All of this sounds very sensible. Let’s do it.

--
*Iain Learmonth* MSci MBCS AICB PM.Dip (he/him)

This email is sent in a personal capacity. The views expressed in this email do not necessarily reflect the views of SR2 Group Limited, its subsidaries, or any other organisation in which I am a member, officer, employee, or volunteer.

On Wed, Mar 12, 2025, at 11:36 AM, Hibby wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> TL;DR: The Formlabs printer and Lulzbot printer really need some love.
> Let's spend a couple of hundred quid on each or throw them out. Can we
> approve a budget of up to 400 GBP to get it under control?
>
> At the moment the printers are taking up space on a bowed desk in the
> lab and need maintenance to be usable for all.
>
> In the case of both, we're at the point of use it or lose it. We're
> carrying a lot of stuff and there's nothing less appealing for new
> faces than "oh yeah, i remember when so and so used that successfully
> once, but we've got 7 not-really-working-3d-printers".
>
> Let's get them moved to a dedicated, flat, stable workspace and invest
> in makign them usable and repeatable.
> I suggest the old radio area that currently houses a boat anchor and
> TV, maybe combined with the table housing a sewing machine. The Desks
> are flat steady and reliable.
>
> Formlabs (SLA):
> This has sat unused for a long time as we're a bit afraid of it, but
> it's an outstanding printer which is easy to use and, if dialled in and
> cared for, should be a pull factor to the space.
>
> Items/Parts/Hardware it needs are:
>   * New Tank
>   * Resin
>   * Wash / Cure
>
> Tank: This is the thing the resin sits in and the print rises out of.
> Formlabs considers them consumable, and ours has sat with semi set /
> set resin in it since the last time anyone tried to print. [1]
> Resin: the printer will take all kinds - I sugest we standardise on
> something cheap from Amazon[2] and get that dialled in.
> Wash/Cure: Once someone has printed something, it needs exposure to UV
> to cure and IPA to wash off excess resin. Floating around there's an
> ultrasonic cleaner and a UV Lamp, but with the explosion of home resin
> printing there are dedicated products on the market that are
> affordable, we just need to match our print area in size [3].
>
> Lulzbot (FDM):
> The hackerspace has always been a bit crap at FDM 3d printing with
> printers that almost work. The lulzbot is currently in the liminal
> state of mostly working but being a bit disappointing. Every print I've
> done this year has had a warping/lifting issue [4] and layer 1 is a bit
> crap, I don't really know where to start on improving that.
>
> It would really benefit from someone dismantling the hot head, cleaning
> it thoroughly and assessing if we need to repair/replace/update the
> whole thing or the nozzle or something else.
> Similarly, it has mounting holes for a plastic enclosure to improve
> temperature regulation of the print area. Is this something we need? [5]
>
> We have a lot of old filament that isn't well stored, which probably
> isn't a great starting point for good printing. Does anyone have any
> opinions on whether we can revive it, or are we best to chuck it out,
> invest in some decent storage [5] [6] and start from scratch? I lean
> towards a new and controlled start.
>
> Computer:
> Wipe it and restart//recover the root password and update.
> Cura LE [8] is now under active maintenance again, get that installed.
>
> Other Printers:
> When these two work, let's give away every other 3d printer we have as
> 'free to a good home, no warranty' on facebook marketplace/somewhere
> else as a ploy to both clear the shelves and get people in the door.
>
> [1]
> https://www.solidprint3d.co.uk/shop/spare-parts/3d-printer-spare-part/resin-tank/
> [2]
> https://www.amazon.co.uk/ELEGOO-Washable-UV-Curing-Standard-Photopolymer/dp/B07XP8NNF1
> [3]
> https://www.amazon.co.uk/ELEGOO-Mercury-Machine-Station-Double-row-Yellow/dp/B09FPKL17V
> [4]
> https://www.simplify3d.com/resources/print-quality-troubleshooting/warping/
> [5] https://www.3dupfitters.com/products/lulzbot-mini-enclosure
> [6]
> https://www.123-3d.co.uk/Polymaker-PolyBox-Edition-II-filament-drybox-70180-PM70180-i7955-t15033.html
> [7]
> https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dry-Store-Multi-Filament-Container-Materials/dp/B0C5TNW3DC
> [8] https://lulzbot.com/support/cura
>
>
> --
>   Dave Hibberd <hibby@debian.org>
>   Debian Developer
>   Packet Radioist
>   MM0RFN
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