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I have had a desire for a 3d printer for some time now. A few hobbies I have lend themselves to making bits and pieces and it just seems handy thing to have kicking around.
But are they? Who has one, have you used it as much as you thought you would (or more) or has it ended up like one a bread maker - stuffed at the back of a dusty cupboard after being used twice?
If they are a 'good thing' what level should I be looking at etc?
Yes, no, maybe 😁
Depends what you want of it. I bought a cheapish consumer/hobbyist one (£250 at the time) about 5 years ago, mainly to build my skills for teaching CAD/CAM in school, but also cos I like to fettle.
Great as a learning tool, my 7yr old enjoys printing knick-knacks on it.
I've printed a few genuinely useful things, like light mounts, bottle mounts, etc.
It's not fast, and unless you're just downloading stuff from Thingiverse to print, then designing things (that will work) from scratch takes some skill.
I'd avoid the very cheap kits from eBay. We bought a couple for our yr9/10 STEM club to build, and one never worked, and the other is so-so, even after quite a lot of fiddling.
On the other hand the XYZ Davinci Jr. I bought has been pretty much faultless for 5 years.
DAMMIT. This is exactly my problem... I really want/need one, but am really finding it hard to justify the money.
Although I do need some stuff printed...
Depends what you want it for, but if you can envisage some scenarios where you might need something that you can't easily get in some other way, then yes they are very useful.
Are you going to be designing your own parts, or just looking to stuff to download & print?
For the latter I would say they make less sense, although a lot of people seem to do this.
I've had my 3-D printer (a Creality CR-10 Mini) for about 2 and a half years & have printed tons of stuff; 99% self-designed to solve a problem.
Random list....
Clips for a vertical blind.
Simple push-fit block to stop the filler pipe moving in our loo cistern
Hose clamps for my Exotic Carbon fork
Maxle Spacer for bike carrier front axle
Drawer slide components for a friend's kitchen
Hand guards for daughter's balance bike
Pan Lid holders for kitchen cupboard
Fixture to cut tape reel for rim tape
Stand/cable tidy for an Anker multi-charger
Shim for rotary washing line
etc......
I am not really sure what the latest hobby-ist printers are.
I think the Creality Ender-3 is still avaialble & is a good option. I don't have auto-bed levelling, filament sensor or fancy build plate on my printer. I am not sure I really need them, but if buying again would probably look for those options.
There is a ton of info on YouTube.
Main things to think about are build volume & material choices.
What is the largest thing you think you will need to print? I think the Ender-3 is limit to about 200x200x300 high. I went for the CR10-Mini as it has a slightly larger build plate of 300x200x300 high. I envisaged that a lot of stuff I wanted to print would probably be rectangular so I wanted something a bit larger in one direction at least.
We have an Ultimaker at work with a 200x200 build plate & it can be quite limiting.
Material choice - my printer will struggle with materials that require higher temperatures. I print solely with PLA. There are limitations, but you can generally design parts around those limitations. If you need parts that will operate at elevated temperatures, then consider a printer that will successfully print higher temp plastics.
How useful it is, is entirely up to you. Actually designing stuff AND printing it well is a slightly awkward combination of mechanical and design skills that I think most people don't really have- I've never really got the hang of the 3d design side past the most basics.
Or you could be like MC of this forum, and just print cocks.
OTOH there's a million things to print on thingiverse etc so sometimes somebody's already designed what you need. And if you have a hobby that it aligns well with, then they're ace.
I have an Ender 3- had an OG Tevo Tarantula when they first came out, which was shit but amazing for its days, and an Anet delta printer which never really aquired a userbase or modding community but wasn't a bad wee machine, and watching it print was ace- like a robot spider. The Ender still looks to be a decent option despite its age, the V2 adds some nice things. It is definitely a budget machine, but functional, and it has such a big user base that there's a huge aftermarket, advice, and modder scene to fall back on.
Regarding the design side of things, Fusion360 is free to hobbyists and there are an absolute ton of tutorial videos on YouTube to watch.
There are simpler types of software like TinkerCAD, but in my opinion you might as well start with something a bit more sophisticated & learn that, rather than learn something that might limit you further down the line.
I use 3D CAD all day everyday for my job, so it's hard for me to say but I don't think it's that hard to get the hang of. Just start simple & build it up.
It's basically just building blocks of different shapes & sticking holes etc. through them. The most important thing is thinking about the design intent from the start & how you should layout the design from the start;
- what shape do you start with?
