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No doubt I'm opening a can of worms here...
A mate recommended Flashforge but there are lots of options. I'm presuming that buying the cheapest is a bad idea and I realise we will have to choose a printing size too.
I am pretty clueless technology wise so don't want to be building anything.
Help please.
What does Jnr want to do with the 3D printer?
Budget? How techy/competent & willing to tinker is he? £££ for something that'll work out the box reliably and consistently without too much sodding around. But you still need to be willing to get your hands dirty sometimes! There's no 100% reliable, plug n play machine at the hobbyist end of the scale, really.
I was going to recommend a Creality CR6 as that's what we've got a fleet of at work (school D&T dept) as low end workhorse that is reliable and clumsy-yoof-proof. But dear god, I've just googled and the price has gone through the roof - we bought ours for less than £200 each. The Creality ender-3 is smaller and less capable but might make sense.
Main feature I'd be looking for is self-levelling; majorly reduces faff. It's an added extra on the ender 3.
Oh and make sure they actually design stuff to print as well as just downloading crap from the internet and printing that.
Hard to beat these at £229, but there are many many questions....
What do they want to print? Do they have experience with 3D printes? They are nuanced to say the least. Will they just be downloading stuff to print or designing stuff to print? Do they have experience of that?
https://www.cclonline.com/e3s1-creality-ender-3-s1-3d-printer-391974/
Some manner of Ender is usually going to be the best option- they're well priced, they work decently and they've got an absolutely epic amount of user support and aftermarket- they're basically the default option and have been for ages. There's better printers- in fact there's probably better in the same price class now- but the ability to just go "oi, internet, what's wrong with this" is unbeatable.
The thing is, all 3d printers need a tinkerer- it takes time and experimentation to get them working well, and they do tend to go wrong in frustrating ways. They are, after all, printers. So it's got to be the right sort of kid more than the right printer!
(The Flashforge ones are mostly pitched on being more sealed boxes rather than meccano and it kind of holds up on day one but then you get a clog and discover it's 10 times harder to fix even a little thing than it would be on an ender or prusa)
Hmmmm. I've got my old ender 2 sat upstairs, it's a bit of a museum piece and I've just been keeping it as a spare (because occasionally your printer breaks down and the easiest thing to fix it would be to print a bit) but it'd be a decent place for someone to dip their toe in and have a go... Happy to loan it if that's of any interest?
I've got a flashforge as it's a fit and forget printer. More like a laser printer. Just send it files over the network and they print. With some printers looking after the printer is a hobby in itself. Might actually be good for the lad to do some tinkering but personally I'm more interested in the modelling and making side.
I also wouldn't get too hung up on size. Bigger can be better but large things take ages to print and use a lot of material (that usually ends up in the bin). Even the smallest will make useful parts
yeah, I have a Prusa Mini on my desk at home, only 180x180 print area but that’s enough for 99% of the stuff I print. That’s a great machine actually, would defo recommend for a beginner, very reliable, slightly over £400 though so again depends on budget. I’ve only ever owned & operated Prusa machines though so couldn’t recommend anything else!I also wouldn’t get too hung up on size.
+1 for an Ender 3.
I’ve got an Elegoo Neptune 2 (which is basically an Ender clone) to go with five resin printers and it’s been great. Auto-levelling may make things easier, but I don’t find the levelling onerous.
The Ender 3 s1 I linked to has auto bed levelling, amongst a few other features that aren't in the standard ender 3 that folk tend to upgrade.
Damn, I knew this would get complicated fast!
Thank you for all the info 🙂
Budget wise I expect to pay at least £300 but happy to spend more if it makes my life easier.
Technical ability wise (or my lack of..), I don't want to start from scratch but I'm happy to enjoy time with my lad learning something new.
I don't think he actually knows exactly what he wants to print but I like the idea of him learning and he's pretty imaginative.
I'd like him to print me some window vents with louvres for the front windows of our Sprinter camper because I don't want to pay £240!!
What does Jnr want to do with the 3D printer?
Untraceable guns?
