There are two types of subscription - flat rate and per print-hour. The per print-hour is ideal for people who have seasonal businesses (e.g. Etsy stores with holiday gifts) or businesses where there is a lot of variability in print volumes. The flat rate is ideal for businesses that run 24/7 or for larger institutions who want consistent billing. By mixing the two, farms can easily manage production costs. Many farms have a portion of their printers running 24/7 while the rest only run occasionally. Unlike humans (who are a flat rate per hour whether printers are running or not), print-hours allow operators to link print farm operating costs directly to each part.
Wow, this is NEXT LEVEL, I had no idea we'd come so far in automation. I can't believe it can even figure out which printer to send the stuff to. How does it handle different gcode for different printers? (Maybe it'll be covered int he video, I'm only part way through)
Thank you! AutoFarm3D uses SmartTags to automatically dispatch gcode to different printers. Any gcode tagged with "Sidewinder X1" will only go to printers also tagged with "Sidewinder X1". We are very soon adding the ability to pre-tag gcode files, so your gcode sliced for a Prusa MK3S is always tagged with "Prusa MK3S" preventing it from being printed by any other type of printer.
So how does the software know which printer has blue vs red? Enders are all labled production in the que, so how can it tell me blue on printer 1. Red on printer 3?
AutoFarm3D has a SmartTag system with adaptive routing. This allows AutoFarm3D to optimize load balance across the farm by ensuring printers never sit idle. Let's say a printer has blue pla, as soon as it is idle, the software finds the next blue pla job in the queue and starts it within fractions of a second. This is different from setting up printer queues (or looping) because it adapts to changes in printer availability and handles priority and urgent jobs without the need for an operator to delete and reset printer queues.
Any future plans to work with bambu labs x1 carbon. I have a farm of them started up for custom packaging for my other business and they are that quick that I'm having to always be around to get them printing again.
EDIT: Autofarm3D is now compatible with Bambu lab X1C, P1P, and P1S machines. Original message: We would love to work with Bambulabs X1 but at this time there is no way to communicate with them (they are a closed system). We are hoping that the promised API will be here soon. The other problem with the X1 is that it is fixed bed so you need a sweeping arm and is enclosed so you need a door opener. We developed a system for the Ultimaker S5 that works well but it is not nearly as cost effective as Prusa or Sidewinder. The faster printing is nice if you need to get quick prototypes but it does not necessarily work for mass production since the additional labour required to run 24/7 adds $$ to the cost of each print. Labour is ~$1 for every 2 minutes while automation is 5¢/hr. If you hear of an API for the X1, please let us know!
@@3DQue Why is the title of this video "Bambu Lab Print Farm Software for X1C, P1P, and P1S" when you've said yourself it doesnt work with those printers, heck they arent even mentioned in the video. Misleading much...
@@UnCoolDad Depends on your configuration. Send us an email with specifics on number of printers, print volume, issues you want automation to solve, etc. Info@ 3dque.com
@@3DQue I don't have any requirements yet - still scoping out, but it sounds like what you have is a SAAS licensing model with pricing you make up as you go, and potentially will go up in the future. I'll be honest - this isn't very encouraging. Why not just publish your pricing structure?
@@UnCoolDad Some people just need failure detection but want it air gapped, some people want automated part removal, others just want automation for workflow. The hardware requirements for these vary signficantly depending on the number and type of printers. For example, Prusa MK3 farm can only connect 4 printers per hub since MK3 are not network enabled while Bambu farm can connect 10 printers per hub since they are already network enabled. Some people are comfortable using RPi others are not. Some understand their local network setup and capacity others don't.
Anywhere with the secure direct tunnel. The data goes directly from the HUB to the Dashboard (in a browser). It's a real tunnel so unlike other "tunnels" where data goes from your print farm to a third party server to your browser, it does not expose your data to a third party.
The one thing this video doesn't cover is how the gcode actually reaches the printer - do you have a computer or raspberry pi with USB cables to each printer? Are all your printers somehow WiFi-equipped?
Good question! The system is a network of Raspberry Pis with USB cables to each printer, and you can connect multiple printers per Pi. All the Pis are connected to each other through your local network. If you don't have Raspberry Pis, we provide a Pi alternative on our website called a Print Farm Hub which uses a Rock64 instead of a Pi. We are currently working on supporting WiFi-enabled printers such as the Bambu Lab machines.
