As a shop operator, you are the go-to person for getting part requests and jobs printed. Your techniques and role are invaluable because at one point or another, someone needs you to get a request done. But if you are tasked with completing potentially thousands of jobs weekly, it can be a nightmare operating your 3D print shop.
Thankfully here at GrabCAD, we have some pointers and a powerful all in one solution to keep your job as 3D shop operator simple and stress free
Simplify Your Lines of Communication
Read how shop operators used GrabCAD Shop to manage the face shield production.
A shop operator might have to handle jobs from various departments. Each job typically has different specifications and requirements that must be fulfilled:
- Using pen and paper might work if one only needs to print small amounts of parts.
- Emails can help but they can get lost in inboxes.
- Spreadsheets are great organizational tools but not meant for a 3D print shop.
Everything mentioned are separate solutions that can get tangled in each other. A dedicated single piece of software can reduce the tangled strings of emails.
Cleanly Track Your Cost and Materials
Keeping track of how much you have in materials can be manageable on its own. Factoring cost of materials, labor, and printer usage can cause headaches when completing orders and budgeting.
Spreadsheets can at least help with basic material tracking and inventory but finding an application that tracks and calculates your job costs can save you as a shop operator a significant amount of time in fulfilling your order requests.
Categorize Your Jobs
As mentioned at our first key, shop operators might receive jobs from one or more departments and customers. Placing orders into separate departments or types of parts is a big deal. These categories can help set a priority so you stay on track when organizing requests to be completed. Seeing and also conveying where a job is status-wise can prevent complications in the 3D printing workflow which can waste time when tracking down orders.
Check Out Work Order Management Software
This is where it all comes together. A great work order management software addresses all the key problems a operator of a 3D print shop has on a day to day basis. It takes strings of emails and correspondence and simplifies it into one easy to access place. A user with this tool can count their costs and track materials.
In conclusion this organizes your jobs, printers, statuses along and more into an easy to use software requires little time to setup.
If you would like to try out a stress free software solution that makes your job as an operator easier, check out GrabCAD Shop to start a free trial here!
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