sz0k30
Well-known member
I worked for an Auto Manufacturer in that same time period when all that majic stuff started happening!
Interested in 3D Printing - Recommendations and Hype vs. Reality
- Thread starter kbuhagiar
- Start date
Aaron_W
Well-known member
I'm just going to mention Prusa.
Bambu has taken over the 3d printing market with affordable, easy to use printers and pushed a lot of the one time big players aside.
Prusa is made in the Czech republic, so more expensive than many of the other brands which are from China. Prusa was a leader for many years, still good but they have had to do some catching up when Bamboo showed up with their very user friendly machines.
There have been some concerns over closed systems with some of the brands limiting the options for software available.
I would also look at long term support. I have a Prusa so that is what I know best, and one of the things I like is that they offer upgrades to their printers, so when they release a new version you have the option to upgrade an older printer. Not always cost effective, but with the rapid advances being made in 3D printing, it is a nice option. Other brands do this as well, but not sure which ones since I don't own those.
Bambu has taken over the 3d printing market with affordable, easy to use printers and pushed a lot of the one time big players aside.
Prusa is made in the Czech republic, so more expensive than many of the other brands which are from China. Prusa was a leader for many years, still good but they have had to do some catching up when Bamboo showed up with their very user friendly machines.
There have been some concerns over closed systems with some of the brands limiting the options for software available.
I would also look at long term support. I have a Prusa so that is what I know best, and one of the things I like is that they offer upgrades to their printers, so when they release a new version you have the option to upgrade an older printer. Not always cost effective, but with the rapid advances being made in 3D printing, it is a nice option. Other brands do this as well, but not sure which ones since I don't own those.
MooreGarage
Active member
What issues have you had with your Anycubic printers? I've had my Anycubic Kobra S1 with the Ace Pro AMS, and it has been pretty much flawless for 18 months. Other than the fact that it shipped from the factory with a piece of broken filament in the printhead that took a bit of troubleshooting for a newbie to figure out, any issues I've had have been totally self induced (for example, using Bambu g-code on an Anycubic printer, pretty much guaranteed to fail).
I get beautiful prints, with very minimal maintenance.
LeonardY
Well-known member
Yes, It's in my garage thread.
Uncle Lenny's house of toys and tools
New member. Great information and inspiration here. Posted a few times, Haven't properly introduced myself. I bought my house new in 1996. This is my first home and I did my best to setup the garage. Now, fifteen years later and lessons learned. I've redesigned and started rebuilding the...
www.garagejournal.com
Or in my signature click "Garage"
PCMusicGuy
Well-known member
If you are going to use it primarily for automotive use, get something enclosed with a heated chamber. That will certainly limit the size of the print bed, but makes printing entry level engineering grade materials less painful. If you are okay with Bambu, you'd be looking at the H2 lineup. if not look at alternatives like the Qidi Max4, Creality K2 Plus, etc.
Another note I'd make is that for anything automotive, TPU has become quite attractive for replacing older grommets and gaskets that are impossible to find. TPU is a flexible filament, but there are varying grades which range from very flexible to not very flexible..
Another note I'd make is that for anything automotive, TPU has become quite attractive for replacing older grommets and gaskets that are impossible to find. TPU is a flexible filament, but there are varying grades which range from very flexible to not very flexible..
Aaron_W
Well-known member
Good to know. I know someone who is trying to replace a rubber bellows type "sock" that fits over a piece on an old machine. Sounds like TPU may be worth looking into.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Absolutely. Besides differing hardness levels, you can change part parameters (walls, infil) that dramatically change its performance.
TPU also has the benefit of extremely good layer adhesion and amazing strength. Layer adhesion is so good that you likely need a release agent on the print bed (I use glue stick)
Great info, thanks, and kudos to everyone who has contributed to this thread (and the other 'Everything' 3DP thread).
Man, there is a LOT of 3D printing-based information out there on the Wild Wild Web.
IF I decide to pull the trigger...based on my wants and needs, exhaustive Internet research, and this thread, right now I'm leaning towards a Bambu Labs X2D with AMS.
Still deciding on filament selection and supplier. Is TPU available from most vendors?
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Yes
gpiggaz
Well-known member
While she's still young, I trust this reviewer of 3D printers and her recommendations broken down by category:
She does a very thorough review of new printers as they come out
She posts them on YouTube. under auroratechchannel of course
Notice she has a lot of Bambu labs printers in that list.