Sorry for slight hijack, but ive been granted access to a MakerSpace that has a 3d pinter, a Prusa Original Mini +. There dont seem to be any instructions for this device, so can anyone point me to a good tutorial or resource for the use of this machine.
Thanks
Ian
Manual:
CDN.PRUSA3D.COM General 3d print guide (requires an email):
https://www.prusa3d.com/page/basics-of-3d-printing-with-josef-prusa_490
It works pretty much the same as any other FDM 3d printer, feel free to shoot me any specific questions tho as I do have one of these.
There should be a PC attached running the Prusa Slicer program which creates the code that runs the printer. You can download this at home to play about with & get used to it. Generally simple prints work fine with default settings but any “difficult” prints will require an understanding of this program and how the (many) different settings affect things. Don’t start with a difficult print 😀
Creality Ender 3 of some description would be my suggestion.
@breninbeener - how much do you know about 3d printing and the process in general?
Assuming you know nothing..... You'll need a 3d file saved as an STL. You'll then need to slice it in some sliding software such as Cura or Prusa slicer. You save that file as gcode which you then stick in the 3d printer. Stuff like speed and temperature are all machine dependant and the slicer will have to be set-up for the specific printer - most slicers have the printer specs pre-installed for a wide range of printers.
I learnt a lot from YouTube. Channels like Teaching Tech, Cheap, Makers Muse, CNC Kitchen.
Have you looked on the Prusa website? There might be manuals or guides there?
Got H1ghland3r Jnr an Ender3 and as has been mentioned above we were spending more time working on the printer than printing. Then it randomly just stopped accepting prints and refused to print anything.. after much investigation and hours of checked, re-assembling, etc. we gave up on it and got a Flashforge Adventure3 and as above again it’s just like a laser printer. It sits on a table and prints out high quality models quickly and quietly with no fuss. It’s never clogged, never had any of the weird random print failures the Ender had every other print. The fact that it’s enclosed means it’s quiet, prints are more consistent due to better control of temperature and humidity.
basically it’s everything Jnr wanted in a printer, he gets to work on models and learning Fusion360 and isn’t wasting hours troubleshooting the printer..
..
yeah, recommending an Ender3 is a bit like recommending a BSO from Argos... it might be fine, you might really enjoy riding it, or it could just put you off bikes for life 😂 Cheap for a reason!Got H1ghland3r Jnr an Ender3 and as has been mentioned above we were spending more time working on the printer than printing.
I have an Ender 3 v2. I upgraded to auto-levelling and a second z axis motor, which have helped, but it was always reasonable out of the box. But the biggest upgrade was using sticky spray for the bed. I also 3D printed a rolling spool holder rather than the stock one, because that was causing a few snags.
3D printers aren't generally fit and forget at that price, not least because all the different materials you buy have their own issues. I have two rolls of PLA filamanet, one works fine and one is really stringy. No idea why. To use it I might need to figure out different settings through trial and error. I don't think an expensive machine would help here but I could be wrong.
recommending an Ender3 is a bit like recommending a BSO from Argos
No, more like a Carrera - it's not as good as a machine twice the price because of course it's not. But it can be made to be solid and reliable given the price - you just need to put some time into understanding how things work.
possibly the stringy one needs printing at a slightly lower temp, and/or has absorbed moisture & needs drying?I have two rolls of PLA filamanet, one works fine and one is really stringy. No idea why.
maybe, do you use it every day though? Huge difference in a machine which is reliable when used virtually 24/7, and one which is reliable but with much less regular use!No, more like a Carrera – it’s not as good as a machine twice the price because of course it’s not. But it can be made to be solid and reliable given the price
possibly the stringy one needs printing at a slightly lower temp, and/or has absorbed moisture & needs drying?
Yeah I'm just using it as an example of how the concept of FDM is full of faff that's not the fault of the machine.
maybe, do you use it every day though?
No, I don't think most hobbyists do...
Some manner of Ender is usually going to be the best option- they’re well priced, they work decently and they’ve got an absolutely epic amount of user support and aftermarket- they’re basically the default option and have been for ages. There’s better printers- in fact there’s probably better in the same price class now- but the ability to just go “oi, internet, what’s wrong with this” is unbeatable.
