Consumer-grade 3D Printer Research Articles

Application of fused filament fabrication 3D printing and molding to produce flexible, scaled neuron morphology models

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to assess a novel method for creating tangible three-dimensional (3D) morphologies (scaled models) of neuronal reconstructions and to evaluate its cost-effectiveness, accessibility and applicability through a classroom survey. The study addresses the challenge of accurately representing intricate and diverse dendritic structures of neurons in scaled models for educational purposes.Design/methodology/approachThe method involves converting neuronal reconstructions from the NeuromorphoVis repository into 3D-printable mold files. An operator prints these molds using a consumer-grade desktop 3D printer with water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol filament. The molds are then filled with casting materials like polyurethane or silicone rubber, before the mold is dissolved. We tested our method on various neuron morphologies, assessing the method’s effectiveness, labor, processing times and costs. Additionally, university biology students compared our 3D-printed neuron models with commercially produced counterparts through a survey, evaluating them based on their direct experience with both models.FindingsAn operator can produce a neuron morphology’s initial 3D replica in about an hour of labor, excluding a one- to three-day curing period, while subsequent copies require around 30 min each. Our method provides an affordable approach to crafting tangible 3D neuron representations, presenting a viable alternative to direct 3D printing with varied material options ensuring both flexibility and durability. The created models accurately replicate the fidelity and intricacy of original computer aided design (CAD) files, making them ideal for tactile use in neuroscience education.Originality/valueThe development of data processing and cost-effective casting method for this application is novel. Compared to a previous study, this method leverages lower-cost fused filament fabrication 3D printing to create accurate physical 3D representations of neurons. By using readily available materials and a consumer-grade 3D printer, the research addresses the high cost associated with alternative direct 3D printing techniques to produce such intricate and robust models. Furthermore, the paper demonstrates the practicality of these 3D neuron models for educational purposes, making a valuable contribution to the field of neuroscience education.

3DPFIX: Improving Remote Novices' 3D Printing Troubleshooting through Human-AI Collaboration Design

The widespread consumer-grade 3D printers and learning resources online enable novices to self-train in remote settings. While troubleshooting plays an essential part of 3D printing, the process remains challenging for many remote novices even with the help of well-developed online sources, such as online troubleshooting archives and online community help. We conducted a formative study with 76 active 3D printing users to learn how remote novices leverage online resources in troubleshooting and their challenges. We found that remote novices cannot fully utilize online resources. For example, the online archives statically provide general information, making it hard to search and relate their unique cases with existing descriptions. Online communities can potentially ease their struggles by providing more targeted suggestions, but a helper who can provide custom help is rather scarce, making it hard to obtain timely assistance. We propose 3DPFIX, an interactive 3D troubleshooting system powered by the pipeline to facilitate Human-AI Collaboration, designed to improve novices' 3D printing experiences and thus help them easily accumulate their domain knowledge. We built 3DPFIX that supports automated diagnosis and solution-seeking. 3DPFIX was built upon shared dialogues about failure cases from Q&A discourses accumulated in online communities. We leverage social annotations (i.e., comments) to build an annotated failure image dataset for AI classifiers and extract a solution pool. Our summative study revealed that using 3DPFIX helped participants spend significantly less effort in diagnosing failures and finding a more accurate solution than relying on their common practice. We also found that 3DPFIX users learn about 3D printing domain-specific knowledge. We discuss the implications of leveraging community-driven data in developing future Human-AI Collaboration designs.

OpenASAP: An affordable 3D printed atmospheric solids analysis probe (ASAP) mass spectrometry system for direct analysis of solid and liquid samples

Atmospheric Solids Analysis Probe (ASAP) mass spectrometry is a versatile technique allowing direct sampling of solid and liquid samples, but its adoption is limited due to the high cost of commercial ASAP systems. To address this, we present OpenASAP, an open-source ASAP system for mass spectrometers that can be fabricated for $20 or less using 3D-printing. Our design is readily adaptable to instruments from different manufacturers and can be produced with a variety of additive manufacturing techniques on consumer-grade 3D-printers. The probe allows for rapid sampling of solid and liquid samples without sample preparation, making it useful for high throughput screening, investigating spatial localization and function of analytes in biological samples, and incorporating mass spectrometry in instructional settings. We demonstrate its effectiveness by obtaining mass spectra of three natural product standards at levels as low as 10 ng/ml in liquid samples, and detecting these metabolites in microbial cultures that are difficult to analyze due to complex sample matrices or analyte properties. Furthermore, we demonstrate direct sampling of thin layer chromatography (TLC) spots of these cultures.

A 3D printed patient-specific vaginal mould for brachytherapy

Patient specific applicators are needed for vaginal brachytherapy treatments in cases where conventional cylindrical applicators are unsuitable or unusable. These applicators are often produced using a time-consuming and comparatively imprecise moulding method. This proof-of-concept study used Monte Carlo calculations to investigate potential dosimetric effects from creating applicators using several common 3D printing materials. A sample mould was then replicated using a fused deposition modelling (FDM) technique, which allowed catheter channels to be precisely placed with reference to treatment goals, before 3D printing from thermoplastic using a consumer-grade 3D printer. The Monte Carlo results indicated that several FDM filaments caused substantial dose depletions (up to 6%) within the model applicators while having a minor effect (less than 1%) on dose in surrounding tissue. Compared to the sample mould, the 3D printed applicator achieved superior dosimetry in terms of target coverage, while also passing manual tests of smoothness and usability. This study demonstrated an overall process by which 3D printing could replace an imprecise and time-consuming manual process and potentially achieve improved dosimetry in brachytherapy treatments of irregular vaginal anatomy.

Unlocking the potential of 3D printed microfluidics for mass spectrometry analysis using liquid infused surfaces

Combining microfluidics with mass spectrometry (MS) analysis has great potential for enabling new analytical applications and simplifying existing MS workflows. The rapid development of 3D printing technology has enabled direct fabrication of microfluidic channels using consumer grade 3D printers, which holds great promise to facilitate the adoption of microfluidic devices by the MS community. However, photo polymerization-based 3D printed devices have an issue with chemical leeching, which can introduce contaminant molecules that may present as isobaric ions and/or severely suppress the ionization of target analytes when combined with MS analysis. Although extra cure and washing steps have alleviated the leeching issue, many such contaminant peaks can still show up in mass spectra. In this work, we report a simple surface modification strategy to isolate the chemical leachates from the channel solution thereby eliminating the contaminant peaks for MS analysis. The channel was prepared by fabricating a layer of polydimethylsiloxane graft followed by wetting the graft using silicone oil. The resulting liquid infused surface (LIS) showed significant reduction in contaminant peaks and improvement in the signal intensity of target analytes. The coating showed good stability after long-term usage (7 days) and long-term storage (∼6 months). Finally, the utility of the coating strategy was demonstrated by printing herringbone microfluidic mixers for studying fast reaction kinetics, which obtained comparable reaction rates to literature values. The effectiveness, simplicity, and stability of the present method will promote the adoption of 3D printed microdevices by the MS community.

Real-time structural validation for material extrusion additive manufacturing

Material extrusion additive manufacturing is a technology that produces a part by controlling the melting and extrusion of a thermoplastic filament. A void defect in a specific position can significantly impact the whole product’s structural quality and mechanical properties. Different defect detection systems have been built and have achieved good detection accuracy. However, a challenge remains in determining if the structural performance of a part with defects will fail to meet design requirements. This research develops a real-time product structural quality validation system using a multi-dimensional accumulation-threshold-based decision-making approach. The proposed system is validated on a consumer-grade 3D printer with an optical camera. The layer-wise damage information is output from a trained convolutional neural network. The developed structural quality validation system links the obtained defect information with the decision boundary developed by the accumulation-threshold-based decision-making approach to evaluate the effect of the defect. The accumulation-threshold-based decision-making approach is trained on a novel component health index that links the location and size of defects across layers. Experimental results show that the decision boundary obtained from the accumulation-threshold-based decision-making approach performs well on test data with 96% recall and a 91% F1-score, which means the decision boundary can provide good overall results while being biased to limit false negative results. The proposed real-time structural quality validation system is validated online for a dog-bone test specimen. Results show that the computational time of the structural quality validation system requires at most 688 ms, while a dog-bone layer takes 75 s to print, thus demonstrating that the proposed system can meet required real-time constraints. The capability to run online enables users to cancel a print mid-process for specimens that will not meet structural loading requirements. The developed system is demonstrated through a video, which is provided in the supplemental materials. The dataset for this work is published as a public repository containing 450 samples with 221 failure classes.

Do-it-yourself three-dimensional large core multimode fiber splitters through a consumer-grade 3D printer

We report the design, fabrication and characterization of 3D large core (1 mm) multimode fiber splitters using a low-cost stereolithography 3D printer. The results were accomplished for symmetrical 1 × 2 and 1 × 4 splitters, where the angle between the output arms was varied from 10 to 180°, showing good uniformity between the splitting ratios. Asymmetrical 1 × 2 splitters were also studied to achieve different splitting ratios. This was done by fixing one arm at a specific angle, while varying the other. Results were quite satisfactory, paving the way for simple and customizable manufacturing of passive optical elements.

Portable all-in-one automated microfluidic system (PAMICON) with 3D-printed chip using novel fluid control mechanism

State-of-the-art microfluidic systems rely on relatively expensive and bulky off-chip infrastructures. The core of a system—the microfluidic chip—requires a clean room and dedicated skills to be fabricated. Thus, state-of-the-art microfluidic systems are barely accessible, especially for the do-it-yourself (DIY) community or enthusiasts. Recent emerging technology—3D-printing—has shown promise to fabricate microfluidic chips more simply, but the resulting chip is mainly hardened and single-layered and can hardly replace the state-of-the-art Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) chip. There exists no convenient fluidic control mechanism yet suitable for the hardened single-layered chip, and particularly, the hardened single-layered chip cannot replicate the pneumatic valve—an essential actuator for automatically controlled microfluidics. Instead, 3D-printable non-pneumatic or manually actuated valve designs are reported, but their application is limited. Here, we present a low-cost accessible all-in-one portable microfluidic system, which uses an easy-to-print single-layered 3D-printed microfluidic chip along with a novel active control mechanism for fluids to enable more applications. This active control mechanism is based on air or gas interception and can, e.g., block, direct, and transport fluid. As a demonstration, we show the system can automatically control the fluid in microfluidic chips, which we designed and printed with a consumer-grade 3D-printer. The system is comparably compact and can automatically perform user-programmed experiments. All operations can be done directly on the system with no additional host device required. This work could support the spread of low budget accessible microfluidic systems as portable, usable on-the-go devices and increase the application field of 3D-printed microfluidic devices.

3D-Printable and open-source modular smartphone visible spectrophotometer

The past four decades have brought significant and increasingly rapid changes to the world of instrument design, fabrication, and availability due to the emergence of 3D printing, open-source code and equipment, and low-cost electronics. These, along with other technological advances represent a nexus in time ripe for the wide-spread production and availability of low-cost sophisticated scientific equipment. To that end, the design of a 3D printable and open-source, modular spectrometer is described. This specific instrument is distinctly different from others that have been reported in recent years in that it was designed outside of the “black box” paradigm of nearly all other commercially available and open-source spectrometers. This feature along with its design to be produced on low-end consumer-grade 3D printers and with parts available at nearly any local hardware store allow this instrument to further erode current barriers to instrument access. Additionally, the use cases presented here demonstrate similar capabilities to commercially available equipment at a fraction of the cost.

UV Inscription and Pressure Induced Long-Period Gratings through 3D Printed Amplitude Masks.

In this work, we demonstrate for the first time the capability to inscribe long-period gratings (LPGs) with UV radiation using simple and low cost amplitude masks fabricated with a consumer grade 3D printer. The spectrum obtained for a grating with 690 µm period and 38 mm length presented good quality, showing sharp resonances (i.e., 3 dB bandwidth < 3 nm), low out-of-band loss (~0.2 dB), and dip losses up to 18 dB. Furthermore, the capability to select the resonance wavelength has been demonstrated using different amplitude mask periods. The customization of the masks makes it possible to fabricate gratings with complex structures. Additionally, the simplicity in 3D printing an amplitude mask solves the problem of the lack of amplitude masks on the market and avoids the use of high resolution motorized stages, as is the case of the point-by-point technique. Finally, the 3D printed masks were also used to induce LPGs using the mechanical pressing method. Due to the better resolution of these masks compared to ones described on the state of the art, we were able to induce gratings with higher quality, such as low out-of-band loss (0.6 dB), reduced spectral ripples, and narrow bandwidths (~3 nm).

