The Everything 3D Printer Thread

[kf4zht]

The figurines seem to be the norm. Any online resources for people making useful/functional items with their 3d printer? I’m pretty sure an SLA printer is next for me.

Not that I have found. I'll usually do a search on yeggi and sometime get lucky that someone else had the same thought. If not its right to fusion. my fusion skills have been improving rapidly with this printer around.

I'm hoping as they get more popular resin prices come down. With the basic stuff around $45/kg its harder to splurge and just keep all the colors on hand. Also saving all my old resin bottles, at some point i'll get into experimenting with mixes. There are several you can mix in to get the toughness of one with other aspects from others.

 

[Mechtech]

The figurines seem to be the norm. Any online resources for people making useful/functional items with their 3d printer? I’m pretty sure an SLA printer is next for me.

Recently bought a Ender 5 Plus for myself and looking at making tool organizers and similar items once I get more familiar with the free cad programs I downloaded. While I don't have any information on any resources for FDM printers we have a FormLabs Form2 here at work and use it for part prototyping.

General experience has been that the accuracy is impacted by the orientation of the print. They tend to be less accurate on Z axis than X and Y. Also we've found that thread printing doesn't work (and the material is to brittle to cut threads into). The resin tends to not drain from the thread form and will sort of solidify into partially filled thread form. As long as you're not putting any stress on the part they work okay but cured parts shatter like glass when over stressed by dropping or bending.

 

[arnoldcp]

The figurines seem to be the norm. Any online resources for people making useful/functional items with their 3d printer? I’m pretty sure an SLA printer is next for me.

I am slightly surprised by your comment. While thingiverse and others do have a tremendous number of "display" prints I find a pretty significant number of designs that are functional. I have printed a few planetary gear boxes for a NEMA 17 steppers. They are going on some workshop projects I am working on. I also have printed a number of items for my table saw, miter saw and router. Zero clearance inserts, end stops, a router base for my trim router with large handles for better control, tool organization, hinges, brackets, etc.

What kind of useful/functional items are you looking for? Perhaps the community can point you towards them.

Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using Tapatalk

 

[jwmelvin]

Any online resources for people making useful/functional items with their 3d printer?

This subreddit is at least an attempt for people to think about functional uses. I find it interesting and inspirational from time to time.

 

[kf4zht]

Recently bought a Ender 5 Plus for myself and looking at making tool organizers and similar items once I get more familiar with the free cad programs I downloaded. While I don't have any information on any resources for FDM printers we have a FormLabs Form2 here at work and use it for part prototyping.

General experience has been that the accuracy is impacted by the orientation of the print. They tend to be less accurate on Z axis than X and Y. Also we've found that thread printing doesn't work (and the material is to brittle to cut threads into). The resin tends to not drain from the thread form and will sort of solidify into partially filled thread form. As long as you're not putting any stress on the part they work okay but cured parts shatter like glass when over stressed by dropping or bending.

What resin are you using? With Elegoo grey I only see fragility with thin parts and with Siraya Fast it took quite a bit to break one of the prints. I don't hollow out anything I'm printing for a technical use. Not worth the small amount of resin savings

This subreddit is at least an attempt for people to think about functional uses. I find it interesting and inspirational from time to time.

Thanks, hadn't found that one.

 

[slodat]

This is the sort of info I was seeking. Thank you!

According to DHL, my Prusa i3MK3S will be here Wednesday.

 

[Mechtech]

We're using their High Temperature resin. It's the only one that had the thermal properties we needed for the prototypes/research that we're doing.

 

[kf4zht]

Made some brackets to organize arrows in a dead space. Could also be used for tig rod or anything else long. Turns out printing 2 of them at a time is just above the max volume a Mars can hold for resin, and i let it run all night. Ran out but enough is there to hold it together.

https://imgur.com/Dk3w9NK

 

[slodat]

Six business days, from Prague.

 

[TTMotorsports]

If I wasnt so busy in the shop 7 days a week I would be buying one of these things. Could have used one 5 times this week for small projects and things I thought of while working. No time to tinker to figure it out though.

