The 3D Printer Thread

[Sway]

n3il123 said:

So assuming that I can get sign off, what would be a decent starter printer to grow into? and what would the maximum size be? Not that I want to print an AK47 but I wouldn't want to be restricted to printing 1/2 size smurfs either!

Depends on what you want to do...

'normal' quality prints (so seeing very fine layer lines not an issue), of 'useful' trinkets up to a decent vase size (220ish mm in every direction) - something like an Ender 3 Pro. That's what I bought a couple of weeks ago, and have enjoyed loads - things like useful door holders, phone stands, loads of wargaming terrain, few ornament type things - and loads of upgrades for the printer itself.

So far, it's cost me £250, including some bought upgrades, and filament. I'll likely spend another £100 on it over the next few months, on motherboard and enclosure to quieten it down, and improve the quality even further.

However, whilst it's superb at those sorts of uses, it isn't the right option for the really highly detailed models I'd like to print - so now I'm looking at adding in a resin printer. Smaller build volumes and messy though! Likely either the anycubic photon or orange 10.

[Lily the Pink]

Roughly how much would the material cost to make a couple of 124/MX5 cup holders ?

[InitialDave]

Lily the Pink said:

Roughly how much would the material cost to make a couple of 124/MX5 cup holders ?

£2-3 probably.

[Paddymcc]

n3il123 said:

So assuming that I can get sign off, what would be a decent starter printer to grow into? and what would the maximum size be? Not that I want to print an AK47 but I wouldn't want to be restricted to printing 1/2 size smurfs either!

Check out the creality cr-10

Been working reliably now coming up to almost 3 years.

I use mine in work once or twice a week and couldn't do without one now! It's used for printing grilles or braces for broken IT components for products we sell, which otherwise have been a nightmare to shift.

[Sway]

InitialDave said:

Lily the Pink said:

Roughly how much would the material cost to make a couple of 124/MX5 cup holders ?

£2-3 probably.

Yeah. If that.

I'm more than happy with the £20 a kilo filament I'm using.

[InitialDave]

Sway said:

Yeah. If that.

I'm more than happy with the £20 a kilo filament I'm using.

That's what I'm estimating it based on, it shows as about 130g a pair for me.

[Sway]

InitialDave said:

Sway said:

Yeah. If that.

I'm more than happy with the £20 a kilo filament I'm using.

That's what I'm estimating it based on, it shows as about 130g a pair for me.

[Lazadude]

Do people do any of their own designing? What software do you use?

[InitialDave]

Lazadude said:

Do people do any of their own designing? What software do you use?

Yes, I use Autodesk Fusion 360 for my stuff.

[S6PNJ]

Is a second hand Flashforge Dreamer 3D Printer worth looking at (as my first 3D printer)? If so, what would be a good price for one (so that I'm not paying over the odds for an 'old' printer that (possibly) doesn't have modern features (not sure what as I've never owned a 3D Printer....)

[Lily the Pink]

Sway said:

InitialDave said:

Lily the Pink said:

Roughly how much would the material cost to make a couple of 124/MX5 cup holders ?

£2-3 probably.

Yeah. If that.

I'm more than happy with the £20 a kilo filament I'm using.

That's amazing. I guess there must/will be bureaux springing up to meet the need for such things (I cannot see myself justifying the purchase of a printer and the associated learning curve).

[Russ35]

For anyone interested, i decided to see how much power was used when printing. So I printed 2 items today, The first one (on the left) was 2hr 45m and the second was 7hrs. Both had temps at hot end @ 205 and bed @ 55, and layer height 0.16 and infill 45% and a lot of supports on the second.

The 2 parts using AIO Robotics Dark Gray PLA



energy used was 1.097 kWh, so about 14.7p on my tariff.

And the two parts assembled with a couple of 806zz bearings. Need to do some cleaning on the 2nd part where the supports connected,


Just had another go at monitoring it.

Just sat doing nothing it uses 10w

Heating the hot end to 205 it starts at 57w then drops of till about 54w when it gets to 205deg, to maintain the 205 its using 35-38w

Heating the bed to 55deg it starts at 305w then drops to 294w at 40deg, 284w at 50deg, 280w at 55deg. It then seems to do a cycle of 10w for about 14secs and then does a 4sec at 275w

Edited by Russ35 on Thursday 8th August 10:50

[Paddymcc]

Here's an example of the things we use it for. A laptop with a huge chunk out of the rear/side

[ReverendCounter]

I'm giving some serious consideration to a 3D printer but I've realised, after spending some time looking at various models and materials, that I haven't got a clue about 3D modelling.

