3D Printers

[do4CY]

Was wondering if anybody has a 3d printer at home. I have been looking at something like the ender series for something to tinker with.

Just curious what people think of them in general. Like what you were hoping to make with it, what you have made with it, do you actually use it and what programs do you use to model.

 

[Jer]

Ender series is a good tinkering/starting kit with a big community. It’s a good way to get your toe in the water and see if it’s something you’ll like.

Cura is the standard slicer you’ll find most use, otherwise Simplify3D is good but expensive and PrusaSlicer 2.2 is great.

I’d recommend getting decent filament as the secret to 3D printing that nobody tells you going in is that it’s a whole lot of testing, tweaking, and trial and error to get all the parameters set. Each printer is unique and getting the exact speeds, accelerations, retractions, temps, etc is a real chore that gets easier but never goes away fully.

I’ve worked my way through probably 15 different printers over the past 2 years ranging from the low end to the high end. My favorite and current mix is an Ultimaker 3 with quick change, ruby tipped nozzles that will print anything from PLA to TPU, CPE, Nylon, etc and a Prusa Mini that is more for general use things when my kids want me to make them something (PLA or PETG). Start with PLA as it’s safe and the easiest to print with as a newbie.

Thingiverse.com and the new Prusaprinters.org are the best free stl sites. Thingiverse has been around for ever and has endless models, but it flakes out a lot. Prusaprinters is run by the famous Prusa brand and is growing really fast.

 

[do4CY]

That's a nice setup. Did you go through so many printers with a purpose or is this more of a hobby that just snowballed? I don't see using it for much more than toys or some figurine type stuff for the kids.

I would stick with pla but is there a material that you like to use more or wouldn't use at all?

 

[Jer]

I have a tendency to do things overboard (i.e. setting up CF as a hobby) and it snowballed like everything else.

I like PLA just because it's a great general use material and I don't have to worry about any fumes being toxic. I personally have always stayed away from ABS as it's both a PITA to print with and fairly toxic. If you want something that can stand the heat of a car in the summer or being outside 24/7/365, I'd use PETG or CPE as they are fairly easy to print with, super strong, and have a high heat point.

 

[clone4life82]

I have a tendency to do things overboard (i.e. setting up CF as a hobby) and it snowballed like everything else.

I like PLA just because it's a great general use material and I don't have to worry about any fumes being toxic. I personally have always stayed away from ABS as it's both a PITA to print with and fairly toxic. If you want something that can stand the heat of a car in the summer or being outside 24/7/365, I'd use PETG or CPE as they are fairly easy to print with, super strong, and have a high heat point.

curious, do those 3D printers typically come with the software needed to operate them and design things and how easy is it to use? Is it similar to an AutoCAD, Revit, or solidworks or what usually comes with them?

 

[Jer]

3D printing is pretty much in its toddler years with a lot of maturing to go.

There are 2 main types of software: a CAD like tool to design things and a slicer to convert the model into machine instructions for the printer.

I haven’t ever wanted to get too into CAD so I typically edit open source models and expand on them rather than start from scratch, though I have done that some. You could use AutoCad, though it’s kinda overkill for most. I actually like Tinkercad because it’s incredibly simple once you learn how powerful it can actually be.

The slicer software looks intimidating but you can pick it up really quickly. I’m not a fan of watching YouTube tutorials so I just learned by trial and error, but I’m sure you could learn everything you need in an hour video.

Most software is either free or open source since it’s still largely a community driven ecosystem right now.