GCI 3D Printing Lab · 90-Minute Block
Day 5
Print Day — Run the Lab 🖨️
Print Lab Roles · Submit Your Keychain · Reflect
1 / 20
- As students arrive: Have the printers warming up. This slide should be showing as students walk in — it signals that today is different.
- Say: "Today is what everything has been building toward. You designed a keychain, prepared it for printing, and now it goes live. This is your work — own it."
- Prerequisite check (critical): Students MUST have their 3MF files ready. First 5 minutes: ask everyone to confirm their 3MF file is accessible (laptop, USB, or Google Drive). Do not start printing until this is verified.
- Role assignment: Have role cards ready (Print Technician, Materials Manager, Quality Control, Helpdesk). Assign before the first slide about roles.
⏱ 2 min
Today's Agenda
- Step 1 — Print Lab Roles (5 min)
- Step 2 — Run the Print Lab (10 min)
- Step 3 — Know Your Printer (10 min)
- Step 4 — Quick Troubleshooting (5 min)
- Step 5 — Before You Print (5 min)
- Step 6 — Work Time (45 min)
- Step 7 — Reflection (10 min)
- Step 8 — Submit (5 min)
🎯 Goal: Run the print lab, submit your keychain, and walk out with something you actually made.
🧠 Brain break built in around the midpoint
2 / 20
- Today is logistics-heavy. Keep transitions tight — every minute of instruction is a minute students aren't printing.
- The print queue: Students won't all print at the same time. The queue is managed through Helpdesk. Set that expectation now: "There are 11 printers. Some of you will wait. Use the wait time wisely."
- Transition: "Before we start printing, let's make sure everyone remembers how we got here."
⏱ 2 min
I Can…
- ✅ Run the print lab like I own it — know my role and show up for my team
- ✅ Submit my keychain to the print queue and watch it go
- ✅ Name the key parts of the printer and explain what each one does
- ✅ Describe at least one thing I would fix if a print goes wrong
3 / 20
- Ask: "How many of you are excited about seeing your design print?" — build anticipation.
- Ask: "What's the very first thing a print technician should do when they walk up to a printer?" — previews the startup checklist coming up.
- Transition: "Let's do a quick review of everything — then we get into the rules and roles."
⏱ 4 min
🔄 Review
The Full Workflow — All 5 Days
D1
Understand
FDM, parts, filament, MakerWorld
→
D2
Slice
Bambu Studio — settings, preview, 3MF
→
D3
Design
TinkerCAD — original design + file types
→
D4
Prep
Keychain Generator + final 3MF export
→
D5
Print!
Run the lab. Watch it happen.
🎉 You have completed the full pipeline — from idea to physical object. That's real engineering.
4 / 20
- Ask cold-call questions as you walk through this: "What did we do on Day 2?" "What file does TinkerCAD export?" "What does Bambu Studio create?" — students should know these answers now.
- Celebrate the journey: "Four days ago you didn't know what FDM meant. Today you're running a print lab. That's a real change."
- Bridge to files: "The most important thing you need right now is your 3MF file. Let's review file types one more time."
⏱ 3 min
🔄 Review
File Types — Quick Review
🖼️
Image (PNG/JPG)
Your logo image — uploaded to the Keychain Generator to create the 3D model
📄
STL
Your 3D model exported from TinkerCAD — geometry only
🖨️
3MF
Your print-ready file from Bambu Studio — this goes to the printer today
🖨️ The printer needs the 3MF. Not the STL. Not the image. The 3MF.
5 / 20
- This is a quick but critical review. Students sometimes try to send the STL to the printer — it won't work correctly without the slicer settings embedded in the 3MF.
- Ask: "Raise your hand if you have your 3MF file right now. If you don't have your hand up — fix that in the next 2 minutes."
- If a student lost their 3MF: They need to re-open Bambu Studio, re-import their STL, re-slice it, and save again. This takes ~5 minutes — direct them to do it now, not during print time.
⏱ 4 min
Print Farm Rules & Expectations
- We have 11 printers — you may need to wait for one
- Never touch another student's print — even to "help"
- All file submissions go through Helpdesk
- Watch the first layer — if something looks wrong, say something immediately
- If a print fails, pause and ask — don't let a bad print run for 20 minutes
- Keep the area clean — no food, no drinks near the printers
- Don't touch the nozzle — it reaches 200°C and stays hot after printing
- Handle the build plate by the edges — fingerprints = poor adhesion
- Follow all lab procedures every time — not just when you feel like it
- Your role matters — your team depends on you
6 / 20
- Spend extra time on the safety rules — nozzle temperature and build plate handling are the two most common causes of injury and failed prints.
- "Don't touch another student's print" is important for ownership and safety — a print that gets bumped mid-print will fail. Enforce this strictly.
