You’ve prepared your digital blueprint, and you're ready to make something real. This page is your guide from the moment you walk up to the printing station to the moment you hold your finished creation. Follow these steps for a smooth and successful printing experience.

When you arrive for your reservation, your first step is to let a staff member know you are here for a Reservation.

Overview of station:

When you arrive at our 3D printing station, you will see everything you need laid out for you. It's composed of three key areas:

1. The Printers: Our fleet of Prusa printers (Minis, MK3, MK4, and Core One) are ready to go. Each has an LCD screen and a knob for control.

Prusa MK4

Prusa Core One

Prusa Mini

2. The Lab PC: This computer is your command center. It has PrusaSlicer installed and is where you will prepare your file for the printer. It has both an SD card slot and USB ports for transferring your final print file.

3. The Tool Kit: Located at the station, you will find bottles of Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA), paper towels, metal spatulas, and tools for clean-up (files, tweezers, sandpaper, etc,). These are essential for print bed preparation, print removal and post-processing.

4. Our Staff: The Shapiro Design Lab staff are experienced and ready to help you with your 3D print! We will guide you step-by-step through the process on your first visit and will help as much as needed on any subsequent visits. Do not hesitate to ASK FOR HELP, we are here to assist you!

Safety: The Golden Rules

Our printers are safe, but they are machines with hot and moving parts. Your safety, and the safety of the equipment, is our top priority. Always remember these rules:

● Beware of Heat: The printer's nozzle heats up to over 215°C (420°F), and the build plate can reach 60°C (140°F). NEVER touch the nozzle or the metal build plate while the printer is operating.

● Beware of Moving Parts: The printer's axes move quickly and precisely. Keep your hands, hair, and any loose clothing clear of the machine while it is in motion.

● Beware of sharp objects: Spatulas for removing prints and cleanup tools have sharp edges. Always make sure sharp objects are pointed away from the body while using, and watch for pointed plastic supports that can poke.

The Step-by-Step Workflow

Follow this process every time you print.

Step 1: Slicing Your Model on the Lab PC

The first step is to translate your 3D model into instructions the printer can understand using PrusaSlicer.

Organize Your Files: Before you begin, let's get organized. On the lab PC's Desktop, create a new folder. Please name it with your name or university ID. Move your .STL or .3MF file from your flash drive into this new folder. This simple step keeps the lab computers tidy and ensures your files are easy to find.
Import Your Model: Open PrusaSlicer. Drag and drop your .STL or .3MF file from your new folder on the desktop directly onto the virtual build plate.
Orient Your Model: Use the Rotate tool on the left-hand menu. Make sure the largest, flattest surface of your model is sitting firmly on the build plate. This is the single best way to ensure a successful print. A great shortcut is the (F) tool.
Add Supports & a Brim:

Supports: Does your model have steep overhangs (like the arms of a 'T')? Use the support generation tool to create temporary scaffolding. For most cases, selecting the Organic support style works best.
Brim: If your model has a very small base, we highly recommend adding a Brim. This is a thin layer of plastic that prints around the base of your object, acting like a suction cup to hold it securely to the bed. You can enable it in the Print Settings.

5. Slice and Export: Click the "Slice now" button in the bottom right. PrusaSlicer will generate the print path and give you a time estimate. If it's over 24 hours, you'll need to redesign or split your model. If it looks good, click "Export G-code" and save the file to a USB flash drive.

Step 2: Preparing the Printer

1. THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP: Clean the Build Plate. A perfectly clean bed is the secret to a perfect first layer.

Take a paper towel and the bottle of Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA).
Apply a small amount of IPA and wipe the entire steel sheet thoroughly. Any oil from a single fingerprint can cause a print to fail.

Check the Filament: Make sure there is enough filament on the spool for your print (PrusaSlicer gives you an estimate). If the spool is low or you are unsure, please see the "Changing Filament" module or ask a staff member for assistance.
Loading filament：

If the printer does not have filament loaded, follow these steps:

Select your filament spool. Choose your desired color of PLA from the storage area.
Prepare the Tip (Pro-Tip!): Before inserting the filament, use the wire cutters at the station to snip the very end of the filament at a sharp, 45-degree angle. This creates a pointed tip that makes feeding it into the machine much easier and prevents jams.
Insert the Filament: Gently guide the pointed end into the filament sensor at the top of the extruder until you feel it stop.
Use the LCD Menu: On the printer’s screen, use the control knob to navigate to the Filament menu and select Load filament.
Follow the On-Screen Prompts: The printer will now heat the nozzle to the correct temperature. Once it's hot, it will prompt you to push the filament in further until you feel the gears "grab" it. The printer will then automatically pull the filament through to the nozzle.
Confirm the Color: Watch as the printer purges the old material. Once you see a steady stream of your new, pure color extruding, select Yes on the screen when it asks if the color is correct. The filament is now successfully loaded

Step 3: Label Your Print

While the printer is heating up, you must label your print. This is essential for keeping the station organized.

Find the paper name cards and a pen at the station.
Fill out the card completely with the following information:
Once the card is complete, insert it into the card holder directly in front of the printer you are using.

SDL 3d print identification card

Step 4: Starting the Print

Insert the USB flash drive containing your G-code file into the USB port on the front of the printer.
On the printer's main screen, use the control knob to highlight and select the Print option. This is typically the largest icon displayed.
A list of files on the USB drive will appear. Select your G-code file from the list and press the knob to begin.
The printer will now automatically heat up and perform a mesh bed level calibration before starting your print.

Step 5: Watch the First Layer!

Do not walk away yet! This is the most critical moment of the entire process. Watch the printer as it lays down the first few layers.

Good: You should see a clean, uniform line of plastic that is slightly "squished" on the build plate and sticking firmly.
Bad: If you see messy or stringy plastic that isn't sticking to the build plate, or the nozzle is dragging the plastic around, stop the print immediately using the LCD menu. The most likely cause is an unclean bed but there could be other issues so please get a SDL staff member for assistance.