3D Printing Studio

3D Printing Studio Hours
Monday – Friday Saturday – Sunday
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Closed
Hours subject to change at the discretion of the Studio manager.

Consultations

Drop in to learn about the technology available and to receive help or advice with building your 3D project. If you’re not available during studio hours, contact us at [email protected] for more information, instruction and help.

Course Assignments

Faculty: if you have an assignment involving 3D printing and you would like us to work with your class, please contact us at [email protected].

Get Started with Your 3D Project

We have made an order form for you to submit orders to the studio. After filling out the form below, please email your files to the studio email at [email protected].

Alternatively to filling out the form above, you can send an email to [email protected] with your STL file(s) and the information in the box below, at which point you’ll be able to get started with your own 3D project. We will review your file and quote you a price for the 3D print, if you would like, then send you an email when your build is ready to be picked up.

Name:
Email:
Requested printer:
Color/Material:
Notes:(Please include the objects dimensions):

Almost any geometry from a computer model in three dimensions can be printed, whether it was designed in AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Maya, Rhino, ZBrush, Google Sketchup, MatLab, or another modeling program. However, there can be some extra steps involved to make your models 3D printable. Check out our guidelines below to find out more.

Modeling & Exporting for 3D Printing Tips & Tricks

Google SketchUp

If you’re new to 3D modeling, Google Sketchup is a simple place to start. Check out our SketchUp guidelines to model and export for 3D printing:

Solidworks

If you have an assembly, which you save as an STL, SolidWorks defaults to saving your components as separate STLs. This is usually what is desired and best for 3D printing. However, you can save the assembly as one STL by going to File>Save As, select STL from the drop down menu, click Options and check “save all components of an assembly in a single file.” Be sure units are in millimeters, as the slicer programs use them.

Rhino

Before you export an .STL from Rhino, change your units to millimeters. 3D printing software reads units as millimeters, so if you export a model that is .25x.25x.25 feet in Rhino, it will show up in our software as being .25x.25x.25 mm. Also check out the tutorial below:

Maya

Maya 2019 has the option for STLExport. 2018 does not support polygon export as STLs, it has to be a Nurbs object. For other versions: If you do not see STL as an option to export a model as, you must go to Windows>Settings/Preferences>Plug-in Manager, then scroll to find the “DirectCOnnect.mll.” Check “Loaded” and “AutoLoad” next to this option and close the Plug-in Manager. Now when you go to export the model you should see STL_DCE as an option.

PREFORM

For Form 2/Form 3 projects, FormLabs has their own software for preparing a 3D model for printing that is available for free. It allows you to see how their model would print, add supports, and see how much resin will be used. If you decide to prepare the file before sending it to the studio, please send the .form file.

Pricing

The price of a 3D print is determined by the volume of material used to print (in3 or ml). Each machine uses different material and has different pricing. We accept credit or debit cards and Husky Dollars.

Printer/Material Pricing
Prusa i3 MK3/LULZBOT TAZ SideKick 747 FDM: Abrasive materials (Glow in the Dark, Woodfill, etc.) 5.00/Up to 2in3 and 6 hours; Additional 2.00 for every extra in3; Additional0.15 for every extra hour
Prusa i3 MK3/LULZBOT TAZ SideKick 747 FDM: Non-Abrasive materials) 5.00/Up to 2in3 and 6 hours; Additional 1.75 for every extra in3; Additional 0.10 for every extra hour
Form 2/Form 3 SLA: Black, Gray, White, Clear, Color, Draft Resins 10.00/32ml
Form 2/Form 3 SLA: Flexible, Tough, High Temp, Rigid Resins 10.00/24 ml

Laser Cutting

We can now accept material up to 24″x12″.

$5.00 for up to 3 minutes of operation, and then $1.00 for each additional minute. The laser cutter is run on a first come first serve basis if you are here ready with your material and you’ve sent us your file. You can submit your files by emailing us at [email protected].

Please provide your own material, and make sure that it is labeled with what type of material it is! If you do not know your material, we cannot accept it for cutting. In addition, please make sure your material is precut and does not exceed 24″x12″.