- Helpdesk process: Explain exactly how students submit their file. Is it a Google Form? A shared folder? A USB? Clarify this before the brain break.
- Common Day 5 issue: Students crowd around printers. Establish a "2 people max per printer" rule upfront. Others should be at their desks monitoring or working on reflection.
⏱ 4 min
Print Lab Roles
🖨️ Print Technician
- Load the 3MF file and start the print
- Watch the first layer closely
- Report any issues immediately
📦 Materials Manager
- Check filament levels before each print starts
- Help load filament if a spool runs out
- Track which printer has which student's print
🔍 Quality Control
- Inspect finished prints before they leave the printer
- Flag anything that looks wrong (stringing, gaps, bad adhesion)
- Clear the build plate between prints — clean it with IPA wipe
🎧 Helpdesk / Support
- First stop when something goes wrong
- Help classmates troubleshoot — don't touch their printer without asking
- Manage the print queue and file submissions
7 / 20
- Assign roles before this slide if you haven't already. Give each student a clear role — "everyone is Print Technician" leads to chaos.
- Roles may rotate during the lab if a student's print is running and they have nothing to do. That's fine — the key is that everyone knows their default role.
- Watch for: Helpdesk students who try to solve every problem themselves instead of escalating. Remind them: "Your job is to be the first line of triage. If it's beyond you, come to me."
- Transition: "Let's do the file submission checklist, then review how to start a print, and then we break."
⏱ 3 min
✅ File Submission Checklist
What You Need to Submit Today
- ✅ 3MF file — your sliced, print-ready file from Bambu Studio (THE MOST IMPORTANT)
- ✅ File named correctly:
LastName_Keychain.3mf
- ✅ 3MF previewed in Bambu Studio — no red flags found
- ✅ Submitted through Helpdesk — not sent directly to the printer
⚠️ Files without a student name will not be printed. No exceptions.
8 / 20
- Walk through each item. Give students 60 seconds to verify they have their 3MF file. Raise your hand if you're missing it — resolve it before the brain break.
- If a student lost their 3MF: They need to re-open Bambu Studio, re-import their STL, re-slice it, and save again. This takes ~5 minutes — direct them to do it now, not during print time.
- The naming rule is a real issue on print day — "keychain.3mf" with 20 students = chaos. Enforce it now, not when you're managing 11 running printers.
- Collection method: Have students submit to your shared folder now (Google Drive folder, USB, or your laptop). Collect files before the brain break so you can start queuing prints during the break.
⏱ 4 min
🎓 Step by Step
Starting Your Print — In Order
- Clean the build plate — IPA wipe, let dry 30 seconds
- Check filament — is there enough on the spool for your print?
- Load your 3MF file onto the printer (USB or WiFi)
- Start the print — confirm it is accepted and warming up
- Watch the first layer for the first 2 minutes — do not walk away
- If first layer looks bad → pause and ask for help. Don't let it run.
⚠️ The first layer is the most important layer. A bad first layer = a failed print. Never ignore it.
9 / 20
- Walk through this list with students. Have a printer in front of the class and demonstrate steps 1–4 live — especially the IPA wipe and filament check.
- First layer characteristics of a GOOD print: Filament presses firmly into the bed. Lines are touching each other. Color is consistent. No gaps.
- First layer characteristics of a BAD print: Lines separate. Filament strings or doesn't stick. Print head drags through deposited material. Nozzle too close = looks crushed. Nozzle too far = spaghetti-like lines.
- The 2-minute rule: "If it looks good after 2 minutes, you can step back and monitor from a normal distance. If it looks wrong at any point, pause immediately. Every bad layer compounds the problem."
⏱ 3 min
🔄 Quick Review
Know Your Printer
- Nozzle — melts & deposits filament. Most common failure point. 200°C+ during printing. Never touch it.
- Extruder — pushes filament to the nozzle. Slippage or clicking = jam or clog — pause and ask.
- Build plate — print surface. Wipe with IPA before every print. Handle by edges only — fingerprints = poor adhesion.
- Filament spool — holds the material. Check it feeds freely (no tangles). Store in a sealed bag when not in use.
- X/Y/Z axes — three directions of movement. Keep rods clear. Do not bump or block the gantry.
- Bambu AMS — automatic material system (if equipped). Manages filament loading.
🔎 Point to each part on a real printer right now — and ask students to check each item on the Maintenance Checklist in their student page (Step 3).
10 / 20
- Walk to a real printer and point to each part as you say its name. Students should be able to identify all five parts by now — this is a final check.
- Remind students about the Maintenance Checklist on their student page (Step 3 on day5.html) — they should check all five boxes before marking it complete: IPA wipe, spool feed check, edge-only handling, nozzle safety, and clean-up.
