3D printer recommendations

[aluomala]

I didn't know where this question would fit (since it's not Axiom CNC related) but I figured "Tips and Tricks" might be useful, since I am thinking about getting a 3D printer mainly to make things for the shop, to assist with my CNC work.

I don't have any experience with 3D printers, but I have seen that the price has come down enough that even if I don't use it all the time, it won't be a ridiculous expense. Plus I can make fun "man Barbies" (like Funko Pop figures and other action figures) for my desk and my shop. I just turned 50, and I heard that if you haven't grown up by the age of 50, you don't have to, so I have that going for me!

Has anybody gone down that road (3D printer to make tools for their CNC or shop or around the house)? I know I can use my CNC router to do some of that, but where's the fun in that? A new toy, er, tool to help me make stuff sounds good to me!

I would like want something relatively basic, but not so basic that I would immediately regret it,  but not so complicated that I need a doctorate to operate it. Operating costs (particularly the consumables) are something that I know can be painful if you choose the wrong machine (it might be cheap at the outset, but if the consumables are proprietary, it can get expensive in a hurry). Plus, I'm in Canada, so our options are a bit more limited, although Amazon, eBay etc make the world a smaller place.

Again, I'm focused more on something for making things for around the shop, not making battle-robots or whatever heavy duty applications out there that would demand a top of the line machine.

Thanks,

Allan

[johnb]

Beware of the shipping source...you don't want one that's "Coming from China". Forget anything that pops up in a Facebook link.

"You have to get older, you don't ever have to grow up"

[gerry]

I got my Creality 10S from TinyMachines3D.com. Browse through their offerings. This lets you bypass buying a printer from China for a small premium. You have NO RECOURSE if the China dealer screws you. Tiny Machines checks out the printer, upgrades to their optimized firmware, and are plain good people to deal with. And you don't wait 3 months. Beware of REALLY cheap 3D printers. You'll spend more on upgrading to a usable system. On the newer machines, I'd go with a 24V bed heater. Much faster warmup for the newer filaments.

A really good place to get models is Thingaverse. All free models. Try for searching for something like "battery cover", and you'll be impressed. 'Cura' is an excellent, free slicer. You must have one. It preps your model for printing and creates gcode. 

A very good investment is Octoprint. It's a web interface for your printer. It uses a $30 Raspberry Pi computer, and it's really easy to install and maintain. Check and control your printer printing via web page. I class it as a mandatory add-on.

[traindriver]

A co-worker bought one for $99 that will do something like 10" x 10" x 10". I was talking with him about features, and he said if he were to buy another one, he'd get one with an auto-leveling bed. On his, one of the axes is actually the bed, and the extruding head moves in the Z direction and the third axis direction. Thus, if the bed isn't level, the thing you make looks kind of melted on one side. Not being a 3d printer owner myself, I don't know why you would have a machine with the bed that moves versus one where the print head moves in all 3 axes.

[gaston]

Prusa i3, either kit or complete. Tons of reviews online all good. Plus, lots of youtube channels use it as their goto printer:

shop.prusa3d.com/en/3d-printers/180-original-prusa-i3-mk3-kit.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2L296fKd4AIVhYCfCh3KpgptEAAYASAAEgJdWPD_BwE

[gerry]

Thingaverse also has lots of Prusa parts.

[dans]

I bought a Robo 3D R2 back in November and it's worked out pretty well. Right out of the box it works on simple prints but there is a learning curve regarding temperatures, speeds, etc. for more complex stuff (and materials other than PLA and ABS).

It comes with Octoprint and Cura which is the slicer app. I've had better results using Simplify3D (about $150) for my slicer.

As Gerry noted, I lived on Thingaverse for about a month until I started designing my own parts.
I have a thread going on shared projects that shows some of the first "useful" parts I've printed to construct a dust/chip tray for my Axiom mill.

The support from Robo and the community has been very good.

Dan

[seanathan]

I've got a dremel 3D45 and I've been super happy with it. Nylon is the only material that's really given me trouble but the machine has been amazingly reliable. Heres my review of it:

[todddineen]

I got the qidi 2018 model from qidi tech a few years ago...I love it, it can do many types of different materials and comes with a heated bed. I also opted for the additional glass bed, comes in handy when doing hdpe plastics.

[mingler]

Jan 31, 2019 16:58:02 GMT -5 johnb said:

Beware of the shipping source...you don't want one that's "Coming from China". Forget anything that pops up in a Facebook link.

"You have to get older, you don't ever have to grow up"

Good advice here. I had a buddy get one from China and it did not last long, to say the least. If you're going to spend money on a 3D printer, I wouldn't go looking for a bargain. You want something that will last. 

[RetiredAFChief]

I picked up a Ender 5 Pro from Amazon and have enjoyed it.  I am not a power printer but as I see something I want I print.  It has done well for me and I learn something every time I turn it on.