 

[garandman]

Any of you guys messing with sla printers?

Picked up an elegoo mars on a whim and have been blown away with the quaility it can produce. Layers are barely visible and it can print very good quality things like threads. This is a part I made with m26x1.0 threads. They initially came out a little oversized by about 6 thou, but the pitch was spot on first try.

The build area is somewhat limited and post print is more work but I'm extremely impressed. I want to try the castable resins at some point. The option to print an out of production part and then cast it in metal could be a huge advantage in rebuilding stuff

Photopolymers tend to be brittle, have poor creep resistance, and warp over time (because the resin continues to cure). The process can also be messy.

You can produce small details, and many of the machines can produce a honeycomb structure suitable for casting patterns. YMMV.

 

[slodat]

I think I got the z height set right. Printed through the night on a mount for the Pi camera. OctoPrint’s monitoring and sending files via WiFi is worth the few bucks it costs.

 

[slodat]

I can’t recommend the assembled Prusa i3 MK3S enough. Great prints out of the box. These parts mount a Raspberry Pi 3 and Pi camera for OctoPrint- a nice remote management and monitoring setup. Really happy with it all.

 

[mbaulfinger]

Slodat, Great results from you Prusa! congratulations on getting it running and producing such great prints so quickly!

 

[AMFJ]

That is impressive out of the box.

 

[banjopete]

The figurines seem to be the norm. Any online resources for people making useful/functional items with their 3d printer? I’m pretty sure an SLA printer is next for me.

The fun of nearly any tool is you are only limited by your imagination and willingness/ability to draft.

First print for me was the classic test boat and since I've found all sorts of uses. It's a quick ish way to solve any problem. My last "functional" print was a few dozen clips for some led lights for the garage. I only got one per light and needed a second for each. A couple of minutes with a caliper and one test later and bingo, unobtanium bits in my hands.

Not intricate or tough but fast and a few pennies of pla.

Sent from my SM-G960W using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[banjopete]

A few days earlier it was 38 soffit vents. Home depot wanted $4 per piece. 38 used about 1/3 of a reel of pla.

Sent from my SM-G960W using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[WoodsTruck]

Curious if anyone has printed hinges?

Do the parts get printed together, or separate them and clean up before install?

 

[gte718p]

Curious if anyone has printed hinges?

Do the parts get printed together, or separate them and clean up before install?

Printing separate is safer and more likely to work. If you have a good printer and have your settings dialed in you can print them together. You need some very small connection points to that will get broken when the hinges turn.

 

[Rccrawlerguy]

Hey everyone, I have been looking at 3d printers since Xmas. Mainly the Creality CR-10, because of the price/reviews. My thought is to be able to print out templates to use for plasma cutting parts( no plasma table for me yet) and sure, making various other parts as well. I know there are different types of filaments, but would it be worth it to try and make plasma guides? Its not like the side of the plasma nozzle is heating up as much as the cutting area. I have also been looking to a similar sized cnc router.

What do you think?

 

[banjopete]

Hey everyone, I have been looking at 3d printers since Xmas. Mainly the Creality CR-10, because of the price/reviews. My thought is to be able to print out templates to use for plasma cutting parts( no plasma table for me yet) and sure, making various other parts as well. I know there are different types of filaments, but would it be worth it to try and make plasma guides? Its not like the side of the plasma nozzle is heating up as much as the cutting area. I have also been looking to a similar sized cnc router.

What do you think?

Speaking at least to PLA, if you heat it up it gets soft pretty quick. I've never plasma cut anything but I do weld so if plasma puts heat into a piece of metal like welding does you may have issues as you move along. PLA at least goes through the extruder anywhere from 180-200 degrees celsius so it doesn't take a lot of heat (compared to welding) to get it soft.

If I'm mistaken and you're just looking to mark a piece using the guide then yes 3d printing would be great for this. It may still work as a torch guide but I' watch the temps as I've easily used a heat gun to stretch prints for vac hose adapters.

By all accounts the cr-10's a great machine, there's a lot of choice in that price range and you should expect good quality prints with little fuss.

