3D Printing Basics Questions

[pghp8ntballer]

So if someone wanted to get into 3D printing, how would you recommend going about it? I’m interested in it, but it’s clearly a deep pool.

I know CAD basics but don’t have software that’s usable since Fusion360 is no longer free to hobbyists with the ability to save files.

Is there a free full function CAD software you recommend or a cheap one for purchase?

What would be a good printer to go with; by this I mean one that comes with many essentials but won’t be too small. An Ender 3 sounds nice but roughly 8”x8”x8” is a bit small for my taste. Ideally a minimum of 12”x12”x12” would satisfy me for a very long time.

What reading material is recommended?

Starter filaments?

Required upgrades if not included with the base kit?

Anything else that is useful?

Cost is a huge factor here. Ideally $250 or less for everything to get rolling would be great but print size might be a limiter there.

Thoughts?

[XEMON]

Is there a free full function CAD software you recommend or a cheap one for purchase?

Sorry I can't help with this, I only use SOLIDWORKS ...

What would be a good printer to go with; by this I mean one that comes with many essentials but won’t be too small. An Ender 3 sounds nice but roughly 8”x8”x8” is a bit small for my taste. Ideally a minimum of 12”x12”x12” would satisfy me for a very long time.

What about the CR10?
there are lots of options, YouTube is a good place to get an idea of what they look like.

What reading material is recommended?

YouTube is a great resource, there are a few website too, I haven't found a good book because they are usually out of date by the time they get published ...

Starter filaments?

PLA would be where I start ...

Required upgrades if not included with the base kit?

Depends on what printer you get and what you want to do with it ...

Cost is a huge factor here. Ideally $250 or less for everything to get rolling would be great but print size might be a limiter there.

That is gonna be hard (impossible?) ...
You will have to temper your expectations in term of size and upgrades ... For that price you might get some "bare bone" printer, but it will needs lots of upgrades and tuning and messing with ... In the end you will probably have to spend another$2-300 on it to get something reliable and get decent prints ...

Thoughts?

Let us know if you have any questions, well help you as much as we can.
This is my 2ct ... Based on my personal experience ...

[Spider!]

I just had to renew my hobbyist license for fusion 360 last week. Everything seemed to come back where it was.

They don't make it easy to find and are always pruning it back, but it seems to be there still.

For whatever reason, licence renewal involves downloading software again.

[Rainmaker]

So, I know you kinda said "no" to the Ender 3... but honestly it's pretty much the best bang for the buck in the price range you are looking at. Also, 8x8x8 is really quite large, and you have to take into account that the bigger item you print, the longer it takes, and the more time/chance the thing has to get Fubar'd. My printer is the good old 8" cube, and I've never really felt limited. I also never really feel comfortable running a print longer than 24 hrs. Really, to make an object big enough to take advantage of a huge print area like that would take a looong time. I don't know, maybe just personal preference.

Filaments that are tried and true: eSun PLA+, Duramic PLA+, Overture PLA+. Start there. There are always new brands popping up, and dying out, just read reviews.

Upgrades: if you get a cheaper printer, you may struggle with bed adhesion (most do). The FIRST thing you do is up the bed temp, re-level while hot, re-level again.... and then buy a $15 sheet of PEI if all else fails. Sometimes it's user error (hence all the leveling), sometimes it's the bed surface itself (hence PEI). Otherwise, you don't really NEED lots of upgrades for the current hobbyist printers, lots of stuff comes standard these days. And once you get started printing, you'll find out what things you like and don't like.

I personally have 2 Anycubic i3 Mega's, and one Ender 3. I like all of them, they each have their quirks, but you work through it as you go.

[pghp8ntballer]

Man, quoting and "@"ing people is buggy right now...

Thank you all for the input!

I just had to renew my hobbyist license for fusion 360 last week. Everything seemed to come back where it was.

They don't make it easy to find and are always pruning it back, but it seems to be there still.

For whatever reason, licence renewal involves downloading software again.

Good to know. I struggled to find the hobbyist license a year or so ago. When I went back into the software about a month ago, I got an "update required" bit that pushed me to a web-based program that only allows be to create but not save. I don't qualify for the student license. I will do some more digging though.

Rainmaker, great info there. That is the type of feedback I'm looking for pertaining to size. I don't really have any perspective to capabilities by size of print area. I just don't want to get machine "x" and find out in short order that I needed machine "y" to accomplish it. The vast majority of things I print would be well within the print area of the Ender 3. Of the units you have, what do you think is the best bang for the buck out of the box? Any real quirks that would make you hesitate buying one of those machines over the other?

Xemon, reading material would be any walkthrough, how-to articles, or websites that you find to be a solid go-to for tips, tricks, reminders, etc. I only use YouTube and videos when I have too. I prefer to get my info the old fashioned way...by reading. I would rather read a 10 page article about someone's review of the new super-awesome paintball marker than watch a 10 minute video review of the same thing. I just looked up a comparison article of the CR10 and Ender 3. So good info there. The Cr10 would be in the original size range I was interested in but it sounds like the Ender 3 has some better features out of the box for less money.

