Orange Control Box - 3D Printing

The next part of the 3D printer we’re going to look at is the Orange Control Box that is used to control what the printer does. There is a picture of it below.

Three parts of the control box are labeled in the picture:

Knob – this is a black wheel that can pressed like a button, and can rotate. It is used to tell the various parts of the 3D printer what to do.
Emergency Reset Button – this button should only be used if you notice something going wrong during printing, and you need to quickly stop and cancel a running print job.
LCD Screen – this screen allows you to see how you are using the knob to scroll through and select the various commands for the printer. LCD stands for “Liquid Crystal Display.”

The control box sends electronic signals to a microprocessor (a fancy electronic device) that is located in a covered box at the back of the 3D printer. You can see where the electronics are located in the picture below.

Also, in the picture are labeled the Power Switch (turns 3D printer on), the Power Cable going to the electrical outlet in the wall, and the little Storage Drive that the specific printing instructions for the 3D printer are stored in. The next picture shows the same parts from a different angle.