Should I get a 3D printer...?

[Greebe]

VJ,
Did you ever settle on a 3D printer? Have had lots on my plate but one thing I bought a wee over a year ago Creality CR10S4. 400mm x3 build area. Yes there is a learning curve, it must be certified mechanically when assembled and then dialed in further. Creality will have their new CR-X dual extruder availqble shortly. Checkout Facebook groups on tbe CR10 series also checkout www.tinymachines.com

Cheers

[Greebe]

Oops almost forgot, when digging into the learning curve you'll invairably use something like Cura for the slicer software and might I suggest a DIY octoprint server with a camera running on a raspberryPi3b. Too easy to make, monitor from anywhere. Also have Printoid running on my android devices to pretty much maintain total control/contact with current print jobs in progress while out and about.

[VJ]

VJ,
Did you ever settle on a 3D printer? Have had lots on my plate but one thing I bought a wee over a year ago Creality CR10S4. 400mm x3 build area. Yes there is a learning curve, it must be certified mechanically when assembled and then dialed in further. Creality will have their new CR-X dual extruder availqble shortly. Checkout Facebook groups on tbe CR10 series also checkout www.tinymachines.com

It is more a longer-term thing: I'm still abroad (till December), and am not going to buy one just to have it shipped somehow home come December. I am looking at the Prusa i3 mk3, as it seems to get very good reviews (and has features such as a hot bed, auto leveling) and is said to be very quiet (I already know that that is a relative term ).

However, being still abroad gets quite boring in the weekends and I'm fed up with all the time being at home and looking at screens (TV or computer) and the weather here has just been terrible (worst year on record). So it is itching to get one sooner. To avoid the problems with shipping I'm now toying with the idea of buying a cheap one as a temporary measure (the price comes close to that of shipping one with insurance, so why bother risking that). So now I'm actually looking at a Creality Ender-3 or an FLSun Delta. The main criterion would the be price rather than print quality: it would be more to get my feet wet and to have something to play with during the weekends. But I'm still not decided on whether or not I would go for that temporary one though.

Edit: I came across the AnyCubic Kossel (the pulley model), a delta-style printer with heated bed, auto-leveling and thermal runaway protection (something that many cheap ones are missing; Anet is notorious for poor electric wiring and lack of protective measures, Creality has good wiring but the Ender models are also missing the protection). Comments are that it needs bit of tinkering but is capable of good prints. I can find it for 150 eur (180 usd); the only ones cheaper are some unknown branded prusa clones. The small monoprice models and the biqu magician are also close to that price, but they are not a kit (I would prefer a kit as a learner for the one I would buy later).

Oops almost forgot, when digging into the learning curve you'll invairably use something like Cura for the slicer software and might I suggest a DIY octoprint server with a camera running on a raspberryPi3b. Too easy to make, monitor from anywhere. Also have Printoid running on my android devices to pretty much maintain total control/contact with current print jobs in progress while out and about.

Yes, I'm already learning Fusion 360, Cura and Slic3r are next on the list. I already learned about Octoprint and happen to have a Raspberry Pi that I can use for the purpose.

So... How do you like the 3D printer? Did you buy it for some specific purpose or just to see what it can do?

[Greebe]

Have a specific purpose, acoustic waveguides, but alot of other things too. One thing, small can do most of the work, size only matters when it cannot be assembled. I'm considering the CR-10 X and a couple of Enders or similar. What I really want is a MAOI UV SLA printer. Was going to purchase on presale, but backed out towards the end as it's a little small for my needs. Next model much larger, need to keep my sanity about these things lol, getting silly around here with new toys. Prusa, seem popular in europe, but backed away as there are so many copies and all the headaches. Find a machine that has a large following, read up on various forums about the complaints and choose. Can't say, no wrong, blah blah, it is a learning curve.
This is where I purchased mine from. https://www.tinymachines3d.com/ Chris/owner is a great guy, very helpful. Facebook Groups, https://www.facebook.com/groups/CrealityCR10/ and https://www.facebook.com/tinymachines3d/

https://www.thingiverse.com/ (of course lol)

and to answer that final part of the question, "just to see what it can do?" Before my life here on these forums I built (rebuilt) robotic tube bending equipment as part of my career. Those had big servo motors and a 100 hp hydraulic pump. These printers are childs play

[VJ]

Have a specific purpose, acoustic waveguides, but alot of other things too. One thing, small can do most of the work, size only matters when it cannot be assembled. I'm considering the CR-10 X and a couple of Enders or similar. What I really want is a MAOI UV SLA printer.

I like the output of SLA printers, but the chemicals and post processing do not seem very appealing to do in an apartment.

Prusa, seem popular in europe, but backed away as there are so many copies and all the headaches.

I'm looking at the original Prusa, even though it is more costly than the Chinese knockoffs (in this case they are legal: the design is open source) as all review sites seem to rate it near the top in quality and usability. They have a large following, parts and accessories are easy to get (produced in Europe) and for a beginner they seem to require limited tinkering before you can start to print.
Being abroad now for still a few more months gets boring and I though of getting a cheaper one to start with. The main reason for going with a cheaper one now is that buying the Prusa and shipping it back later adds risks and actually is not necessarily cheaper. I could treat the cheaper one as a disposable unit and just use it to gain experience (even if print quality is not that good). The fact that it may require more tinkering is not really an issue but could actually be a plus. To that goal, I came across the Anycubic Kossel, which is one of the cheapest I can find here that still seems ok. Still not decided on whether or not I'll get it though...

