(NA) Who knows about 3D printing?

flyingcheesehead said:
I've been wondering how many people are using 3D printing to make test models before making the actual objects using a CNC milling machine...
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I'm using my 3D printer to make a CNC milling machine. It ain't gonna mill metal very well, but I figure I might be able to use it for some woodworking projects.
 
Arm3 said:
I haven’t ventured beyond using PLA and PETG filaments and will probably stick with those until I have a need for something different.

Do you have any experience with ASA? It’s supposed to be the successor to ABS with better UV tolerance and lower fumes when printing. I’d experiment with it myself but it’s more expensive by 50% or more over PLA/PETG/ABS. I could see using it in the future but will probably wait until I have an actual use case for it.

I’d also like to try and use one of the flexible filaments or the wood infused types that can be sanded and stained.
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So I got the ASA in and have made a few parts with it. It seems a little denser and harder than PETG. Parts seem quite a bit stronger too. It certainly has a bit more smell to it than PETG, but it's not horrible. You can print it in smaller layers and it gives a nice finish. I was wrong about the bridging though, it likes bridging even less than PETG does. The only other drawback I've seen with it is its doesn't like to stick to the plate. I ended up using blue painter's tape and spraying that with a spritz of rubbing alcohol to get it to stick. Haven't tried finishing parts with acetone vapor yet, but that's still on my to do list.

All in all I like it for making durable parts, I'll probably use it more than PETG.
 
I had completely forgotten about this thread in the intervening two years, but it popped up in a search. Prusa released their mk4 model this spring, and that was the nudge i needed to jump in. It arrived a bit over a week ago and it's already become one of those "how did I live without this?" things. It's so fun to have an idea or need and transform that into a physical object in a couple hours. The Prusa does in fact "just work". I bought the pre-assembled version, plugged it in, loaded the filament, and printed one of the parts that came pre-loaded on the flash drive. It worked flawlessly. I had to do no setup or tuning. Absolutely amazing. There's a bit of a learning curve with using the slicer software, but it's pretty easy. I have started making some things in tinkercad, and my oldest did as well, designing a toy and then printing it. The kids are fascinated by the thing and it's become quite the entertainment for them. Most of the stuff I've wanted has been available in some form on thingiverse or printables.com.

The short version is, I highly recommend the Prusa mk4; it just works. 3D printing in my opinion has matured to the point you can use it as a tool and not have to invest hobby-level time to do so.IMG_20230620_104706457.jpg
 
that's purty. My pimped ender 3 is like a datsun 510 at this point (and I just added a whambam flexi build plate to help PETG pop off of the build plate) , but it still runs and get it done :)

As soon as it breaks, though, I see where I'm headed.
 
Thanks for the feed back. My wife calls it the modern fish bowl. Where one can sit and watch it print for hours.

I have couple Creality printers an Ender 3 and A CR-10s. These do require more tuning to get to print well. but they are significantly cheaper. The ender 3 is a great cheap little printer to start with, especially if you are only going to print with PLA. I don't think they require a lot of tinkering if you don't start modifying them right away like I did. I like printing on Glass Plates, which I added to both printers. Some may now come with them. But it did require some re-adjustment for the extra thickness of the glass.

Printing with PLA seems to work very well. Main disadvantage of PLA is that is a lower temp material and will soften in direct sunlight or where it can warm up. PETG is more stable at warmer temperatures as is ABS. ABS tends to print better for me, but will tend to warp or detach from the bed especially on larger parts. PETG, doesn't warp as bad, but tends to leave strings on the print and I tend to have some nozzle plugging issues.

I am threatening to try a direct extruder, like your Prusa MK4 has,to see if it helps with some the stringing and nozzle issues I have seen with PETG.

I have found it to be in indispensable tool, I can barely hang a photo now without printing some sort of jig or tool or template to assist with doing so. I find it impressive how many things I use it for.

As mentioned perhaps one of the largest roadblocks is creating the 3D drawings to print. I already had extensive experience creating 3D drawings so this wasn't much of an issue for me, Although I have worked on learning a few different applications for various reasons.

