While 3D printing is an exciting new technology that has become much cheaper and accessible to the maker market, it still requires a bit of knowledge on how to create and prepare files for printing. This class is focused on the preparation of 3D files for the printing process. We will also cover how to start a print on a typical consumer-level 3D printer.
Slicing
The first part of the class will be focused on “slicing” the files. Whether you download files from the internet or create them yourself, you will have to slice them before printing. You will learn to use software called Cura to cut the files into each of the layers required for printing.
Since each printer needs a different set of parameters and each model can be printed with various settings to get the desired result, slicing can be confusing to someone new to 3D printing. This class will help take some of the confusion out of the process and help you learn how to prepare files for the printer at the shop.
Preparing the Printer
After we learn some of the important settings for slicing a file for printing, we will actually set up a print and get it started on the printer at the shop. While we are going over the settings for our printer, we will also try to cover enough general cases so that you can apply the information to other printers you have available to you.
Who is the class for?
- Those who have (or have access to) a 3D printer and have questions as to why some models print well and others don’t.
- Those who are thinking about getting into 3D printing.
- Those who would like to use the Morristown Makers printer to create models.
- Anyone curious about the process of 3D printing but not sure you understand the process.
Any age is welcome to attend. We ask that young people, ages 18 and younger, have an adult present with them.
What to bring
You do not need to bring anything to class. However, if you want help setting up your slicing software on your computer, bring it along and we can make sure it is working properly for you. You might want to download Cura before you come to class.
We will be using Cura for this class, but if you are using a different slicer and have questions, we would be happy to help you figure out how to make yours do what you need.