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  • 1.  3D Printing

    Posted 01-09-2025 11:51 AM

    We  have several Ultimaker printers on campus and a couple of them are not performing well.  We have had transitions in teachers using them and when a teacher departed last year, so did a lot of knowledge.  We're located in Virginia and we are wondering if any other schools in the area/region know of any Ultimaker techs or simply techs who understand a lot about 3D printing who can help us diagnose some problems we are experiencing.  I'm completely new to this field, so I am learning a lot.

    The Ultimaker S5 that is working jams frequently - every 5-10 minutes on a 30-minute job.  As you can imagine, this is very frustrating. The teacher is able to address the jam and get things printing again, but only for a short time.  There are a variety of filament types that she inherited and while some are stored in temperature-controlled locations, most are just sitting out on the counter and several of them have direct sunlight for a portion of the day.  

    Is there anyone who has knowledge of 3D printers, and specifically the Ultimaker S5 R2 or the Ultimaker 3, who wouldn't mind helping us troubleshoot the problems we're experiencing?  Or, can you refer me to someone who services or maintains 3D printers?  Also, looking for some feedback about filament.  We are using a variety of brands of PLA.  I have read that PLA doesn't necessarily expire, but that there is not an unlimited shelf life.  Does anyone have expertise in this area who is willing to share their knowledge and experience?  We do not have records about when the filament was purchased and we don't know much about the different brands.  I reviewed what's in our makerspace classroom and we have PLA from Kodak, 3DUniverse Terrafilum, Polymaker, Ultimaker, and PLA PRO.

    Thanks in advance!  

    Susan


    #TeachingandLearning

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    Susan Fuhs, Director of IT Services
    Norfolk Academy
    Norfolk VA
    swfuhs@norfolkacademy.org
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  • 2.  RE: 3D Printing

    Posted 01-10-2025 08:12 AM

    Hi Susan,

    In the past we exclusively used MakerBot printers at our school, but recently did more research and found on many teacher forums that Bambu Lab is the way to go. We ordered one this year to pilot and we have been very pleased with the results. The only catch is that you do need a dedicated Mac or Windows machine to run the software.

    https://bambulab.com/en-us

    Hope this helps!

    Brad



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    Bradley Lands
    The Langley School
    McLean VA
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  • 3.  RE: 3D Printing

    Posted 01-10-2025 08:31 AM
    Edited by Aaron Brill 01-10-2025 08:30 AM

    +1 for Bambulabs products. After years of high expectations and clogged Makerbot/ Ultimaker extruders, Bambu finally acheives the goals of being able to reliably print without requiring faculty to be mechanical engineers. 



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    Aaron Brill
    Director of Innovation Technology
    AIM Academy
    Conshohocken PA
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  • 4.  RE: 3D Printing

    Posted 01-10-2025 10:06 AM

    I definitely agree that Bambu Lab's printers are pretty great. Fast, reliable, and great resolution. 

    For your Ultimakers, I wonder if there is an issue with filament storage. If humidity is too high it can cause problems when extruding. Maybe try drying out your filament and see if that helps? Here's a resource for filament drying: https://all3dp.com/2/how-to-dry-filament-pla-abs-and-nylon/#google_vignette

    Best of luck!

    Chris



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    Chris McLaughlin
    Montclair Kimberley Academy
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