Before my life here on these forums I built (rebuilt) robotic tube bending equipment as part of my career. Those had big servo motors and a 100 hp hydraulic pump. These printers are childs play

Bender?
Yes, but it is a completely different thing...

[Greebe]

Enclosure, yes, almost a must have. I print PLA without heating the bed most of the time tho, the build surface is a 400mm x 400mm mirror. Have been looking at an upgrade PCB that allows for a laser interface. 405nm UV laser an enclosure is an absolute must have, with security lockouts and safety switches. There are no second chances with these.

Bender?

Think auto exhaust. Something about watching a machine that can take upto a 90mm SS pipe and bend it into shape without crimpling and be accurate to within 1/1000" from end to end and anywhere in between. Then do that 1000 times, recal and do it again, over and over 24/7/365

[Marshmallowman]

I think he meant your working on Bender from futurama's grandfather

How strong durable and uv resistant are the parts?.
Almost got enthusiastic enough a few year back to buy or maybe build one

https://reprap.org/wiki/RepRap

But the printed parts back then were in general not durable... more for prototyping or just making ornaments.

[Greebe]

Duh, Bender lol

POM based filament is best for outdoor use with virtual UV immunity.

I have about 20 spools, various PLA, wood and marble PLA, PETG, CarbonX PETG, TPU and ABS. The latter is the most difficult to use, heated bed and enclosure mandatory unless you live in the Sahara or Death valley. Specialty filaments like wood, marble and carbon (the chopped type, not CarbonX) will wear thermal nozzles fast. Upgrade to Micro Swiss A2 hardened tool steel nozzles (MK10 full metal hotend) and use a nozzle of 0.6mm as a min or you'll have a headache with clogging. Micro Swiss

[VJ]

I think he meant your working on Bender from futurama's grandfather

Yep.


I've decided on getting one, but now face a second problem. I'm still abroad till the end of December and am a bit bored in the weekends... So now I can to decide to

• get a good one now, ship it
• get a cheap one as a learner, ship it
• wait

I will ship stuff over, so shipping it will not be an added cost (I will have one pallet, up to 120 kg, with plenty of space left for a 3D printer). Shipping an assembled kit is always an issue, so it scares me a bit to do that with a good, expensive one. At the same time, I've read that disassembly is such a pain that people don't recommend it. I could get a cheap one (Anycubic Kossel is very cheap and seems not bad); it is also easier to disassemble. Then again, a shipment on a pallet should be less prone to problems (no manual handling). The downside to going that route is that I fear I may not buy a better one upon my return: I would not need 2 printers but as main thing is to print small items, higher resolution and quality are important. The question is of course if the upgrade will be that much better... On the other hand, the cheap one could be seen as an investment in spending free time... I'm just not the type of person to treat a device as a disposable item.

[Marshmallowman]

Whats the software side of it like, I take it the 3d printer itself would be somewhat specific.

But is there a common or recommend design software to use?

[VJ]

Whats the software side of it like, I take it the 3d printer itself would be somewhat specific.

But is there a common or recommend design software to use?

It seems that people use normal cad software to design objects, Fusion 360 is quite popular.

Key to the 3D Printing is the slicer-software (Slic3er, Cura, Meshmixer, ...), which converts the cad-model into a set of instructions for a 3D printer (G-Code), based on various print settings such as nozzle size, layer thickness, ... This software also adds supports necessary for printing. That is what I've found, I'm sure Greebe can comment more details.

[Greebe]

For slicing software most of my experience has been with Cura, but have used Meshmixer and a couple others. Any 3D modeling software that produces STL files will work.
Stepper motors 'step' or can be made to microstep, albiet less accurate, but can be very helpful in setting up properly. The other movement factor is called Jerk. A step will always overshoot, so Jerk is a reverse current to brake the step. These three factors are adjusted as required to maximize accuracy.
Here's a little help section on the subject.

You need tools, the machine must be made square and true in all dimensions before use, accurate calipers are required to measure the filament, it says 1.75mm but what is the tolerance? ±0.05mm is typical, most of mine is ±0.03mm which is a 0.06mm range, so is it 1.78mm or 1.72mm? That figures into your extrusion rate, feed it too much or too little and failure will ensue. Bed temperature depends on material used, these are typical...
Bed Temperature Suggestions

1. PLA 50-70°C
2. Flexibles 50-70°C
3. ABS 100-125°C (110°C is suggested )
4. PC 100-130°C (120°C is suggested)
5. Nylon 90-120°C (110°C is suggested)
6. PP 100-130°C (120°C is suggested)
7. PETG 65-75°C

[VJ]

My main concern now is fumes and ultrafine particles. I know it is less for PLA than for ABS, but it is still not zero. I would position the printer in an apartment, so the health aspects are important to me.
At the moment, I'm looking at making an enclosure with some filtering (hepa+carbon). There are quite a number of resources for this. I know perhaps it is overkill, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

[UtwigMU]

What about the balcony

Also fume extractor for soldering

[VJ]

Balcony is not an option... Also no possibilities for adding some ventilation that goes outside. So I have to look into filtering...