I have this great idea for a widget, can I print it on the 3D printer?
Cool! We'd love to help! But first, you need to have a faculty sponsor to print objects on the 3D printer. That person can assure that your proposed use is academic in nature, and can get in touch with Doug Willen or Andrew Ruether to arrange for printing for you.
Where/How do I send jobs to the 3D printer?
Once your proposed print job is approved, you can see Doug Willen (Beardsley 105) or Andrew Ruether (Beardsley 117) for help with printing. If you are in Engineering, you might also be able to print with the help of Prof. Carr Everbach, or Prof. Erik Cheever or others.
What do you charge for 3D prints?
There is no charge, because all 3D printing is for an academic purpose.
What happens if the 3D printer gets jammed or runs out of material?
See Doug or Andrew. Please DON'T attempt to clear things or load material yourself, unless you've been trained by us (even then, please check with us first!)
Printing Tips
There are a variety of problems with an STL file that can causing printing problems. Netfabb (linked above) has a good set of repair tools. Run the repair and update the stats to make sure things look okay. Then apply the repair.
The attached document has details about minimum geometry sizes, part shrinkage, and other useful details.