- Ask: "If your print stops feeding filament mid-print, what part do you check first?" (Extruder — check if it's gripping the filament.)
- Ask: "The build plate feels slightly greasy. What should you do?" (Clean it with IPA wipe before starting.)
- Transition: "Good — brain break time. When you come back, the printers are running. 10 minutes."
🖨️
Brain Break!
Move around · The printers are warming up · Come back ready to run the lab
10:00
🚶 Walk over to a printer — can you name all 5 parts?
💬 Tell a classmate what role you have today
🤸 Quick stretch — hands, neck, shoulders
📁 Confirm your 3MF is ready and submitted
↺ Restart timer
11 / 20
- During the break: Start loading the first batch of print files. Queue 3–4 prints to begin as soon as students return from the break.
- Verify file collection is complete. Any student who hasn't submitted their 3MF must do so before the break ends.
- Brief the Helpdesk student: Give them a quick 60-second orientation on the print queue process.
- 2-minute warning: "Two minutes — get back to your stations and get ready. When the timer ends, we're printing."
⏱ 4 min
Troubleshooting — What to Do When…
🔴 Print won't stick to bed
→ Clean build plate with IPA wipe. Let dry. Try again. Check plate is fully seated.
🔴 Stringy lines / webbing
→ Check retraction settings. May indicate wet filament. Report to instructor.
🔴 Print feels fragile / brittle
→ Next print: increase infill % or wall thickness in Bambu Studio before re-slicing.
🔴 No filament coming out
→ Extruder jam or clog. Do NOT try to fix without instructor. Pause print immediately.
💡 Rule: Never cancel a print without checking with Helpdesk first. What looks wrong sometimes isn't.
12 / 20
- Keep this slide up as a reference during print time. Students can look at it if they encounter an issue rather than interrupting you.
- The "don't cancel without asking" rule is important. Students sometimes panic and cancel a print that was actually printing correctly. The first layer often looks rougher than the final product.
- Extruder clogs: Don't let students try to fix these themselves. A mishandled clog can damage the printer. Always escalate to the instructor.
- Additional tip: If stringing is bad, check if the filament has absorbed moisture (PLA is hygroscopic). Store filament in sealed bags between uses.
⏱ 3 min
📚 Vocabulary Review
Terms from All 5 Days
FDM (Day 1) — Fused Deposition Modeling. Melts plastic filament layer by layer to build an object.
Slicer / Bambu Studio (Day 2) — Software that converts a 3D model into G-code printer instructions.
Hole + Group (Day 3) — TinkerCAD tools used to subtract one shape from another — creates the keyring hole.
Keychain Generator (Day 4) — A free web tool that turns an uploaded logo image into a printable 3D keychain. No CAD required.
13 / 20
- Quick cumulative review — ask students to explain each term to the person next to them in one sentence. This is active recall and takes only 2 minutes.
- Point to the glossary link on the student page — useful for the reflection activity and for any future reference.
- Transition: "Great — now let's get into print work time. Printers are running. Know your role. Here's what the next 20 minutes look like."
⏱ 20 min
🎯 Work Time
Print Lab — Run It
What you should be doing:
- Printing: Submit file → start print → watch first layer
- Waiting: Use the time to review your design — is there anything you'd change?
- Supporting: Help a classmate troubleshoot if you have nothing to do
- Quality checking: Inspect finished prints before they leave the printer
What you should NOT be doing:
- ❌ Touching other students' prints
- ❌ Cancelling a print without Helpdesk
- ❌ Standing idle — there's always something to do
- ❌ On your phone or gaming
14 / 20
- Leave this slide up during the entire work time period. Students can refer to it for expectations.
- Your job during this time: Circulate. Don't sit down. Watch first layers. Troubleshoot. Help Helpdesk. Manage the queue. Celebrate successful prints.
- For students whose prints finish early: Have them answer the reflection prompts (coming up) while they wait. This prevents downtime becoming distraction time.
- For students still waiting for a printer: Direct them to the reflection prompts or vocabulary review. Don't let them idle.
- Common print day issue: Students leave the printer during the first layer. Enforce the "watch for 2 minutes" rule actively — physically stand near anyone whose print just started.
- First layer success indicator: Filament should be pressed flat into the build plate, lines should be touching, no gaps. If lines are round like spaghetti, the nozzle is too far — pause and re-level.
⏱ 3 min
🔍 First Layer
First Layer — What Are You Looking For?
