# Print the plastic parts

If you have bought the plastic parts you can skip this step!

## For this section you will need:

### Tools

- 1 precision wire cutters
- 1 RepRap-style printer
- 1 utility knife - Not a scalpel!

### Materials

- 50 g of Black PLA filament
- 200 g of PLA filament - Of any colour you want. Two contrasting colours may look best.

## Step 1: Printing

The microscope body has a custom brim included in the STL. This may require custom print settings.

Now you have tested your printer and filament you can print the following parts:

- Actuator assembly tools (nut tool, band tool, and band tool cover): actuator_assembly_tools.stl
- Lens tool: lens_tool.stl
- Main body: main_body.stl - The smart brim may require custom print settings.
- 3 cable tidy caps: cable_tidies.stl
- Sample clips: sample_clips.stl
- Microscope stand: microscope_stand.stl
- Pi stand: pi_stand.stl
- 3 small gears: small_gears.stl
- Illumination dovetail: illumination_dovetail.stl
- Condenser arm: condenser.stl
- Illumination thumbscrew: illumination_thumbscrew.stl
- 3 large gears: large_gears.stl
- 3 feet: feet.stl
- Lens spacer: lens_spacer_picamera_2_pilens.stl - This must be printed in black!
- pi camera platform: camera_platform_picamera_2_pilens.stl

You can download all of the STLs as a single zipfile

## Step 2: Clean-up of printed parts

Be careful when removing brim

To avoid injury first remove the bulk of the brim without a knife. Remove the remaining brim with a peeling action as described below.

Carefully remove the printing brim from all parts (except the main body).

To remove brim:

1. Use precision wire cutters to remove most of the brim from the part.
2. Clean up remaining brim with a utility knife:
   - Hold the knife in your dominant hand with 4 fingers curled around the handle, leaving thumb free.
   - Hold the part in your other hand, as far away from the surface to be cut as possible.
   - Support the part with the thumb of your dominant hand.
   - Place blade on surface to be cut, and carefully close your dominant hand moving the blade, under control, towards your thumb.

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