3D Printing

Each library has a single MakerBot Sketch 3D printer for public use, so people can interact with this surprisingly accessible and useful technology.

If you are just looking for a link to the MakerBot CloudSlicer and don't need any guidance here it is: https://login.makerbot.com/login

Otherwise, read on for a full walkthrough of the 3D printer service!

How the service works

We have these printers so that people can learn the basics of 3D printing. We will only accept prepared, sliced 3D files to print.

Please be aware that 3D prints take a while to complete and that our MakerBot Sketch printers are not the fastest, so expect your print time to be measured in hours, not seconds!

We require the print cost to be paid before we can start the print job (see cost below for more information on the print cost). Once complete, you will have 10 days to come and collect your print.

Please note, we will not print anything deemed offensive or explicit, no weapons, gang patches, etc.

In the event of a print failure, we will reattempt the print once (prints can sometimes fail). In the event of another failure, we will contact you to inform you of the failures. If the problem is not due to a fault with the printer itself (i.e.: we suspect a problem with your file), then we will cease attempting the print.

We will not be issuing refunds in these instances.

For this reason, if you have not used a 3D printer before, we recommend printing something small like a keyring to minimise the cost (around 5 dollars).

If the queue for the printer is getting long, we will limit the maximum print duration and/or number of prints someone can have in the queue.

Overview of the printers

The MakerBot Sketch is an FDM printer, which means it functions like a hot-glue gun, but is fed plastic filament. The filament is heated until molten and piped like icing, which is rapidly cooled and solidified. The printer nozzle then moves up 1/5th of a millimetre (0.2 mm) to the next layer, and starts again.

The maximum size of a print on a MakerBot Sketch is 15cm x 15cm x 15cm - but we could recommend keeping well within this size for the best odds of success!

We currently use PLA, a plant-based plastic that is popular due to its low cost and ease to print. At this point in time, we are not permitting people to bring in their own filaments.

Cost

In addition to a flat $1.50 fee to use the machine, there is a cost of $0.20 per-gram of PLA filament for your print.

We may also have more exotic materials on hand that can cost up to $0.40 per-gram. At this time we will not be permitting people to bring in their own filament, but we will try to keep a few colour options available at any given time.

Example cost of print:

You bring in a prepared print file. The print itself weighs 75 grams.

75 × 0.2 = $15
[weight in grams × 20 cents]

Plus $1.50 print fee = $16.50 total cost.

Please note that the cost must be paid before we can start a print.

Procuring a digital 3D model

Before you can prepare your 3D print, you need to choose what it is you want to print!

There are two ways to go about this:

You could create your own file from scratch using 3D modelling software or Computer Aided Design (CAD) software
You can use an online repository to find a 3D model

Creating your own file from scratch is a skill in of itself and is far beyond the scope of this guide. However, if you already dabble in such things, feel free to export a .obj or .stl of your work and proceed to the next step.

For most folks, your first print will be of a file you find online from a repository.

File repositories are kind of like YouTube, but instead of videos, people upload 3D models for public use.

We recommend either Thingiverse or Printables as good starting repositories to browse.

Thingiverse - all of the downloads are free and the website has been around for a long time, so there are plenty of models to choose from! It does have more adverts though.
Printables - most of the files are free. As the website is supported by one of the larger printer companies, it has a cleaner relatively ad-free experience. They also sponsor regular design contests, so you can come across some brilliant design options if a relevant contest has taken place in the past.

If you are doing this with a young one, be aware that anything could be uploaded to these sites, by anyone.
This is a good thing to do together as a supervised activity; best not to let them peruse these sites unsupervised in case they come across something explicit.

On either website, we can use the searchbar to find some 3D models to download.

If this is your first time using a 3D printer, keep it small and simple!

Keychains, small and simple figurines, a chess piece - these are all great examples of a first print.

Downloading a file and checking details

Once you have found the file you want and are on its page, scroll down past the images and you will see some details about the print.

