3D Printer Help, Discussions and Designs

[muDped]

There are methods to attain very smooth 3D printouts:

This is one method.

A video on how to use XTC-3D

Liquid 3D printing

Simple way to make ultra-smooth 3D prints at home

Finding someone who has the proper equipment and technique
for a reasonable price may be a challenge.

The Ultimate Guide to Finishing 3D Printed Parts as it is done
by most who want smooth detail.

[muDped]

That is an incredibly built little machine Grum!

Before being bitten by the Electrical/Electronic Bug as a youngster
that is where my interest was. I had dreams of becoming a
machinist who could make all sorts of steam and other engines.

If only our lives were two or three hundred years in order to
achieve all kinds of different skills!  Maybe in the future after the
Big Change we'll have that kind of life where we can pursue many,
many different skill paths.  We'll see!

[Grumage]

Thanks for the interesting links and compliments muDped. 

Cheers Graham.

[Magluvin]

Creality does it again.  Assembly line printer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo_J57U6DO4

Mags

[JimBoot]

Wow that is pretty awesome mags thanks for sharing

[Paul-R]

Creality does it again.  Assembly line printer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo_J57U6DO4

Mags

Interesting but how speeded up is it? Also, are there figures for the engineering characteristics -  compressive, shear stresses etc

[Magluvin]

Thnaks guys

The advantage is that it can continually produce parts. No in between removal of the finished part and then restart.


Mags

[JimBoot]

In the market for a new printer. Any suggestions in the 3-400 range?

[Magluvin]

In the market for a new printer. Any suggestions in the 3-400 range?

I only have experience with Creality Ender 3 pro.   Love it.  No problems so far.


Mags

[JimBoot]

Thanks Mags, that's the feedback I have from others too.

[conradelektro]

In the market for a new printer. Any suggestions in the 3-400 range?

I have the Creality Ender 3 Pro since April and I am happy with it. I only printed about 50 things, but it worked fine. I found set up videos on YouTube, which helped a lot. It took me half a day till the first print. Height adjustment of the print platform before every print is cumbersome, but what do you expect for 230.--?

My plan was to eventually buy an Original Prusa i3 MK3S kit (or a commig model), but I now use Prusa 3D-printers in a shop where I can go for 40.-- a month and use all the tools, PCs and machines 24/7. This shops are called "maker cafes" or "maker shops". You have to look at several shops to find one of your liking. And join for the shortest period possible in order to check it out. I switched shops after half a year. I prefer that somebody is in shop to keep the things in order and clean. This is more expensive than the shops where the members have to do the cleaning and organising themselves. Well, people are like me, they drop everything when finished.

Greetings, Conrad

[conradelektro]

I like the Prusa Mini very much, but I have never used one. The reviews and YouTube videos are very favourable:

https://shop.prusa3d.com/en/3d-printers/994-original-prusa-mini.html leadtime 7 weeks, EUR 375.--

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce4oluQxyc0

https://pick3dprinter.com/original-prusa-mini-review/

https://all3dp.com/1/original-prusa-mini-review-3d-printer-specs/

[JimBoot]

THanks Conrad I've gone with the ender 3 V2.

[Magluvin]

THanks Conrad I've gone with the ender 3 V2.

Nice.. let me know how it is.  Make sure belts are tight.  That was an issue I had with issues in surface irregularities, like side walls. So not an issue with printer. An issue with assembly.


Mags

[Paul-R]

You guys need to get real.

Unless you are making ornaments for your mantlepiece, you need to know how strong these products are. For all you know, they may have no more strength than Edinburgh Rock.

[conradelektro]

You guys need to get real.

Unless you are making ornaments for your mantlepiece, you need to know how strong these products are. For all you know, they may have no more strength than Edinburgh Rock.

For all who have not yet bought a 3D-Printer:

The printed objects are very strong and can be made even stronger by design (adding strengthening support-structures). Like all plastic products, the printed objects do not like heat, more than 80 centigrades are a problem. Strange enough the printed objects are not watertight without treatment (painting or heating the surface for a few seconds with a flame).

Industry often uses 3D-printers to fabricate prototypes. But more and more 3D-printers are used to fabricate products which have to be customized. Also metal parts can be 3D-printed, but these printers are expensive an need housings and very god ventilation with good air filters.

I am using a 3D-printer as a hobbyist to make strange contraptions (machines generating electrostatic charges, strange electric motors). Very complicated and functional parts can be made. Agreed, what I make is of no practical value but for me it is educational and entertaining.

If you ever tried to make something at home, you will be amazed what can be done with a 3D-printer. If you make bigger objects, parts can be glued together. It is very practical to print hinges or fasteners for use with wooden or metal parts.

The big hurdle when 3D-printing is making the technical 3D drawing. The slicing (translating the 3D-drawing into gcode) and the printing are almost trivial after gaining a little experience.

It is important to choose the right printer, I suggest Prusa printers or the new creality cr 6 se (which have many weeks of lead time). All 3D-printers that need manual print bed leveling are a hussle and not well suited for beginners.

I am a 3D-printer fan.

Greetings, Conrad

[Paul-R]

For all who have not yet bought a 3D-Printer:

The printed objects are very strong and can be made even stronger by design (adding strengthening support-structures)...

Yes, but for any given material, do you have a Vickers Hardness Number, the shear stress, Youngs modulus? i.e. if using 3D printed parts for rotating prototypes, a likely scenario, at what speed would a section x mm x y mm start to fly apart under centrepetal forces?

[Magluvin]

You guys need to get real.

Unless you are making ornaments for your mantlepiece, you need to know how strong these products are. For all you know, they may have no more strength than Edinburgh Rock.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=strong+3d+prints


Mags

[conradelektro]

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=strong+3d+prints

Mags

Very nice collection of helpful videos, thank you.

Greetings, Conrad

[partzman]

Here is a 5 flange bobbin printed PLA in 5 pieces for an EC52 ferrite core.  The printer used is a Prusa i3 MK2 which is so accurate that these pieces are designed with .004" (.1mm) clearance so they actually snap together and then are glued with CA.  The wall thickness is .050" (1.27mm)

This bobbin design provides a very low inter-winding capacitance in any given inductor.

Regards,
Pm

[giantkiller]

I have Prusa i3 MK2 too.But graduated to a 4(X) foot x 8(Y) foot x 6(Z) inch Warthog router table. By swapping heads I can do just about anything.

[JimBoot]

I have Prusa i3 MK2 too.But graduated to a 4(X) foot x 8(Y) foot x 6(Z) inch Warthog router table. By swapping heads I can do just about anything.

That sounds like a sweet setup. Nice output too.

[Grumage]

Who needs em? 

From my post here:-

https://www.overunityresearch.com/index.php?topic=3701.msg83013#msg83013

Some " quality " seasond Beech.... And a 3 axies CNC milling machine.

Cheers Graham.

[Paul-R]

Some " quality " seasond Beech.... And a 3 axies CNC milling machine.

This is fine but I strongly suspect it is seriously expensive.

[Allcanadian]

Anyone using Blender?.

Started using the software a week ago and it's like CAD on steroids. Super easy to create 3D meshes and save/edit as stl files. I suspect this is 90% faster than using FreeCad or other programs and it's open source/free.

This guy using blender is incredible...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jHUY3qoBu8