Multiple prints or giant printingtask?

[StudioArjan 0]

Hello!

 

I'm working as teacher with an Ultimaker Original (not the plus) but I don't have any experience with this kind of printer. 

My students are almost done designing and getting ready for printing.

My question is; what do you think would be better (and faster)?

 

Letting every student print his/her own design one after another? Or putting multiple designs in 1 big printtask?

 

I ask this because I've seen other designs getting to hot, so the PLA 'deforms' or 'warps'...Sorry I dont know the correct word (But got picture of that)

Not warped

 

This side is warped

 

Would love to hear from you people!

Thanks in advance!

[geert_2 485]

I would rather go for multiple smaller batches, than one big batch. Even though that costs extra warming-up and cooling-down time. But if something goes wrong and you have to abort the print, then you only lose a couple of hours and one model, not days of work and lots of people's work. This works best for my models which usually take 2-3 hours to print. But this is my personal view, and not necessarily suitable for everyone. And I only do all printing myself, no others touch it.

 

MakersMuse on Youtube has been doing 3D-printer repair service in the past. His experience was that students tend to mess up printers, because they are too unfamiliar with them: using wrong software, wrong settings (e.g. outside of the print volume), crashing the print head, burning the filament, damaging the bed, etc... He has made a whole video about this, I think. Have a look at that first.

 

He recommends that only one or two educated persons handle the printer, and do all the slicing and printing. All the rest should go via these persons, and only watch, not touch. That should give the smoothest workflow, and the least amount of down-time. This is also what schools are moving to now, they are moving away from everyone doing everything.

 

However, if you prefer to let them do the printing themself, then absolutely require that they read the manuals, and familiarise themself with the printer first. Let them sign that they have done this, and do a quick exam (can be verbally at the start of their prints). And then let everyone print his own design, and let them take full responsibility for it: in this way they will by far learn the most of course. But you are likely to have the most troubles with the printer...

 

Could be difficult to find a good balance.