--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "K-12 Fab Labs and Makerspaces" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to k-12-fablabs...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/k-12-fablabs/cfe41e86-99f4-40f2-acc1-9abcbaae197an%40googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/k-12-fablabs/CAOOhKDod%3DnHhNBQr0M%2B9EMXLVVhsuXT08e0rpa_8xMtrJjoyew%40mail.gmail.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/k-12-fablabs/CAHJKV1PyFFQc-zZPw7xrAxBw7ZjeQ3-fDDgAxx2-hCZdiJdKVA%40mail.gmail.com.
Tim Cooper, M.Ed OCT (he/him)
Technology Teaching and Learning Coordinator, Design and Programming Teacher
Design Dept Co-Chair | THE YORK SCHOOL
E - tco...@yorkschool.com -- T - @tcoops -- LinkedIn - ca.linkedin.com/in/tcoops
--
Technology / Maker Educator
Maker Tech Lab
Davidson Middle School
Instagram: DavidsonMakers
Pictures of our class projects on Flickr
Lisa Kunkle Heineman, MSME, MEd
Industrial Automation Instructor
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/k-12-fablabs/CAEgRrEvzFuxRo8Zi38U79zkrX7LzNSM8D8GLwgCH%2BCsm4wxVmw%40mail.gmail.com.
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE:
This e-mail transmission and accompanying documents (attachments) contain confidential and legally privileged information that is intended only for the individual named in the e-mail address. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, printing, distribution, action or reliance upon the contents of this e-mail message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail transmission in error, please contact the sender or phone Lehigh Career & Technical Institute 610-799-2300 and delete the message from your system. Thank you.
Lehigh Career & Technical Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Hi Lisa
I run a tinkering studio for 1st-8th graders and have a couple of Bambus (A1 and P1P). The way I control access to the printers is that I end up doing all the prints. We use TinkerCad as the build tool and I have access to all the student creations. When they are ready to print they sign up on a whiteboard in the space which includes their name, the print name and the color(s) they want. I don’t mind doing the extra work of downloading their creations because I can control when and how they are printed. It also allows me to do a lot of batch prints for speed.
Last night I ran two machines with about 5 prints on each one. It’s a lot faster and simpler than having kids do individual prints. I realize that for a HS class that might be less ideal but I wanted share my process. Unless I was able or willing to teach a lot of 3D print trouble shooting I think I would be spending countless hours fixing student print issues if I let them do the printing themselves.
Rob
From:
k-12-f...@googlegroups.com <k-12-f...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Lisa Heineman <hein...@mylcti.org>
Date: Wednesday, January 21, 2026 at 6:22 AM
To: Adam Singer <asi...@srcs.org>
Cc: Colleen Larionoff <lar...@d-e.org>, Trevor Shaw <sha...@gmail.com>, k-12-f...@googlegroups.com <k-12-f...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [k-12-fablabs] 3D Printer Questions
I am enjoying reading everyone's comments about 3D printers. I am thinking of adding some newer printers with more features to my lab. Bambu is one of the top contenders, but I am concerned about how to control student use of the printers. The printers I have now have built-in computers that I can lock with a password when I am away or don't want students to use them. I am interested in hearing how those of you with Bambu printers control access to them. I teach High School, by the way, which brings its own set of challenges (especially with extremely resourceful students!).
Thanks!
Lisa Kunkle Heineman, MSME, MEd
Industrial Automation Instructor
On Tue, Jan 20, 2026 at 7:14 PM Adam Singer <asi...@srcs.org> wrote:
I can't say enough about our Bambu printers. We have some A1s and an X1C with the top-loading AMS attachment to hold 4 spools. I find that I get similar print quality from both models despite the huge cost difference.
My one regret is not springing for a dual-extruder model - multi-color prints (on designs with multiple colors not separated into distinct layers) on the X1C with the AMS and a single extruder result in a great print, but there is an enormous amount of material waste spewing out "poops" between each color change clearing out the extruder.
I was just readying our old 3D printers for donation to another school and was reminded how much fussing I no longer have to do with the Bambus.
Adam Singer (he/him)
Technology / Maker Educator
Maker Tech Lab
Davidson Middle School
Instagram: DavidsonMakers
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/k-12-fablabs/CAPN3qzsfkuEmyksxWPyuZV4%3DJ_TLMgSg2KkaXsqKPnnXtW%3Dc5w%40mail.gmail.com.
Lisa Kunkle Heineman, MSME, MEd
Industrial Automation Instructor
Technology / Maker Educator
Maker Tech Lab
Davidson Middle School
Instagram: DavidsonMakers
Lisa Kunkle Heineman, MSME, MEd
Industrial Automation Instructor
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/k-12-fablabs/CAPN3qztimD4LAzgbh6%3D0R0zwO36xqhy9veBC4GFZJNhVX1V-Jw%40mail.gmail.com.
