First print

Here are several video tutorials walking through the written steps below on how to slice a print as well as tips and tricks.

1. Make a 3DPrinterOS account

Step 1:

The Ultimakers and many of the other printers use an online service to send and manage a print queue called 3DPrinterOS

Make your own account here using the SSO. 

Step 2:

To get access to the 3D printers, contact a staff member once you've completed the 3D printing quiz to request access.

Step 3:

Once you have access you will be able to see all of the printers on the Printers page, it should look like this:

2. Find a Print File

Step 1:

The act of making 3D models is much more time intensive than finding already made 3D models off of the internet to 3D print

One of the best websites to find these models for free is Thingiverse as well as Printables.

Step 2:

Choose your file!

Search for something that you may be interested in or think looks cool and download the .stl file

I chose this Elephant Phone Stand

Step 3:

Once you have selected your part, scroll down to click on Thing files

The file type you typically want to download for 3D printing is a .stl file

From here I will select the blue Download button to download the file

3. Upload Your File

Step 1:

On the File tab, click Add files and upload your recently downloaded .stl file

Alternatively, you could go under the Projects tab, click the three dots and click Create Project, name it and then add your file 

Step 2:

Next, you should pick which printer you want to use based on either color, material, build volume, or availability.

There are three larger printers, the Ultimaker S5’s which are Chewbacca, Obi-Wan, and R2-D2. These have a 330 x 240 x 300 mm (13 x 9.4 x 11.8 inches) build volume. 

There are four smaller printers, the Ultimaker S3's, which are named Leia, Han Solo, Luke, and Yoda. These have a 230 x 190 x 200 mm (9 x 7.4 x 7.9 inches) build volume.

You can see which materials/colors are in the printers by going to the Printers tab as well as which printers are in use at the moment. 

Step 3:

If you hover over the grey note beside the name of the printer, you can see what materials are currently loaded in the printer

For instance, if you wanted red PLA you can print on Chewbacca with Extruder 1

Alternatively, there are nametags, printed using the material, on the front of each printer

4. Layout

Step 1:

Next, you'll need to make sure that the layout is compatible to the printer.

Under the files page, click the layout button on the file you recently uploaded.

Step 2:

In this view, you can manipulate the location, orientation, size and more for your part.

Tip: You can rotate the view using the right mouse button.

Step 3:

Click the On Bed button and Center button to make sure your part is laying flat in the center of the printer

If the options do not appear, just click on your orange model


Step 4:

There are several ways to manipulate our model in the layout:

Right now it is in the Move mode. You can use the arrows on the part to move it around on the print bed

If you click the Rotate button on the top left corner then you can rotate your part, or you can click the Scale button to resize the part

Step 5:

If you want to print multiple files in one print, select the Add File button. 

A window on the right will allow you to select a file. You may need to use the dropdown to find the Project folder that your file is in.

Step 6:

If you want to make multiple copies of a file in a single print, select the Copy object button next to the file name. 

You can then input the number of copies you want to make and select Apply in a window on the right. 

Step 7:

If you are printing something large and it doesn't fit on the bed, you may need to change to the Ultimaker S5 using the Printer option and selecting your desired printer.

If your print would fit on either printer, we can select the printer in the slicing section. 

For a first print, you likely won't need to do much editing in the Layout tab. I will not make any changes and move to the next step.

5. Slice Your File

Once you have your 3D model to your liking and you are ready to print, you have to convert that into instructions that the printer can follow. The slicer software will slice your file up into layers and tell the printer where the nozzle should and shouldn’t extrude filament on each layer.

Different types of printers often have their own slicer software but for the Ultimakers we can use the one that is built into 3DPrinterOS

Step 1:

We can move into the slicing window by either selecting Slice on the top right corner of the Layout window. If you closed the Layout window then you can select the Slice button next to the file name on the Files tab. 

Step 2:

You will see the slicing window appear. 

By this point you should have selected which printer and which extruder you want! If you are not sure, review section 2 above: Uploading Your File.

Step 3:

Please use the profile for the printer you will be using. For this we will use Luke, which is an Ultimaker S3 printer so in the slicing setting we make sure to choose Ultimaker S3 and the profile Luke_Profile . If you don't see the printer name, you may need to change it from Ultimaker S3 to Ultimaker S5 or vice versa. 

The printer profiles will automatically choose the correct default settings

Step 4:

When Extruder 1 is selected, we can change the orange highlighted boxes to modify some of the parameters of that extruder. 

Similarly on Extruder 2 we can edit the green highlighted parameters.

This does not change which Extruder will be printed with!

I want my print to come out the color Silver so I will change the Extruder from default to Extruder 2. Single color prints left at Default will print on Extruder 1.

This is how you print with the color in Extruder 2!

Do not change any of the temperature or material settings on the profile! If you want to know how to customize your print settings further (ie, layer height, infill density, build plate adhesion, etc... ) go to Changing Slicer Settings

Step 5:

IMPORTANT: You must determine if your model needs support! If there are no overhangs (i.e. where the walls are leaning over or bridges) then you don't need supports. If you are unsure, check out the Changing Slicer Settings page to learn more. If after that you are still unsure, please ask a staff member. 

If it needs support, select the Generate Support checkbox and select which extruder you want the support material in. Typically you want it to be the same extruder as the one you are printing in.

Step 6:

Once everything looks correct, click slice & toolpath preview

You should now see a preview of your part

Step 7:

You can use the layers tab on the right to see different layers of the print → 

On the bottom right corner there is an estimate of material usage and print time. 

To see how much your print will cost, check out our Pricing Policy page. If you have a really long print (>12hrs) check out our Reducing Print Time page.

Step 8:

IMPORTANT: There are two things you must check to verify that your print is flat on the bed before you print. If your part is not flat on the bed, it will most likely fail!

In the above example, the elephant phone holder is not fully flat on the bed. The skirt only goes around a small portion of it and by scrolling down to the first few layers we can see it is printing at an angle. This can be caused by an issue with the original file or that it was accidentally rotated in the layout tab. 

Step 9:

If everything looks good, click the Print button on the top right

Select the printer of which you initially selected the profile of. If the printer already has a print going on it, click Queue to be set to print afterwards, otherwise you can click Print.

Double check that the material listed next to the .gcode file matches the material noted on the printer!

Step 10:

You will get the live camera view (which isn’t that good) and receive an email notification when the print is sent to the printer.

It will take some time to heat up the printer, but it is a good idea to check up in 5-10 min to see if it is successfully printing the first few layers. If it is not, you should cancel the print and talk to a staff member

You should see the material come out of the printer. (sometimes the hot end will get clogged, if that is the case, talk to a staff member)

Step 11:

Some prints may need glue to help with first layer adhesion. If that is the case, you can put glue on the print bed right before starting your print. This is commonly needed in articulated prints where there are many small pieces stuck to the bed that could easily peel off mid print like the octopus.

Please use the magigoo glue stick to apply glue on the area of the bed that your print will be. 

If you are sending the print remotely or you have to queue your print, you can add a note on 3DPrinterOS so a staff member can add glue. 

In the Printers tab, click the 3 dots to the right of your print file name and select Add a note. Then write any information you want the staff to know.  

Congratulations!! You just sent your first 3D print! Please don't remove prints, staff will take care of that. You can pick up your print in the finished prints box or from the cashier.