Guide to 3D Printing at CPS, for both beginners & experienced printers.

Most people should start with Ultimaker Cura Settings HERE.

<aside> ❗ If any part of this guide is unclear, please don’t hesitate to let us know. Otherwise, happy printing!

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Beginners

1. Print File

We need a 3D model to begin the process. We have provided some options on obtaining a 3D model below, but if you don’t want to find a model right now, you can download a demo model here.

  1. Thingiverse - These are 3D models created by other people & are usually ready to be printed

Thingiverse - Digital Designs for Physical Objects

  1. Tinkercad - This is a site where you can create your own 3D model

Tinkercad | From mind to design in minutes

  1. Any .STL, .OBJ, .DWG file containing a 3D structure (these files do support 2D, make sure the the files actually contain a 3D structure) should work. A .STL file is probably best, but you can make any of them work. If you find any 3D file that is not a .STL, .OBJ, .DWG and would like the file to be converted, contact us here. You can also use more advanced file types like .3MF if you’re comfortable with that.

2. Slicing Software: Ultimaker Cura

The software should already be installed on computers that are part of the Laptop Program at CPS. Spotlight search ( + Space) for “Ultimaker Cura” and open it.

<aside> ⚠️ MacBooks with the Apple M1 or M2 chips not fully supported by Ultimaker Cura. If you have a MacBook with a M1 or M2 chip, you should look into running Cura with Rosetta here. If you don’t understand this message, you can probably ignore it. We are still looking into this, so check back for updates!

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2.1 Manual Installation Instructions

3. Ultimaker Cura Settings

Open Cura & click next on the introduction pop-ups.

If asked to select a printer, select the Ultimaker S5 (most of the time) or Ultimaker 3 (if you know you will be using this one). You do not need an account.

You should land on this screen: