3D print farm layout: draw the room, place machines, see power and payback
Draw the room, place machines from a library and get a 3D print farm layout with numbers: the power load, the heat, the stage that limits output, and the investment with a purchase list. It also takes CNC machines, lasers and robots.
Part of Pro, 15 EUR a month.
- 379 entriesprinters, CNC, lasers, robots, furniture
- Power loadpeak in kW, circuits, three-phase above 7.3 kW
- Quote and ROImarkup, VAT, payback
- Purchase listBOM as CSV
What a 3D print farm is and what you plan
A 3D print farm is a shop where many printers run at once, so it needs a plan: where each machine stands, how much power the shop draws and what it costs. 3D Farm Builder on EduFacturing, part of Pro, is a planner where you draw the room, place machines from a library and see those numbers.
The library has 379 entries from 43 brands: printers, CNC machines, lasers, injection machines, robots, racks, power equipment and furniture. Power, heat and price are stored in the app data.
The plan is kept in your browser when you press SAVE; the last saved project comes back on reopening. The Advisor and EDI Mentor work by rules, not with artificial intelligence.
What the print farm planner does
Draws the room
A floor from 1 to 200 m a side; walls around the perimeter or with the mouse; in Walls mode a click on a wall changes the opening (10 kinds). View in 3D, 2D or first person; a photo of the plan is laid on the floor.
Places machines from the library
Search by name, brand or tag, click a machine in the library and then the floor; a placed machine is moved by dragging. It carries watts, heat, size and price.
Works out power and heat
Peak and average power, amps and a three-phase hint above 7.3 kW. The heat map draws a heat sphere around machines above 100 BTU/h; Power and HVAC works out the air flow.
Shows the bottleneck and the bill
The Advisor says which stage (production, finishing, inspection) limits the line. The quote adds markup and VAT and works out payback and ROI (return on investment).
When you plan a print farm or a shop
For someone about to buy machines who wants to see the shop and the bill first.
A farm of dozens of printers
Place 20 or 50 printers and watch peak power, three-phase supply and the electricity bill.
A shop with CNC, laser and robot
The library also has 16 production machines: CNC, injection moulding, presses, lasers, robots, conveyors.
A quote for a client
Set markup and VAT and download the list as CSV or print the quote.
Rearranging a room
Lay a photo of the plan on the floor, draw the walls over it and move machines for a shorter flow.
How power, bottleneck and investment are worked out
Numbers come from the machine data and assumptions in the app. Capacity, labour and payback are marked as forecasts.
Machine data
Size, peak and average power, heat in BTU/h, price in euro and service clearance around the machine. The placed machines add up to the load of the shop, plus a cooling system (5 to pick from).
Capacity and bottleneck
A printer gives 150 parts a month, a CNC mill 350, a lathe 400, a laser 500, a finishing station 800, an inspection station 1000. The bottleneck is the lowest capacity among the stages with machines.
Investment and payback
Investment = the prices plus markup and VAT (20% each at the start). Revenue = the sum of the monthly forecasts of all production machines · price per part (5 €); the bottleneck does not reduce it. Monthly cost = 1500 € base plus power at 0.20 € per kWh.
| Applies to | Formula | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Circuits and three-phase | peak ÷ (16 A · 230 V), rounded up | three-phase when the peak is above 7.3 kW |
| Monthly electricity | average power (kW) · 576 h · price per kWh | 576 h = 24 · 30 · 0.8; the price is 0.20 € at the start |
| Cooling | kW = BTU/h · 0.000293071 | air = kW ÷ (1.2 · 1.005 · ΔT) · 3600 m³/h; ΔT = 5 °C |
| Payback | investment ÷ (revenue − cost) per month | revenue = sum of machine forecasts · price per part |
The numbers follow the machines you place
The numbers follow the placed machines
At every change of the plan, power, heat, capacity and investment are worked out again.
Room, power and bill on one screen
The drawing, the heat map, the bottleneck and the quote are in one app.
The planner does not slice or plan orders: capacity is a rough forecast by machine type. The monthly cost is a 1500 € base plus power; filament and resin are not in it. Payback in the quote ignores the bottleneck, and the chart “ROI FORECAST AND CAPEX” is not a calculation: four points with fixed multipliers.
The Advisor and EDI Mentor are not artificial intelligence: the Mentor knows fixed commands and places the first library model of the chosen type. The AI layout optimizer button in the bar does not work.
Prices come from the data of the app, not live shop prices; 379 entries are 342 different names. The Control room shows only machines with a connected twin: in Simulation the data is sample data, and a real printer needs a bridge.
Questions about planning a 3D print farm
How to start a 3D print farm?
Plan before you buy: draw the room, place the printers you consider and read the power load, the bottleneck and the total investment.
How many 3D printers for a print farm?
The tool does not say how many you need. It shows what the printers you place produce, 150 parts a month each in its forecast, and which stage is the bottleneck.
How much electricity does a 3D print farm use?
The tool adds the peak and average power of your machines. Monthly electricity is average power times 576 hours (80% of a month) times the price per kWh, 0.20 € at the start.
Do I need three-phase power for a print shop?
The tool recommends it when the peak is above 7.3 kW and always counts 16 A circuits. It is a hint, not an installation design.
Can I use a photo of my floor plan?
Yes, as a backdrop: set scale, opacity and offset and draw the walls over it. The walls do not rise by themselves, and the photo is not saved.
How much does the 3D print farm layout planner cost?
It is part of Pro at 15 EUR a month. Pro also opens the other Pro tools.
The 3D print farm layout planner is part of Pro
Pro costs 15 EUR a month and opens all 45 Pro tools.
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Lay out the shop before you buy the machines
Part of Pro, 15 EUR a month.