Having just sold all my fishing gear, which will free up a lot of spare time I am thinking of getting into the 3D printing especially now there is some plug and play printers and a lot faster too, but something in the back of my mind is holding me back ( will I really use it or is it the novelty which will soon wear off) How do you guys find it? are files easy to find? how much will it all cost?
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Brian,
I'm just a year into 3D printing - it's a fairly steep learning curve - ' plug & play' isn't always that simple. Of the two types of printer, the SLA, or resin has the best detail potential, but has a downside in toxic resin, fumes & a need for post processing & curing - you really need access to a non domestic workspace!
FDM, or filament printing, the type I use, doesn't need any special area - my printer(s) sit in my living room on computer desks. No fumes, and the little noise still allows me to watch TV! It's not as detailed as SLA, and slower, but the prints dont need curing.
Cost wise - it depends on how deep your pockets are! I initially bought a self assembly FDM printer & got started for about the £100 mark - useful, as it taught me how the printer worked. 300m reels of filament cost about £15
Resin printers run about the same price, but you'll also need a wash & curing station. Resin can be expensive, from £20-30 a litre.
You'll need a reasonably up to date computer to run the software anything under 2 years old should cope. You do have to have a bit of technical savvy, and patience is essential, failed prints are part of the learning curve.
Models on the internet?
Free models https://www.thingiverse.com/
another useful site is https://cults3d.com/en - which is a mix of free & paid for models. There are loads of other sites, specialising in a particular genre ( ie dungeons & dragons ). There are any number of 'how to' videos on YouTube, they can be confusing to a beginner!
- fast printing is relative - a complicated print can take many hours - one of my last prints took 24 hours - a fast printer would only take around 8 hours!
Commercial 3d printing has been around for many years, it's only in the last few years that home printers have become viable, and are still developing
Dave -
Thanks Dave that's answered all my questions
one more if I may would you get the best you can afford or just something to get you started .....later planning to buy something better.
My computer is new top end gaming PC which I built myselfComment
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Like you I have been going to enter the 3D printing scene, but am put off by how much it will be used, I am not into downloading files and printing just anything like Goths etc as I reall have no interest in that type of modelling.
I read Dave's comments all the time and his experiences are a mine of information.
What type??? I personally would go for the resin as opposed to the rod fed system, basically because of space.
And I agree with you will it be a fad or a usefull tool.Comment
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It depends on what you are going to print! Size, quality all factor in. My first printer ( self assembly ) was an Anet A6 - which took a lot of tinkering to get it to print adequately - but it has an acrylic frame ( 8mm sheet ), that isn't that rigid. I bought an Ender 3 clone - a Sunlu T3 which has an aluminium extruded framed chassis and is very stable. I don't need speed - I can print overnight, and I don't need Wi-Fi connectivity or a colour touch screen - they're nice to have, but not essential.
Personally I'd try & get a used model from Ebay, so If you decide 3D printing isn't for you, there's no capital loss!
If money was no object, I'd look at Bambu, Flashforge & Creality in FDM printers - I've no experience of resin printing & living in a mid-floor means realistically, I couldn't use one.............
Dave
You might like to follow my first steps.................
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Was Looking @ the Bambu X1C that's what I sold my fishing pole for
Mike can't go for resin not enough space (printer, cleaning station, curing station)
Dave will have a look at your first steps thanks
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Two of Mikes questions are the same ones that were asked about paper printing, and then about digital cameras……will it be a fad, or will it be a useful tool. Well, they’ve been answered, and it will be the same for 3D printing. It's not quite entered the mass market yet, but it’s coming, and coming fast.
Personally I’m holding back until resin printing eliminates most of the toxic aspects because the results are so much better than filament for the applications I envisage using it for. I’m sure better, less toxic, resins are in development, and once they become available resin printing will dominate the market in the same way inkjets took over from ribbon and dot matrix printers.Comment
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Tim It's not just the toxicity of the resin It's the mess and the washing after printing in isopropanol alc then the uv station to cure it too much faff
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I've already seen water washable resin, so like you Tim I expect the whole process to get much more domestic-user friendly, hence I'm also waiting.Comment
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Never been good at waiting who knows what's around the corner.
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Just my thoughts. If you are interested only in 3D printed parts for your models, rather like PE and 3D decals, then maybe just buy what you need from one of the growing number of commercial 3D printers. If however you would enjoy the process and want to learn 3D printing then buying a printer would be a good way to spend your modelling pennies.
Also just out of interest. If someone on the forum invested in a 3D printer would they be OK to print parts for other forum members? Would they be allowed to charge for the parts?
Just thinking out loud :smiling2:Comment
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Bambu has had a few problems, not least that it is a closed system, think Apple, and so not being improved by the users, whereas some others can be.
Have a look at some of the YouTube reviews , and then see if the people did an update later to explain problems that materialised.Comment
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looking at the resin printers again and you can buy wash and cure units .....saves space need to do more research, leaning more towards resin
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