 

[Bad Mojo]

Hey everyone, I have been looking at 3d printers since Xmas. Mainly the Creality CR-10, because of the price/reviews. My thought is to be able to print out templates to use for plasma cutting parts( no plasma table for me yet) and sure, making various other parts as well. I know there are different types of filaments, but would it be worth it to try and make plasma guides? Its not like the side of the plasma nozzle is heating up as much as the cutting area. I have also been looking to a similar sized cnc router.

What do you think?

If you are planning on using this solely for plasma I would lean towards the router because it will cut out the templates faster than 3D printing them. If time isn't a constraint then I think printing could work. I have cut 1/4" MDF on a CNC router before as templates and its has worked fine.

You can always download Cura (3D printing slicing software) for free and get an idea how long some of those prints might take before deciding which path you want to take.

 

[PCMusicGuy]

Hey everyone, I have been looking at 3d printers since Xmas. Mainly the Creality CR-10, because of the price/reviews. My thought is to be able to print out templates to use for plasma cutting parts( no plasma table for me yet) and sure, making various other parts as well. I know there are different types of filaments, but would it be worth it to try and make plasma guides? Its not like the side of the plasma nozzle is heating up as much as the cutting area. I have also been looking to a similar sized cnc router.

What do you think?

I think for the same price ballpark, there are better machines these days.

For example, ones like this with a direct drive extruder and an AC heated bed:
https://www.gearbest.com/3d-printer/pp_3002884396462652.html?wid=2000001&lkid=64420434

 

[penright]

I have had the Ender 3 for some time now. It is all stock. I would like to upgrade, but it reminds me of remodeling a room. The most famous words, well while I am here, might as well xxxx. Or I really should do x at the same time.

So I would like to add a BLtouch. What it would take to do that, I might as well upgrade the board. If I do that I need to decide on drivers.

Here is TeachingTech reviewing and installing the board I was thinking about.

Of course, right now they are out of stock. https://www.th3dstudio.com/product/ezboard-lite/
This comes with Trinamic TMC 2208 Drivers. $100 seems a little high. I could have sworn a few months ago I found them for $20 without drivers. I guess now everyone is out.

 

[bmxdad]

Anyone printing with Priline PETG? What are your settings?

 

[casper36092]

a teacher friend just got a grant to purchase a 3d printer to do projects with kids. what is the best $500. printer that is available on amazon. her questions are she wants it to be able to use any filament, do some bigger prints easy to interface so the kids can understand it and does she need any extra software other than what it will come with?

 

[bmxdad]

Check out the Prusa Mini ... it's under $400

 

[BoilermakerFan]

Here's an interesting article about 3D printing as related to the CES2020 show:

https://3dprint.com/262622/ces-2020-shows-us-what-the-end-of-the-consumer-3d-printing-hype-cycle-looks-like/

 

[garandman]

Consumer 3D printers have always been a side show. Most of the investment is in commercial industrial systems, materials and parts.

Rapid is SME's [Society of Manufacturing Engineers] show and there are some consumer printers there, but the emphasis is on real-world applications. You can go the exhibits for free. This year it's in CA.

https://rapid3devent.com/

 

[e36jon]

Greetings

New (and late!) to this thread. I posted the message below in another thread and thought it might also be relevant here.

Here's a link to a great article from Pankl where they discuss using rapid proto tooling for F1 part production:

https://pankl.com/wpcontent/uploads/...icht_PANKL.pdf

I was surprised that they are using Form Labs printers which are high end hobby grade (Or at least that's how I think of them.). I've used one of these at a client and was impressed with the print quality, tolerances, and the variety of available resins.

Regards,

Jon

 

[BoilermakerFan]

Form Labs' primary market has always been rapid prototyping.


I've finally decided on my plan for my current Prusa Mk2 and my next printer. I'm going to upgrade my Prusa to a 24V PSU, Zaribo Mk52 bed carrier, a Mk52 clone heat bed, SKR V1.3 32-bit board, TH3D all metal V6 hot end, remote flex drive, and eventually the Zaribo 320 frame.

My next printer is going to be a SK-Go 350 and I'll use my Ananas Steppers on it along with a remote flex drive on it too.

