Want to pick up a 3D printer... Suggestions +/- $300

[Number]

Yep... I've been in that hobby since a year and a half ago

[MariaFan]

Skiddz,
Once you get past the tuning woes, bear in mind that all filament will vary from batch to batch.
What works for red PLA may or may not work for white PLA.

Keeping good notes on the make and color of the filament, extruder and bed temps, first layer and subsequent layer speeds, etc., etc. will be invaluable as you progress.

[Skiddz]

Tweaked the bed a smidge more and ran another probe. my highest variance between the points is now 0.002. Printed a lithograph of one of my guitars and the back is ridiculously smooth and the piece is dead flat.

Definitely noticed a difference in filaments so far. Went from the white PLA sample to a "silk" silver PLA and had to tweak temps etc considerably. Already have lots of notes on what's working so will have to put those in a cleaner and more accessible format. Still a ton to learn, but at least the machine is 'sound' and I didn't cook anything wiring up the BLTouch.



I think I'm done tweaking things physically and now I need to do something about cable management. The Y axis cable is gonna rub a hole in something

[Number]

Yes, not all plastic is created equal... I have some PLA that prints at 205 and others that I print at 230 to get good layer adhesion.

It is for that reason that I have a profile in Simplify3D for every material I use, mainly by brand... Ziro PLA I print at 225-230 (depends on the color) and Sunlu PLA+ I print at 205... different brand ABS also prints at different temps, etc.

[Skiddz]

I'm using Cura for my slicer and it's got materials management built in so I've already created a couple new entries for the 3 types I have on-hand.

The only issue I have with the printer right now is the BLTouch is not stowing the probe after the printer homes to the center. I have added the code to stow it after it draws a couple nozzle clearing lines on the far left edge of my build plate and I've watched the terminal window to see it send, but the probe itself doesn't respond.

I've worked around it a bit to raise the nozzle 10mm above the bed before it heads to the start position, but then I have to manually send the code to stow it.

I've tried a couple dwell commands to let the processor "settle down" before the release alarm (just in case there's an error) command, then another before the retract command is sent.

[MariaFan]

Check out these things, guys and girls.
They really work.

MatterHackers has them in stock.

[cgriffith]

"Lasts over 100 prints" ?


Not sure why I would want to pay for something I essentially get for free with sugar solution.

[MariaFan]

I don't want the mess of the glue sticks or ABS slurry all over my desk at work.
Buildtac sheets do work but leave a bad finish on the parts.

These sheets are nice and smooth, and hold ABS prints great.
No warping or edge curling, which is very important to me.

Once the print bed cools, the parts just pop right off.

[P.I.Engineer]

i have makerbot replicator 2 with a aluminum z-axis up grade and a glass build plate. In 2013, I paid $2200 for my printer and another $200 in upgrades. Printers are so cheap now in comparison.

I print PLA on painters tape. I've had the same painters tape on for 3 years now. When your printer is setup correctly, it runs super smooth.

I'm also a broken record about how good simplify3d is. It made printing so much more enjoyable.

[Skiddz]

I've been printing like mad the past couple weeks. Figured out my BLTouch issue (firmware config) and have everything dialed in pretty good.

Ran my longest print at 22 hours this past weekend, a new case for my dial indicator, and it came out pretty nice.

I printed new center caps for the wheels on my son's car (Infiniti G37) with the Infiniti logo embossed on them as well. TSW wanted $45 each.

Nope. 6 hours of draw and print time and about 25 meters of filament, done.

This is definitely not plug 'n play stuff, but it's been fun trying to figure it all out.

[MariaFan]

Originally Posted by P.I.Engineer

snip...
I'm also a broken record about how good simplify3d is. It made printing so much more enjoyable.

I really like Simplify3D too.

I printed some PLA on the GeckoTek sheet today. Super smooth and popped right off.

[MariaFan]

Originally Posted by Skiddz

snip...

This is definitely not plug 'n play stuff, but it's been fun trying to figure it all out.

It is fun once you figure things out.
I drove myself nuts at first (I know, short trip) but now I really enjoy it.

[Skiddz]

Yeah, bit of a steep learning curve, but I'm gettin' the hang of it now. Still printing to glass with a misting of hairspray on it. Even the large surface area of my dial indicator case pieces popped right off once the bed cooled down.

It's definitely come in handy. Yesterday, I had a day in the office doing design work for an upcoming project and my daughter's cat kept knocking over my external HD. I sketched up some feet in SW and printed them out while I ate lunch.

Currently working on a better filament spool setup and some angle braces to stiffen up and better square the vertical frame.

I ordered heim joints, threaded rod and nuts from McMaster Carr 1st thing this morning and they showed up like 7 hours later.

[MariaFan]

McMaster-Carr rocks.

If they don't stock it, you don't need it.

[Skiddz]

Originally Posted by MariaFan

McMaster-Carr rocks.



If they don't stock it, you don't need it.

Delivery guy told me that in my area, if I order before 9am, the parts will usually be delivered by 3pm the same day.

[MariaFan]

Last year, I totaled my Mc-Carr purchases at work in the lab I used to belong to.
In 9 years, I spent over $110,000.

And just think... I didn't even get a Christmas card.

[Skiddz]

When I was building simulators, we spent a boatload at McMaster-Carr, Marshall's and Grainger, not to mention Mouser, DigiKey, Newark etc....

I never got a Christmas card either.

Back OT, I've got this thing pretty much dialed in. Did a couple reference prints overnight and comparing actual measurements to the model's dimensions, I'm within a few thousands of a mm in all 3 directions.

Not too bad for a $300 printer and a 5-cent operator.

[MariaFan]

That's great to hear about the reference prints turning out so well.

Now... change filaments and try it again.

[Skiddz]

I friggin' jinxed myself. Trying to print a SMALL gizmo to fix a known issue with the Bowden tube and I'm having all kinds of adhesion issues.

All numbers still look ok, but even at absolute 0 on the Z, I can see a gap under the nozzle. Something moved for some reason. Time to level and re-probe I guess.

[Skiddz]

Aha... Turns out my son moved the printer from my router table, to my workbench to get at something buried under the router table, then put it back on the router table...

I need to build a permanent home for this thing I guess...