Karmen for the Schools

The possibility of remotely controlling and monitoring 3D printers in schools is becoming increasingly popular. That’s why we have many features in Karmen specifically designed for schools, leisure centers, and coworking workshops.

Simply share the page with school 3D printers, including camera images, on the school intranet. This will further popularize 3D printing at your school.

Focused on educators (professional staff)

Teachers and professional staff don’t have to spend long hours with 3D printers or worry about overnight printing failures. Karmen provides constant oversight of all 3D printers. Through a single user interface, you can start, schedule, monitor, and stop printing processes online. If something goes wrong, Karmen sends alerts.

Benefits

  • Clear user interface.
  • Secure access from anywhere.
  • Online status overview of all 3D printers.
  • No SD cards, upload files online.
  • Upload G-codes from slicers directly to Karmen.
  • Task scheduling into print queues.
  • Automatic detection of printing errors.
  • Structured repository of print files.
  • Management of student accounts, including bulk uploads.
  • Public profiles and sharing of print files.
  • Notifications via email or phone.

Focused on students

Thanks to Karmen and remote management of 3D printers, students can be involved in 3D printing. They can submit their G-codes for review and monitor the progress and outcome of their prints online. This demonstrably increases their motivation and significantly contributes to greater utilization of 3D printers in schools.

Benefits

  • Upload models from slicers to Karmen.
  • Online monitoring of print progress.
  • Time-lapse videos available for download.
  • Sharing models, videos, and experiences.

What’s needed

To have school 3D printers under control and available to students day and night, you only need to take a few steps:

1. Create an account on Karmen.
2. Connect the 3D printers.
3. Set up the slicer connection with Karmen.
4. Invite colleagues and students to Karmen.

Karmen Account

In Karmen, create your account and a school workspace where you can add 3D printers and other users. Each user can be a member of multiple workgroups, similarly, one 3D printer can be in multiple workgroups. More information can be found here.

Connecting 3D Printers to Karmen

Many of today’s FDM 3D printers lack the necessary hardware for a secure internet connection, requiring an external solution for this purpose. While Karmen Pill offers a ready-made solution, please note that shipping outside the Czech and Slovak Republics is currently limited. For orders within these regions, we handle the process individually. Feel free to contact us, please.

However, we offer comprehensive support and plugins for all 3D printers compatible with Octoprint and Klipper.

Slicer Settings

Following our guide is recommended to set up slicers to send G-codes directly to Karmen. This eliminates the need to export G-codes and upload them to Karmen or hassle with SD cards.

Students send their models from slicers directly to Karmen, where a preview is generated from the G-code, which the educator checks (e.g., ensuring the student hasn’t forgotten supports). If everything is in order, the G-code is sent to the printer. The student can then monitor the printing progress online from their Karmen account, where they can also find a time-lapse video of their model.

User managements

Lastly, you just need to invite colleagues and students to your account. In Karmen, we distinguish between 4 levels of permissions. Student accounts are added in bulk, for example, exported from school systems, considering that students change every year. Detailed descriptions can be found again in our documentation.

Where Karmen Helps

Thanks to Karmen, numerous high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools effectively manage and oversee their 3D printers. Whether it’s managing print queues, ensuring seamless operations, or facilitating student engagement, Karmen has supported various educational institutions in maximizing their 3D printing potential. For further insights into how Karmen could assist your school’s unique needs, feel free to contact us or refer to schools that have benefited from Karmen’s solutions such as:

Max: Again I just wanted to say what you guys do is amazing! We are a special education school based in the USA and this is invaluable to us! Keep up the GREAT work and we look forward to your future endeavors!.

Additionally, explore our special thread dedicated to the Schools in our forum. We’d be delighted to discuss with you and share our experiences.