Customize your SK-Go

 

[RD350]

Hi Friends: How much would it cost to print a small part as the attached? I am unable to find a 3D print shop in my neck of the woods. Thank you for your help.

 

[BoilermakerFan]

You would need a CAD file or STL file to have it printed. Then you can send it to Shapeways for a quote.

 

[RD350]

You would need a CAD file or STL file to have it printed. Then you can send it to Shapeways for a quote.

Thank you Sir for your response, much appreciated.
I will have to look for the CAD file this part.
Also, do you think the 3D printer can print this off in teflon material rather than plastic?
I apologize in advance if any of these questions are dumb.
Thank you kindly and have a great day.

 

[BoilermakerFan]

You'll have to check out Shapeways to see what materials they offer.

 

[e36jon]

Hi Friends: How much would it cost to print a small part as the attached? I am unable to find a 3D print shop in my neck of the woods. Thank you for your help.

There are a number of service bureaus that can print your part for you. I use these two (There are a LOT more than these two!) a lot for rapid-protos as well as machined parts. You can upload your part (In the right file format.) and get a quote instantly.

Xometry: https://www.xometry.com/ Their SLS part prices in particular are crazy cheap.

Fictiv: https://www.fictiv.com/

Both have good resources for material / process selection. Ditto for design guides for other processes like sheet-metal, or injection molding.

Cheers,

Jon

 

[bmxdad]

Hi Friends: How much would it cost to print a small part as the attached? I am unable to find a 3D print shop in my neck of the woods. Thank you for your help.

That looks like a Printed part ... what's it for? I doubt you can print it in Teflon ... Nylon, ABS, even PETG are good alternatives. What it's used for can dictate the materials type too.

 

[BoilermakerFan]

Just wanted to let you guys know I'm starting the process to upgrade my Prusa MK2. Or rather, I'll be upgrading it to a MK2.5S, then using it to print parts to eventually build what I'm calling a Bearibo 320. Once it's all said and done there won't actually be any genuine Prusa parts on the Bearibo 320 so I'll have a new printer and I'll reassemble the MK2.5S so I can sell it to a friend or donate it to my son's school.

The Bearibo 320 will be built with a Bear Upgrade Tall frame kit, then I'll use the Zaribo 10mm upgrades, the Zaribo bed carrier, and a Zaribo 24V MK52 heatbed. Control board will be the SKR V1.4 (TMC 2209 drivers) with the TFT35 V3 display. Eventually I plan to pick up a PanelDue 7 since it's supposed to work with the SKR v1.4 and the latest Marlin 2.0 firmware. Extruder will be a Bondtech BMG-M with the Mosquito hotend. PSU will be a MeanWell 350W or 360W.

Then later this year I will be ordering a SK-Go 350 kit and move the PanelDue 7 to it if I get it working. I will probably use my Ananas closed loop stepper motors on the SK-Go and it will also get a Zesty Nimble/Mosquito upgrade.


Right now I'm just sorting through all the STL files I downloaded to determine which parts I need to print for each phase of the upgrades. I'm also trying to decide if I want to use the Bear X-axis setup or the Zaribo X-axis setup since they are a little different.

Hoping to order the Prusa upgrade kit and some different PETG filament at the end of the week.

 

[jfleisher]

Anyone tried out the Creality CR-10S Pro yet? I'm interested in the self leveling bed functionality.

 

[Bad Mojo]

Anyone tried out the Creality CR-10S Pro yet? I'm interested in the self leveling bed functionality.

We have three at work and I find that the self leveling worked okay. We eventually turned it off once we went to glass beds, because it wouldn't pick up on the glass. It hasn't been a big deal because we always print with rafts and that gives us time to adjust the bed level and get everything running smoothly. With that said it does mean we have to watch a print for a little while, but it helps insure that we catch any other problems that are cropping up. I know Creality has a new model coming out with a BLTouch, which I am interested in.

We have also purchased 5 CR-Xs because we prefer because of the dual material feature and we are working on filament run out on those and overall we have been pleased with those machines.