Buying a 3D printer

[Screwdriver]

you have a significant head start on me by understanding computer things far better than me.

I don’t need a printer but would like one. As you say it’s not very expensive, I’ve wasted more money on a night out on the town. I could easily assemble and set it up but I’m still put off by all the tech stuff I don’t understand

which specific one have you got?

I won’t ever go into it the same level of detail as you but I am interested in taking a step into the 21sr century

I went for the Ender 3 direct from Creality (link in this thread), @ £169 it was too tempting.

I will do a video of the process I go through from Thingiverse to model as much to practice with my new (to me) editing system as anything.

But:
find the model you want on Thingiverse
Download it
Drop it into a program called Cura which "slices" it and creates the path the nozzle goes to draw the layer
Take the micro SD card and pop it into the Ender
Hit print.

It is as easy as that. There are many ways it can go wrong but most of them are pretty obvious. Too hot too cold or the bed isn't level.

 

[Parm]

I went for the Ender 3 direct from Creality (link in this thread), @ £169 it was too tempting.

I will do a video of the process I go through from Thingiverse to model as much to practice with my new (to me) editing system as anything.

But:
find the model you want on Thingiverse
Download it
Drop it into a program called Cura which "slices" it and creates the path the nozzle goes to draw the layer
Take the micro SD card and pop it into the Ender
Hit print.

It is as easy as that. There are many ways it can go wrong but most of them are pretty obvious. Too hot too cold or the bed isn't level.

So the printer doesn’t even need to be connected to the PC?

I’ve just signed up to Thingiverse, it’s got everything and beyond in there. Way way more stuff than I’ll ever need

if I was at home I’d get one right now. But in in Devon now and I don’t really have anywhere suitable to set it up. I don’t even have a level or anything to set it up with

 

[daedalusminos]

About 60mm OAL

Definitely possible, is it just a dust cap orbdoes it need to retain water?

 

[Hood]

Definitely possible, is it just a dust cap orbdoes it need to retain water?

It needs to retain water and thus the reason for it being flexible. The size of the cap part is slightly smaller than the fitting so that it seals when pushed on. There is no pressure in the water, it is just there to stop the hoses leaking when you remove the torch from the cooler.

 

[Hood]

Just done a quick model of it showing what it looks like.

And in section.

 

[Screwdriver]

I obsessed about it being plumb square and level but it is not strictly necessary. I just did it because why not. The parts are machined accurately so should click bolt and screw together easily. All the tools you need are included in the kit. All of them. I avoided the Ender 3 Pro which might be better (the jury is still out) and I didn't go for the 3v2 because it's too new. Ton of people have the entry level Ender 3, there's an internet full of them and it just happens to be the very cheapest one (quelle surprise).

Open the box, set it up, watch a few YouTube vids for any problem areas, job done.

 

[Screwdriver]

Just done a quick model of it showing what it looks like.

View attachment 245608

And in section.

View attachment 245609

All you need is someone with some flexible filament. Send me a reel and I'll print it out for you

 

[Parm]

I obsessed about it being plumb square and level but it is not strictly necessary. I just did it because why not. The parts are machined accurately so should click bolt and screw together easily. All the tools you need are included in the kit. All of them. I avoided the Ender 3 Pro which might be better (the jury is still out) and I didn't go for the 3v2 because it's too new. Ton of people have the entry level Ender 3, there's an internet full of them and it just happens to be the very cheapest one (quelle surprise).

Open the box, set it up, watch a few YouTube vids for any problem areas, job done.

After a few beers this evening I will most probably join the 3D printing club

 

[Screwdriver]

After a few beers this evening I will most probably join the 3D printing club

Are you sure you're qualified?

 

[Hood]

All you need is someone with some flexible filament. Send me a reel and I'll print it out for you

How long would something like that take to print?

 

[Parm]

Are you sure you're qualified?

What to drink beer? Yep I think so

 

[Screwdriver]

What to drink beer? Yep I think so

In all seriousness though, I should point out these are cheap Chinese imports that can easily get hot enough to catch fire.

Not kidding either. That plus the fact they often take hours for a single print, sometimes days, means some care needs to be taken.

 

[Parm]

In all seriousness though, I should point out these are cheap Chinese imports that can easily get hot enough to catch fire.

Not kidding either. That plus the fact they often take hours for a single print, sometimes days, means some care needs to be taken.

that’s useful to know and in that case I definitely haven’t got anywhere safe for it here

 

[daedalusminos]

How long would something like that take to print?

I'd estimate 30-40mins - it's always good to optimise the design for 3D printing

 

[Hood]

I'd estimate 30-40mins - it's always good to optimise the design for 3D printing

Quite a time then.
I have been thinking about a printer on and off for a long time but the printing time puts me off.
Maybe my best bet is to make a mold and get some pourable polyurethane or something like that or better still find someplace that sells them

 

[Screwdriver]

Quite a time then.
I have been thinking about a printer on and off for a long time but the printing time puts me off.
Maybe my best bet is to make a mold and get some pourable polyurethane or something like that or better still find someplace that sells them

The printing time is nuts. Most of my little prints are several hours. The bigger stuff like the vice was two overnight jobs and some fiddly bits in the daytime.

It may be that you can ramp up the speeds on the bigger more expensive systems (much more expensive) but my guess is with the Ender 3, quality falls off exponentially with speed.

No such thing as a free lunch and @Parm, I would say they are potentially quite dangerous in the wrong environment. Leave a print going overnight, throw some kids or animals into the mix or just a failed sensor and they have been known to catch a bit on fire.

 

[daedalusminos]

Quite a time then.
I have been thinking about a printer on and off for a long time but the printing time puts me off.
Maybe my best bet is to make a mold and get some pourable polyurethane or something like that or better still find someplace that sells them

By far the best solution is to buy them ready made. Considering you can probably fit 6 to 8 of those on the print bed then just set it up in the morning and come back to it in the afternoon, you'll either have some lovely printed caps or a bloody awful mess.

 

[Bladevane]

@Parm

I don’t even have a level or anything to set it up with

The "level" we have been talking about is the relative height of the print bed to the nozzle. In a perfect world this must be even across the whole bed otherwise you will end up with a host of problems in the print. The bed does not need to be absolutely spirit-level level, although approaching it would be a good idea. A good solid board or bench would be good enough then set the nozzle height and level the bed to the nozzle. As Screwdriver said, time spent setting this up, making sure X, Y and Z stops are set right, machine is square and firm, runways are parallel and well lubricated etc. all helps reduce the possibility of duff prints. The first print I did was from the SD card supplied with the printer of a bracket included in the build. This contained all the start and end G Code, extrusion temperature, bed temperature, print speed, geometry for shell, top and bottom thickness, infill and a multitude of other stuff. It literally was switch on, load the file from the SD card (Yes, no computer connection needed) and press start. Some time later, and a whole shed load of amazement at what was going on, you end up with a 3D item. Magic.

 

[Bladevane]

All you need is someone with some flexible filament. Send me a reel and I'll print it out for you

Be careful. I've just read that direct drive extruders are recommended as flexible filament can cause problems in Bowden tube machines.

https://www.simplify3d.com/support/materials-guide/flexible/

 

[Screwdriver]

It is magic and while I thought it was a dim and distant memory, the NASA thing was, wait for it, only 2014!

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/3Dratchet_wrench

Six years ago the world was wowed by some crazy boffins emailing a ratcheting tool up to the space station. Here we are half a dozen years later and the technology is as cheap as chips. Now that is magic.