- do I create a pattern of holes, or an extrude with all the holes placed discretely
- how do I place my constraints so when I change a dimension in another feature it doesn't mess up the rest of it.
A good point made my Northwind - the Creality printers probably have the biggest community following, so definitely helps when trying to iron out problems.
Just don't expect a 3-D printer to work like a 'normal' printer. It's not quite so plug & play. There is a learning curve to get them to print well & they will likely need some modding and/or maintenance to get them working at their best.
You also need to understand the process flow - get design as an STL > slice it so the 3-D printer can understand it > print it.
You can buy one for under 100 quid, which is nothing really, and whilei ti is obviously the cheapest of the cheap, with major differences and no way specced with higher cost machines and no doubt with many inadequacies, it will get the ball rolling so to speak and give you an introduction to the entire hobby of making your own plastic stuff.
I'm sure theres plenty of YT vids where experienced users with rather expensive machines have shown the cheaper ones to be more than adequate for a novice user.
For under a hundred quid, it must be worth a try out. You probably easily spend that in a months worth of tat.
TBH considering that you can get the basic ender 3 for £110 (and then chuck a £12 glass bed on it because the stock bed will probably be warped) getting anything cheaper and more limited/less well supported is probably not a good move. I've not seen anything cheaper that you're not making basic sacrifices on usability or chassis (the ender and similar aren't amazing but they do the basics adequately)
(there might be good refurb options though)
I got an Ender 3 about Christmas time and I have used it for various projects since, handy little hooks and stuff round the house, a few bits for the bikes too, bar bungs, Garmin mounts, cable stops. I've just printed a battery storage bracket for my drill batteries.
Most things I like to design for myself using fusion 360, some stuff I cheat and download an STL from thingverse...
I've also got a couple of more complex projects I plan to use it for, but I have been finding some of its limitations as a tool...
Apart from printing endless face masks during the first lockdown I’ve used mine to print Sonos Play 1 wall mounts, new tilting leg for my computer keyboard, screw bottle cap opener, several desktop pen holders and loads of things I’ve given to friends as gifts.
Got chatting to the bloke across the road. He got one and started making things to order online (didn't ask what). Makes enough for him and his wife to pack in their jobs and do it full time. Not short of cash by the look of things either.
I got a second hand Ender 3 fitted with a glass plate.
Had a few tuning items to get through but now I can leave it to do prints no worries.
I am in to Drift RC and have made quite a few bits for them.
I designed the cage and the parcel shelf on this one:
chestrockwell
Got chatting to the bloke across the road. He got one and started making things to order online (didn’t ask what). Makes enough for him and his wife to pack in their jobs and do it full time. Not short of cash by the look of things either.
A lot of people just download stuff from Thingiverse etc. & flog them on etsy or somewhere....
All sorts of things like film character models, coffee pod holders, cosplay outfits & accessories etc.
There's also a business case for lithophanes, which are greyscale images created by printing different thicknesses & then shining a light through them.
If you get a resin printer, you can also print very small detailed models so people print & sell Warhammer & Dungeons & Dragons strategy game stuff.
I have a prusa mini, used it a few times, mostly fiddled about changing things, then its been sat collecting dust for nearly a year
(which remind me I must put it up for sale, collect, near Tring (PM me))
I bought a £150 kit version off ebay while drunk one night. It arrived and I built it up and it actually worked!!!
It was very slow and it is annoying when 3 hours into a 4 hour print something moves and it all goes wrong.
Useful stuff I printed:
1) An adaptor for my crutches that made them more comfortable to wear for the 6 months I was on them.
2) Adapter to allow a childs stair gate designed to fix against a flat wall to fit against a carved wooden curved bit.
3) Darts holder for the garage which is fixed to the garage door and stops the darts falling out even when the door is opened.
4) Lots of plastic bracelets for children
5) A desktop model Groot. Okay not useful but the only other thing I could think of.
I sold it on for £100.
stumpy01
Full MemberThere’s also a business case for lithophanes, which are greyscale images created by printing different thicknesses & then shining a light through them.
Something I always forget... I used to sell a few parts (nerf gun upgrades) and I obsessed about the quality. I was making really good stuff, but still I worried about every tiny flaw.
Then you see what other people are selling and man there's a lot of shit out there. I've seen lithophanes that people have paid top money for, that are terrible, full of flaws and banding, just obviously off a machine that's not working right. I've seen games parts that are about as good as my day 1 prints. I could have shat out parts and still had them be meaningfully higher quality than a lot of what's on the market. People don't know what's good or bad, basically, or are sufficiently impressed that it's 3d printed that they don't mind if it's badly printed.