The thing is, all 3d printers need a tinkerer- it takes time and experimentation to get them working well, and they do tend to go wrong in frustrating ways. They are, after all, printers. So it’s got to be the right sort of kid more than the right printer!
(The Flashforge ones are mostly pitched on being more sealed boxes rather than meccano and it kind of holds up on day one but then you get a clog and discover it’s 10 times harder to fix even a little thing than it would be on an ender or prusa)
^^This^^ +1
I've got an Ender 3, I simply bought a refurb unit from ebay and it's been great for anything that I might want to use a 3D printer for. I only bother with PLA but other materials are possible, Maintenace is mostly an occasional change of the Bowden tube and the nozzle now and then. I have to admit I'm tempted to get a second to play with different nozzles and/or filaments but I don't think it would really benefit me.
The other side of it is software and modelling I find Fusion 360 suits me for modelling and 'Cura' for slicing (turning models into G code) I'm sure there's better software out there but once you're up and running with something you don't really want to have to change...
There are plenty who do! Maybe if yours needed less tinkering you would too 😉 Pretty sure I would've had it going all day every day if I'd got one for Chrimbo as a 12 year old 😂 At least for a while, anyway.No, I don’t think most hobbyists do…
I have a 3D printer and have produced an absolute load of landfill with it. Once the novelty of printing off stuff you find on the internet wears off it can be a big jump into designing stuff yourself.
that's always a danger! I bought my first one as a complete shot in the dark without really knowing anything about them. Absolutely indispensable to me now! Yeah designing your own stuff is daunting at first but essential to get the most out of it. Loads of tutorials & help available. Once people know you've got one especially if you can design stuff to print you'll be kept in beer for life (Haribo for a 12 year old maybe 😂). For example, made an adapter for a neighbour yesterday to slot a modern stereo into a Triumph Stag!I have a 3D printer and have produced an absolute load of landfill with it. Once the novelty of printing off stuff you find on the internet wears off it can be a big jump into designing stuff yourself.
Ender3 v2 owner here and, as said above, it's acceptable out of the box; not amazing, but decent. I got mine on special offer, s it was cheaper than other similar printers, so fitted the niche.
It's a useful toy. It's not brilliant, but it does allow me to print things that would otherwise be badly made from spare ply, bent bits of angle iron, etc, etc.
Ir's also a great way to learn CAD. I just need to learn more complex applications that Sketchup.
I have a 3D printer and have produced an absolute load of landfill with it. Once the novelty of printing off stuff you find on the internet wears off it can be a big jump into designing stuff yourself.
I've found mine really useful but it is just a tool to make stuff, and CAD modelling is a part of my job so not such a learning curve I guess.
The thing I've printed most though is still pretty mundane though... Storage hooks, probably the most useful thing you can print for the house/garage/shed/garden is boring old hooks, plus some spares for when you spot another place to put one.
Aside from all the hooks, I tend to either use it for odd little widgets I might need (bar plugs, Garmin mounts, seat post shims, various little hand tools or Jigs) or I come up with a little idea I might want to prototype and iterate a few times... It will get used furiously for a week or two, maybe try a couple of versions of something and can then go a fair few weeks without being touched again.
It's not that different to owning a mini mill or lathe, you're not going use it constantly, you'll to make it to make things for a project and then turn it off and walk away till the next thing comes up...
was going to pull the trigger on an Anycubic Kobra neo for similar money to an ender 3 with the auto levelling bonus. but then the question for whether a resin printer might have more longevity and be a better purchase?
Just ordered an anycubic Kobra neo from Amazon. £240 and delivered on Tuesday.
We went with the Adventure 3 Pro and it truly has been plug n play. He is happily churning out crap and trying to sell it to his mates at school.
That was the other choice, and it’s on a lightning deal at Amazon today. Reviews of the neo swung it.
Learning how to 3D print is pretty simple.
Learning how to do 3D modelling takes time.