Today I studied “3D Printing” at the local Hexlabs Makerspace.
This was a three-hour in-person class that I attended where I successfully printed off a dimensional cube that I resized in the standard printer bot software.
And why did I need to take a three-hour class in performing the most simplest of 3D printing tasks when I have years of experience operating different 3D printers?
Because the makerspace requires me to demonstrate basic understanding of how to use a 3D filament printer before they will let me loose on their equipment.
After the class I was informed that I could have just brought over my own 3D printer at any time and just demonstrated I could print on it.
Which I wish I had done, because the Chinese knock-off Dreamforge printer we were using was printing out my dimensional cube with one side sloped. And no matter how much I fiddled with the set screws to get the bed to align, it just wouldn’t stay in place.
Topics I Studied
Basic Fusion 360 operating
Creating and loading 3D models ready for printing
Different types of 3D printers
Preparation of the 3D printer
Alignment of the 3D printer bed
Correct heat settings for different filaments
Suspension and support structures for 3D printing
Preparation of the print bed to enable easy removal of the print job.
Learning Outcome
How to load up a basic 3D model in the printer software.
How to scale the model and set the print density.
How to copy my 3D print file to a USB card and load it on to the 3D printer.
Demonstrate proper bed levelling procedure and temperature settings on the 3D printer for the selected filament.
A demonstration of patience for a 3D printer that has seen better days slowly (reeeeeallllly slowly) and incorrectly print my design.