She does a very thorough review of new printers as they come out
She posts them on YouTube. under auroratechchannel of course
Notice she has a lot of Bambu labs printers in that list.
Cruzan80
Well-known member
I think it would be hard to beat the X2D, unless you need the size of the H2D. I could also see the cutter attachment being useful for decals. But overall, the X2D is a sweet spot currently.
For filament, Bambu tends to run sales semi-frequently, with progressively larger discounts for more rolls. One issue I have run into with their deals is trying to time things so enough is in stock to get to the quantity/types I want.
The benefit of Bambu filament (and others have started doing this as well) is they include RFID tags in the roll so when it is loaded, it automatically pulls the information about color/type/etc. Not a huge deal, but a "nice to have".
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bwringer
Well-known member
One of the holy grails of 3D printing is TPU (or any flexible filament) that can withstand heat and gasoline vapor. Thousands, if not millions, of cool old motorcycles are sidelined simply because the boots between the cylinder head and carburetors, and between the airbox and carbs, are "perished" and replacements are simply not available at any price.
So far, experiments in this direction have been spotty and disappointing.
Overall, being able to print flexible gaskets that could withstand heat, antifreeze, oil, gasoline, diesel, etc. would be an absolute boon for all kinds of mechanickers, but I don't know of much success in that direction.
Gaskets that can be custom cut from sheet have been around for years. but many applications require a specific molded shape.
So far, experiments in this direction have been spotty and disappointing.
Overall, being able to print flexible gaskets that could withstand heat, antifreeze, oil, gasoline, diesel, etc. would be an absolute boon for all kinds of mechanickers, but I don't know of much success in that direction.
Gaskets that can be custom cut from sheet have been around for years. but many applications require a specific molded shape.
manwithtools
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Use the 3D printer to make a mold to form the shape of a castable material maybe?
KB,
Most of what I'm saying is going to be a repeat of what others have said but just in case...
I'm not a big Bambu fan but part of that is because I'm cheap and I understand the process well enough that most of the hand holding that Bambu handles isn't a big value add to me. Basically, I think you can get equally good output with non-Bambu stuff for less money.
I see a few things that make Bambu good and "better hardware" isn't really it (though they consistently don't have bad hardware). Instead, Bambu generally takes care of two of the steps that can cause people frustration. First, they dial in the filament profiles (so long as you use their stuff). Second, they make it easy to pull files off the web that can quickly be sliced for your specific Bambu system. This means they have fewer examples of a new user trying something that just doesn't work. Instead you can import a lot of the slicing setup straight from the person who uploaded the file. That is a good thing.
However, if you are designing parts from scratch you don't get to take advantage of someone else figuring out the right print orientation and slicer settings for you. Conversely, once you start learning to do that step yourself (and it's generally not that hard) then you are in a better position to adjust the slicer etc yourself. If you are mechanically minded I don't think the small learning curve that separates say a Flashforge 5M from any of the Bambu printers is going to matter. The bigger difference is going to come from learning some CAD program. The first version of Solidworks I used was '97. I'm happy enough using it now that I can get a home user copy for $50/year. Other users will certainly have different use cases but I have largely been happy with keeping my pritner off line, loading the files with a USB stick and handling all the slicing settings myself in Orca. This is because as often as not I'm printing my own things, not something off the web.
If you want to dip your toe into the water on the cheap, I really like the Flashforge 5M. On the deal sites the printer has frequently been selling for under $150. It makes for a great starter printer with print speeds and quality that match the best options on the market.
The Bambu X2D is an attractive options given the second print head can be used for a dissimilar support materail. However, you might think about what size items you will want to print. One of my brothers decided to build a kit car. For his work the 320x320mm build area of his first printer was really needed vs the more typical 220x220 (or 255x255 of many Bambu printers). If you are going to be making bigger items it may be worth looking at the printers with 300x300 or larger beds. Bambu has some as do printers like the Creality K2 Plus (two sibs have one). I have an older Creality K1max. It replaced my FF 5M when I needed a bigger print area. This is also a case where it might be nice to have more than one printer. Many jobs are easier on a smaller printer but when you wan the size, it's great to have. If I had the space and printed more I would have kept my 5M and just added the K1 max. Something to consider.
Most of what I'm saying is going to be a repeat of what others have said but just in case...
I'm not a big Bambu fan but part of that is because I'm cheap and I understand the process well enough that most of the hand holding that Bambu handles isn't a big value add to me. Basically, I think you can get equally good output with non-Bambu stuff for less money.
