Documentation:SBME-Teaching-Labs/3D-Printing

Welcome to the 3D Printing Page! Here you can find information about the printers we have available in the Makerspace along with resources to help you use the printers. If you would like to use a printer, please book using our booking system.The Makerspace has the following 3D printers. You can find an overview of the 3D printers below, or click on the name of each printer for manufacturer specs:

SBME Makerspace 3D Printer Specifications
Printer	Printing Technology	Build Size (X x Y x Z)	Compatible Materials	Printing Layer Thickness	Max Printing Speed
Creality Ender 3 S1	FDM	220 x 220 x 270 mm	PLA/TPU/PETG/ABS	0.1-0.35 mm	160 mm/s
Monoprice Select Mini V2	FFF	120 x 120 x 120 mm	ABS/PLA/Wood, Copper, Steel & Bronze Fill	0.087-0.2 mm	55 mm/s
Tinkerine DittoPro	FDM	215 x 165 x 220 mm	PLA	0.05-0.3 mm	50mm/s
Prusa i3 MK3S+	FDM	210 x 210 x 250 mm	PLA/PETG/AS/ABS/PC/CPE/ HIPS/PP/Nylon/etc.	0.05-0.35 mm	200 mm/s
Anycubic Photon Mono X*	LCD	192 x 120 x 245 mm	405nm UV Resin	0.01-0.15 mm	60 mm/h
Formlabs Form 3B+*	LFS	145 x 145 x 185 mm	Formlabs Resins Only	0.025-0.3 mm	N/A
Ulitmaker S5*	FDM	330 x 240 x 300 mm	PLA/PETG/ABS/CPE(+)/ Nylon/PC/PP/TPU95A	0.020-0.6 mm	75 mm/s

For filament printing, we recommend downloading and using the Ultimaker Cura Slicer: https://ultimaker.com/software/ultimaker-cura/

3D Printer Access and Booking System

In the Makerspace, we have a variety of FDM and resin 3D printers that are available to students to use for their design courses. If you would like to use a printer, please book using our booking system.

The FDM printers are generally available to students with some restrictions. The Makerspace provides standard black PLA and all the FDM printers have been pre-set to print with this material. If you would like to print with another type of filament please speak to a TA or the Makerspace Tech. Some of the printers have been reserved and allocated for specific courses while other printers are available on a first-come-first-served basis. Students in BMEG 257 and BMEG 357 will be given some training as part of their coursework. Prints are categorized by length of print time, which can be determined using the slicer. Each course/print category will have its own drop box in which students can upload the G-code for their print. Files will be cleared from the drop box once the print is completed. Prints started by students which are not set up correctly and fail due to incorrect settings / bed placement / etc. will need to be rebooked. Any specifically booked time which does begin before 20 mins after its booked time will be considered forfeit. Please continue reading below for more specific details about the different print categories and the booking requirements.


Print Type	Print Time	Designated Printers	Available Times	Booking Requirements	Drop Box Link
Short Prints/Walk-Ins	Less than 3 hours	First-Come-First-Served (FCFS): All 4 printers below blocked off for use during scheduled class times. BMEG 257 & 357:1x MP Select Mini + 1x Ender 3 S1 BMEG 457: 1x MP Select Mini + 1x Ender 3 S1	FCFS: Open-hours and designated studio time Reservable outside these times.	For the FCFS printers during open hours, teams may use them as desired as long as prints are less than 3 hours. Prints will need to be scheduled for all courses outside these times.	BMEG 257 BMEG 357
Medium Prints	Between 3 to 6 hours	BMEG 257 & 357: 1x Ender 3 S1 + 1x Tinkerine Ditto Pro + 1x Prusa i3 MK3S+ BMEG 457: 2x Ender 3 S1 + 1x Prusa i3 MK3S+	BMEG 257 & 357: Students may start prints themselves during open-hours and designated studio time. During off-hours, students may request a print to be started from a TA or the Makerspace Tech. BMEG 457: Students may start prints themselves during open-hours and designated studio time. Students who have completed the off-hours training may start a print at anytime the Makerspace is not in use (ie. during another course's studio time).	Medium length prints will need to be booked using the booking system. Students will be required to come in and set up the print themselves (for 457 students), or submit codes to a drop box for TAs / Techs to start (for 357 and 257) students.	BMEG 257 BMEG 357
Long Prints	Longer than 6 hours	BMEG 257 & 357: 2x Ender 3 S1 BMEG 457: 2x Ender 3 S1	All long prints must be approved by a TA or the Makerspace Tech.	Students must request approval before booking long prints. Long prints will be submitted to a drop box by students (for 257 / 357), for TA/Tech use. Before submission, all files must be checked and confirmed by a TA. 457 students may begin their own prints.	BMEG 257 BMEG 357 BMEG 457
Special Access Prints	Resin Printers: Students who require resin prints will need approval and special training. All Resin printers must be booked and printing must be completed in conjunction with a trained TA. Ultimaker S5: Students who require use of the Ultimaker S5 printer will require approval from a TA or the Makerspace Tech before booking prints.