AutoFarm3D connects multiple hubs together, and displays all printers connected to all hubs in a central dashboard. A hub is just a small computer like a Raspberry Pi or Rock64. Each hub can have multiple printers and webcams connected to it. You might find these networking diagrams helpful: docs.3dque.com/docs/software-tutorials/farm-dashboard-setup In theory, you could run AutoFarm3D on a single computer, and connect everything to it. But in practice, it is usually easier to distribute the load across multiple smaller computers spread out around your print farm. Also, the software is not octofarm, it is AutoFarm3D which we developed from scratch and it is specifically optimized for print farms.
@@3DQue can the hubs be run on anything other than a PI? My printers are currently running octoprint on androids. The cost of raspberry pi's is ridiculous now.
@@manningcustom Yes, it can run on Rock64 2GB which are available for around $35 from the Pine64 store. We also sell full hub kits on our website. We've also made a big effort recently to expand the number of printers you can connect to a single hub since hubs are usually hard to come across. On a single 2GB hub, you can connect as many as 6 printers or 3 printers + 3 webcams. We don't support android right now unfortunately.
They charge you by "automation hours". I love it how some kid spent more time thinking of how much money they can make instead of the product itself.
There are two types of subscription - flat rate and per print-hour.
The per print-hour is ideal for people who have seasonal businesses (e.g. Etsy stores with holiday gifts) or businesses where there is a lot of variability in print volumes.
The flat rate is ideal for businesses that run 24/7 or for larger institutions who want consistent billing.
By mixing the two, farms can easily manage production costs. Many farms have a portion of their printers running 24/7 while the rest only run occasionally.
Unlike humans (who are a flat rate per hour whether printers are running or not), print-hours allow operators to link print farm operating costs directly to each part.
Wow, this is NEXT LEVEL, I had no idea we'd come so far in automation. I can't believe it can even figure out which printer to send the stuff to. How does it handle different gcode for different printers? (Maybe it'll be covered int he video, I'm only part way through)
Thank you! AutoFarm3D uses SmartTags to automatically dispatch gcode to different printers. Any gcode tagged with "Sidewinder X1" will only go to printers also tagged with "Sidewinder X1".
We are very soon adding the ability to pre-tag gcode files, so your gcode sliced for a Prusa MK3S is always tagged with "Prusa MK3S" preventing it from being printed by any other type of printer.
Interesting...
Beautiful workflow! So happy to be a part of this!
Thanks Al!
So how does the software know which printer has blue vs red? Enders are all labled production in the que, so how can it tell me blue on printer 1. Red on printer 3?
AutoFarm3D has a SmartTag system with adaptive routing. This allows AutoFarm3D to optimize load balance across the farm by ensuring printers never sit idle. Let's say a printer has blue pla, as soon as it is idle, the software finds the next blue pla job in the queue and starts it within fractions of a second. This is different from setting up printer queues (or looping) because it adapts to changes in printer availability and handles priority and urgent jobs without the need for an operator to delete and reset printer queues.
We welcome your video in the Prusa group. This is an amazing advancement and SO easy to use!
Thank you!
Brilliant!
Any future plans to work with bambu labs x1 carbon. I have a farm of them started up for custom packaging for my other business and they are that quick that I'm having to always be around to get them printing again.
EDIT: Autofarm3D is now compatible with Bambu lab X1C, P1P, and P1S machines.
Original message: We would love to work with Bambulabs X1 but at this time there is no way to communicate with them (they are a closed system). We are hoping that the promised API will be here soon. The other problem with the X1 is that it is fixed bed so you need a sweeping arm and is enclosed so you need a door opener.
We developed a system for the Ultimaker S5 that works well but it is not nearly as cost effective as Prusa or Sidewinder. The faster printing is nice if you need to get quick prototypes but it does not necessarily work for mass production since the additional labour required to run 24/7 adds $$ to the cost of each print. Labour is ~$1 for every 2 minutes while automation is 5¢/hr.
If you hear of an API for the X1, please let us know!