Any other recommendations for printers? Tips for specific models to shoot for (Ender 3 Pro vs standard, I3 Mega S vs standard, etc)?

[Lane]

Regarding build size, agree with Rainmaker on the Ender 3 build plate size being adequate for the majority of items. I've got an Ender 5 which is similar in size and for the few times where I've exceeded the build size it's been easy enough to split the model, print it in two or more separate pieces and then glue them together. Even with prints well within the print size it can make a lot of sense to split the model and print components that can be glued or snapped together. One large benefit to the Ender 3 is the large user community as almost any issue you may encounter has likely already been encountered by someone and has documented corrections. I started using a glass build plate to make leveling easier and more consistent and have found that wiping it down with isopropyl alcohol before each print helps a lot with bed adhesion. Any oils from your fingers will mess with proper adhesion. I've also seen people buy metal feeler gauges to help get the bed level and nozzle offset correct. Other recommendations would be PTFE Capricorn if you begin having issues with the bowden system but I wouldn't worry about that right away.

[XEMON]

Xemon, reading material would be any walkthrough, how-to articles, or websites that you find to be a solid go-to for tips, tricks, reminders, etc.

[...]

Any other recommendations for printers? Tips for specific models to shoot for (Ender 3 Pro vs standard, I3 Mega S vs standard, etc)?

I have no affiliation with them, but they have some great (really great) article and how-to ...

https://m.all3dp.com/

The ender 3 pro has a mean well power supply ... Compare to the no-brand knock off so that's a safety hazard for me ...
Anything cheaper than the ender will not have as much support and you will be a lot lonelier to troubleshoot ...
I am extremely familiar with the ender 3 and cam guide you through need/want/stay away upgrades ....

[pghp8ntballer]

I have no affiliation with them, but they have some great (really great) article and how-to ...

https://m.all3dp.com/

The ender 3 pro has a mean well power supply ... Compare to the no-brand knock off so that's a safety hazard for me ...
Anything cheaper than the ender will not have as much support and you will be a lot lonelier to troubleshoot ...
I am extremely familiar with the ender 3 and cam guide you through need/want/stay away upgrades ....

Oh thanks! That’s the website I found with the comparison of the Creality printers. Ya, I like the idea of a name brand PSU for sure.

[pghp8ntballer]

So it looks like the glass bed is a fairly cheap option straight from Creality. I guess that would be a good idea from the get-go.

What allows a printer to use different filaments? I see from the mfg websites that the i3 Mega S can print in TPU and wood but the ender does not.
Is it a simply nozzles, bed temps, etc that allow it or is it something more involved?

[XEMON]

I print both form my Ender ...

Wood (or any other "loaded" filaments are hard on nozzle (consumable)
As for TPU, you will need to print a few upgrades and spend some time getting your setting perfect ... TPU and bowden is not generally recommended because you loose control in the bowden so you need to compensate with super precise settings and tight tolerance hardware.

[pghp8ntballer]

Thanks! That’s very helpful

[pghp8ntballer]

Quick update: I’ve done a good bit of reading on all3dp.com. Learned about the differences in Enders and other units, slicers, and other basics.

I got Fusion360 back up and running.

I’ve decided on the Ender 3 V2. This will likely be a Christmas present from the wife. I am sure the kids will enjoy it too and hopefully they will take a strong interest in it. I’ll post up when this comes to fruition.

I appreciate all the help! Now I just need to dig more into slicers. If you all have any more tips or suggestions then post up!

[XEMON]

I am really enjoying SuperSlicer ... easy to go through, simple layout and amazing results (much better print quality than Cura)

[pghp8ntballer]

Yes, I saw your thread about it. I was going to install it to take a gander but I’ve never downloaded anything through github so I didn’t totally understand what I was looking at.

[XEMON]

Save yourself some headache and find a pre-compiles one for whatever op. sys. you're using

[Spider!]

For sure on the pre-compiled.

It took me a while to figure out how to download a set of Marlin software from GitHub. Now, I can't remember how I did it. :/

[pghp8ntballer]

Update: I ordered an Ender 3 V2 on thanksgiving day. I also ordered a CR touch auto leveling kit (I will learn manual first) and spare brass and tungsten nozzles. I assume they are tungsten carbide coated tool steel. Creality’s website isn’t exactly the easiest Engrish to read.

I got superslicer up and running, found a 3D printing basics video set that demystified a lot of stuff, and looked at a plethora of mods, upgrades, and how-to’s so I should be able to get rolling quickly.

I also ordered some cleaner filament for cold pulls and 1kg rolls of black and white Overture PLA.

[XEMON]

Welcome to the club!

The ender3 is a beast of a workhorse with some slight upgrades. Let us know if you have any questions.

[Rainmaker]

Sounds like a well thought out recipe for success. Honestly, you're starting off in a much better position than I did. Looking forward to seeing what you print

[pghp8ntballer]

Thanks guys!