Notes on 3D Printer Usage and Booking

The Makerspace 3D FDM printers have a high usage volume due to the level of students utilizing the space. As such, a booking system has been created for student use. Students from 257, 357, and 457 can schedule printing times.

Printers are restricted for booking based on maximum print length and student course (257 / 357, and 457). Failure to abide by the rules and restrictions laid out below, may result in loss of use privileges of all printers for both yourself and your project team.

1. All 3D printer use, except for those set aside for walk-in use during course studio times, must be booked beforehand.

2. Each project team is treated as a single entity for the purposes of time and printer restrictions.

a. With this in mind, it is recommended that your team designate one (1) person to schedule all printer usage.

3. Each team may only book one (1) timeslot / printer per day, unless otherwise authorized by a makerspace TA or Technician.

a. Schedule time slots with the minimum time required, i.e. do not book a 2 hour print on a >6 hour limit printer if a 3 hour limit printer is available.

b. If necessary, when shorter limit printers are fully reserved, a longer length limit printer may then be used for shorter term bookings.

c. It is recommended to give some buffer time for print bookings (book a 2 hour print as 2-hour 20 min to give time for print setup and any restarts due to failure).

4. Printers are designated by course and maximum print length. These restrictions must be followed.

a. Ex 1. 257 printers cannot be booked by 457 students unless authorized and scheduled by a TA or technician.

b. Ex 2. Prints over 3 hours cannot be booked on the 3 hour maximum printers unless authorized and scheduled by a TA or technician.

5. Long prints (> 6 hours), must first be approved by a TA or technician prior to being started to prevent preventable failures and filament waste.

a. This approval must be done in person during a studio time or open hours.

6. 257 and 357 students who schedule prints outside of their studio time or open hours must use the appropriate drop box to submit prints to be started by a TA or technician.

a. It is recommended to pre-arrange this with the TA or technician to ensure they will be in the makerspace to begin your print.

b. If a print is started during open hours or studio time but finishes afterwards, arrange for the tech or TA to remove the print.

c. If no TA or Technician is available during your selected times, your booking may be forfeit, be sure to pre-arrange!

7. 457 students must obtain off-hour makerspace access and start / collect their own prints (with authorization for prints over 6 hours).

8. All parts must be removed from the printer prior to the end of the scheduled use time.

a. If a part is not removed prior to the next student’s scheduled time, parts will be removed by either the following student or a TA / tech. In this case, the following student or TA / tech holds no liability / responsibility for lost or damaged parts.

b. For 257 / 357 students whose prints will finish outside of hours they have makerspace access, the parts will be removed by a TA or the technician and stored in the completed 3D prints cabinet for pick up.

When uploading files to the dropboxes, only upload the G-Codes to save storage space. If STLs must be inspected, please set up a time with a TA or Tech during open hours or studio times. Once a print has been completed, the file will be removed from the dropbox. Be aware that Tas / Technicians will not normally be available to start prints outside of regular working hours. The dropbox links can be found in the table above.

***For capstone students, if using the dropbox to have a TA confirm a long print, please upload both the STL and GCode.

Any of the printers designated for long prints are free to be used during open hours / scheduled class times if they are not actively engaged otherwise.

Special Access Printers

Resin Printers: In the Makerspace, the resin printers are typically reserved for projects which require high quality prints which cannot otherwise be achieved with the FDM/FFF printers. Access to the resin printers requires special training and will be treated on a case-by-case basis. If you feel that your group requires the resin printers, please consult with a TA and/or the Makerspace Tech.

Ultimaker S5: The Ultimaker S5 printer is reserved for projects requiring dual extrusion (dual colour, dissolvable supports, etc.). If you feel that your group requires dual extrusion, please consult with a TA and/or the Makerspace Tech.

Using the FDM/FFF Printers

This section describes the general steps for using the FDM/FFF 3D printers. We recognize that many students will have different experience levels when using the 3D printers so please feel free to ask a TA or the Makerspace Tech for help using the printers whenever you are unsure about anything.

Please watch this video made by former Makerspace TA, Alex, for a quick tutorial on using the FDM/FFF printers.

General Rules

Make sure you have booked the printer you are using according to the required booking rules detailed in the section above.
Do not attempt to change the filament yourself. Please ask for assistance from either a TA or the Makerspace Tech.
Do not level the print bed yourself. Please ask for assistance from either a TA or the Makerspace Tech.
Do not adjust any of the printer settings yourself.
- You do not need to preheat the print bed or nozzle before starting a print. The printer knows how to do this itself when you start a print.
Always stay to watch the first couple of layers print correctly.

We recognize that some students have had the opportunity to use 3D printers outside of their design courses (and might even own a 3D printer themselves). Regardless of your previous experience, we ask that you adhere to these rules, especially regarding bed levelling and printer settings. We ask you not to do this because:

It makes it very difficult for the teaching team to keep track of any printers that require maintenance.
It can cause difficulties for the next student using the printer who is unaware that you changed settings.

We appreciate your understanding and willingness to follow these rules.

