One of the problems with 3D printing at VHS is that often print times are longer than the member wants to stay at the space. Since we have an extra i3 clone I would like to suggest that it is available for members (keyholders) to take home for a week (maybe two) to use under the following conditions -
You must:
be a keyholder
be comfortable in using the i3 clone
be responsible for what happens while printing at home, i.e. if you start a print and leave for an 8-hour hike and the printer catches fire it’s your problem, not VHS’s
be prepared to fix or help fix the printer if it breaks when you are using it, i.e. if you accidentally or not break the printer you can’t just drop it back at VHS and expect it to magically fix itself
supply your own filament
return the printer and tools so another member can take it home to use
book the printer via this thread (or maybe the slack channel?) and agree to these conditions.
What do members think? Any other conditions to add if you think it’s a good idea?
I guess I’m pondering this on a few levels…since vhs rules are that tools are always to remain at the space. VHS tools are shared tools etc. Taking a tool away for a week or two enables members to do longer print jobs from the comfort of home (awesome) but also takes the printer out of use by others during natural down times in those long print jobs (not so awesome).
Maybe I’m too much of a stickler? I understand times are complicated so for sure I can see why this might have come up w.r.t covid and not being able to be at the space for long periods of time in order to do a 3d print.
Question - if people could book longer space time in our booking system to accommodate long prints jobs does that solve the problem?
Other Question - can we enable some kind of automated safety shut-off so people don’t have to physically monitor long 3d prints? An adjustment there would enable longer jobs to run and people not having to be physically present. This would also keep printers onsite and eliminate problems related to transporting printers/potential for damage/having to re-level the print bed/software setup/potential damage from cats etc.
Just ma 2 cents/the things I’m pondering. If there is a consensus among members that loan-outs are a good thing then fire away.
The printer I am proposing usually sits on top of the shelf and hasn’t been used since we got the large gantry 3d printer. It’s not the one that’s in the enclosure so there are 3 working 3D printers in the space currently.
It’s the plywood frame printer.
The plywood frame is very robust and I will attach the power supply onto the frame.
I have a similar i3 with plywood frame, built the same as this one. I have put it in the back seat of my car and driven over 300km, taken it out, set it up on a desk and started printing with it with no alignment issues.
However it’s something we can look into if it becomes an issue. It could be mounted on a sheet of 1/2" plywood if needed - though that’s someone else’s job
As for a rental fee - I think that a donation would be nice if the person can afford it, but it shouldn’t be mandatory.
etc.