3DPQ

3DPQ user guide

3DPQ is the booking system for the 3D printers in the Chalmers Robotics makerspace. You use it to book a printer, record how much filament your print used and pay for it from your quota, and to report problems with a printer.

You can use 3DPQ from any browser when connected to the wifi at the makerspace (https://3dpq.chalmersrobotics.se), or on the touch screen next to the printers (the "kiosk"), where you can also log in with an RFID card.

Getting an account

You can't register yourself. Ask a board member, who will create an account for you and send you a username and a temporary password in a private message on Discord.

The first time you log in you are taken to Set up your account:

• Choose a new password. It can't be the temporary one.
• Enter your email.
• Optionally add your name, Discord username and phone number. Adding these lets the board and other members reach you about your prints. Your name, Discord username and phone number appear on the printer's card while you have it booked, including on the logged-out status page. You can change or remove the optional contact details later under Settings → Profile.

Then press Finish setup. You can't use the rest of 3DPQ until this is done.

Logging in

With username and password

Enter your username (not your email) and password, and press Log in. After 5 failed attempts you have to wait a while before trying again.

Remember me keeps you logged in on your own computer. It isn't shown on the kiosk.

Use Back to printer status to return to the welcome page without logging in. The login page also returns there automatically after five minutes without activity.

With an RFID card (kiosk only)

On the kiosk, press Log in with RFID card and hold your card against the reader. First you have to link the card to your account; see RFID cards.

Automatic logout on the kiosk

Because the kiosk is shared, it logs you out after about a minute without any activity.

The printer rules

Before you can book a printer you must read the rules under Printer rules in the sidebar and press I have read and understood the rules.

When the rules have changed, the board may ask everyone to read them again. You will then see The rules have been updated, and the sidebar link is highlighted. Read and accept them again to continue booking.

Your quota

Your quota is your prepaid printing balance in SEK. It is shown on the dashboard.

• When you finish a print, its cost is deducted from your quota: cost = grams of filament × the filament's price per gram.
• Prints with your own filament are free.
• The quota may go below zero during a print, but you can't book a printer while your quota is negative.
• To top up, contact a board member. A top-up is only possible while your quota is below a limit, 500 kr by default, and a single top-up can be at most 500 kr.

Transferring quota to another member

If you stop printing, you can give (or sell) some or all of your quota to another member on the Quota page: enter their username and the amount, then confirm.

• You can transfer at most your current quota.
• The recipient's quota can't go above the top-up limit (500 kr by default) through a transfer.
• The recipient must have finished setting up their account.
• Transfers can't be undone. Any payment between you and the other member is up to you.

Printing step by step

The Dashboard shows your profile (Discord name, quota and active bookings) and a card for every printer, with its nickname, model and whether it is Free or Booked (and by whom, since when).

1. Book the printer

On a free printer, press Book now. You can book when:

• you have accepted the printer rules,
• your quota is not negative,
• you have no prints waiting for a weight.

You don't choose the filament when booking; you choose it when you finish.

Everyone sees that the printer is booked by you.

Booked by mistake? Within one hour of booking, use Cancel booking on your printer's card and confirm, provided you haven't printed anything. Only the person who booked it can cancel. The printer becomes free, the booking is recorded with 0 g, and nothing is charged. No filament selection is needed. Cancelled bookings remain in your history but do not count as bookings or prints in statistics. After one hour, finish the print normally.

2. Print

Start your print on the printer as usual.

3. Finish and weigh

When the print is done, take it off the printer and weigh it on the makerspace scale, including supports, brim and failed attempts on that booking. Then, on the printer's card, press Finish print:

1. Choose the filament you used.
2. Enter Filament used (grams). The dialog shows what it will cost.
3. Press Finish print.

The cost is deducted from your quota and the printer is free again.

