Building Your 3D Printing Farm: From One Printer to a Full-Blown Operation

Welcome to the 3D printing farm, a setup of machines designed for high-volume production.
Or, to put it simply, a room filled with 3D printers making things.
Custom parts, prototypes, or quirky Etsy products… The key to 3D printing farms isn’t just fine-tuning one printer;
it’s optimizing all of them to work efficiently and profitably.

We know a thing or two about that, as Prusa Research’s success was built around a 3D printing farm tirelessly making parts for new 3D printers.
From six, we grew to 600, and it remains our primary tool for manufacturing parts.

While countless articles guide you in choosing “the right 3D printer,” comprehensive advice on building a proper 3D printing farm is surprisingly scarce, even from us, until now!
So, we put our heads together, quizzed the Prusa Print Farm team, visited Joel “the 3D Printing Nerd” Telling’s personal setup, peeked into UCalgary’s Maker Space, and thoroughly cross-examined Zac Hartley, a Clevelander running a farm of 70+ 3D printers.
If you’re thinking about starting a 3D printing business, aiming to “optimize the sh*t out of your setup,” or just curious about building a 3D printing farm, let’s dive in!

Who’s a Print Farm For?

A 3D printing farm can fit into various scenarios:

Entrepreneurs

Want to sell unique products, offer printing services, or prototype like a pro?
A print farm lets you produce at scale without breaking the bank.

Schools and Universities

Institutions like UCalgary’s Makerspace demonstrate how print farms empower students.
Since 2017, their setup has expanded to over 70 MK4s and four XLs, used by more than 3,000 students annually for projects ranging from windmill prototypes to T-Rex-shaped guitars.
It’s a hands-on way to teach design, prototyping, and problem-solving.

Businesses

Need custom parts, tools, or jigs in-house? A print farm cuts reliance on external suppliers and speeds up development.
Our own farm in Prague manufactures parts for new printers 24/7, demonstrating the tech’s scalability.

If Zac can do it, so can you — but hold off on buying a dozen printers just yet.
The real work starts with figuring out *why* you’re building a farm.

Step 1: Define Your Purpose

Before dreaming of a printer-packed room, ask yourself: What am I printing?
Your farm’s purpose shapes everything — printer choice, materials, workflow, and more.
Are you crafting functional parts, decorative goodies, or educational tools?
If you’re eyeing a print farm for manufacturing, a solid business plan is non-negotiable.

First, identify whether you’ll produce functional parts, prototypes, or tools.
This also involves considering how you’ll acquire or create 3D models – will you design them in-house using software like Fusion 360 or Blender, utilize existing open-source models from platforms like Printables.com, or collaborate with freelance designers?

For example, Zac Hartley’s journey began with a single product idea: “I was selling on Amazon and had an idea for a 3D-printed product. I outsourced the first 10-15 units; they sold like hotcakes, but production couldn’t keep up. So, I bought my first Prusa printer, reinvested profits, and now I’m at 70+ printers.”

Step 2: Selecting the Right Technology

Picking the right printers is crucial. While we’re admittedly biased towards Prusa, let’s break down the basics: FDM is usually the go-to for print farms — affordable, versatile, and great for most applications.
Stereolithography (SLA) is ideal for super-detailed prints like jewelry, but it’s pricier and more challenging to manage at scale.
Your choice depends on key questions:

• What are you printing? Functional parts, prototypes, tools, or decorative items?
• Detail level? Do you need ultra-fine resolution or just solid, reliable output?
• Materials? PLA and PETG are easy to work with, but ABS, ASA, or PC-CF may require enclosures or hardened nozzles.
• Print volume? Bigger isn’t always better. Multiple smaller, reliable machines (like the Prusa MK4S) often win for flexibility.

A unified ecosystem, like Prusa’s, saves time. Joel explains, “With all MK3S+ printers, I slice once and send the G-code to every machine. That’s time I can spend on marketing or with my family.”

Step 3: Set Up Your Workspace

Your printers need a happy home. Space, power, and environment are make-or-break for a smooth farm. Consider:

• Ventilation & Heat: Dozens of printers generate serious heat. Fans, air conditioning, and good airflow are must-haves.
• Humidity: Advanced filaments dislike moisture — consider dehumidifiers or dry boxes to prevent print defects.
• Power: A typical 230V/16A circuit can handle 20-24 printers. A UPS or power panic feature saves you from outages.
• Stability & Space: Vibrations can ruin prints. Joel Telling uses sturdy plywood shelves reinforced with insulating foam to dampen noise.

Step 4: Workflow & Management

With your printers chosen and space ready, it’s time to develop an efficient workflow.
Remote control software, such as Prusa Connect, is a game-changer. Prusa’s 600-printer farm uses it to monitor jobs in real-time.
Joel is all-in on Prusa Connect too: “I manage files, monitor prints, and update firmware remotely.”

Zac Hartley took it to the next level with his AI-assisted custom software.
“I had no coding experience,” he says, “but with AI tools like Claude and Grok, I built custom software from scratch in two weeks. It controls my printers, tracks filament use, and boosts efficiency.”

Step 5: Maintenance & Quality Control

Printers need regular maintenance to keep downtime low. Zac Hartley employs a two-tier system: “Every two months, we do a deep clean — check nozzles, replace PTFE tubes, grease bearings, and recalibrate. Every few days, we brush nozzles and check for residue.”

Spare parts are a must for quick fixes. For quality control, monitor prints closely.
Automated features, like the MK4’s first-layer calibration, help, but consistent maintenance ensures high success rates (Zac estimates 90-95%).
The best way to keep printers running constantly is to have some in reserve for a hot-swap.
From our experience, the most common issue is a clogged nozzle.

Step 6: The Economics — Making It Pay

Running a print farm isn’t just about cool tech; it can be a business.
Zac Hartley is data-driven: “I aim for $2 per print hour per machine and a 30% gross profit margin. Print hours are my limiting factor, so I optimize for that.”
He meticulously tracks this with a comprehensive spreadsheet.

Joel Telling’s XRP kit project (80,000 parts!) demonstrates how meticulous planning pays off: he optimized build plates to print exact quantities needed for packaging, eliminating human error and boosting efficiency.
This allowed his team to print, QC, package, and ship 1,000 kits every 3 weeks using 50 printers.

Step 7: Logistics & Waste Management

Don’t overlook material flow. You’ll need space for new filament (Zac Hartley buys by the pallet!), used spools, and finished products.
Post-processing, packaging, and shipping all need a plan.

Or, take the next step and recycle yourself. UCalgary’s Makerspace recycles PLA from failed prints and supports into new filament for non-critical prints, significantly reducing waste and costs.
However, monitor quality! Based on our experience, such recycled filament might not be ideal for decorative prints but is suitable for most other purposes.

Just Start Already!

The biggest takeaway from Joel Telling, Zac Hartley, and the Prusa crew? Just start.
Joel emphasizes, “Don’t wait until you have multiple printers. If you’ve printed a single job commercially, congratulations, you’re officially running a print farm.”

Zac Hartley’s advice echoes this: “Keep pushing boundaries. As technology improves, the applications for the problems we can solve will continue to expand. So, don’t stop pushing, don’t stop experimenting. Keep getting better, keep improving your skills, buy that next printer, and start experimenting.”

He adds a crucial point on finding your market: “What you need to search for is traction – find a solution to a problem that people want to solve… That is the golden goose, and that is how you build a business.”