Reading G-code for troubleshooting in 3D Printing - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Reading G-code for troubleshooting

📖 Scenario: You are a 3D printing technician who needs to understand G-code commands to troubleshoot printing issues. G-code is a set of instructions that tells the 3D printer how to move, heat, and operate. By reading and interpreting G-code lines, you can find problems like incorrect temperatures or wrong movements.

🎯 Goal: Build a simple step-by-step guide to identify key G-code commands related to movement and temperature. You will create a list of G-code lines, set a temperature threshold, find commands that set temperatures above this threshold, and mark the final command to stop the printer.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a list of G-code command strings with exact values

Add a temperature threshold variable

Use a loop to find all temperature-setting commands above the threshold

Add a final command to stop the printer

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Technicians and hobbyists use G-code reading skills to troubleshoot 3D printer issues like wrong temperatures or movements.

💼 Career

Understanding G-code helps in roles such as 3D printer operator, maintenance technician, and manufacturing engineer.

1

Create the G-code commands list

Create a list called gcode_commands with these exact G-code lines as strings: "G28 ; Home all axes", "M104 S200 ; Set extruder temperature to 200°C", "G1 X50 Y25.3 E22.4 ; Move to X50 Y25.3 while extruding", "M109 S210 ; Wait for extruder temperature to reach 210°C", and "M140 S60 ; Set bed temperature to 60°C".

3D Printing

# Create the list gcode_commands with the specified G-code lines
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use square brackets to create a list and include each G-code line as a string inside quotes.

2

Set the temperature threshold

Create a variable called temp_threshold and set it to the integer 205. This will help identify temperature commands above this value.

3D Printing

gcode_commands = [
    "G28 ; Home all axes",
    "M104 S200 ; Set extruder temperature to 200°C",
    "G1 X50 Y25.3 E22.4 ; Move to X50 Y25.3 while extruding",
    "M109 S210 ; Wait for extruder temperature to reach 210°C",
    "M140 S60 ; Set bed temperature to 60°C"
]
# Create temp_threshold and set it to 205
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Just assign the number 205 to the variable named temp_threshold.

3

Find temperature commands above the threshold

Create an empty list called high_temp_commands. Use a for loop with the variable command to go through gcode_commands. Inside the loop, check if the command contains "M104" or "M109". If yes, extract the temperature number after S and convert it to an integer. If this temperature is greater than temp_threshold, add the command to high_temp_commands.

3D Printing

gcode_commands = [
    "G28 ; Home all axes",
    "M104 S200 ; Set extruder temperature to 200°C",
    "G1 X50 Y25.3 E22.4 ; Move to X50 Y25.3 while extruding",
    "M109 S210 ; Wait for extruder temperature to reach 210°C",
    "M140 S60 ; Set bed temperature to 60°C"
]
temp_threshold = 205
# Create high_temp_commands list and fill it with commands setting temperature above temp_threshold
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Split the command string by spaces, find the part starting with 'S', convert the number after 'S' to int, then compare with temp_threshold.

4

Add the final stop command

Add the string "M84 ; Disable motors" as the last item in the gcode_commands list to mark the end of the print job.

3D Printing

gcode_commands = [
    "G28 ; Home all axes",
    "M104 S200 ; Set extruder temperature to 200°C",
    "G1 X50 Y25.3 E22.4 ; Move to X50 Y25.3 while extruding",
    "M109 S210 ; Wait for extruder temperature to reach 210°C",
    "M140 S60 ; Set bed temperature to 60°C"
]
temp_threshold = 205
high_temp_commands = []
for command in gcode_commands:
    if "M104" in command or "M109" in command:
        parts = command.split()
        for part in parts:
            if part.startswith("S"):
                temp = int(part[1:])
                if temp > temp_threshold:
                    high_temp_commands.append(command)
# Add the stop command "M84 ; Disable motors" to gcode_commands
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use the append method on the gcode_commands list to add the stop command.