Not entirely sure what the point is... I guess, it's maybe that for printing perfectionism is definitely the enemy of good enough (and "just barely good enough" is the enemy of "actually good") but I've always wanted my prints to be better and it's one of the things that's actually stopped me printing currently, I got a bit fed up of it.
@Northwind I do far more than just cocks, although they do seem to be the most popular 😀
They're a useful thing to have, but you need to know their limitations, and have a use for them. As well as printing valve caps (which in itself is just a little side line I started because I had the printer, it's certainly not that much of a money earner!), I use mine for various odds and ends for in the workshop.
Need a basic bracket for a machine? Model it, print it, and it's good to go. Whereas before I'd have to model it, figure out how to machine it, then machine it. It's also good for printing dummy bits before committing to machining them from metal.
I've had one for a couple of years, a cheap Ender 3 and it's been ace. I do a lot of 3D design professionally, which IMHO is key to making full use of them, otherwise you're restricted to printing things which other people have designed. As others have said they aren't generally plug and play, and you need to do a bit of fiddling to keep them sweet. I also have a resin printer which I haven't quite got into the swing of, but has the potential to make incredibly high quality parts.
After finding out that my preferred gadget shop is now sold out of the model I want, I am preparing to impulse purchase from another source...
But, I still have questions. For things like GoPro mounts and stuff that requires a bit of strength, is PLA strong enough or should I be using ABS?
I do far more than just cocks, although they do seem to be the most popular 😀
They’re a useful thing to have, but you need to know their limitations, and have a use for them.
Sounds like my wife talking about mine.
When I first got into this hobby I bought a cheap'ish printer and it required a lot of tuning on every print. This was a steep learning curve and eventually I stopped printing as I spent longer calibrating than actually printing. a couple of years later I bought a Prusa i3 and it has been plug and play, click and print with the profiles already provided with the software
Who has one, have you used it as much as you thought you would
I print quite a bit but not as much as I thought. I thought I would print a lot of stuff for other people, but the prices some people charge are way too cheap. If I do get a job, it usually requires a custom design and print which might include magnets and threads. This is all through word of mouth and now find the answer is "My friends son has a printer I'll ask him". As Northwind has said, the average person doesn't know the difference between a high quality print and a quick/bad/rough print.
What have I printed for others
Custom jigs/holders for lathes/industrial machines
Missing/obsolete parts for 30's-90's era cars
Other missing/broken plastic parts, usually re-design making it stronger
Printed for me:
Speaker/GoPro/Light mounts
Arduino/Pi Cases
Axle Spacers
Brake Pad Spacers
Coffee Bean Hopper Extender
3D Puzzle Boxes
Stuff for my sim rig (mounts/cases/covers)
& a bunch of other things
^^ This was all printed after getting bored of printing useless models/knickknacks
Most of the things I print are designed by myself. Fusion 360 is quite easy to learn, but I do have a CAD background.
But, I still have questions. For things like GoPro mounts and stuff that requires a bit of strength, is PLA strong enough or should I be using ABS?
I don't think PLA is strong enought, PETG is a great alternative to ABS, PC Blend is even better but its expensive and requires really really high temps.
If they are a ‘good thing’ what level should I be looking at etc?
If you want 3D printing to be an extra hobby, buy a cheap one as suggested above. If you just want it to print and not fiddle with it much, buy a Prusa i3. Disclaimer you will still have to learn about settings and adjust a few things, but not very often at all.
So, for starting out on this journey, Ender 3 v2 and and a spool of PLA then, once it is set up and I have got the hang of it, spool of PETG for the actual prints that need strength?
willard
Full Member
So, for starting out on this journey, Ender 3 v2 and and a spool of PLA then, once it is set up and I have got the hang of it, spool of PETG for the actual prints that need strength?
Broadly speaking, yes that sounds sensible.
But, PETG will need a different slicer profile than PLA.
Cura or whatever slicer you choose to use will probably have a half decent profile you can use to get you started so shouldn't be too much of a barrier.
You will need to adjust bed height too for printing PETG. The first layer doesn't need as much 'squish' so you should lift the nozzle slightly. I've seen situations where the PETG sticks so well to the build plate as the nozzle was too close, that the glass breaks when you try to remove the part.
But, there is tons of information out there to help get you underway.
Like this:
https://all3dp.com/2/ender-3-petg-settings-profile/