................................................................................7 
gcode Methodology ..................................................................................................................................7 
gcode example:.....................................................................................................................................8 
Common gcode commands ..................................................................................................................8 
Updating Firmware ...................................................................................................................................8 
Description............................................................................................................................................8 
Printer Firmware (Marlin 2.x) ...............................................................................................................9 
LCD Screen firmware ............................................................................................................................9 
Firmware Error Codes.........................................................................................................................10 
3D Models...................................................................................................................................................12 
3D Modeling Software ............................................................................................................................12 
Basic Concepts ....................................................................................................................................12 
Free Software......................................................................................................................................12 
Paid and Expert Software ...................................................................................................................12 
3D Models From the Internet .................................................................................................................12 
Overview.............................................................................................................................................12 
Things to Watch Out For.....................................................................................................................12 
Troubleshooting 3D Models ...............................................................................................................13 
Machine Maintenance ................................................................................................................................13 
Dust and Debris.......................................................................................................................................13 
Lubricating linear rails.............................................................................................................................13 
Tightening or replacing belts ..................................................................................................................13 
X-Axis Belts..........................................................................................................................................14 

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Y-Axis Belt ...........................................................................................................................................14 
Stepper drivers........................................................................................................................................15 
Adjusting the Power............................................................................................................................15 
Replacing a Stepper Driver .................................................................................................................15 
Hotend Maintenance ..............................................................................................................................16 
Nozzle Clogged or Worn Out ..............................................................................................................16 
Replace Nozzle....................................................................................................................................16 
Replace Hotend...................................................................................................................................16 
Loose Hotend Parts.............................................................................................................................16 
BLtouch Replace Pin............................................................................................................................17 
Replace Drive Gear..................................................................................................................................17 
Tightening Bolts and Frame ....................................................................................................................17 
Adjust Lead Screw...................................................................................................................................17 
Lubricating the Lead Screws ...............................................................................................................18 
Aligning the Lead Screws ....................................................................................................................18 
Adjusting Bearings ..................................................................................................................................18 
LCD Screen Breakdown...............................................................................................................................18 
Buttons....................................................................................................................................................18 
LCD Screen Machine Settings and Parameters...................................................................................18 
Heating, Cooling and Extruding ..........................................................................................................19 
Custom gcode .........................................................................................................................................20 
Customer Notes ..........................................................................................................................................20 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Basic Operation

Loading Filament

Inserting Filament

You can insert filament with the extruder hot or cols.

1. Cut the end of the filament at a 45 degree angle.

2. Pinch the swing arm on the extruder and insert the filament so

it will be pinched between the drive gear and grooved

bearing.

3. Continue to push the filament until it reaches all the way

down to the heat block and nozzle. If the extruder is hot you

should see filament push out the end.

Changing Filament Manually

If you wish to change filament during a print you can go to “More > (Un)-Load”.A notification will ask

if you want to pause the print and if you click Ok it will initiate the pause allowing you to switch filament.

Changing Filament Automatically

To automatically initiate a filament change during a print, you can insert M600 in the gcode at the

desired move or layer height. Using this method, you can force a filament change at a specific time or

layer regardless of if you are present. See the gcode section for more information.

Filament Runout

The gMax printer comes equipped with a runout sensor that will pause the print if the sensor triggers.

Dual extruder printers have two sensors in series so if either one triggers it will pause the print and

remove the filament on the active extruder.

You can turn the runout sensor on or off via the LCD screen by going to “More > Features > Runout

sensor > Off”.

Bed Leveling

The gMax 2 uses Marlin firmware with Bi-linear bed leveling. The BLTouch sensor will probe the entire

bed to create a “mesh” of the bed as it travels around. You can see this by watching the z-axis couplers

move as the extruder travels.

G29 runs bed leveling but do not include it in your start gcode or it might not work correctly.

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Using Your Printer

Start from SD, USB or Host Software

Once you have sliced your file in your preferred software you are ready to print. For information on

slicing refer to the gCreate website or the slicing software webpages for tips and tricks.