Brian
 
Jim K said:
I had completely forgotten about this thread in the intervening two years, but it popped up in a search. Prusa released their mk4 model this spring, and that was the nudge i needed to jump in.
...
I have started making some things in tinkercad, and my oldest did as well, designing a toy and then printing it. The kids are fascinated by the thing and it's become quite the entertainment for them. Most of the stuff I've wanted has been available in some form on thingiverse or printables.com.

The short version is, I highly recommend the Prusa mk4; it just works. 3D printing in my opinion has matured to the point you can use it as a tool and not have to invest hobby-level time to do so.View attachment 118236
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Very cool! I gave up waiting on Prusa to release the mk4, and I was already a bit iffy on the price, so I bought an Anycubic Kobra Plus. It's not as fiddly as the low end machines thanks to things like dual Z axis and auto-leveling, and it's got a larger-than-normal print volume by about 50% in all axes. One thing it does NOT have is support for the GCode command for "Resume" so I can't switch filament in the middle of a print.

What pushed me over the edge to buy it was the discovery that you can download, sometimes for free, STL files to print radio controlled airplane parts. Then, when you crash, you just reprint the broken parts, rebuild and go fly again!

In sharing that with my 6-year-old, he's gotten very into the whole 3D printing thing, and one day out of the blue he said "Daddy, I want to learn CAD." (He knew what that was thanks to some 3D printing-related YouTube channels we watch - ProjectAir is probably the most likely to be of interest to folks here.)

So, we got into TinkerCAD and designed some 3D printed parts that let us make toilet paper and/or paper towel tubes into model rockets and we've been launching those. Fun! :) Next step will be to do the same in a more "serious" CAD program like Fusion360, but TinkerCAD is a great way to start for kids of all ages; I think it took us about an hour of watching a tutorial on YouTube to be able to jump in and make those rockets, so definitely not a significant time investment.

A 3D printer is definitely one of the better and more useful "toys" I've ever purchased.
 
If you do get a 3D Printer, consider adding a Raspberry Pi based server [Octoprint] to control the print jobs. Add a web camera and you can watch progress remotely and it can terminate the job if it detects problems with the print. Octoprint is free software although donations to the developer is encouraged.
 
I have converted two of my printers to Klipper and I can't see ever going back...

Besides the web connection with mainsail and the extra speed, the convenience of doing it all from one chair makes it fun and easy.

Klipper and Octoprint are basically servers that take over the complex math of the print job, freeing up the printer's electronics for simply running the stepper motors. I have Klipper running on a $20 converted TV box, so the cost of entry is super low and a good printer can be found for around $200. The cost of filament will surpass the initial costs of the hardware within a few weeks of printing stuff...
 
One of the features of the mk4 is built in wifi. They also have software to allow control in a browser on the local network. Prusaslicer will also send the gcode directly to the printer, and start it if the printer is in the ready state. I think the software will allow access from outside the local network if you set it up that way, but I haven't felt the need to do that. I also think there is a way to remotely control and monitor multiple printers, which I presume they developed to operate their own internal print farm.
 
well that was a bummer to wake up to:
IMG_20230624_063841147.jpg
 
brcase said:
What kind of material? I have been having similar issues with PETG, PLA rarely has issues.

Brian
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That was PLA. I failed two more prints before I figured out that one of my parts was like 1mm off the bed :frown2:
 
I bought a Prusa mini a couple of years ago to get started in printing. Just recently spent the money to buy the new Bambulabs X1 Carbon with the AMS. It works so well it's ridiculous. Multi color prints are a breeze, the fault detection works great.

Had a storm Sunday night that knocked my power out for a bit. I had a print running but had forgot about it. About 15 mins after the power came back up I get a notice on my phone, it's the printer asking me if I want it to continue from where it left off when power was interrupted. I tell it yes and the the print finishes with no issues.

I printed these out for the wife when I first got it.

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Then I printed these out for me to replace those ancient hubcaps that I had to remove anytime I need to add air to a tire.

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