Configure 3d printers

3D printers often have very long running tasks and usually don’t require constant attention – unlike laser cutters or CNC routers.

Therefore it’s often advisable to configure them differently that most other equipment:

1. Select your 3d printer from the overview or equipment list to go to the printer’s detail page.
2. Find the bridge settings on the right side and click on "Edit" next to it.

Have you previously configured a "busy / idle" input for your printer?

1. If you don’t know what that means, here’s an article describing idle and busy states in Fabman.
2. If you don’t have a "busy / idle" input configured:
   1. Disable "Turn off the equipment if members don't interact…" to allow members to leave the printer running while being away. But unless you set up a "busy / idle" input for your printer, the bridge will not be switched off when the job is done, so members can’t check the member portal to see if a printer is available.
3. If you have a "busy / idle" input set up:
   1. Disable "Turn off busy equipment" to allow members to leave the printer running while being away.
   2. Enable "Turn off idle equipment" to save power and show the printer as "avaliable" once a print job is done.
   3. You might want to enable "Prevent power-off while the equipment is busy" to prevent members from accidentally switching off the printer while a job is running. Otherwise, you might get cold filament stuck in the print nozzle.

Allow long-running print jobs

If you don’t allow your members 24/7 access to your space, you might want to add an extra permission to their package to allow long-running jobs to finish outside opening hours:

1. Click on "Configuration" and then "Packages" on the main navigation bar.
2. Click on your non-24/7 package.
3. Scroll down and click on "Add another rule".
4. Select "every 3d printer" from the drop-down and leave the time set to "Always 24/7".
5. Save your changes.
6. Repeat these steps for every package that allows members to use 3d printers.