AAA 8. Utility and Implications of Three-Dimensional Printed Aortic Models in Teaching, Simulation, and Preoperative Planning for Fenestrated and Branched Endografts

Three-dimensional (3D) printing has become progressively more accessible to scientists, clinicians, and the general public. Nevertheless, clinical applications remain isolated and haphazard, with limited expertise and experience. We describe the development of a medical 3D printing program at a tertiary Australian hospital and our specific experience in the development of aortic models for surgical teaching, simulation, and preoperative planning. The Austin Health-University of Melbourne 3DMedLab was established in 2015 to support clinician-led education and research in medical 3D printing. Multidisciplinary teams and interinstitutional collaboration were used to develop expertise in anatomic modeling, 3D printer operation, validation, and qualitative analysis. A range of representative and anatomically accurate aortic models were designed and produced using industrial and consumer-grade 3D printers. Aortic models were developed for student and clinician education, preoperative planning, intraoperative guidance, and device development and modification for fenestrated and branched endovascular aortic aneurysm repair. Qualitative analysis identified important positive elements for clinical utility, but quantitative demonstration of benefit remains elusive. Technical hurdles in anatomic modeling and 3D printing exist; however, with the advent of consumer-operated 3D printers and automated software packages, this technology is within the grasp of technically oriented clinicians. Their input remains essential to drive clinically relevant results, reimbursement, and regulatory development.

3D Printing: The Second Dawn of Lab-On-Valve Fluidic Platforms for Automatic (Bio)Chemical Assays.

In this work, inexpensive manufacturing of unibody transparent mesofluidic platforms for pressure-driven Lab-On-a-Valve (LOV) methodologies is accomplished via rapid one-step 3D prototyping from digital models by user-friendly freeware. Multichannel architecture having 800-1800 μm cross-sectional features with unconventional 3D conduit structures and integrating optical and electrochemical detection facilities is for the first time reported. User-defined flow-programming capitalizing upon software control for automatic liquid handling is synergistically combined with additive manufacturing based on stereolithographic 3D printing so as to launch the so-called fourth generation of microflow analysis (3D-μFIA). Using an affordable consumer-grade 3D printer dedicated LOV platforms are 3D printed at will and prints are characterized in terms of solvent compatibility, optical and mechanical properties, and sorption of inorganic and organic species to prospect potentialities for the unfettered choice of chemistries. The unique versatility of the 3D-printed LOV device that is attached to a multiposition rotary valve as a central design unit is demonstrated by (i) online handling of biological materials followed by on-chip photometric detection, (ii) flow-through bioaccessibility tests in exposome studies of contaminated soils with miniaturized voltammetric detection, (iii) online phospholipid removal by TiO2-incorporated microextraction approaches using on-chip disposable sorbents, and (iv) automatic dynamic permeation tests mimicking transdermal measurements in Franz-cell configurations. A multipurpose LOV fluidic platform can be fabricated for less than 11 Euros.

Simple, Expendable, 3D-Printed Microfluidic Systems for Sample Preparation of Petroleum.

In this study, we introduce a simple protocol to manufacture disposable, 3D-printed microfluidic systems for sample preparation of petroleum. This platform is produced with a consumer-grade 3D-printer, using fused deposition modeling. Successful incorporation of solid-phase extraction (SPE) to microchip was ensured by facile 3D element integration using proposed approach. This 3D-printed μSPE device was applied to challenging matrices in oil and gas industry, such as crude oil and oil-brine emulsions. Case studies investigated important limitations of nonsilicon and nonglass microchips, namely, resistance to nonpolar solvents and conservation of sample integrity. Microfluidic features remained fully functional even after prolonged exposure to nonpolar solvents (20 min). Also, 3D-printed μSPE devices enabled fast emulsion breaking and solvent deasphalting of petroleum, yielding high recovery values (98%) without compromising maltene integrity. Such finding was ascertained by high-resolution molecular analyses using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry by monitoring important biomarker classes, such as C10 demethylated terpanes, ααα-steranes, and monoaromatic steroids. 3D-Printed chips enabled faster and reliable preparation of maltenes by exhibiting a 10-fold reduction in sample processing time, compared to the reference method. Furthermore, polar (oxygen-, nitrogen-, and sulfur-containing) analytes found in low-concentrations were analyzed by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. Analysis results demonstrated that accurate characterization may be accomplished for most classes of polar compounds, except for asphaltenes, which exhibited lower recoveries (82%) due to irreversible adsorption to sorbent phase. Therefore, 3D-printing is a compelling alternative to existing microfabrication solutions, as robust devices were easy to prepare and operate.