•Put your *.gcode file on the SD card included with your printer and slide this in the left side of

the LCD screen. Then go to “Print > TFT SD” and select your file.

•Connect the printer to your computer using the supplied USB cable. The USB slot can be found

on the left side of the electronics case. Once connected you can send files to the printer from

Simplify3D, Cura, Pronterface or PrusaSlicer. These “host” software’s allow you to track

progress, send commands or control the printer.

•If you have the gTouch controller you can connect this via USB and operate the printer from the

secondary touch screen. You will have to put the touchscreen into “Classic Marlin” mode by

pressing the touchscreen for 3 seconds and selecting “Marlin”.

Heated Bed Operation

Setting Temperatures and Fan

You can set temperatures to the hotend or heated bed from the LCD

screen.

•To select a defined temperature, go to “Menu > Heat/Fan

> Preheat”. Make sure if you only want to heat the hotend

to switch from “Both” to “Hotend” or the printer will throw

an error.

•Go to “Menu > Heat/Fan > Heat” or just click the nozzle

icon from the main screen to pick a specific temperature.

•Go to “Menu > Heat/Fan > Fan” to set the fan speed.

Removing Prints

1. If the bed is acrylic, after the print finishes you can immediately remove it.

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2. If you are using a heated bed, turn it off and let it

cool several minutes before removing or you risk

damaging the print surface.

3. If the first layer printed correctly you should see

no curling at the edges.

4. USING CAUTION, take the scraper and gently tap

at the edges of the print. Look for corners of the

model and tap them. After several taps the print

should pop off the bed. If the model has a large

surface area on the print bed, it may be harder

to remove and you may have to slide the scraper

below the model.

The First Layer

Overview

The first layer of your print is perhaps the most important. Make sure that foundation is correct and the

rest of the structure has a better chance of surviving

Adjusting First Layer Height (Babystepping previously Live-Z adjust)

Bed Leveling with Heated Bed

gcode Methodology

gcode is what the 3d printer uses to move the extruder and issue commands. gcode can be modified in a

standard text editor such as Wordpad or Notepad++ and you should familiarize yourself with it.

Whenever you slice a model, the slicing program generates all the commands needed for the print and

outputs the gcode file. The gMax printer then will run these commands line by line with a buffer of 16

commands. Make sure all commands are in caps or the program will not work.

Common gcode commands either have a “G” designation or an “M” designation and you can set

parameters for many of these commands. Notes are added with a semicolon “;” and these won’t

execute.

You can also send gcode commands to the printer from your computer (via USB), or from the

touchscreen by going to “Menu > Terminal”. This is a useful way to test out gcode commands.

A full list of gcode commands can be found at https://marlinfw.org/meta/gcode/

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gcode example:

;I am a note. Insert lots of me to remember specific commands

M201 X800 Y800 Z50 E1000 ; sets maximum accelerations, mm/sec^2

M107 ; Turn fan off

M104 S245 ; set temperature

G28 ; home all axes

M109 S245 ; set temperature and wait for it to be reached

G21 ; set units to millimeters

G90 ; use absolute coordinates

M83 ; use relative distances for extrusion

G92 E0 ; Reset extruded amount

;TYPE:Skirt

;WIDTH:0.5625

G1 F1200.000

G1 X200.438 Y181.307 E0.06965 ; move extruder and extrude filament

G1 X201.273 Y181.349 E0.05195

M600 ; Initiate filament change

Common gcode commands

G28 ; Home all axis

G29 ; Level bed (Don’t use in start gcode)

M420 V1 T1 ; Display bed leveling data

M600 ; Initiate filament change

M107 ; Turn off fan

G1 X10 Y10 Z10 F1000 ; Move extruder to XYZ

position at “1000” speed

Firmware

Description

Firmware is the software that lives on the printer and LCD boards to control the printer. Firmware can

periodically be updated to unlock new features or fix existing bugs. Please make sure to download the

latest firmware for your printer from the gCreate websites and not directly from the source github.

