Case Study
The Hive Makerspace
University-based makerspace serving students across a wide range of disciplines, from engineering to architecture.
300+
Students served / month
10+
Printers in the lab
The challenge
Serving over 300 students each month, The Hive was running its 3D printing program through shared network drives, an online Excel form, and Slack messages. A submission could start in one place, move to another for review, then need a separate conversation when a student wanted an update.
Failed prints were particularly awkward. The outcome and the requester's details weren't part of one job record, so notifying a student or starting another attempt meant piecing the context back together.
The solution
The Hive moved submissions into one process. Students upload their sliced files, the job carries its print and requester details, and peer instructors review the work from the same system that holds the queue.
Students can now check their own job status. When a print fails, the result stays with the original job and the notification can point them back to the same record.
The outcome
The lab now has a current queue and a searchable history in the same place. Staff can spend less time reconciling the spreadsheet, shared drive, and message history, while reports are based on the jobs that actually ran.
At a glance
Shared drives, an Excel form, and Slack threads were replaced by one submission and queue process that students and peer instructors can both use.
Key improvements
Eliminated Excel signup sheets
One submission path for students
Job status visible to each requester
Failures kept with the original job
Usage history available for reports
A shared queue for staff and students
Live deployment
hive.pluraprint.com →