Comparing the accuracy of professional and consumer grade 3D printers in complex models production

Comparing the accuracy of professional and consumer grade 3D printers in complex models production

Surface Friction of Rapidly Prototyped Wheels from 3D-Printed Thermoplastic Elastomers: An Experimental Study

Rapid prototyping of mechanical parts for engineering purposes has become more common due to improvements in additive manufacturing methods. Inexpensive, consumer grade 3D-printers have become commonplace in industry and learning institutions alike. This paper investigates the use of soft thermoplastics and their friction properties, extending the use of 3D-printing to testing properties of fully functional prototypes. The experiments presented in this paper show that 3D-prints with soft materials can indeed be used as fully functional driving wheels on a smooth surface, such as an aluminum rail, as well as in other applications where high friction is desirable for functionality.

Software-aided measurement of geometrical fidelity for 3D printed objects

ABSTRACTThis research evaluates the geometric fidelity of 3D printed objects by utilizing digital image analysis techniques on consumer grade 3D printers. ISO 527-2 Type B specimen are modeled using Houdini Software, then positioned on the virtual print-bed and sliced in 0.3 mm thickness layers utilizing MiracleGrue slicer. The specimens are printed on a Makerbot Replicator2X 3D printer with an X-Y resolution of 0.011 mm. The test set is divided into three where the first object set (Test set A) is printed with their longest side parallel to the X axis, the second object set (Test set B) with their longest side oriented at an angle to the X axis and the third object set (Test set C) as a control with a different material type and structure. The test includes objects with parallel patterns of 0, 5, 10, 30, 45, 60 and 90 degree resulting in toolpaths along the parallel lines. For the second test set the orientation angle is chosen to match the parallel pattern degree. The objects are analyzed with a softwar...

Warning: the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) wave will drastically change diabetes care!

Introduction: Over the last few years, we have seen a rapid increase in patient-initiated activities, including software and hardware systems for diabetes self-management. Projects initiated by e.g. the Nightscout project, the CGM in the Cloud Facebook group (20.141 members, September 2016), have brought diabetes specific solutions to patients’ doors. This is especially true for the demand to make use of continuous glucose monitors (CGM) more user-friendly for vulnerable patient groups. The authors urge the research society, as well as personnel and decision makers in health care, to be more aware of and open toward the opportunities this new situation brings. Methods: This summary is based on the authors’ active participation in relevant social media and long research experience within the chosen disease case. We also searched for information on PubMed.gov and Google.com, using keywords do it yourself and “diabetes”. Results: We observe that today’s do-it-yourself trend for health is characterized by patients themselves building and sharing technologies and networks for self-management via social media, which are not available through the medical system. This is largely because there are few technological options that fit their or their family’s precise needs, especially in the case of children with Type 1 diabetes or other health issues with a complex treatment regimen. So instead of operating several autonomous technologies, often requiring different service providers and systems, patients have built physical communication units for biological and medical sensors. By reverse-engineering or using known protocols of short- and long-range wireless communication systems, these patients can make the medical sensor units interoperable with the technologies that most people can access outside of healthcare, e.g. smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, servers and cloud solutions. In doing so, patients are able to access and share health information, mainly within families, thus making self-management and remote management easier. Some have even created tailor-made housing for the electronics using their own consumer-grade 3D-printers. We have tested and studied some of these relatively easy ways of creating user-friendly self-management tools and methods for diabetes. This includes using the smartwatch and smartphone interchangeably as a diabetes diary app, connecting these apps to continuous glucose monitors and other sensors, using color-changing light bulbs as sensor value indicators, and integrating motivational elements like gaming, quizzes and social media. While these activities are highly visible on social media and the Internet in general – 547.000 hits for the keywords using Google search engine – there are hardly any results or discussions in the research literature, e.g. only 8 hits in PubMed. The trend does not stop with sharing tech designs. The patients in these communities have defined their own social media hashtag, #WeAreNotWaiting, to reinforce their statement of frustration as well as their declaration to take health matters into their own hands. Discussion and Conclusion: Given the technical possibilities of building components, combined with the ease of sharing instructions and experience using social media, we see a future where patients have more and more influence over healthcare options in general. From the Norwegian part of the FI-STAR study, we experienced that while patients want to share their information with clinicians, the health care sector is not yet equipped or prepared. We suggest that relevant actors take advantage of all media outlets to invite patients and co-designers of future healthcare, in order to relate to this new situation and inform future decisions. Privacy and security are key issues for successful integration of private health data into clinical practice.