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Upload Mainboard Firmware (Marlin 2.x)

The gMax 2 Pro uses the popular Marlin 2.x open-source firmware and it has been tailored for the

machine. Our edits to the firmware can be found on our forum or download pages. We offer pre-

compiled .bin files for the printer so updating is

quick and easy.

1. Option #1: Connect the printer to your

computer via a USB cable. You should then

see an external micro SD show up.

2. Option #2: Take out the micro SD card that

can be found inside the printer and put in

in your computer.

3. From your computer, download the

correct .bin file for your machine and put

it on the SD card (from option #1 or #2).

The file much be named “firmware.bin”

or the printer won’t recognize it.

4. Once you have transferred the file, put the card back inside the printer and turn it on. The

update will happen quickly and the way to check it is to go to “Menu > Settings > Info”to

check the date of the build. After the upload the file on the SD card will be named

“firmware.CUR”. If it isn’t then, the firmware didn’t upload.

Upload LCD Screen Firmware

The LCD screen has its own firmware, configuration file and graphics themes (with graphics and fonts).

We recommend updating all 3 whenever you update the firmware. Note the LCD screen can load

independently of the main board so make sure the mainboard firmware is properly installed before the

screen.

1. Download the correct zip file from our forum or website and

unzip to a spot on your computer. You should see a firmware

file, a config.ini file and a folder containing the graphics

theme.

2. Put all of these on the formatted SD card that came with your printer. Not the micro SD card.

3. Put this SD card in the LCD screen just like you are going to start a print and turn on the printer.

You will see the firmware, config files, fonts, and all the graphics update. It should take a few

minutes to complete. Once finished put the SD card back in the computer to see if the files are

renamed with a “.CUR” extension at the end. If not, format the card and try the installation

again.

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4. Note: You may need to go to “Menu > Settings > Machine > EEPROM > Reset” to properly

reset the print back to the factory settings after the firmware update. The printer will display

“Failed to enable bed leveling” after a reset because the bed leveling matrix has been erased.

Click OK and run bed leveling again.

Firmware Error Codes and Troubleshooting

•Homing Failed

oTypically, this error is a result of the extruder not recognizing the X or Y axis minimum

limits during homing. It also could be a result of the BLTouch not registering the home

or false triggering as the extruder lowers. Make sure the path is clear for the extruder

and any ribbon cables or wires are not loose.

•Heating Failed (Hotend and Bed)

oIf the hotend or bed fails to heat even 1 degree, after being instructed to do so, over 15

seconds it will trigger a heating failed event.

oCheck all the wiring and connections.

oMake sure your space isn’t too cold or the bed might have trouble heating.

oMake sure the bed is plugged in and the fuse isn’t blown (located where the power cord

plugs into the SSR).

•Thermal Runaway

oIf the hotend or bed registers a temperature far outside the target for a long period, a

thermal runaway will trigger to protect the printer and you. Check to see if the

thermistor is malfunctioning primarily by moving the wire when it’s set to a

temperature. If the temp jumps wildly you may need to replace the thermistor and/or

wire. Also inspect the wires and connectors for damage.

•Probing Failed

oTypically if your x-axis or bed is very far out of alignment, a probing failed event will

occur. This happens is the extruder is trying to probe a point below the safety margin.

Make sure your x-axis is level and your bed isn’t distorted. Make sure the bltouch pin is

dropping as you home and its not false triggering.

oProbing failed may occur if you place a G29 command in your gcode. Remove the

command and level the bed from the bed leveling menu.

•Min/Max Temp

oMin temp errors occur if the extruder or bed registers a zero temp as you are trying to

heat or start a print. Inspect the wires for damage and replace thermistors/wires if

necessary.

•Heating Failed

oIf the hotwend and or bed display a temperature but doesn’t heat it will trigger a

heating failed event after a period of time. Check the wires and connectors for damage.

Replace wires or connectors or heater cartridge if necessary.

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