What free software could I use to create objects that could be interpreted by the likes of slic3r etc?

The (jntended) reason for the purchase is to create repeatable parts, rather than just use it as a tech toy - where do I start (other than thingiverse)?

[InitialDave]

Autodesk Fusion 360 would be my first port of call.

[Sway]

ReverendCounter said:

I'm giving some serious consideration to a 3D printer but I've realised, after spending some time looking at various models and materials, that I haven't got a clue about 3D modelling.

What free software could I use to create objects that could be interpreted by the likes of slic3r etc?

The (jntended) reason for the purchase is to create repeatable parts, rather than just use it as a tech toy - where do I start (other than thingiverse)?

There are a few out there to create your own models. Anything that an output an STL file will work - not my area of expertise unfortunately so don't know actual programme names.

If you're looking for models created by others, thingyverse is great (although it's painfully obvious at times it's grown beyond the system capabilities - the search function is more temperamental than PH's!).

Depending on the type of thing you're planning to do (for me, it's wargaming miniatures and terrain), then there are dedicated providers that have their own webstores. Gambody is an example...

Think carefully about the right type of printer. I bought an Ender 3 pro - great bit of kit (although I've had a nightmare with a defective motherboard), and really very good at what it is. However, for my personal uses, I'd have been better off getting an Anycubic Photon, as the real value for me is printing highly detailed small parts that cost quite a bit per item from the usual providers.

[eharding]

ReverendCounter said:

I'm giving some serious consideration to a 3D printer but I've realised, after spending some time looking at various models and materials, that I haven't got a clue about 3D modelling.

What free software could I use to create objects that could be interpreted by the likes of slic3r etc?

The (jntended) reason for the purchase is to create repeatable parts, rather than just use it as a tech toy - where do I start (other than thingiverse)?

If you have a background in software development you might take a look at OpenSCAD, or the Python wrapper for OpenSCAD, SolidPython - generates STL (and other formats) from programmatically defined 3D geometries, and has an interactive previewer.

[Russ35]

The easiest software if you've not used any before is Tinkercad, Its an Autodesk web based software. comes with lots of predefined shapes.

I started with that but now use Fusion360.

If anyone has the Ender 3 (and CR-10 I think) and does have motherboard issues, or just wants to upgrade to a 32bit board (original is 8bit) Bigtreetech have a newish board out (SKR mini E3) that is a direct replacement for the original board, same size and layout so you don't need to print a larger box if you were to upgrade to their main board (SKR 1.3). Only problem is there is a shortage of the driver chips so they aren't shipping till mid October. Cheaper than upgrading to the latest Creality board that is still only 8bit.

[Sway]

Russ35 said:

If anyone has the Ender 3 (and CR-10 I think) and does have motherboard issues, or just wants to upgrade to a 32bit board (original is 8bit) Bigtreetech have a newish board out (SKR mini E3) that is a direct replacement for the original board, same size and layout so you don't need to print a larger box if you were to upgrade to their main board (SKR 1.3). Only problem is there is a shortage of the driver chips so they aren't shipping till mid October. Cheaper than upgrading to the latest Creality board that is still only 8bit.

That's what I'm waiting for.

Unfortunately, the stock board is st. No thermal runaway protection (despite their claims), and for me, no simple diodes to prevent manual movement of the build plate frying the board.

It's a great bit of kit, but I had three weeks of printing, and to date 2 months of dust gathering...

Still, as you say, I should be back up and running in a couple of weeks.

[ReverendCounter]

Thanks for all suggestions and advice. Forgot that I already have some STLs made up for me of some of the parts I'd like to develop, so if I can get to grips with modifying them in Fusion, that might help to demystify the software a bit.

As far as the printer itself goes, after watching MANY youtube vids, man maths has enabled the serious consideration of a Prusa i3 MK3S, a Pulse 3D or a Beeverycreative B2x300.

Original budget was of course a max £250 going on a Creality machine - but I'm not sure about the learning curve and the necessary upgrades, the risk of baldness and the inevitable wasted filament mountain.

Its looking like the i3, but the Pulse has really drawn my interest, but the response re: overseas shipping enquiries is disappointing. Also I'm not sure how I would be impacted by their closed approach to necessary software which they seem to claim is open.

Regardless of the final choice, I'll be waiting until November in the hope there might be some deals around.