Customizable tool geometries by additive manufacturing for mechanical rheometry of soft matter

The advent of low-cost, customizable, additive manufacturing methods of 3D printing offers promise for applications in mechanical rheometry. By taking advantage of the high in-plane resolution of a consumer-grade fused-deposition 3D printer and using solvent welding, we design and manufacture both standard and customized plastic tool geometries suitable for use in mechanical rheometers. In particular, 3D-printed tools can be designed to match available sample volumes of soft materials, and, while these plastic tools can be reused in many cases, they can also be disposable, especially when certain materials can be very difficult to clean. Here, we demonstrate the versatility of this approach by designing and producing a raised annular parallel plate geometry, which offers a more uniform strain field and a higher torque than a standard parallel plate geometry. We also show that customized tool roughness can be directly printed, and we demonstrate that 3D-printed roughened tools can provide a noticeable improvement over smooth metal tools in mechanical rheometry. Overall, selective design and use of consumer-grade 3D printers opens up many exciting directions in mechanical rheometry.

3D Printed Micro Free-Flow Electrophoresis Device.

The cost, time, and restrictions on creative flexibility associated with current fabrication methods present significant challenges in the development and application of microfluidic devices. Additive manufacturing, also referred to as three-dimensional (3D) printing, provides many advantages over existing methods. With 3D printing, devices can be made in a cost-effective manner with the ability to rapidly prototype new designs. We have fabricated a micro free-flow electrophoresis (μFFE) device using a low-cost, consumer-grade 3D printer. Test prints were performed to determine the minimum feature sizes that could be reproducibly produced using 3D printing fabrication. Microfluidic ridges could be fabricated with dimensions as small as 20 μm high × 640 μm wide. Minimum valley dimensions were 30 μm wide × 130 μm wide. An acetone vapor bath was used to smooth acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) surfaces and facilitate bonding of fully enclosed channels. The surfaces of the 3D-printed features were profiled and compared to a similar device fabricated in a glass substrate. Stable stream profiles were obtained in a 3D-printed μFFE device. Separations of fluorescent dyes in the 3D-printed device and its glass counterpart were comparable. A μFFE separation of myoglobin and cytochrome c was also demonstrated on a 3D-printed device. Limits of detection for rhodamine 110 were determined to be 2 and 0.3 nM for the 3D-printed and glass devices, respectively.

Vision based error detection for 3D printing processes

3D printers became more popular in the last decade, partly because of the expiration of key patents and the supply of affordable machines. The origin is located in rapid prototyping. With Additive Manufacturing (AM) it is possible to create physical objects from 3D model data by layer wise addition of material. Besides professional use for prototyping and low volume manufacturing they are becoming widespread amongst end users starting with the so called Maker Movement. The most prevalent type of consumer grade 3D printers is Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM, also Fused Filament Fabrication FFF). This work focuses on FDM machinery because of their widespread occurrence and large number of open problems like precision and failure. These 3D printers can fail to print objects at a statistical rate depending on the manufacturer and model of the printer. Failures can occur due to misalignment of the print-bed, the print-head, slippage of the motors, warping of the printed material, lack of adhesion or other reasons. The goal of this research is to provide an environment in which these failures can be detected automatically. Direct supervision is inhibited by the recommended placement of FDM printers in separate rooms away from the user due to ventilation issues. The inability to oversee the printing process leads to late or omitted detection of failures. Rejects effect material waste and wasted time thus lowering the utilization of printing resources. Our approach consists of a camera based error detection mechanism that provides a web based interface for remote supervision and early failure detection. Early failure detection can lead to reduced time spent on broken prints, less material wasted and in some cases salvaged objects.