Before your booking.
1. Complete the makerspace induction and 3D printing training.
We recommend the 3D printing training to all users who have either never 3D printed before or never used a Bambu Lab printer before, however, it is not compulsory.
2. Source your STL file.
There are multiple ways you can source a file for 3D printing, through 3D scanning, CAD modelling or downloading a model online.
3. Slice your STL file in Bambu Studio and save it as a Bambu Studio project.
Slicing your file for printing in Bambu Studio will tell you how long your print is going to take. This is important to know when booking the 3D printer.
You will need to load your file onto a memory stick or send it to your email in order to access it on a makerspace computer later in the workflow.
For guidance on slicing using Bambu Studio, please either see here or attend our 3D printing training.
4. Make a 3D printer booking.
In order to use the 3D printers, you must make a booking. We recommend booking a printer for slightly longer than your print will take. For example, if your print is 5 hours long, book 5.5 to 6 hours.
Loading in your material.
5. Find your 1.75mm PLA material and place it in an empty slot of the Automatic Material System (AMS).
Bambu Lab printers take 1.75mm PLA filament only. This material can be found on the filament shelves underneath the 3D printers.
Do NOT load 2.85mm filament into the Bambu Lab printers.
Lots of our filament is on reusable spools, do not remove these spools from the material. This will cause all of the material to unravel. If you need a colour of material that is not available on the filament shelves, speak to uCreate staff.
6. Open the filament screen on the Bambu Lab X1 Carbon printer and click on the empty slot where you have placed your material.
When you have clicked on an empty slot, the AMS will be ready to receive the filament.
7. Feed the filament into the feeder and close the AMS.
On the filament screen, you will see the printer has recognised that filament is present. If the printer does not automatically recognise the filament type and colour, choose 'Bambu Lab', 'PLA' and select the appropriate colour.
To unload filament, push forward on the grey tab in the AMS and gently pull out the material.
Place the spool on the shelves underneath the 3D printers.
Starting your print.
8. Log on as 'Makerspace User' to a computer within the Makerspace and open Bambu Studio.
Bambu Studio is downloaded on makerspace computers and logged into the uCreate Makerspace account.
This account is available on uCreate Makerspace computers only and requires an admin login if logged out of the account.
Please do NOT disconnect from the uCreate account, you or other users will then not be able to send your files to print.
9. Open your project file.
Bambu Studio is downloaded on makerspace computers and logged into the uCreate Makerspace account.
Please do NOT disconnect from the uCreate account, you or other users will then not be able to send your files to print.
10. Check that the printers build plate is empty.
Always double check that there is not a print currently on the build plate. Sending a job through with a model still on the build plate will cause the print head to crash into it and cause errors or damage.
11. Click 'Print Plate', select the printer you have booked from the dropdown menu and hit send.
Remember that you must have a booking before sending a file to print.
After your print is complete.
12. Remove your print from the build plate so the printer is ready for use by the next user.
To remove your print from the plate, remove the build plate from the printer and gently flex it to release the print.
If you have a printer booked and there is a completed print on the buildplate, remove it and place it on the 'Unclaimed Prints' shelf.