The 3D Printing Lab is captained by Nick Dunne.

Discord: Nick Dunne / @justignorant

Email: nick@makeroanoke.org

• 5/22/25: Elegoo resin printers are now available for training and use!

1. Members must have completed MAKE Roanoke's new member orientation before using the 3D printing lab.
2. All machines in the 3D printing lab are considered “red” tools, meaning shop-specific competency & safety training must be completed prior to use.
3. Many hazardous materials are used in the 3D printing lab. These emit toxic vapors and leave harmful residues when handling and printing. All ventilation, PPE, disposal, and safety guidelines must be observed at all times. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action. Policies are outlined in the FDM and Resin printing sections below.
4. No food or drinks are permitted in the 3D printing, laser, or electronics labs.

Reminder: In the event of an emergency, call 911.

These rules apply to the entirety of the 3D printing lab.

1. No prohibited prints - Refer to the Membership Handbook section 2.4 “prohibited projects” for details. Shop captains and captain-approved delegates may cancel prints of any prohibited objects without notice.
2. No monopolization - Respect must be observed for all communal resources. Fair access to machines, filament, resin, tools, cleaners, and work surfaces must be maintained. Back-to-back printing is allowed, but members must yield to others waiting to use the same machine.
3. Respect others members’ work - Do not touch machines that are actively printing, or cancel active print jobs without permission from the print owner, or shop captain. Exceptions may be granted for failed prints, material depletion, malfunctioning equipment, prohibited prints, or completed prints that have not been removed.
4. Cleanup is mandatory - Remove supports, scraps, drips, and other debris from all machinery and work areas when finished. Failure to do so may damage machinery and other tools. This rule also applies to communal work surfaces inside and outside of the main 3D print lab.
5. Material use - While the 3D printing lab will attempt to keep a limited supply of communal materials, it cannot guarantee material availability. Members are encouraged to supply their own filaments and resins. Materials owned by MAKE Roanoke may not be borrowed or taken from the shop under any circumstances.
6. Print scheduling - Any prints over 8 hours must be scheduled in advance. If print jobs are not started within 15 minutes of the scheduled start time, the reservation is forfeited. Printers may be used any time, as long as there are no reservations scheduled in the machine booking sheet.
7. No printer modifications - All maintenance tasks are coordinated by the shop captain and/or their appointed delegates monthly. Contact the shop captain if maintenance is needed sooner.
8. Turn off all equipment when finished - All equipment should be fully powered off when not in use. This includes printers, washing stations, filament dryers, ventilation equipment, work lights, UV lamps, and any other electronic equipment.

Members are encouraged to supply their own 3D printing materials, but they must adhere to the following guidelines to ensure safety, lab quality, and equipment longevity. Purchasing high quality materials from well-known vendors is highly recommended. See our vendor directory below for purchasing advice.

MAKE Roanoke has a limited supply of materials available for use by its members. If you use filament or resin stocked by the 3D printing lab, please consider making a small donation to replenish what is used. It is important to maintain this communal resource for all of our members. Material donations are also welcome.

1. The shop captain must be notified before you plan to supply any of the following materials. These materials have special printing and safety requirements that must be accounted for.
   • Composite filaments - Any filament with additives such as carbon fiber, wood, metal, glass, glitter, matte-finish, marbled, or electrically conductive filaments.
   • Engineering-grade filaments - Polycarbonate (PC), Nylon (PA), Polyetherimide (PEI/Ultem), Polypropylene (PP), Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU), Polyether ether ketone (PEEK), or any other uncommon or special-use filament.
   • Engineering-grade resins - Any resins marketed as exceptionally durable, flexible, or tough. Consumer-grade resins <$100 do not apply.
2. Cardboard spools are strongly discouraged. They cannot be used with multi-material units (Bambu AMS, Creality CFS, Anycubic ACE, etc). A limited supply of plastic spools will be available for re-spooling if needed. For best shop-wide compatibility, filaments shipped on plastic spools are recommended.
3. Self-furnished materials must be labeled with your name and material type. You are responsible for keeping track of anything you bring to the makerspace.
4. Self-furnished materials may not be stored unused in the 3D printer lab or inside lab equipment for more than 15 days. Anything stored longer than 15 days will be considered abandoned, and will count as a donation to the 3D printing lab. Members may use lockers to store materials they wish to keep at MAKE Roanoke.

Please visit the link below for purchase recommendations of high-quality materials, tools, and more.

