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Daily use

This guide covers how to use 3DPrintForge effectively in everyday life — from when you start the day to when you turn off the lights.

Morning routine​

Open the dashboard and do a quick review of these points:

1. Check printer status​

The overview panel shows the status of all your printers. Look for:

  • Red icons — errors that require attention
  • Pending messages — HMS warnings from overnight
  • Unfinished prints — if you had a night print, is it done?

2. Check AMS levels​

Go to Filament or see the AMS widget on the dashboard:

  • Are any spools below 100 g? Replace or order new
  • Right filament in the right slot for today's prints?

3. Check alerts and events​

Under Notification log (bell icon) you can see:

  • Events that happened overnight
  • Errors that were logged automatically
  • HMS codes that triggered an alarm

Starting a print​

From file (Bambu Studio)​

  1. Open Bambu Studio
  2. Load and slice the model
  3. Send to printer — the dashboard updates automatically

From the queue​

If you have planned prints in advance:

  1. Go to Queue
  2. Click Start next or drag a job to the top
  3. Confirm with Send to printer

See the Print queue documentation for full information on queue management.

Scheduled print (scheduler)​

To start a print at a specific time:

  1. Go to Scheduler
  2. Click + New job
  3. Select file, printer, and time
  4. Enable Electricity price optimization to automatically select the cheapest hour

See Scheduler for details.

Monitoring an active print​

Camera view​

Click the camera icon on the printer card. You can:

  • View the live feed in the dashboard
  • Open in a separate tab for background monitoring
  • Take a manual screenshot

Progress information​

The active print card shows:

  • Percentage complete
  • Estimated time remaining
  • Current layer / total number of layers
  • Active filament and color

Temperatures​

Real-time temperature curves are displayed in the detail panel:

  • Nozzle temperature — should stay stable within ±2°C
  • Plate temperature — important for good adhesion
  • Chamber temperature — rises gradually, particularly relevant for ABS/ASA

3D model viewer​

  • 3D model viewer — interactive 3D preview with Three.js, per-layer colours and gcode toolpath

If Print Guard is enabled, the dashboard automatically monitors for spaghetti and volumetric deviations. If something is detected:

  1. The print is paused
  2. You receive a notification
  3. The camera images are saved for post-review

After print — check routine​

Check quality​

  1. Open the camera and take a look at the result while it is still on the plate
  2. Go to History → Last print to view statistics
  3. Log a note: what went well, what can be improved

Archive​

Prints in the history are never automatically archived — they just stay there. If you want to tidy up:

  • Click a print → Archive to move it to the archive
  • Use Projects to group related prints

Update filament weight​

If you weigh the spool for accuracy (recommended):

  1. Weigh the spool
  2. Go to Filament → [The spool]
  3. Update Remaining weight

Maintenance reminders​

The dashboard tracks maintenance intervals automatically. Under Maintenance you can see:

TaskIntervalStatus
Clean nozzleEvery 50 hoursChecked automatically
Lubricate rodsEvery 200 hoursTracked in the dashboard
Calibrate plateAfter plate changeManual reminder
Clean AMSMonthlyCalendar notification

Enable maintenance alerts under Monitoring → Maintenance → Alerts.

Set up a weekly maintenance day

A fixed maintenance day each week (e.g. Sunday evening) saves you from unnecessary downtime. Use the reminder function in the dashboard.

Electricity price — best time to print​

If you have connected the electricity price integration (Nordpool / Home Assistant):

  1. Go to Analytics → Electricity price
  2. View the price graph for the next 24 hours
  3. The cheapest hours are marked in green

Use the Scheduler with Electricity price optimization enabled — the dashboard will then automatically start the job in the cheapest available window.

Typical cheapest hours

Night-time (01:00–06:00) is usually cheapest in Norway. An 8-hour print sent to the queue the evening before can save you 30–50% on electricity costs.