5.4.1: Egarage

Step 0: Join the Entrepreneurship Garage and Hill Makerspace

1. Explore the fabrication spaces on campus: NC State offers multiple student-accessible spaces, including the Albright Entrepreneurship Garage and the Hill Makerspace.

   • The Hill Makerspace, located in the Hill Library, offers a variety of tools and resources, including 3D printers, laser cutters, and more. It is open to all students and is ideal for prototyping and small-scale fabrication projects.

   • The Albright Entrepreneurship Garage, located on Centennial Campus, is a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship. It provides access to high-tech equipment like 3D printers, CNC machines, and other prototyping tools. This space is particularly suited for students working on startup projects or entrepreneurial ventures.

2. Complete the required orientations:

   • To use the Albright Entrepreneurship Garage, you must complete both the Makerspace Orientation and the 3D Printing Orientation.

   • The Hill Makerspace also requires an orientation to ensure familiarity with equipment and safety procedures.

   • Each orientation takes about 30 minutes.

3. Plan ahead: Gaining keycard access to campus makerspaces may take up to two weeks as staff manually review your orientation completion.

   • Tip: Complete the orientations for both spaces well in advance of your 3D printing project to avoid delays.

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Step 1: Download PrusaSlicer

1. Visit the official PrusaSlicer download page linked here.

2. Download and install the latest version of PrusaSlicer.

   • Note: NC State uses Prusa 3D printers, and this slicer is optimized for them.  You can use other slicers if you are familiar with them.  All are free.

3. Follow the on-screen instructions during installation.

4. Skip all first-time installation instructions; they will be revisited in this guide.

5. Once installed, you should see a screen similar to the one shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1.)  Unconfigured screen.

Step 1.5: Select your machine

How to Choose Which Printer to Use

1. Available Printers:

   • All NC State makerspaces are equipped with Prusa Mini printers.

   • The Entrepreneurship Garage also offers Prusa MK4 printers.

2. Speed vs. Quality:

   • Prusa MK4: Prints about twice as fast as the Prusa Mini, making it ideal when you’re short on time.

   • Prusa Mini: Offers slightly better print quality and a smoother surface finish, making it the better choice if print precision is your priority and time isn’t a constraint.

 

Prusa Mini

Step 2: Configure the Slicer

1. Open PrusaSlicer and click on the Printer's tab in the top menu.

2. Navigate to the drop-down menu in the top-left corner (refer to Figure 2).

3. Select Add Printer from the bottom of the list.

4. In the next menu, choose Prusa Research.

5. From the options, select Prusa Mini and then choose the 0.4mm nozzle (as shown in Figure 3).

   • Note: Prusa Mini printers with 0.4mm nozzles are available in the albright entrepreneurship garage and Hill Makerspace.  0.4mm is the standard size for most nozzles.

Figure 2.)  Printers menu.  

 

Figure 3.)  Menu to add Prusa mini to available printers.

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Step 3: Select the Printer in PrusaSlicer

1. Return to the Printers tab in the top menu.

2. In the drop-down menu, select Prusa Mini.

3. Switch back to the Plater tab.

4. You should now see the screen displayed in Figure 4.

Figure 4.)  Plater tab of Prusa mini.

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Step 4: Export Your SolidWorks Model for 3D Printing

1. In SolidWorks, hover over the SolidWorks menu in the top left corner.

2. Click on File, then select Print3D.

3. At the bottom of the Print3D menu, choose Save to File.

4. In the pop-up menu (see Figure 5), select the bodies you want to save and enter a name for your file.

5. Save your file as an STL.

Figure 5.)  Print 3d menu.  

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Step 5: Place the Object on the Plater

1. In PrusaSlicer, go to the File menu.

2. Select Import, then choose Import STL/3MF/STEP/OBJ/AMF.

3. Locate and select the file you just exported from SolidWorks.

4. Once imported, your object should appear on the plater. If you imported the phone holder, it should resemble Figure 6.

Figure 6.)  Phone holder on the plater.

 

Step 6: Slice the File

1. Slicing converts your 3D model into instructions for the printer.

2. In PrusaSlicer, click Slice Now at the bottom left corner.

3. PrusaSlicer will display an outline of the sliced file.

   • Tip: Review the sliced preview carefully to ensure there are no errors or issues with the model or unwanted features.  Use the slider on the right to look through different layers.

Figure 7.)  Gcode visualized on the plater.  Layer lines should be visible if zoomed in.  Different types of lines mean different types of layer (outside wall/top/infill. etc)

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Step 7: Export the G-code

1. If everything looks correct after slicing, click Export G-code in the bottom right corner of PrusaSlicer (Figure 8)

2. Save the G-code file to a USB stick.

   • Important: The USB stick stores the printer instructions.

3. Do not remove the USB stick while the printer is printing. Removing it will interrupt the print process.

Figure 8.)  Export gcode button located in the bottom right corner of the screen.

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Step 8: Plug the USB into the Printer

1. Insert the USB stick containing the G-code into the back of the Prusa Mini (refer to Figure 9).

2. The printer's screen should display your newly uploaded G-code file.

Fig 9.)  Location of the usb port on a prusa mini

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Step 9: Start the Print

1. Check the file displayed on the screen. If it matches the G-code you just uploaded, press Print.

2. If the file does not match:

   • Press Back.

   • Navigate to the Print menu.

   • Select your file from the list (you will only see the file name, so ensure you remember it).

Figure 10.) Screen of a prusa mini when a usb stick with a new file shows up.

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Step 10: Monitor the First Layer

1. Monitor the first layer of the print closely, as the first and last layers are most likely to fail.

   • At NC State, it is mandatory to monitor the first layer in all spaces.