3D Printing Vendor Directory

Use the table below to find bed and material compatibility. Bed materials not listed are not compatible with that material.

1. MAKE Roanoke certification is required - All printers in the 3D printing lab are considered “red” tools. There are a variety of machines available, and each has specific procedures for print preparation, filament changing, and loading/unloading parts. For this reason, you must be approved to use each machine.
2. Print Profiles - Members must use Orcaslicer and profiles that are provided by MAKE Roanoke. This is important for ensuring the community has access to printers that are easy to use, ensuring machine longevity, and producing high-quality prints. Printing settings may be adjusted as needed, but machine settings may NOT be edited. Orcaslicer is a feature-rich and highly compatible slicer that is updated often with new features.
3. Use only printer-compatible materials - All FDM machines are limited to the types of filament they can use. Some types of filament are unsafe, or will damage certain printers. Each machine is labeled with materials they can accept.
4. Prevent filament tangling - Handle the loose ends of filament with care. They should be secured to the spool using retaining features or with tape when not in use. Tangled filaments can cause serious damage to extruders, motion systems, and multi-material units.
5. Observe build plate compatibility - Some materials will damage build plates by adhering permanently, creating chips, or peeling up build plate coatings. All materials must use a compatible build plate with interface material, if needed (PETG, TPU). If negligence is suspected, you may be charged for damaged build plates.
6. Finished prints - Finished prints must be removed within 30 minutes of completion. Users must arrange to pick up finished parts. Any parts remaining on the printer after this time may be removed by other members.
7. Clean up - Cleaning up is mandatory. All 3D printing debris must be removed from machinery and work areas when finished. Build plates must be cleaned using dish soap and brush.

Available Now:

• Bambu Lab X1 Carbon + AMS
• Biqu B1
• FLSun Q5

Coming Soon:

• Ender 3 Pro
• Voron 2.4
• Lulzbot Taz 6
• Lulzbot Taz Mini

1. MAKE Roanoke certification is required - All printers in the 3D printing lab are considered “red” tools. There are a variety of machines available, and each has specific procedures for print preparation, material loading, and unloading parts. For this reason, you must be approved to use each machine.
2. Safety - Gloves and safety glasses must be worn when using resin printers and any related tools. Safety glasses are not required if you wear prescription glasses. Assume all work surfaces at the resin printer station to be contaminated with resin. Prints that have been washed, but not UV cured are not safe to handle without gloves.
3. Print profiles - Members must use Chitubox slicer and standard resin profiles. All machine profiles in Chitubox are published by the manufacturer, which ensures high-quality prints and minimizes the potential for print failure. Exposure times may be adjusted as needed, and will vary based on resin type, and color.
4. Ventilation - All resin printers must be placed in the ventilation tent or cabinet when printing. They should remain here until the printer and resin vat are cleaned.
5. Manage contamination - Every effort must be made to limit resin contamination. Plastic trays are available for use when post-processing finished prints. Gloves should be changed if they are excessively contaminated.
6. Cleaning is mandatory - Printers must be emptied of leftover resin after every use. Build plates must also be cleaned with alcohol after each use. Use a filter funnel to return all unused resin from the resin vat to its original container. Use a plastic scraper to genty squeegee resin from the vat film. Isopropyl alcohol should be used to clean the build platform and the resin vat. Proper cleaning procedure is covered during certification training.
7. Absolutely no resin or resin-contaminated cleaners should go down the sink - A chemical waste storage bucket is available for safe disposal of alcohol and degraded resins.
8. Use only printer-compatible materials - Some engineering-grade resins cannot be printed on our machines, since they require heated vats or stirring.
9. Finished prints - Finished prints must be removed within 1 hour of completion for post-processing. Members are encouraged to let prints drip for 30 minutes to reduce washing effort and IPA contamination.
10. Use resin-specific hand tools in the yellow bucket - Tools used for resin post-processing should not leave the resin printing station, in effort to contain residue. Tools from other areas in the shop may not be borrowed. These tools are marked with yellow bands or labels, and belong in the yellow bin.

Printers with green links are available for training and use!

• Elegoo Mars 1
• Elegoo Saturn 3

More 3D printing tools and equipment!

• Anycubic Wash & Cure Station
• Elegoo Mercury X Wash & Cure Station
• Sunlu S1 Filament Dryer

If you want to contribute to the continuous improvement and sustainment of our lab, please consider donating items from the link below. Sort by “3D Printing” to see items for the 3D printing lab.

https://mkroa.org/gifts