@@3DQue Why is the title of this video "Bambu Lab Print Farm Software for X1C, P1P, and P1S" when you've said yourself it doesnt work with those printers, heck they arent even mentioned in the video. Misleading much...
@@Rick-vm8bl The workflow management does work. We don't have auto part ejection.
Are there Prusa MK4 kits?
Not yet, however we will be starting a Prusa MK4 beta soon!
Is this software free? I had a look at the website, but no mention of pricing.
You can get a 100 hrs/mo free - download onto a Raspberry Pi 4 2GB here: www.3dque.com/autofarm3d-free-download
@@3DQue what is the pricing after that?
@@UnCoolDad Depends on your configuration. Send us an email with specifics on number of printers, print volume, issues you want automation to solve, etc.
Info@ 3dque.com
@@3DQue I don't have any requirements yet - still scoping out, but it sounds like what you have is a SAAS licensing model with pricing you make up as you go, and potentially will go up in the future. I'll be honest - this isn't very encouraging. Why not just publish your pricing structure?
@@UnCoolDad Some people just need failure detection but want it air gapped, some people want automated part removal, others just want automation for workflow. The hardware requirements for these vary signficantly depending on the number and type of printers. For example, Prusa MK3 farm can only connect 4 printers per hub since MK3 are not network enabled while Bambu farm can connect 10 printers per hub since they are already network enabled. Some people are comfortable using RPi others are not. Some understand their local network setup and capacity others don't.
How much it costs?
The software?
@@3DQue yes! How much this software solution costs?
@@JohnDonko Depends on your setup - what printers, how many, and what automation you need. Contact us through the website 3dque.com.
Can you access this from anywhere so you can monitor and stop? or do you have to be on local network?
Anywhere with the secure direct tunnel. The data goes directly from the HUB to the Dashboard (in a browser). It's a real tunnel so unlike other "tunnels" where data goes from your print farm to a third party server to your browser, it does not expose your data to a third party.
@@stephsharp8475 oh awesome. And you can do that in the raspberry pi doesn’t have be the hub 3D Que sell?
@@ctg222 yes! Raspberry Pi 4 2GB works great
Does this support klipper/fluidd?
Just Marlin at the moment, but Klipper is on the to-do list!
Klipper knows this by default, moonraker handles up to 256 machines ;)
The one thing this video doesn't cover is how the gcode actually reaches the printer - do you have a computer or raspberry pi with USB cables to each printer? Are all your printers somehow WiFi-equipped?
Good question! The system is a network of Raspberry Pis with USB cables to each printer, and you can connect multiple printers per Pi. All the Pis are connected to each other through your local network.
If you don't have Raspberry Pis, we provide a Pi alternative on our website called a Print Farm Hub which uses a Rock64 instead of a Pi.
We are currently working on supporting WiFi-enabled printers such as the Bambu Lab machines.
@@3DQue Awesome, thanks for the extra info!
@@LMF5000 Glad to help! If you have other questions feel free to join our discord server: discord.gg/JN9EDP8
is this a web server that connects to multiple raspberry pI octofarm instances or is this a single computer running many machines?
AutoFarm3D connects multiple hubs together, and displays all printers connected to all hubs in a central dashboard. A hub is just a small computer like a Raspberry Pi or Rock64. Each hub can have multiple printers and webcams connected to it. You might find these networking diagrams helpful: docs.3dque.com/docs/software-tutorials/farm-dashboard-setup
In theory, you could run AutoFarm3D on a single computer, and connect everything to it. But in practice, it is usually easier to distribute the load across multiple smaller computers spread out around your print farm.
Also, the software is not octofarm, it is AutoFarm3D which we developed from scratch and it is specifically optimized for print farms.
@@3DQue can the hubs be run on anything other than a PI? My printers are currently running octoprint on androids. The cost of raspberry pi's is ridiculous now.
@@manningcustom Yes, it can run on Rock64 2GB which are available for around $35 from the Pine64 store. We also sell full hub kits on our website.
We've also made a big effort recently to expand the number of printers you can connect to a single hub since hubs are usually hard to come across. On a single 2GB hub, you can connect as many as 6 printers or 3 printers + 3 webcams.
We don't support android right now unfortunately.
@@3DQue thats great to know. I'll pick a few of them up