So I have two printers and no room for more. And there seems to be a pretty steady stream of points coming my way from my models for a while now. It is more then I need for filament etc.
I have two daughters(6 and 9yo) who go to school and my oldest daughter LOVES 3D printing and designing in tinkercad. I know she has classmates who make whole games in Scratch, so I am thinking of giving their school a A1 (mini?) printer when I have enough points.
Who did this already and are there things I need to think about before doing this? I would contact the school first of course. The children it would be used by are age 9 to 12.
I can supply them with some filament of course and there would need to be a teacher who is willing to take care of it.
Who has done this and how? What do you give them exactly? Which age group did you give to?
@MalcTheOracle does\has done just that and he would be a good source of info.
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Cheers @ronald.s.stuart1
I have done this several times, five so far.
I generally ask the teachers/parents what they need and balance it with the number of points I have available.
Most tend to ask for the A1 mini combo and I usually supply 10-12 filaments, I aim to order those with spools, but, they are not always available. I typically print sufficient reusable spools to make up the numbers. I usually give them a spare nozzle as that is the thing that might fail first and be an issue for them using the printer.
I have also donated older printers I had before my first Bambu Lab one, an IDEX large form factor one and my beloved Creality CR-6 SE, my crippled body couldn’t use them anymore.
I have four P1S printers, each with two AMS units and an A1 mini combo. I use these all the time. These will be donated after my imminent death, as will my large filament collection (200+ spools).
Until I leave this mortal coil, I hope to donate more.
I try to do my due diligence to confirm the kids will benefit. I worry that a teacher may take the printer for personal use, I do not believe this has happened so far.
I have tried to focus on the schools for younger kids (11 and younger, junior schools in the U.K.) as they often have less equipment and will benefit most.
What I do doesn’t need to be a template for others, most schools would be grateful for anything.
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Thank you for your explanation! That sounds like a well thought out plan.
I have noticed you saying things about your health here and there. And although I am not terminal, I am physically disabled, I do think I can relate to some of the things I have read you say.
I am from the Netherlands and here the primary school is “basisschool” where children go until they are about 12. My oldest is 9 and I think her class would have so much learning opportunities with a printer. But I see you say you get them a mini with AMS most often. I thought about giving a mini without AMS and am curious why you included the AMS. My first printer was a mini, without AMS and now I also have a P1S with AMS (I do want a AMS2 to go with it at some point). I would think the color changes would make the prints take so much longer and give so much more waste. Which would take away of learning/printing time of other children and cost more filament.
Why did you include the AMS? The extra nozzle is a good tip. And also the colours. Did you give the students or teachers further help or lessons to set it up? Do they still ask you questions or do you just give it and move on?
I find them easier to use with my disabilities.
I also find it far easier for newbies to use as they do not have to worry about loading/unloading, plus, the colour choices are far easier.
I also like that setting up Bambu Lab filaments on the A1 series is easy.
Without an AMS, you can donate more though.
I offered, but no one has taken me up on it. They are easy to start with, and the setup is step-by-step as you know, others find it easy enough.
I find telling them about MakerWorld so they can print stuff first is a good start. They then feel less concerned about printing and move on to things like Bambu Studio.
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