--- {"title": "Documenting 3D Print Settings for Science Fairs 2026", "description": "A step-by-step guide for science fair participants to record 3D print settings so another person can repeat the print and get the same result.", "url": "https://texhouse.us/how-to-document-print-settings-for-reproducibility-for-science-fair-participants/", "date": "2026-10-23"} --- A step-by-step guide for science fair participants to record 3D print settings so another person can repeat the print and get the same result. Write down the printer, nozzle, filament, build surface and every print setting, save the exact model and sliced file, and record what each print looked like and measured. A reader who has only that record and the saved files should be able to repeat the print. | Option | What it does for your record | Fee | |---|---|---| | LunarWerx 3D Print | Browser tools for ironing settings and test plates [^1]. Settings and print results follow you when you sign in with Connections [^1] | Free to use [^1] | | Slicer project file | Check the slicer's own documentation for which settings its project file keeps | Not covered here | | Notebook or spreadsheet | A written record you set up yourself, with the columns you choose | Not covered here | | Printer firmware config file | Check the firmware's own documentation for which settings it stores | Not covered here | ## What you need before you start Before you print, have a clear record of the printer you use, the nozzle size, the filament brand and type, and the build surface. Keep the model file in the exact version that went to the printer, because a changed file makes a repeat print meaningless. Have a notebook, a spreadsheet or a text file ready, along with calipers or a ruler to measure each result. Decide in advance what counts as a successful print, such as a dimension within a set tolerance or a surface you can judge the same way every time. Plan to print the same part more than once, so you can see whether your settings give the same result each time. ## Step by step 1. Write the printer name, nozzle size, filament brand, colour and type, and build surface at the top of a new record before you start. 2. Save the model file and the sliced project file together under one name that includes the date. Keep a copy that nobody edits. 3. Copy every print setting from the slicer exactly as it appears, including layer height, wall count, infill, print speed, nozzle and bed temperatures, cooling, and any support or brim choice. 4. Note the state of the printer that day, such as whether the bed was cleaned and levelled. 5. Print the part and write down what happened, including any warping, stringing, layer shifts or failed prints. 6. Measure the finished part with calipers and write each measurement beside the value the model expects. 7. Repeat the print using the same record. If you must change a setting, change only one and log that change on its own line. 8. Give the record and the saved files to someone else and ask them to repeat the print from the record alone. Note anything they could not find. ## Tools that can do it LunarWerx 3D Print is made by the team that publishes this site. It is a set of browser tools, and you use it on its website, which is hosted on Cloudflare. [^1] It runs in a web browser [^1] and the tools are free to use. [^1] For ironing, the step that smooths a flat top surface, it works out settings for your printer, material and finish and exports a ready 3MF file. [^1] It makes a 9-pad or 16-pad test plate around your settings, and you mark each pad as worked or not. [^1] A marked plate can sit beside your written record so the result and the setting stay together. For an uploaded Bambu or Orca project, it adds per-object ironing settings and keeps the rest of the file unchanged. [^1] It runs only in your browser, and signing in with Connections lets your settings, recent test plates and print results follow you to every computer. [^1] The other options in the table are listed so you can check them on their own sites. This page does not state what they save, so read each one's documentation before you choose. ## Common mistakes to avoid Changing the model file after a print and forgetting to note it is a common error. The record then describes a file that no longer matches the print. Writing settings from memory instead of copying them from the slicer on the day of printing often leaves out a value that matters, such as bed temperature. Recording only the prints that worked hides the failures that show what the settings can and cannot do. Leaving out the filament brand or the build surface makes a repeat print hard, because the same settings can give different results on different materials and surfaces. Changing several settings at once makes it impossible to tell which change caused a difference. Change one setting at a time and log each change. ## Frequently asked questions ### How do you document 3D print settings for a science fair project? Write the printer, nozzle, filament and build surface at the top of a record, then copy every print setting from your slicer on the day you print. Save the model and the sliced project file under one dated name, and log what each print looked like and measured. Change one setting at a time and note each change on its own line. Another person should be able to repeat the print from the record and the saved files alone, so ask someone to try it before you present. ### Is LunarWerx 3D Print free to use? The tools are free to use. [^1] It runs in a web browser [^1] on its website, which is hosted on Cloudflare. [^1] Because the tools are free, the cost of documenting your print settings with them does not add a fee to your science fair project. ### Can LunarWerx 3D Print keep your print settings on every computer? It runs only in your browser, and signing in with Connections lets your settings, recent test plates and print results follow you to every computer. [^1] This matters when a record is started on one computer and checked on another, because the same settings and print results appear for you. Keep your own copy of the written record and saved files as well, so the record never depends on one account. ### Can LunarWerx 3D Print help you plan a test plate for ironing? It makes a 9-pad or 16-pad test plate around your settings, and you mark each pad as worked or not. [^1] It also works out ironing settings for your printer, material and finish and exports a ready 3MF file. [^1] Keep the marked plate with your written record so each result sits next to the setting that produced it. ### What should a science fair record include for a repeat print? Include the printer name, nozzle size, filament brand and type, and build surface, plus every print setting exactly as the slicer showed it. Add the model file name, the date, the room temperature if you measured it, and a photo of the finished part. Record each measurement beside the value the model expects. A reader who has only this record should know what to set, what to print and how to judge the result. The tools are free to use. [^1] - [Visit LunarWerx 3D Print](/go/start) ## Sources [^1]: LunarWerx 3D Print's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) (/go/start)