Printing with your own filament

If you brought your own filament, tick I printed with my own filament when you finish. You don't choose a filament, but you still enter the weight, because it's used for the statistics. The print is free, nothing is deducted from your quota, and it doesn't count against the makerspace's filament stock. Your print history shows that it was your own filament.

Only the person who booked the printer can tick this. If someone else finishes your print, they can't say it was your own filament. Prints for the makerspace always use the makerspace's filament.

Anyone can finish a print. If you finish someone else's print, for example because it finished overnight, it is still charged to the person who booked the printer, and the history shows who finished it.

When someone else finishes your print

If the print was already picked up when someone else wanted to use the printer, they can tick The print is already gone — I can't weigh it and press Finish without weight. The printer is freed, but nothing is charged yet.

You then see Report the weight of your print(s) on your dashboard. Weigh the print, choose the filament if it isn't already set, enter the Weight (grams) and press Report. If you used your own filament, tick I printed with my own filament instead of choosing a filament, and the print is free. You can't book a printer until you have reported the weight of all such prints.

Reporting a problem with a printer

If a printer isn't working, press Report a problem on its card. This works whether the printer is free or booked. Choose what is wrong:

• Clogged nozzle / not extruding
• Build plate dirty or damaged
• Error message on the printer
• Strange noise or mechanical problem
• Other: describe the problem in the details field (required)

You can always add details (up to 1000 characters), such as the error message. The board is notified and marks the problem resolved when it is fixed.

Please also tell the person using the printer if it's booked, and don't try risky repairs yourself.

Print history

Print history lists all your bookings with printer, status (In progress, Finished or Awaiting weight), duration, filament, grams, cost and who finished it. Prints with your own filament have an Own filament badge and cost Free. At the top you see your number of finished prints, filament used and total cost.

Press Details to see a single print, including the price per gram at the time and every quota change for it. If an admin corrected the weight, that shows here too.

Statistics

Statistics shows lifetime figures for the whole makerspace and for each printer: number of prints, filament used, the average print weight, number of reported problems and how much of each filament has been used. Filament that members brought themselves is shown as Own filament. It doesn't show anything about individual members.

Settings

Open the settings from your name at the bottom of the sidebar.

Profile

Change your name, username, email, Discord username and phone number. The Discord username and phone number are optional; leave a field empty to remove it.

Deleting your account

You can delete your account at the bottom of the Profile page; you need your current password for that. Your personal details and RFID cards are deleted and can't be restored. Your print history is kept without your name.

Any remaining quota is not refunded. If you want someone else to use it, transfer it to another member on the Quota page first (see Transferring quota to another member).

You can't delete your account while a printer is booked by you or while you have a print waiting for its weight: finish the print or report the weight first. Admins can't delete their account, so the makerspace is never left without an admin; ask another admin to remove your admin rights first.

Password

Enter your current password and a new one twice, then press Save password. If you have forgotten your password, ask a board member to set a new one for you. There is no "forgot password" email.

RFID cards

Cards can only be added on the kiosk, where the reader is:

1. Log in on the kiosk and open Settings → RFID cards.
2. Optionally enter a name for the card, e.g. "Keyring tag".
3. Press Scan card to add it and hold the card against the reader.

A card can only be linked to one account. You can see when each card was last used, and remove a card from any browser, for example if you lose it.

Appearance

Choose light mode, dark mode or follow your system.

FAQ

I can't book a printer. The dashboard tells you why. It's one of: you haven't accepted the (updated) rules, your quota is negative, or you have a print waiting for its weight.

I entered the wrong weight. Contact a board member. Admins can correct the weight, and your quota is adjusted by the difference.

I forgot to tick "own filament". Contact a board member. Admins can mark the print as own filament, and the cost is refunded to your quota.

The printer says it's booked, but nobody is using it. The booker probably forgot to finish it. Take the print off if it's done, weigh it and press Finish print. If the print is already gone, use Finish without weight.

My RFID card doesn't work. Make sure it has been added under Settings → RFID cards. Otherwise log in with your username and password and tell the board.