Here is a picture of the whiteboard I have up for students to let me know they are finished and ready to print. On the left you can see the three requirements that I have for them to print. Mostly its about making things that are not just going to be tossed out OR that are just a bunch of shapes stuck together without any “work” being done to them. I also created a document that has all the TinkerCad icons on it so kids remember how to use everything. On the left hand side I make notes of things (either that something is printing at the time or if there is something not quite right with the file that a student needs to go back and change,.

Adam Singer (he/him)
Adam Singer (he/him)
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/k-12-fablabs/d3a9cf18-5256-43af-9839-be0b0fafc9a5%40localhost.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/k-12-fablabs/CAETmNpeyEHXXyCfGoYkrXbAMpqim1yh%3DTwd8JWibvEOKqtkVmg%40mail.gmail.com.
Justin Schmidt
Instructor
Bambu Lab has a robust self-repair and maintenance wiki. Their machines are reliable, parts are readily available, and repair is streamlined to a basic workflow of identify broken part, order, and replace. They do have a limited warranty, but no repair service. I know certain ed-tech distributors may offer included repair services and there are private repair businesses out there, but of course that costs lots of money.
These machines deserve praise for reliability, but they will absolutely break and many of the models are still in early or first production runs. There are identified manufacturing defects – for example, the mechanical arm which triggers the A1 filament sensor is prone to failure. Straightforward fix, but these machines are best suited for use by someone who is comfortable learning to repair them.
Far less technical idea here than the many excellent suggestions I’ve seen. But this has been a trick to speed up workflow for us. If you are printing high volume and especially for younger learners, may I suggest you print everything in one color, then plan time for students to paint their prints (“sculptures”).
We have saved significant time while allowing continued “hands-on” and personalization by getting all project files together for a print, then providing acrylic paints, palettes to mix colors, and small paintbrushes. The results often look more tailored to the project and the student feels more involved in the actual making.
Examples of this:
Our space works with hundreds of students and projects like this need to move quickly, so it has really worked well in that kind of scenario, and it adds an element of making for the students instead of a machine just kicking out something they found online.
Best,
Anna
Anna Delia
Chair – ISACS Accreditation | Fab Labs & STEM Support
Hawken School | Gates Mills, Ohio
Phone: 614-330-1542
Blogs and Projects at fabplay.hawken.edu
Instagram: @hawkenfabplay

From: k-12-f...@googlegroups.com <k-12-f...@googlegroups.com>
On Behalf Of Jamie Back
Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2026 9:48 PM
To: K-12 Fab Labs and Makerspaces <k-12-f...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: Re: [k-12-fablabs] 3D Printer Questions
I also love our Bambu Lab printers (H2D, X1C, and P2S). We use the Polar Cloud to manage print single color jobs for X1C, with P2S support coming soon. It's a huge time saver. Students can send print jobs to the Polar Cloud directly from Tinkercad, and adults can send jobs for younger kids from a Tinkercad classroom to the Polar Cloud. Students can upload designs from other software (Fusion, etc) to the Polar Cloud. Print job management and slicing occur in the Polar Cloud. Most students just create print requests when they upload their file. If a student has been certified by me to manage the printers, I can give them access to manage the print requests, print queue, and slice jobs. It's a huge time saver and well worth the yearly subscription cost for schools.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/k-12-fablabs/2a9b88fd-9f14-4738-aab7-162b02b5fdfcn%40googlegroups.com.
Not sure if it matters, but I know I’ve done this with white, clear, and gray (light and dark). I think you’d just use another coat of paint for darker plastic.
Perhaps a color that makes sense for the project, like using brown or green for something about plants, so the entire thing doesn’t “have” to be painted… if you are that organized…
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/k-12-fablabs/CAOzP%2BZZO9L_d9dVQHys%3DoxTqvgVoCt3QVJukvDyExz0GGVYzNw%40mail.gmail.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/k-12-fablabs/59ce9155-ab7d-4aaa-94c9-ca80b8f1ff22n%40googlegroups.com.
Tim Cooper, M.Ed OCT (he/him)
Technology Teaching and Learning Coordinator, Design and Programming Teacher
Design Dept Co-Chair | THE YORK SCHOOL
E - tco...@yorkschool.com -- T - @tcoops -- LinkedIn - ca.linkedin.com/in/tcoops
Lisa Kunkle Heineman, MSME, MEd
Industrial Automation Instructor
You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "K-12 Fab Labs and Makerspaces" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/k-12-fablabs/LkAa7FmSeEQ/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to k-12-fablabs...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/k-12-fablabs/CAPN3qzv1fCr_4i2uKqMNxiiQcruH2ZNr0VGXXbLkx%2Bj9b3fzCA%40mail.gmail.com.