3D Print Lab

Follow this checklist to get your files print-ready and avoid delays:

• Download the Rhino template file and use it to plan your print.
• Each Mesh/NURB object must fit within the build-plate dimensions.
• Each object must be watertight with no bad geometry.
• Export in millimeter units to STL.
• Any closed geometry larger than 2 sq in must be a separate STL file.
• Closed geometries under 2 sq in can be exported as a group, if all objects are aligned to Z-Zero.
• For duplicate prints, build a plate from the template and export the duplicates as one STL (all aligned to Z-Zero).
• Submit STL files only for printing. Submit 3DM only as a reference/build-plate diagram, with dimension lines or annotations confirming scale and units. Only submitted STLs are printed.
• Include the filament size and color in each STL file name.
• Prints run with brims, supports, and 20% infill by default unless you specify alternatives in the request notes.

Water Tightness

Keep your volumes closed — airtight/watertight. This essentially means there are no major and large open sides in your model/mesh. The printers decide what to print from the boundaries of your geometry; even the smallest opening leaves the software unsure how to fill the gap.

Unified Normals

Surface normals must be consistent and point outward. In a closed volume it’s clear which side faces out, but software can get confused.

Scaling for Printing

Unsure if your model is scaled for a machine? Use the Rhino 3D Print Template, which includes each printer’s build volume as a wireframe box. Paste your geometry in to convert it to millimeters and fit it to one or more printers.

FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) prints melted plastic filament, line by line, layer by layer — best for larger models, prototypes, cases, enclosures, and general-purpose parts. Budget-friendly and strong, with visible layer lines.

FDM Printers in the Lab

During finals and project deadlines the XLs often run 24 hours nonstop with queues behind them. Smaller prints come back fastest — if your print is fairly large, splitting it in half may get it back sooner.

Available Filament

You may bring your own filament upon request — discuss it with a worker in the lab. A schedule is posted on the front door; refer to the hours of operation.

Pricing is roughly one-to-one with the filament we purchase: [filament price] × grams = cost. At $0.03/g, a 100-gram print is $3.00. Typical student requests run 200–500 grams, or $6–$15. You can also submit a request and state clearly in the description that you’d like to see the price beforehand — and discuss with a lab worker for the most accurate cost.

Estimate It Yourself — PrusaSlicer

• Download PrusaSlicer. On setup, pick a printer from the fleet table above — use the 0.4 mm nozzle if asked.
• Choose generic PLA filament (this doesn’t matter much for cost).
• Drop in your .STL and confirm the size is appropriate.
• At the top of the screen set: Supports → Everywhere, Brim → On, Infill → 15%, Cubic.
• Click Slice and check the print looks right.
• Bottom right, read “Grams Used” and “Time to Print”, then: grams × cost of filament = total price.

Quicker Alternative — ViewSTL

• Drag your file into ViewSTL and read the volume in mm³.
• Volume × 0.0000372 = total price. Slightly less accurate — it excludes supports, so treat it as the bare-minimum cost.

If your model has issues that seem impossible to fix, try:

• Autodesk Meshmixer — free software with analysis and repair tools.
• Microsoft 3D Model Repair — free online service; upload your model, let it process, download the repaired file.

All users of CAP D-Fab services — students, faculty, and staff — are clients.

• First-time clients are required to complete Module 3, which covers available technologies and modeling requirements.
• Class projects with intro presentations by qualified faculty or CAP FabLab staff count as the required consultation.
• Faculty considering 3D printing for a class should contact the Lab Manager before assigning — to review build size, geometry limits, print duration, and whether the resulting request volume can be accommodated.

Submit requests through the online request form, with your geometry attached at submission. Submit as far ahead of your due date as possible, and plan time for post-processing.

FDM Requests

• Specific printers and settings are accommodated where possible, but a print may move to a different machine without notice if the filament doesn’t change.
• Not all settings can be customized. Note the purpose behind a requested setting so staff can apply machine-specific knowledge.