✅ Good First Layer
- 🟢 Lines pressed flat into the plate
- 🟢 Lines touching each other (no gaps)
- 🟢 Consistent color and width
- 🟢 Print head moves smoothly
- 🟢 No scraping sounds
❌ Bad First Layer — Pause Now
- 🔴 Spaghetti-like round strands (not pressed flat)
- 🔴 Lines lifting off the plate
- 🔴 Filament bunching around nozzle
- 🔴 Gaps in the first layer
- 🔴 Scraping or grinding sounds
15 / 20
- This slide is most useful DURING the first layer. Bring students to look at a running print and describe what they see using this vocabulary.
- The most teachable moment of print day: When a print fails on the first layer. Ask students to diagnose: "What does this look like? Which column does it fall into? What do you do?"
- Reference for circulating students: "Your Quality Control student should be checking every first layer against this slide."
⏱ 5 min
💡 Reflection
Reflect on the Week
Part 7 on the student page — answer honestly:
- What went wrong today — and what did you do about it?
- What did you learn about how the printer actually works?
- If you could do one thing differently next time, what would it be?
💡 Be specific. "I would try a different logo" is a better answer than "I would do better." What exactly would you change?
16 / 20
- These prompts are not busywork. Reflection is how students consolidate learning. It also gives you data on what worked and what didn't for future classes.
- Model good reflection: Share one thing that went wrong in your own teaching today and what you'd change. This normalizes the process and builds trust.
- Watch for vague answers like "I would do better" or "It was fine." Prompt with follow-ups: "What specifically would you change about your logo choice / SVG conversion / TinkerCAD design?"
- If a student's print is still running: They can do reflection while waiting. Don't let them stare at the printer the whole time.
⏱ 4 min
✅ Self-Assessment
Rate Yourself on the Learning Goals
For each goal — rate yourself 1 (not yet) to 4 (I could teach this):
- I can explain how FDM printing works (layer by layer)
- I can use Bambu Studio to import, slice, and preview a model
- I can build and export a design in TinkerCAD using the Hole + Group tools
- I can convert a PNG logo to SVG and import it into TinkerCAD
- I can monitor a print's first layer and identify whether it looks correct
17 / 20
- Ask students to share one "4" and one "1" — a strength and a growth area. This is richer than just averaging their scores.
- Common pattern: Students rate themselves low on TinkerCAD (Day 3–4 skills) and high on print day skills (Day 5). If Day 3 skills are still weak, that's a signal for re-teaching.
- Use this data: Review self-assessments after class. If multiple students rate goal 3 or 4 low, plan a mini-lesson or provide additional resources before the next time you run this lab.
- Growth mindset framing: "A 1 just means you haven't learned it yet. That's information, not failure."
⏱ 3 min
Exit Ticket & Submit
Before you leave:
- All three reflections answered on student page (Part 7)
- Click Generate My Responses (Part 8)
- Paste into Digital Notebook in Google Classroom
- 3MF submitted (if not already)
- Print collected or noted in queue
- Station clean and ready for next class
🏆
Lab Complete!
You designed, sliced, and printed something real. That's a genuine engineering achievement.
18 / 20
- Walk the room — confirm every student has submitted before dismissal. The summary should include reflection responses and print status.
- Cleanup: Remind students to clear their workspace — no leftover filament scraps, no forgotten USB drives, no files left open.
- Celebrate: If any prints came out well, hold them up and show the class. That physical object is the most powerful evidence of what they accomplished.
⏱ 3 min
💬 Debrief
Class Debrief
Quick whole-class discussion:
- What was the hardest part of the whole 5-day project?
- What surprised you most about how 3D printing actually works?
- If someone asked you to explain 3D printing in 30 seconds, what would you say?
- What's one thing you'd do differently if you ran this project again?
19 / 20
- Pick 2–3 questions based on how much time you have. Don't rush this — it's the synthesis moment where learning becomes lasting.
- Common "hardest part" answers: SVG conversion, TinkerCAD hole tool, finding the right logo. These signal where future instruction should focus.
- The "30-second explanation" question is great for formative assessment — students who truly understand can explain it simply. Students who can't should revisit the Day 1 material.
- End by connecting to the bigger picture: "The skills you used this week — designing, iterating, understanding tools and materials, troubleshooting — these are used every day by engineers, product designers, and makers everywhere."
Day 5 Complete · GCI 3D Printing Lab Complete
You ran a print lab. 🎉
Design · Slice · Print · Troubleshoot · Reflect.
That's the full pipeline. And you can do it again — better, faster, smarter.
20 / 20
- End with genuine celebration. Show off any completed prints. Name specific student achievements ("Jordan's keychain had a perfect logo on the first try"). Concrete recognition lands better than generic praise.
- Look ahead: If there's a follow-up project, tease it. If not, tell students what skills they've demonstrated: "You can now say you've done CAD modeling, slicing, and 3D fabrication. That's a real portfolio item."
- After class: Log which prints succeeded, which failed, and why. This data will make the next time you run this lab significantly smoother.