Printr, the Amsterdam-based company that raised $820,000 in seed funding last year, has launched a new feature on their online platform Formide, that enables 3D printer owners to share their printer with up to 10 users regardless of their location through The Element.
When starting a long print, you know the excitement of coming back to the 3D printer after a while to check on the process or to see how your print turned out. What if you could share this excitement with your friends by letting them access your 3D printer regardless of their location? On Formide, Printr’s online platform, users are able to add up to 10 users to their 3D printer at no additional cost.
How it Works
Formide users can prepare files for printing, print and keep track of the process. Now, they can even invite a friend, colleague or student, and allow them to start a print from their 3D printer. Users with access are able to prepare files, place them in the print queue and start the print when the previous job is ready, very useful in for example an office or school environment.
When a file is put in the queue, it will be streamed to The Element, Printr’s plug and play USB dongle. Even when users lose Internet connection in between printing, their print will keep going, as the Gcode is stored completely on The Element.
Sharing in Education: No More Chaos
Printr put the case to test in a local middle school with a class of 10 students, none of which had previous 3D printing experience. All students received access to the class 3D printer via The Element and were asked to send their preferred 3D model to queue on the account of the “Owner”, which was the teacher in this case. In contrast to the usual chaos that arises with the use of SD cards, the teacher was able to remain control over all prints, while the students still learned the basics of 3D printing.
“Education is the cornerstone of our society and in order to get more young people excited about tech in general and 3D printing in particular, we need to start as early as possible. That’s why the sharing option is one of our favorite and most valued features in Formide.”
Douwe Bart Mulder, CEO Printr
Over-The-Air Updates
The latest Element update includes the number one most requested feature; the ability of tuning printer settings wirelessly while printing. Printr will keep developing and improving its products’ functionalities, which will be made available for everyone with Over-The-Air updates.
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