We have made an order form for you to submit orders to the studio. After filling out the form below, please email your files to the studio email at
[email protected].

Alternatively to filling out the above form, you can email us with the following information:

Name:
Email:
Material:

Cut: (yes/no)
Etch: (yes/no)
Notes(please include part dimensions):

Please have a PDF, or an SVG file for laser cutting, along with your material to be cut.  We cannot laser cut from AutoCAD files here.  

Set your line widths to .001pt for cutting and scoring lines. Make vector cut lines red (FF0000) and vector score lines blue (0000FF). For raster engraving, use black (FFFFFF). For multiple jobs, please make multiple artboards or PDF pages in a single file.

please include a labeled dimension for proper scaling.

If you have text in an Illustrator file, select the text and go to Type>Create Outlines. This converts the text to vector shapes, and avoids any font changes when we open the file.

If you just want to engrave, a JPEG or PNG works. 

Vinyl Cutting

$2.00 for up to 16in2; each additional in2 is $1.00. The Vinyl Cutter is on a first come first serve basis, based on when the file is sent to us. Each sticker can only be one color, but you can have multiple colors of one sticker. For what colors we have please feel free to email us, or stop in to ask. Sticker size is limited to what we have in stock.

Please have you file as a .pdf, .jpeg, or .png.

We have made an order form for you to submit orders to the studio. After filling out the form below, please email your files to the studio email at [email protected].

Alternatively to filling out the form above, you can send an email to [email protected] with the below information, and your file(s):

Name:
Email:
Color:
Quantity:

Notes(please include objects dimensions):

Equipment List

Technology Machines Provided Materials Description
Fused Deposition Modeling Prusa i3 MK3 PLA
PETG (Black only)
ABS
The Fused Deposition Modeling process (FDM) uses extruded thermoplastic to create lightweight, functional, and durable prints.

 

Max size: 8.3 x 8.3 x 9.84 in. (210 x 210 x 250 mm)

Fused Deposition Modeling
LULZBOT TAZ SideKick 747
PLA The Fused Deposition Modeling process (FDM) uses extruded thermoplastic to create lightweight, functional, and durable prints.

 

Max size: 9 x 9 x 9.73 in. (228.6 x 228.6 x 247.65 mm)

Stereolithography
FormLabs Form 2
FormLabs Resin Stereolithography uses ultraviolet lasers to create strong prints with fine detail from cured resin.

Max size: 5.7 x 5.7 x 6.9 in. (145 x 145 x 175 mm)

Stereolithography
FormLabs Form 3
FormLabs Resin Stereolithography uses ultraviolet lasers to create strong prints with fine detail from cured resin.

Max size: 5.7 x 5.7 x 7.3 in. (145 x 145 x 185 mm)

Laser Cutting Epilog Zing (30W) Please provide your own material The laser cutter etches or cuts fine detail into sheets of material, such as acrylic, paper or cardboard, etc.

Max size: 16 x 12 in. (406 x 304 mm)

Laser Cutting Epilog Zing (30W) Please provide your own material The laser cutter etches or cuts fine detail into sheets of material, such as acrylic, paper or cardboard, etc.

Max size: 24 x 12 in. (610 x 304 mm)

Vinyl Sticker Cutting US Cutter MH721-MK2 Most vinyl Sticker sheets or rolls Vinyl Sticker cutting can be used to cut out ones design for a sticker.

Max size: depends on the material that the studio has in stock

Working at the 3D Printing Studio

Every semester, we hire undergraduate work study students for part time work. We also accept undergraduate volunteers. If you are interested in either, please fill out this form and speak with the Studio Manager during studio hours!

The Fine Print

The 3D Printing Studio must be used exclusively for lawful, non-commercial purposes and in compliance with all Northeastern University policies. Users may not collect, upload, transmit, display, create or distribute any thing or content that violates or may violate any law or third-party right, including, without limitation, any copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, moral right, privacy right, right of publicity, or any other intellectual property or proprietary right. The 3D Printing Studio reserves the right to refuse to scan or print any object for any reason.