I see a few things that make Bambu good and "better hardware" isn't really it (though they consistently don't have bad hardware). Instead, Bambu generally takes care of two of the steps that can cause people frustration. First, they dial in the filament profiles (so long as you use their stuff). Second, they make it easy to pull files off the web that can quickly be sliced for your specific Bambu system. This means they have fewer examples of a new user trying something that just doesn't work. Instead you can import a lot of the slicing setup straight from the person who uploaded the file. That is a good thing.
However, if you are designing parts from scratch you don't get to take advantage of someone else figuring out the right print orientation and slicer settings for you. Conversely, once you start learning to do that step yourself (and it's generally not that hard) then you are in a better position to adjust the slicer etc yourself. If you are mechanically minded I don't think the small learning curve that separates say a Flashforge 5M from any of the Bambu printers is going to matter. The bigger difference is going to come from learning some CAD program. The first version of Solidworks I used was '97. I'm happy enough using it now that I can get a home user copy for $50/year. Other users will certainly have different use cases but I have largely been happy with keeping my pritner off line, loading the files with a USB stick and handling all the slicing settings myself in Orca. This is because as often as not I'm printing my own things, not something off the web.
If you want to dip your toe into the water on the cheap, I really like the Flashforge 5M. On the deal sites the printer has frequently been selling for under $150. It makes for a great starter printer with print speeds and quality that match the best options on the market.
The Bambu X2D is an attractive options given the second print head can be used for a dissimilar support materail. However, you might think about what size items you will want to print. One of my brothers decided to build a kit car. For his work the 320x320mm build area of his first printer was really needed vs the more typical 220x220 (or 255x255 of many Bambu printers). If you are going to be making bigger items it may be worth looking at the printers with 300x300 or larger beds. Bambu has some as do printers like the Creality K2 Plus (two sibs have one). I have an older Creality K1max. It replaced my FF 5M when I needed a bigger print area. This is also a case where it might be nice to have more than one printer. Many jobs are easier on a smaller printer but when you wan the size, it's great to have. If I had the space and printed more I would have kept my 5M and just added the K1 max. Something to consider.
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TPU works fine for printing stuff like you are describing. I have a TPU carb gasket on a snowblower that has worked fine for 2-3 years. Lots of people print all sorts of intake tubing with it. This guy goes into a bunch of detail about printing TPU adapter boots for putting different carbs on a bike.
One additional thought:
- learning a CAD program isn’t an impediment to successfully 3D printing in 2026. The ever-growing online library of printing files and remixes of those files means that many handy doodads and gizmos are only a few clicks away.
You can learn a cad program like Fusion while the printer whirs in the background.
- learning a CAD program isn’t an impediment to successfully 3D printing in 2026. The ever-growing online library of printing files and remixes of those files means that many handy doodads and gizmos are only a few clicks away.
You can learn a cad program like Fusion while the printer whirs in the background.
MovingAlong
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2013
- Messages
- 1,255
@kbuhagiar , since no one seems to have said it yet, I'll say it - 3d printing is not as easy as you hope it's going to be.
Learning CAD modeling software is required and not a trivial effort. As I'm cheap, I'm learning FreeCAD from YouTube. Have heard that Fusion 360 is easier to use.
Fortunately, a friend has a Bambu printer that works fantastically, the Bambu slicer is great too. However, I had to learn quite a bit about how to create things that the printer could print. It's not magical, some of the laws of physics still apply even to 3d prints. Think "gravity"... And the printer isn't perfect, still have occasional issues with tuning the setup. And sometimes things break, go wrong, fail, etc..
I've also learned to design multiple simple parts and glue them together for more complex objects. Super strong and saves a bunch of time and effort.
You're on the right track and absolutely can do it. Just don't get discouraged when the going gets tough, expect it and manage your approach accordingly.
Learning CAD modeling software is required and not a trivial effort. As I'm cheap, I'm learning FreeCAD from YouTube. Have heard that Fusion 360 is easier to use.
Fortunately, a friend has a Bambu printer that works fantastically, the Bambu slicer is great too. However, I had to learn quite a bit about how to create things that the printer could print. It's not magical, some of the laws of physics still apply even to 3d prints. Think "gravity"... And the printer isn't perfect, still have occasional issues with tuning the setup. And sometimes things break, go wrong, fail, etc..
I've also learned to design multiple simple parts and glue them together for more complex objects. Super strong and saves a bunch of time and effort.
You're on the right track and absolutely can do it. Just don't get discouraged when the going gets tough, expect it and manage your approach accordingly.