2. A good first layer should have the following characteristics:

   • Even and uniform.

   • All corners should be touching the build plate.

3. Signs of a bad first layer include:

   • Blobby or uneven areas.

   • Peeling or lifting from the build plate.

4. If the first layer is not satisfactory:

   • Stop the print.

   • Clear the build plate.

   • Press Print again to restart.

Note

Prusa Mini printers perform an automatic bed-leveling sequence before printing. If the printer hovers over the bed without printing, this is normal.

Refer to Figure 11 for an example of a good first layer.

Fig 11.)  A good first layer on a prusa mini

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Step 11: Remove the Print from the Build Plate

1. To remove the print from a Prusa build plate, locate the tabs at the front of the plate.

2. Gently lift the tabs and bend the PEI sheet (the flexible sheet covering the bed) to help release the print.

   • The sheet is held in place magnetically, so you may feel some resistance.

Note

If you're concerned about damaging the printer, you can also carefully slide the PEI sheet toward you to detach it more smoothly.

Fig 12.)  Location of the lifting tabs on a Prusa Mini with standard build plate

 

Prusa MK4

Step 2: Configure the Slicer

1. Open PrusaSlicer and click on the Printer's tab in the top menu.

2. Navigate to the drop-down menu in the top-left corner (refer to Figure 13).

3. Select Add Printer from the bottom of the list.

4. In the next menu, choose Prusa Research.

5. From the options, select Prusa MK4 and then choose the 0.4mm nozzle (as shown in Figure 14).

Note

Prusa Mk4 printers with 0.4mm nozzles are available in the albright entrepreneurship garage.  0.4mm is the standard size for most nozzles.

Figure 13.)  Printers menu.  

 

Figure 14.)  Menu to add Prusa MK4 to available printers.

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Step 3: Select the Printer in PrusaSlicer

1. Return to the Printers tab in the top menu.

2. In the drop-down menu, select Prusa MK4.

3. Switch back to the Plater tab.

4. You should now see the screen displayed in Figure 15.

Figure 15.)  Plater tab of Prusa MK4.

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Step 4: Export Your SolidWorks Model for 3D Printing

1. In SolidWorks, hover over the SolidWorks menu in the top left corner.

2. Click on File, then select Print3D.

3. At the bottom of the Print3D menu, choose Save to File.

4. In the pop-up menu (see Figure 16), select the bodies you want to save and enter a name for your file.

5. Save your file as an STL.

Figure 16.)  Print 3d menu.  

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Step 5: Place the Object on the Plater

1. In PrusaSlicer, go to the File menu.

2. Select Import, then choose Import STL/3MF/STEP/OBJ/AMF.

3. Locate and select the file you just exported from SolidWorks.

4. Once imported, your object should appear on the plater. If you imported the phone holder, it should resemble Figure 17.

Figure 17.)  Phone holder on the plater.

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Step 6: Slice the File

1. Slicing converts your 3D model into instructions for the printer.

2. In PrusaSlicer, click Slice Now at the bottom left corner.

3. PrusaSlicer will display an outline of the sliced file.

• Tip: Review the sliced preview carefully to ensure there are no errors or issues with the model or unwanted features.  Use the slider on the right to look through different layers.

Figure 18.)  Gcode visualized on the plater.  Layer lines should be visible if zoomed in.  Different types of lines mean different types of layer (outside wall/top/infill. etc)

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Step 7: Export the G-code

1. If everything looks correct after slicing, click Export G-code in the bottom right corner of PrusaSlicer (Figure 19)

2. Save the G-code file to a USB stick.

• Important: The USB stick stores the printer instructions.

3. Do not remove the USB stick while the printer is printing. Removing it will interrupt the print process.

Figure 19.)  Export gcode button located in the bottom right corner of the screen.

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Step 8: Plug the USB into the Printer

1. Insert the USB stick containing the G-code into the back of the Prusa MK4 (refer to Figure 20).

2. The printer's screen should display your newly uploaded G-code file.

Fig 20.)  Location of the usb port on a prusa MK4

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Step 9: Start the Print

1. Check the file displayed on the screen. If it matches the G-code you just uploaded, press Print.

2. If the file does not match:

• Press Back.

• Navigate to the Print menu.

• Select your file from the list (you will only see the file name, so ensure you remember it).

Figure 21.) Screen of a prusa KK4 when a usb stick with a new file shows up.

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Step 10: Monitor the First Layer

1. Monitor the first layer of the print closely, as the first and last layers are most likely to fail.

   • At NC State, it is mandatory to monitor the first layer in all spaces.

2. A good first layer should have the following characteristics:

   • Even and uniform.

   • All corners should be touching the build plate.

3. Signs of a bad first layer include:

   • Blobby or uneven areas.

   • Peeling or lifting from the build plate.

4. If the first layer is not satisfactory:

   • Stop the print.

   • Clear the build plate.

   • Press Print again to restart.

5. Note: Prusa MK4 printers perform an automatic bed-leveling sequence before printing. If the printer touches the bed without printing, this is normal.  

Refer to Figure 22 for an example of a good first layer.

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Fig 22.)  A good first layer on a Prusa MK4.

Step 11: Remove the Print from the Build Plate

1. To remove the print from a Prusa MK4 build plate, locate the tabs at the front of the plate (Figure 23).

2. Gently lift the tabs and bend the PEI sheet (the flexible sheet covering the bed) to help release the print.

   • The sheet is held in place magnetically, so you may feel some resistance.

Note: If you're concerned about damaging the printer, you can also carefully slide the PEI sheet toward you to detach it more smoothly.

Fig 23.)  Location of the lifting tabs on a Prusa MK4 with standard build plate