We’re trying two new procedures in the lab this week: charging for prints, and printing and cutting between workshops.
Charging for Fabrication
As always, there is no charge for workshops or for materials used during workshops. The list below is for materials or 3D print time used outside of designated workshops.
Pricing
- One-Color or Transparent Acrylic: $1 per 16 square inches
- Two-Color or Mirrored Acrylic: $2 per 16 square inches
- Vinyl: $1 per 9”x6” square
- PLA 3D Print: $1 per 30 minutes
If you’re familiar with 3D printing you might ask how we provide an estimated print time. Actually, we eyeball it based on previous prints. MakerWare doesn’t provide an estimate, but object size, complexity and print settings (low, standard, high quality) affect print time. Once your print is successfully completed, we’ll charge by the time reported on the MakerBot and round up or down as needed. If the print fails, you won’t be charged. If you’ve never seen a failed print, check out this post on BoingBoing.
In-Between Shops
You may have noticed we added Open Shop to our calendar so you know when to stop by and work on projects. Open Shop is often four to six hours, giving you plenty of time to design, test print, hang out and see what others are working on, and to show us any new tricks you’ve learned (Thanks to the patron who showed us how to create an arc in SketchUp!). To provide more access, we’ll be printing and cutting in between workshops. If you have a file just about ready to fabricate, stop by. We’ll take a look and run it through the equipment. Most laser cutting jobs run quickly unless they’re really intricate, like this hand-drawn map of London. The MakerBots are musical, but not disruptive to a workshop happening around them.
Things to be aware of:
- If the next workshop requires the MakerBots, we won’t run a 3D print that will take access away from registered participants.
- The Shapeoko spindle and vacuum make more noise, so we won’t run a milling job during a workshop. (Shapeoko classes will appear on the calendar in September.)
- The time between workshops can vary. Lab staff needs time to prepare for the next workshop, and as with Open Shop, our assistance is limited.
- Limited assistance: We’ll check out your files, provide suggestions or tips, and get the job running. There may not be enough time to walk you from the start of a project to the end.
- Chat with other lab visitors. You’d be surprised at their backgrounds and range of knowledge. We’ve had a few visitors from Pumping Station One, and they know a thing or two about making.
We hope this answers some of your questions and provides more opportunities for making!