Review

Staff review every request before queuing. Models may be returned or rejected for:

• Improperly scaled geometry (see build-size constraints)
• Bad geometry — open meshes, non-manifold edges
• Offensive or dangerous content (obscene objects, firearms, weapons)
• During crunch time, non-curricular content (toys, game pieces, action figures, household items)

Staff advise on fixing bad geometry but are not responsible for correcting it. Error-free geometry isn’t always printable — staff may suggest alternative approaches.

Demand is tracked with a color code: Red = High, Yellow = Medium, Green = Low.

• Green: goal is to print within 2 business days of initial processing.
• Red: goal is within 7 business days.
• Initial processing happens at 11:00am on business days.
• Expect longer delays if best practices aren’t met. Repeatedly submitting bad geometry may require additional consultation before eligibility resumes.

Requests are processed in the order received, though newer/shorter jobs or size/filament constraints may reorder the queue. CAP reserves the right to deny non-CAP-affiliated requests to manage resources in service of CAP-affiliated clients.

Crunch Time (last 4 weeks of a semester)

• No prints estimated over 24 hours are accepted.
• Limited to a single printer of a given type at a time while others are waiting.
• Total simultaneous print time across machines may not exceed 24 hours.

Long Prints (outside crunch)

Long Prints are allowed (over 24 hours) upon given permission. These exceptions will only be permitted outside of crunch time.

Needed-By Dates

Our staff work incredibly hard, and do their best to accommodate but can’t guarantee dates, given print duration, equipment availability. With our resources, it is best to ask staff for updates, we cannot always reach out.

• Clients pay only for the materials consumed — charges are based on material-consumption estimates generated by printer-specific software. FDM cost is calculated per gram of filament.
• You’re responsible for the cost whether or not you pick up the print.
• Cancel after a print starts → charged for material consumed, by percentage completed.
• Student charges are billed to bursar accounts at the end of each semester; the Lab Manager can provide your balance.
• Faculty provide a department/project BSU account number, or pay by check to Ball State University.
• A 25% surcharge applies to clients not affiliated with CAP.

3D printing is complex and prone to failure. Staff communicate potential issues before starting when they can, but not all failures are predictable.

• By requesting a print, you assume the risk of failure — cost and time — for failures due to client error not reasonably detectable by staff.
• If a print fails for a non-geometry reason, it’s restarted — unless it won’t finish by your needed-by date, in which case you’re notified first.

Staff logs when a print has been claimed to have started, requests are not always emailed to your inbox, please stop by the lab to see how your order is doing.

• Standard pickup: come to the 3D Printer Lab (AB 005) during standard pickup times after your completion notice.
• Prints that have been left in the crc will be tossed after 1 month if they are left for an extended amount of time (you’re still charged).

• Only Cap Staff and trained faculty may operate the printers or associated equipment.
• Please do not crowd the room, if there are over 3 students inside the lab, please wait outside the door till another student leaves.
• Absoluately no open flames, vapes or e-cig, or cigarettes in the lab.

Post-Processing FDM Prints

• Post-processing is your responsibility and at your own risk — wear eye protection, as small pieces can fly off.
• Staff do not remove brims and supports for students, but you’re welcome to use the lab’s tools reasonably.

Our most precise offering to date. This offering is ideal for small, intricate geometry like miniatures, jewelry prototypes, and complex organic forms. Note: SLA is more expensive than FDM and requires post-processing.

SLA printing uses a light-cured liquid resin to produce smooth, highly detailed surfaces. Use it when FDM won't cut it for detail or surface quality, or for prints that needs to be incredibly small.

Formlabs Form 3+

• To request SLA, select FDM on the print request and note in the description that you are requesting SLA resin printing: clear or white.
• Minimum wall thickness: 0.8 mm
• Not suitable for large prints — build volume is much smaller than FDM
• Requires post-processing (wash + cure) — allow extra time