3D Printing
From Grand River Makerspace Wiki
3D Printing Area
⚠️ SAFETY GLASSES REQUIRED WHEN REMOVING SUPPORTS OR POST-PROCESSING ⚠️ ⚠️ NEVER LEAVE THE FIRST LAYER UNATTENDED — CHECK LONG PRINTS PERIODICALLY ⚠️
📋 Before You Print — Member Checklist
A few quick steps every time you start a print — please don't skip these:
- 🏷️ Label your print with a sticky note. Write your name (and a phone number and/or email if you can) on a sticky note and attach it to the printer you're using. If a print fails or there's an issue, we need to know whose job it is and how to reach you.
- ⚖️ Write down the filament weight. Note the weight the slicer estimated (in grams) on your sticky note. This is how we track material use for paying for filament — jot it down before you walk away.
- 👀 Don't hit print and leave. Stay for the first few layers and make sure they're going down cleanly with good bed adhesion. The first layer is where most prints fail — catching a bad start here saves your whole print (and everyone's filament and time).
💵 Paying for Filament
Once you know your print's weight, pay for the material you used. There are three easy ways:
- Deposit bucket — drop your payment in the deposit bucket inside the 3D printing room
- Scan the QR code — posted in the 3D printing room
- Pay online — use the links below for the material you printed with
| Material | Pay Online |
|---|---|
| PLA | Pay for PLA → |
| ABS / ASA / TPU | Pay for ABS / ASA / TPU → |
| Polycarbonate | Pay for Polycarbonate → |
3D Printers
- Enclosed CoreXY Printers — Fast, versatile machines good for most work. Enclosure allows ABS/ASA in addition to PLA and PETG.
- Bambu Lab H2D — Our flagship. Large-format (350×320×325mm), fully enclosed, dual-nozzle printer with a hardened steel 350°C hotend, 120°C bed, and active chamber heating up to 65°C. Best choice for big parts, two-material prints, and engineering filaments. 📄 Full Machine Wiki Guide →
- Bambu Lab X1 Carbon — Fully enclosed, AMS multi-color/multi-material, lidar first-layer inspection. Great for reliable multi-color prints. 📄 Full Machine Wiki Guide →
- Bambu Lab P1S (×3) — Enclosed CoreXY workhorses (256×256×256mm). Same Bambu Studio workflow as the X1C and H2D; fast, reliable, and easy to use for everyday prints. 📄 Full Machine Wiki Guide →
- Elegoo Centauri Carbon (×3) — Enclosed CoreXY machines with a filtered enclosure. Fast and easy to use. 📄 Full Machine Wiki Guide →
- Snapmaker U1 — Four-toolhead toolchanger (270×270×270mm). Each head holds its own preheated filament, so multi-color/multi-material prints swap heads in seconds with almost no purge waste. Partially enclosed with no chamber heater, so stick to PLA, PETG, and TPU. Slice in Snapmaker Orca or OrcaSlicer. 📄 Full Machine Wiki Guide →
- Elegoo Orange Storm Giga — Massive-format open-frame printer (800×800×1000mm) with four independent heated PEI beds. Upgraded to the custom Open OrangeStorm operating system — it runs differently than our stock machines. ⚠️ Guidance required — see a volunteer before use. 📄 Full Machine Wiki Guide →
📦 In Storage
| ⚠️ These machines have been moved into storage for now to make room for our new printers. They are not available for member use at this time. Their wiki guides are kept here for reference. |
- CreatBot F430 — Large-format, fully enclosed, heated chamber (70°C) with dual extruders reaching 420°C. For engineering materials (Nylon, PC, CF) and large industrial parts. 📄 Full Machine Wiki Guide →
- Ultimaker 3 Extended — Open-frame dual-extrusion printer with swappable print cores and auto nozzle-lifting. Uses 2.85mm filament. 📄 Full Machine Wiki Guide →
- Ultimaker S5 — Large-format dual-extrusion printer with swappable print cores, a built-in live camera, and a touchscreen interface. Uses 2.85mm filament. 📄 Full Machine Wiki Guide →