Creators often stipulate some settings for printing the model, the two that you want to keep an eye out for are rafts and supports, as those are super important to your print succeeding!

Also, if you are planning on selling the print or iterating upon it, check the licence that the creator has used.

Files that we download are most commonly .stl files, though .obj is also an accepted file type.

Preparing your file for printing

Now that you have your 3D model, you need to prepare it for printing. This is called slicing, for reasons that will become clear shortly...

First though, you will want to download the default settings we have compiled. We spent some time tuning the settings used by the software and stored them in this file: Waipā Libraries Standard Printmode

Keep note of where you saved the file, you will need it shortly.

The slicer - MakerBot CloudPrint

Preparing the slicer

The software used to prepare your print is called a slicer. There are many options out there, but for our MakerBot printers you need to use their cloud-based slicer which you can find here: https://login.makerbot.com/login

You will need to login or sign up to use it.

Once you have signed in, you will be presented with a workspace management page, that says "No Printers Found" - click "Print Preparation" at the top-left of the screen.

Then you will need to select the correct printer. At the top of the screen, select the "Printer by type" button (at the time of writing, the default setting is "Method X") and select our printer model, the "Sketch".

Now your view should look like the image below. If you don't have a menu on the right side of the screen, click the < button in the top right corner of the screen and the menu should pop out.

Now we are going to load the preconfigured settings we downloaded earlier.

Click the icon of the gear where "Balanced" is written and a dropdown menu will appear
Click on "import" - a menu will appear where you can upload the "Waipa Libraries Standard.printmode" file from earlier make sure you have unzipped it
Once the upload is finished, you will see "Waipa Libraries Standard" under custom print modes

Configuring the print

We can now upload our .stl or .obj file. I found this cool gyroscopic keychain on Thingiverse.

Upload your file either using the "import" button on the top left of the screen, or by dragging and dropping the file on the screen.

Once you have uploaded your file, you will see that the platform is now occupied with your model!

Now that your model is in the slicer, lets go over the layout of the user interface.

This widget shows how space is oriented. Z is up. If you ever get lost in space, click the house icon to return to the original view.
The file tool is a good way to select objects, particularly if they are overlapping each other on...
The virtual build plate, which represents the build plate on the printer itself, the floor upon which your printer will construct your object. You can see how large your object is in relation to it, is and where on the plate it rests.
The cube outline represents the maximum build volume - the printer can only print inside this cube.
Print settings - the primary settings to configure here are to enable supports if the print needs them, you can also enable the raft (less commonly needed) under "Base Layer".
Your tools, for now the primary tools to use are Smart Arrange and Smart Orient (the map pin and wand icons on the left) and the Scale tool on the far right (the two overlapping squares).
The information panel shows relevant information about your selected object, based on the current tool you are using. For example, select your object and the Scale tool, and you will see the dimensions of your print in millimetres.
Print preview and export. Once you are happy with your print, press print preview. The slicer will now begin slicing your model.

The sliced file

After you click print preview, the slicer will process your print job and output a file that breaks the object down into simple and specific instructions for each motor within the printer, as well as the heat of the nozzle, step by step, layer by layer. It slices your file into horizontal layers (like a pancake stack) for the printer.

Hence the name slicer and sliced file. In this preview, you can see how long the print will take and how much PLA it will use in grams.

The printer builds a model layer by layer, starting at the bottom/base of the model, then goes up layer by layer, like building a brick wall. You might also notice that the inside of the file is a series of random lines - that is because prints are mostly hollow. There is a scaffold-like lattice of plastic within, designed to prop-up the outer wall of the print. This reduces print time, cost and warping as the plastic cools.

As you can see, my keyring is 24 grams, rounded (costing $6.30) and will take 2 hours and 35 min to print.

If you are not happy with your print preview, click "Quit preview" to return to the print preparation screen and make any needed changes.

If you are happy with your print, click export and you will download your sliced .makerbot file, ready for printing!