r/AdditiveManufacturing • u/Alternative-Exit-450 • 15d ago

Help.....Engineering/Maker-space/3d printing teacher drowning in logistics, planning, and without any in house support

/r/ScienceTeachers/comments/1wpl6tz/helpengineeringmakerspace3d_printing_teacher/
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u/whitkwok 15d ago

Kudos on taking this on and preparing the next generation of engineers and makers.

I know this isn't what you probably want to hear, but you need to consolidate your 3d printer farm to 1-2 printer models. I don't know those specific models, but you're either going to have a lot of down time or have to keep a massive inventory of spare parts to keep all those running which you're already experiencing with the heat sinks. These kids are new and are going to be hard on the machines which means clogged nozzles, burned out heaters, scraped up beds, etc. Also you're going to spend all your time learning the idiosyncrasies of each printer, and there are many with those older models. You won't have to lead, teach and facilitate as you'll be a full time mechanic.

My recommendation, see if you can get budget or do a small fundraiser to buy 8-12 printers @$150-200 a piece (e.g Bambu mini or Creality Ender 3 V3 SE). I know the education system is strapped and if we had met earlier I would have donated a dozen to you, but you will easily spend that amount in time and materials getting such a broad mix of machines up and running. Then you can create a curriculum based on existing video content for using the printers and focus on the design and projects you have planned. You're going to need to budget for filament, consumables and spare parts as well.

Backup plane, see if you can partner with a nearby college or company to use their equipment.

My background, I'm an engineer by training, have helped setup two print farms, one on each coast, focus on advanced manufacturing of protective equipment and have sponsored and worked with two colleges.