3D Printer? Now or in the near future? Let's discuss all types and levels of 3D Printing!

[lilroc17]

I also added a Flexion Extruder to mine. Great add on.

 

[Simmo]

Hey Guys what do you think of the Creality CR-10?
I've never had a printer before, but thinking of one of these? (not the real big one, prolly the middle one?)

 

[lilroc17]

Don't know anything about them. Just stay away from kits. Take a look at the Monoprice web site. And just like drone buying do your homework.

 

[lilroc17]

Take a look at this youtube channel Maker's Muse

 

[LuvMyTJ]

There are some great machines out there but it all comes down to your budget. The Wanhao & Monoprice are not high quality but they are where most people will test the waters so to speak. I went with the MP Ulitmate. I saw today in an email they have refurbs of that machine for $450 I think it was. Can't go wrong there.

 

[Kilrah]

Hey Guys what do you think of the Creality CR-10?

A friend of mine is happy with his.


That's very personal. My first machine was a custom build but I spent so many hours over months getting it right that it really pissed me off and became a waste of time, so the 2nd was a prefab. Yup cost twice as much, but I took it out and printed without hassle and that's priceless. Bit like some building a custom video quad and another buying a Mavic, guess what you find most on here
If I count my time and frustration the custom one cost me 4 times more and for less good a result.

Not even counting the fact that you can nowadays get some decent prefabs for less than the cost of the individual parts...

 

[RolandW]

Retired CNC machinist and shop owner here. I have a MakerGear M2 with single extruder and heated bed. It's rock-solid. I use Autodesk Fusion 360 for design and Simplify3D for slicing. Be sure to keep your filament in an airtight container with desiccant. It soaks up moisture from the air otherwise. If anybody wants to buy a couple of Haas machining centers, I'll make you a great deal!

 

[msinger]

I have a MakerGear M2 with single extruder and heated bed. It's rock-solid.

That's what I'm using too. MakerGear printers are made very well. They are also easy to level (and don't have to be re-leveled often).

Be sure to keep your filament in an airtight container with desiccant.

I store my filament in an airtight box (like this one) along with an Eva-Dry E-333 mini dehumidifier.

 

[RolandW]

That's what I'm using too. MakerGear printers are made very well. They are also easy to level (and don't have to be re-leveled often).


I store my filament in an airtight box (like this one) along with an Eva-Dry E-333 mini dehumidifier.

Yep, that's pretty much my setup. Love that Eva-Dry!
One of the first things I changed on my printer was to add a bracket to hold a dial test indicator for checking level. It stays easily within .001".
I suppose it was beginner's luck, but I had no issues with first-layer adhesion on bare glass the first few times I used the printer. When I started having trouble I got some cheap hairspray, and that seems to work. Tried glue stick but didn't like it.
I haven't flown my Mavic yet. It's supposed to get to mid-20s F on Wednesday, so I might give it a go then. When bringing it in from the cold, would it be good to put it in a container with the dehumidifier until it returns to room temperature?

 

[msinger]

I suppose it was beginner's luck, but I had no issues with first-layer adhesion on bare glass the first few times I used the printer.

I removed the polymide tape from the glass and spray Aqua Net extra super hold hair spray on the glass before warming up the printer bed. To release the prints, I put the glass in the freezer for about 10 minutes after the print finishes.

When bringing it in from the cold, would it be good to put it in a container with the dehumidifier until it returns to room temperature?

I've never done that and haven't had any trouble with my Mavic after bringing it indoors.

 

[RolandW]

I've only dried my beads a couple of times, but it worked OK. The first time it took a few hours, and the second time I left it plugged in while we were gone for the day. The beads were not badly saturated to start with either time. I like the convenience of just plugging it in instead of messing with the loose beads and an oven. I had a desiccant compressed air dryer a long time ago that I had to do that with, and it was a colossal pain.
The M2 is the only printer I've used, so I can't compare. I'm used to paying for CNC machine tools, so the price doesn't seem bad, but I know there are good machines for less. It really is well-made. The frame is rock-solid rigid, and pretty. I have it sitting on a heavy old steel desk, and it doesn't budge. I imagine a lighter machine would be dancing all over the place when making a lot of short moves at high speeds. I do wish I could connect to it with WiFi, although I'm not sure I would trust it for long runs. I had it stall one time when printing via USB, so now for anything that runs more than an hour or so, I use an SD card.

 

[msinger]

I imagine a lighter machine would be dancing all over the place when making a lot of short moves at high speeds.

I had this problem with both of my Flashforge Dreamer printers (which are made mostly of plastic). Placing an Isolate It pad under each leg of the printer fixed that issue.

 

[Kilrah]

I do wish I could connect to it with WiFi, although I'm not sure I would trust it for long runs. I had it stall one time when printing via USB, so now for anything that runs more than an hour or so, I use an SD card.

You can slap on a Raspberry Pi 3 running Octoprint. Piece of cake and reliable setup, have that built in in my printer (Robo R2) as the interface and it's never failed me once yet.

 

[msinger]

The new MakerGear M3 comes with Wi-Fi/OctoPrint built-in. I'm not planning on upgrading though since the new features don't seem too beneficial (unless you need to print with dual extruders).

 

[RolandW]

The new MakerGear M3 comes with Wi-Fi/OctoPrint built-in. I'm not planning on upgrading though since the new features don't seem too beneficial (unless you need to print with dual extruders).

Yeah, dual extruders would be nice, but I'll just get more experience with the M2 for the time being. If we get decent weather I'll be flying now too, so less time for designing & printing. So many hobbies, so little time!
What do you think about Markforged and carbon fiber? Mostly hype? Who knows: in a few years, metal printing might be within the reach of hobbyists.

 

[msinger]

What do you think about Markforged and carbon fiber? Mostly hype?

I haven't really ventured outside of printing with plastic. 3D printing is just getting started, so anything is possible.

 

[Lapeer20m]

I'm pretty sure I'm gonna need a 3D printer after reading this thread.

I did buy a cnc machine with a router head a couple years ago. It's 39" square. I considered at the time buying a 3D printer but thought the cnc machine was more practical.

 

[Kilrah]

I very recently got myself a Mosaic Palette+ for multicolor/material printing.
Still in the learning phase but it was the solution that seemed the most "balanced" to my liking. Solves pretty much all multi extruder limitations apart from print time, and at the cost of some wasted filament. No bleed since that's done in a transition tower.

And even if I have some improvements in mind it alerady works well, and said improvements can be implemented without hardware changes so should be quite future-proof.

I also have a 4030 CNC router, both complement each other well, been doing quite a few things that mixed both techniques lately. 3D printing is much easier and less time-consuming so prefer using that whenever appropriate.

 

[RolandW]

I'm pretty sure I'm gonna need a 3D printer after reading this thread.

I did buy a cnc machine with a router head a couple years ago. It's 39" square. I considered at the time buying a 3D printer but thought the cnc machine was more practical.

You'll love it: no chatter, no broken cutters, no worries about clamping to resist cutting forces. Not without problems, of course, but liberating in so many ways.

 

[RolandW]

I've taken to even printing my own fasteners. Last fall I designed a fairly ambitious assembly. The main component barely fit within my printer's build volume, and ran for about 12 hours (down from 26 after I increased the layer height). I originally assembled it with screws, but then decided that push pins would be better, since the nuts were difficult to access. Pins like that are common in the auto industry to hold various trim pieces. I looked and looked, but couldn't find the right size and grip length. Then it dawned on me: Duh, I can print my own. Took some trial and error to get them sized to push in just right, but now they're a perfect fit, and look great too.