3D Printers: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 20:14, 22 January 2018

This article is mandatory reading for anyone who would like to 3D print, but it does not replace a personal introduction!

All of our printers use "fused filament fabrication" (FFF, a.k.a. FDM) and are therefore limited to thermoplastics as materials. Lots of cool things can be made with this technology, but it's good to be aware of the limits of FFF before starting to design your parts.

You can find our 3D printer farm in the electronics room.

Our 3D printer farm

Available Printers

label	type	status
P1	Prusa i3 MK2S	operational
P2	Prusa i3 MK2S	operational
P3	Prusa i3 MK2S	operational
P4	Prusa i3 MK2S	operational
P5	Prusa i3 MK2S	operational

General Usage Guidelines

Changing filament requires an introduction and is different for each type of printer! Ask a tutor to show you what to look out for.

Slicing

A 3D model has to be virtually split into its layers ("sliced") before a printer can start building it up layer by layer in reality. You can use Slic3r Prusa Edition with the default settings for the MK2S (or MK2, doesn't matter) provided by Prusa Research.

Do Your Math

A few simple calculations will save you a lot time and material:

shell thickness must be a multiple of the nozzle diameter
elements very close to or below the nozzle diameter won't turn out well
bottom/top thickness must be a multiple of your selected layer height

Supervision

even simple prints can go wrong, so please watch the homing process and the first layer closely and check the progress regularly
do not leave the printers unattended - you'll have to find someone else to supervise a print if you absolutely need to leave the building
there is no need to sit in front of the machine all the time, just do not leave the Space!

Cleanliness

for improved adhesion, remove any dust from the print bed and wipe it with a few drops of isopropanol
- do not use acetone on the PEI sheet, it will destroy the print bed!
collect any clean plastic waste in the appropriate (material and color!) bags for recycling

SD Cards

if you don't know a file, don't print it - ideally, slice all your models just before printing

File Storage

always back up your files on your own storage, the SDs and the laptop might be cleaned up at any time without much warning!
do not use old G-codes over and over again, but rather save your STLs and slice freshly for every print - there could have been changes to the machine since your last visit!

Pricing

We try to keep the price low to allow anyone to print. Apart from the material cost, we need new isopropanol from time to time.

Please donate for these expenses:

5 ct/gram material cost
+ any additional amount you like

Tutors

If you're not sure about something, these Makers might be able to help:

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 All of our printers use "fused filament fabrication" (FFF, a.k.a. FDM) and are therefore limited to thermoplastics as [[3D Printing Materials|materials]]. Lots of cool things can be made with this technology, but it's good to be aware of the [[:Category:3D Printing#Fused Filament Fabrication|limits of FFF]] before starting to design your parts.
+You can find our 3D printer farm in the [[Electronics Room|electronics room]].
 [[File:Printer-farm.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Our 3D printer farm]]
@@ Line 13: / Line 15: @@
 |-
 |P1
-|[[Prusa i3 MK2]]
+|[[Prusa i3 MK2S]]
 |operational
 |-
 |P2
-|[[Prusa i3 MK2]]
+|[[Prusa i3 MK2S]]
 |operational
 |-
 |P3
-|[[Prusa i3 MK2]]
+|[[Prusa i3 MK2S]]
 |operational
 |-
 |P4
-|[[Prusa i3 MK2]]
+|[[Prusa i3 MK2S]]
+|operational
+|-
+|P5
+|[[Prusa i3 MK2S]]
 |operational
 |}
 == General Usage Guidelines ==
+'''Changing filament requires an introduction and is different for each type of printer! Ask a tutor to show you what to look out for.'''
 === Slicing ===
-* You can use [https://www.prusa3d.com/slic3r-prusa-edition/ Slic3r Prusa Edition] with the default settings for the MK2 provided by Prusa Research.
+A 3D model has to be virtually split into its layers ("sliced") before a printer can start building it up layer by layer in reality. You can use [https://www.prusa3d.com/slic3r-prusa-edition/ Slic3r Prusa Edition] with the default settings for the MK2S (or MK2, doesn't matter) provided by Prusa Research.
 === Do Your Math ===
@@ Line 57: / Line 66: @@
 === Pricing ===
-We try to keep the price low to allow anyone to print. Apart from the material cost, we need new acetone from time to time. More costly is the time that needs to be put into repairing malfunctioning printers, plus possibly replacement parts. Usually we have more print requests than free functional printers. Please donate for these expenses:
+We try to keep the price low to allow anyone to print. Apart from the material cost, we need new isopropanol from time to time.
+Please [[Donation Boxes|donate]] for these expenses:
 * 5 ct/gram material cost
-* + 1 € per hour of printing (first 30 minutes are free, 50 % off for members)
 * + any additional amount you like
-The higher priced long running prints could allow us to build more printers in the future. If you really cannot afford it, talk to us. We would like to support you in that case.
-'''Changing filament requires an introduction and is different for each machine!'''