Newbie help and discussion

[zinger565]

"Accidentally" ordered an Ender-3 v2 last weekend, figured I'd dive head-first into this complementary hobby. However, I have some questions, and I'm sure I'll have more.

• How long does Creality typically take to ship? There's no information on the v2 page, but other printers specifically call out "48 hours to ship".
• What are some good "first prints" to make sure things are running smoothly? Preferably useful and paintball related.
• Any solid suppliers of recycled filament?
• Do these things need a computer hooked up to them, or are they stand alone? The Creality website states the software runs on mac/windows, but their slicer runs on mac/windows/linux. I run linux on my home stuff, so definitely prefer whatever it needs to be able to run on that.
• Designing from scratch, the process is generally CAD -> STL file -> Slicer -> Print, correct?
• Best website for grabbing files? I've heard of thingiverse, but I also thought there was some recent issues/concerns with them?

Thanks in advanced, I know I'm asking a lot. I look forward to learning a ton and being able to contribute back to the MCB community.

[shooter311]

How long does Creality typically take to ship? There's no information on the v2 page, but other printers specifically call out "48 hours to ship".\
Sorry, I never ordered directly from them!
What are some good "first prints" to make sure things are running smoothly? Preferably useful and paintball related.
The sd card it comes with has a file of a dog to print, that will probably be your first file to print. The go to is a "Benchy" which is like a little tug boat looking thing. You can find them all over thingiverse.
Any solid suppliers of recycled filament?
I have not had decent luck with recycled filament. It is up to you to try. I recommend to people getting into the hobby to stick with Hatchbox PLA. It is by far the easiest to print with. I am a wholesaler. If you wanted a minimum of 5 rolls of one color, hit me up, I cna drop ship it to you at cost.
Do these things need a computer hooked up to them, or are they stand alone? The Creality website states the software runs on mac/windows, but their slicer runs on mac/windows/linux. I run linux on my home stuff, so definitely prefer whatever it needs to be able to run on that.
You don't need to hook it up to a computer, you can do everything via SD card. You need to run a Slicer program which the most popular by far is Cura which runs on Linux.
Designing from scratch, the process is generally CAD -> STL file -> Slicer -> Print, correct?
I design and just save as an .stl ->slicer -> printer. I use Tinkercad which is like designing with Crayons, but it works.
Best website for grabbing files? I've heard of thingiverse, but I also thought there was some recent issues/concerns with them?
Everyone has their preference and opinions. If you are just searching for something quick I think Thingiverse is by far the best.


I have known quite a few people who got into the hobby after seeing the things I have created, but they never bothered to create they just pull from Thingiverse and print. They tend to get bored of it and not use it much. However, the poeple that create are the ones that really get into it and have the most fun.

Good luck and have a blast! Reach out if you need any help.

[zinger565]

Thanks! I will definitely keep your offer in mind for the PLA.

[pghp8ntballer]

I ordered my Ender 3 V2 straight from creality on thanksgiving day (11/25). I received it Thursday 12/2 or Friday 12/3. So roughly a week should be expected.

[Spider!]

Printables. Com has some decent stuff to print as well.

I think you can still print directly from a slicer to the printer, but most people use the SD card to prevent communications hiccups, especially if you fiddle on the computer while printing or have multiple printers. You might trip over those settings.

Shooter311 has a point about getting more out of a printer with creating your own files. It is more interesting and rewarding. Another thing is that even simple parts can do a lot for you. I still make simple bushings and seals for all sorts of stuff. Sculptures and complex assemblies are impressive, but a cylinder or block of the exact size you need goes a long way.

[zinger565]

Thanks. I do have a spare laptop I can dedicate to this thing, it's literally doing nothing else right now, but I also get the simplicity of the SD card.

Will definitely be doing a lot of my own design work. I already have plans to print some improved eye covers for my SLG's and B2K4, as well as a bunch of other small stuff.

[Rainmaker]

Lot's of good advice and input so far. I'll try just to highlight or add where i think is most critical...

First Prints - start with something simple, fewer variables to address. Sure, the benchy or the dog, or any number of "printer test" models are great and fun!! but if you do print that first, and notice issues, then take a step back and do some other simple prints: XYZ Calibration Cube, or a Stringing test.

Filaments - My go-to's are Duramic and eSun lately. Never tried a recycled filament

SD vs Print From Computer - First, throw away the SD card that comes with the printer, garbage of unknown origin, may or may not cause skipped layers or frozen prints. Use a reputable brand SD car, I recommend a card with SMALLER capacity, like an 8GB or lower. For some reason, I've had a few issues with higher capaciyt cards. and .stl files are so small anyway, you won't need a big card. Also, printing from the computer is fine i suppose, but heaven forbid you should bump the USB cable at 11 hrs into a 14 hour print...

Design -> print - You've got the workflow down. For CAD software, do yourself a favor and go with Fusion360 (free), or maybe solidworks ($). Some learning curve, but well worth it. And honestly, once you get over feeling intimidated, it is actually really user friendly.

File sources - Other than thingiverse, i just use google to find what i'm looking for. There are too many file hosting sites to keep track of at this point. Whatever files you get though, do your due diligence when slicing the file, to look for issues (non-solid areas, intersecting surfaces, poor resolution, etc.), and if you find that the solid model has issues, you can try to repair it with something like Meshmixer.

[zinger565]

Cool, thanks. I've got a model for a 6-sided die that I might used to test, otherwise I'll go with the usual.

I hear ya on the SD cards. I have a 128GB PNY card I was planning to use, but I can go grab something smaller (or I might have something somewhere).

CAD software I'm actually somewhat comfortable with. Used Solidworks, Inventor, NX, and a few others in college/work. I have downloaded FreeCAD (linux compatible) and played around with it, seems very similar to Solidworks so far, at least as far as basic operations go.

I'll check out Meshmixer as a repair tool, thanks!

[pghp8ntballer]

zinger565 how long did it take for your Ender to show up?

[zinger565]

zinger565 how long did it take for your Ender to show up?

I placed my order Friday, June 10th. Received shipping notification on Tuesday the 14th, and it arrived Sunday the 19th (FedEx).

[MuddyBloodyFactory]

Print anything yet?!

[zinger565]

Print anything yet?!

No. It's been a terribly busy summer. I might try something this week though. I need to just jump in.

[Spider!]

Yeah, just grab a benchy or low poly pokemon file.

[ChoSanJuan]

Let's talk if you are going to be at the field next wed. Why you no ask already?