Has anyone made some kind of lockdown mechanism for the X1C or P1S?
I just ordered a P1S for our robotics shop. Although the shop is locked, lots of people have access to it. I’d like to limit its use to only students and teachers that actually know how to operate it.
It’s too expensive of a device for people to just experiment with.
On a second topic related, is there a way to require a password to actually start a print job? (Pretty sure I know the answer to this one.)
Put the printer on a dedicated subnet with one PC that has the Studio app installed, with a bridge to the larger LAN for just the PC. People will be able to pull their content over to the PC from the LAN and send it to the printer from that PC, but they won’t be able to reach the printer from any other PC on the network. Then, password protect that PC.
Thanks! That’s a great idea to secure it that way. Have to figure out how to secure the SD card since they could still use that as the transfer mechanism.
I can create a hotspot on my phone share that signal with a different device, take the P1’s out of LAN mode by it’s screen and bluetooth the printer to that second device for full control, it doesn’t work, and if I really wanted to wreak havoc just do a full manufacture reset, I’d just build an enclosure on a moveable cart that can lock, again not trying to be a kill joy, but please don’t just lockdown the network structure if network security and device security are important
Sorry guys, I know this may sound like heresy and as much as I love my P1P and I believe it is so simple to use that it would be perfect for the young learner mind, if one of my teacher friends asked me for a recommendation for a classroom 3D printer? Bambu would be my absolute last choice on the planet.
Why do I say that? Here are just some but not all of the reasons.
Knowing that education is always on a budget, my money would be spent on this device. It has everything you need and nothing you don’t. Hell… it was on sale Sunday for $139, I actually had it in my cart when I thought… “nah… where am I gonna find the room for one more piece of electronics in my office?”
For the price of 1 Bambu P1, you could have had two of these and money left over for 5-10 rolls of filament. Send your P1 back and buy two of these. It also has a much nice user interface on the front panel which for Students without a laptop or for untethered operation, is a benefit for the classroom environment.
Thanks for the well thought out response!
The students that have access to the printer are from our FIRST robotics team. We teach them how to operate all kinds of equipment including our CNC mill. Both our mill and lathe are network connected. We don’t have any issues network wise with them so I suspect the same will be true for the P1.
We’ve had traditional FDM printers like you mention, but have now graduated to more advanced manufacturing and want to build using materials beyond PLA and PETG.
We also want the speed for faster prototyping of parts before we send them to the mill to be cut out of aluminum.
I appreciate your point of view, but in our case, we have considered those factors already. I won’t be cancelling my order. 
I just want to make sure the only right people are using it.
Thanks again.
@william.e.lewis464 william.e.lewis464
I get that. Kinda why the “soft lockout” was a tag-on question. My main topic was to see if anyone had already built a physical lock out that I could get ideas from and maybe get someone else’s experience in doing it.
Probably best if you were to build a lockable box around the printer. Something similar to what @Quinnii did.
This would keep it secure and keep the printer in a relatively clean environment.
Superglue.
Yeah, you’re not going to be able to prevent that very easily. I’d design and print a “chastity belt”, something that clamps around the display panel and blocks the SD card slot. Something with a hasp or similar that I could put a small (like luggage size) padlock through to secure it in place. Won’t keep out someone who’s really motivated, but as they say, “locks only work with honest people”. You’d be able to see it was tampered with though.
Hmm. That chastity belt thing gets me thinking.
What about if I build a chastity belt around the power switch itself. If you can’t turn it on, you can’t use it.
The only thing is you have to remember to turn it off.
I don’t imagine these printers have a wake on lan function.
As you say, if someone wants to defeat it, they will. I just want to slow them down and get them to maybe reconsider what they’re getting in to.
If you go the power switch lockout method, then there are a lot of lockout/tagout products out there, everything from LOTOs for plug-in cables to outlets to power supplies and electrical panels.
There’s lots of locks for doing lockout/tagout electrical and mechanical work. They are also available for security applications.
This unit locks out the modular plug connector. Amazon ASIN B00BSG7P9O.
How do you see this working?
