Using the shared printer

1. Install Bambu StudioIt's free for Mac and Windows from bambulab.com/download/studio. You don't need to log in or connect to the printer, because we only use the microSD card.
2. Add the printerIn the setup wizard, or later from the Printer dropdown on the Prepare tab, choose Bambu Lab P1S 0.4 nozzle. Picking the wrong printer gives you G-code for a different machine, so double-check this every time.
3. Pick the plate typeNext to the printer, set Plate type to Engineering Plate: that's the plate in our printer. The P1S can't tell which plate is installed, so this setting is what picks the right bed temperature.
4. Pick the filamentFor the school's white PLA, choose Generic PLA (it works for any brand of PLA). If you bring your own spool, pick the preset that matches its brand and type.

The slicer turns your 3D model into G-code: the layer-by-layer moves, temperatures and extrusion amounts the printer follows. Everything you set here ends up in that file.

1. Open your modelDrag the STL or 3MF onto the plate. For your own stone, use the two files Lampify gave you. For a standard stone, download its top and bottom shell from the standard stone files (the Stack 1 design lock: stones 1–5 and the base).
2. Check the orientationStone tops print rim-down, with the open edge on the plate, and stone bottoms print flat side down, the same way they come in the files we provide. Use Lay on face if something is tilted.
3. Use the stone settings belowThey're what keep a lit stone looking smooth.
4. Click Slice plate and look at the PreviewSet the color scheme to Line type and scrub the layer slider. Look for floating bits, missing walls, or supports where you don't want them.
5. Note the time estimateBook your slot for the estimated total time plus about 15 minutes for heating, leveling and cooling.

Settings that make stones look good

These come from the production print notes for the stone lamp.

Remember the light. A lamp works like a light table for your print's flaws. Seams, gaps and changes in wall structure that you can't see on the plate show up when the stone glows.

1. Export the sliced fileAfter slicing, click the small arrow next to Print plate and choose Export plate sliced file. That saves a .gcode.3mf file, a 3MF with the G-code inside, which the P1S prints from the card.
2. Name it so people can find itThe printer's screen is small and lists every file together, so use short names with no spaces:
   First name Last initial

   Part cap top cap bottom stone top stone bottom base test print

   maya-r_cap-top.gcode.3mf
   If you re-slice, save it as a new name (…_cap-top-v2) rather than overwriting the old file. The printer may keep using a cached copy of the old one.
3. Save to the root of the cardPut it at the top level, not in a folder. The P1S doesn't show folders you make, and Bambu says to keep files at the root.
4. Only take the card out when nothing is printingThe print is read from the card, so it has to stay in the printer until the job is done. On the printer, go to Settings → SD Card → Eject first, then press the card in to release it. To copy files you'll need a microSD card reader or adapter for your laptop.

The P1S only reads microSD cards formatted as FAT32. If the card ever stops showing up, tell the workshop lead rather than reformatting it, because there may be other people's files on it.

The P1S screen uses buttons: arrows to move, OK to select. The menu on the left has Home, Control, Settings and Folder. You can tick these off on your phone as you go.

• It's your slot, and the plate is empty and clean. Nobody else's part is still on it.
• The plate is seated flat on the magnetic bed, lined up against the rear pins.
• Your filament is loaded in the slot your file uses (see "Which AMS slot?" below).
• The card is in the printer with your file on it.
• Open Folder, scroll to your file, press OK, and confirm to print.
• Stay for the first layer. It heats, may level the bed, draws a purge line, then starts your part. The first layer should be flat, even and stuck down everywhere.
• Write your name and finish time on the sign-up sheet.

Which AMS slot?

Why the number matters: when you print from the card, the P1S can't let you pick a slot on the screen. It feeds from the slot that matches the filament number in your file: filament 1 → slot 1, filament 3 → slot 3. Watch the AMS when the print starts. If the wrong color loads, stop the print and check your file.

1. Let it coolWait until the screen shows the nozzle and bed below about 60 °C before you open the door. PLA also lets go of the plate more easily once it's cool.
2. Take the part offLift the plate off, flex it gently, and the part pops off. Don't pry with metal tools on the plate. Snap supports off away from the printer.
3. Reset for the next personPut the plate back flat and against the pins, and pick up any stray strings or purge plastic.
4. Delete your file from the cardDo it when you next have the card out in the reader, so the list stays short for everyone.
5. Mark it doneMark your row done on the sign-up sheet, and tell the next person the printer is free.

Spaghetti, or the part came loose

Stop the print from the screen's print controls. Let the nozzle cool, clear the plastic off the plate and wash the plate. Usually the plate was greasy, or there's a thin first layer under a narrow rim. Reslice with a brim or a 0.2 mm bottom and try again.

Nothing comes out of the nozzle

Stop the print and get the workshop lead. Don't pull the filament out of the AMS tubes or open up the toolhead yourself.

Your file isn't in the list

Check that it's at the root of the card, not in a folder, and that it's a .gcode.3mf made with Export plate sliced file. Eject and reinsert the card if you just added it.

The wrong color is loading

Your part is on the wrong filament number (see "Which AMS slot?"). Stop the print, fix it in Bambu Studio, and export again with a new name.

An error appears on the screen

Take a photo of the screen, don't keep pressing retry, and message the workshop lead.

Designing your own stone? Run it through Lampify: it turns your shape into a printable top shell and snap-on bottom, right in your browser.