Design and Printing Considerations

3D printing is an incredibly useful prototyping tool, but it does have limitations. Before you decide to 3D print a part, there are some design considerations that can help you determine if your print will be successful. The following guide details some design parameters for 3D printing, as well as some tips for orientating and supporting prints in the slicing software to ensure successful prints.

Slicing Prints

Before you can print a part, it needs to be converted into a file that the printers can read. This file is written in G-code, which is a programming language that contains instructions for the printer to create a three dimensional object. To do this, you need to use a slicing software to prepare your prints and create .gcode file. It is important to always check that you have sliced your G-code for the model of printer that you are printing on. Slicing a print for a different printer model than the one you are printing on will result in a failed print (and it's not good for the printer).

Ultimaker Cura

Cura is the most common slicing software used in the Makerspace and it is recommended that you download it for use during your design courses. Please make sure you are using the standard settings for PLA unless you have been otherwise directed by a TA or the makerspace tech.

Compatible Makerspace Printers:

Creality Ender 3 S1
Monoprice Select Mini V2
Prusa i3 MK3S+
Ultimaker S5

Steps for Using Cura:

Tinkerine Cloud

Tinkerine Cloud is an online slicer used exclusively for the Tinkerine Ditto Pro. The General steps are the same as using Cura. You do not have to download any software but you will need to make an account.

Compatible Makerspace Printers: Tinkerine Ditto Pro

Steps for Using Tinkerine Cloud:

Starting a Print

After you have sliced your print, follow these steps to begin printing:

Save the .gcode file to one of the SD cards available in the Makerspace. Please note: some of the printers use microSD cards, make sure the card you use is compatible with the printer model you intend to use.
Eject the SD card from your computer and insert it into the print you intend to use.
Check that the print bed is clean and clear of any debris. Please do not preheat the bed or nozzle before printing unless otherwise directed to by a TA or the Makerspace Tech.
Use the printer interface to select "Print" and then select your file. The printer will begin printing at this point.
Watch the first couple of layers print.
- This is where a lot of prints fail. If the first layer does not adhere to the print bed properly, the printer can be severely damaged.
- If the first layer does not adhere to the print bed, please cancel the print.
Fill out the printing checklist by scanning the QR Code posted beside the printer.
If your first layer is complete and you have done everything on the checklist, you may leave and return when your print is complete.

My first layer failed, what should I do?

The first thing you should do is cancelled the current print. Often the first layer failing is just an unlucky fluke so the first thing you can try is to restart the print. If it fails a second time, please check the following:

Did you properly align your print with the print bed when you sliced it in Cura?
- This might be your problem if it appears that the printer has started printing a new layer without finishing what you would expect to be your first layer. Please try reorientating your print in Cura and re-slice your part.
Have you enabled "Adhesion" in Cura?
- Unless it interferes with your design, it is generally a good idea to enable "adhesion". This will create a brim around the base of your print to increase the surface contact between the print bed and your part. The brim can be peeled off after your print is complete.
Is the printing bed level?
- You check the bed levelling by the quality of the first layer. If the first layer appears to be very "squished" (nozzle too close to the bed) or there are gaps and appears to be "stringy" (nozzle too high for the bed), the printer might not be levelled. If levelling is the issue, please speak to a TA or the Makerspace Tech. Do NOT try to level the printer by yourself.

Failed Prints and Suspected Printer Malfunctions

If your print fails or something goes wrong while printing, please notify a TA or the Makerspace Tech as soon as possible. Please include as much detail as possible when reporting a failed print or suspected printer malfunction. The more detail about the situation that you can provide, the easier it will be for the teaching team to fix the printer. For capstone students during off-hours, you may either rebook on available printer or we will prioritize your print the following day.

Dual Extrusion/Ultimaker S5

The Ultimaker S5 is reserved for prints that require dual extrusion. Setting up prints that use dual extrusion requires some additional steps in Cura. A guide for setting up these prints will be coming soon! If you feel that your project requires dual extrusion, please consult with a course TA or the Makerspace Tech.

Using the Resin Printers

The resin printers are only available for use under the supervision of a trained TA or the Makerspace Technician. Please speak to someone on the teaching team if you would like to use the resin printers. The following section includes the information provided during trainings, should you wish to review it. The information listed here is for your reference, it does not replace formal training.

Please note that each brand of resin printer requires different software.

ANYCUBIC Photon Mono X

Please see the following guide for information on how to use the ANYCUBIC Photon Mono X resin printer.

FormLabs Form 3B+

Please see the following guide for information on how to use the FormLabs Form 3B+ printer.

Resources and Learning

Ultimate 3D Printing Guide: A lot of the information on this page was adapted from a BMEG 357 3D Printing Studio Guide created by former TA Alisa Da Silva. For a more extensive look at 3D printing, you can check out the entire guide here.

On-Shape Tutorial: Before you can print, you need to create a CAD model. UBC's Engineering Physics department has a whole tutorial on using the modelling software Onshape which you can check out here.

FormLabs Blog: The FormLabs website has an entire section dedicated to learning about 3D printing along with some useful resources. Check it out here.