Home Use 3D Printer

[DalekSec]

I've recently started a course in Fusion 360 to get into CAD/CAM work. Getting to the point where i'd like to design and print things but i have pretty much 0 knowledge of 3D Printers.

 

Can anyone recommend a good 3D for under 1k? I'm ok with second hand or refurb all i'm after is that it works with Fusion 360, WiFi Enabled and a built in camera for remote viewing as a plus.

 

Our DT Dept use makerbots (they have about 10 now..) and they seem like a good option but they are a pretty penny!

 

Any advice would be great

[mikeprice]

I used to help in a local Museum that did Science and Tech lessons for Primary school

I helped them get a couple of Ultimaker 3d printer working and set up

 

They seemed pretty good - but again were expensive

 

What I did discover was a free web site called TinkerCAD - very simple but with some effort you could make most things except complex curves

lots of premade stuff as well - which saved a lot

[noelmm]

This really depends on what you expect from the machine. If you want something you don't need to modify or tweak and is ready to print out of the box Ultimaker printers are great (our DT dept. has a clone), if you're happy to tweak it and improve it something like an Ender 3 or Ender 5 (anything from Creality really) is a good place to start. There are loads of Facebook groups and forums and YouTube videos ready to help and show you what to improve.

 

The best bit of the kits is you get to build it, this makes troubleshooting easier as you understand the machine and when it goes wrong, which it will your have more knowledge to help. While I own 2 Tevo printers (now named Homers) I would stay away from them. While both my printers print very well the customer service is non-existent so if you need any spare parts or it arrives damaged you're out of luck.

[DalekSec]

Did have a look at ultimakers but even 2nd out is out of my budget, tbf most half decent ones look out of budget! Think i'll hold off for awhile longer as i'm currently saving for a new MacBook and taking the hit on that and a 3D printer will be too much. Might just borrow one from DT as the DT Teacher said i could over the hols, sure he will let me borrow over lockdown 3!

[mikeprice]

There are always some cheap ones on ebay

 

naturally $deity knows how well they work - but this sort of thing is like exercise bikes - people buy them then use them for a few weeks then get fed up

 

so they get sold

 

a decent make might be worth the risk

 

I would if we had room - but apparently it is more important to have 3 spare bedrooms so the grandkids can stay over

maybe I need another shed?????

[Driftingforlife]

I have a Ender 3, they are a great starting point and even better if you want to learn about modding/improving your printer, it can teach you a lot or spend more on a printer that can do it all already.

 

For reference, My ender 3 was £180, I have spend about another £250 on it adding a better mobo, direct drive and ABL.

 

Avoid the CR6 SE, I would recommend an upgraded printer right off the bat like one of these two although i'd upgrade the E5 to use direct drive.

 

https://technologyoutlet.co.uk/collections/creality3d/products/creality3d-cr-10-v3-3d-printer

 

https://technologyoutlet.co.uk/collections/creality3d/products/creality-ender-5-plus-3d-printer

[noelmm]

I think if I was to buy a Creality (and I may get one in the future) I would look a the newer Ender 6, https://technologyoutlet.co.uk/collections/creality3d/products/creality3d-ender-6-corexy-3d-printer for the price it's a CoreXY which means it should be more stable and allow you to print quicker and apart from adding ABL from the reviews I've read there isn't much else you need to do to it.

 

The most important thing with 3d printers is consider the one you buy a starting point, almost every printer can be made better if you want to and as you get more interested in the subject you'll probably want to modify what ever you buy.

[DalekSec]

I have a Ender 3, they are a great starting point and even better if you want to learn about modding/improving your printer, it can teach you a lot or spend more on a printer that can do it all already.

 

For reference, My ender 3 was £180, I have spend about another £250 on it adding a better mobo, direct drive and ABL.

 

Avoid the CR6 SE, I would recommend an upgraded printer right off the bat like one of these two although i'd upgrade the E5 to use direct drive.

 

https://technologyoutlet.co.uk/collections/creality3d/products/creality3d-cr-10-v3-3d-printer

 

https://technologyoutlet.co.uk/collections/creality3d/products/creality-ender-5-plus-3d-printer

 

I think if I was to buy a Creality (and I may get one in the future) I would look a the newer Ender 6, https://technologyoutlet.co.uk/collections/creality3d/products/creality3d-ender-6-corexy-3d-printer for the price it's a CoreXY which means it should be more stable and allow you to print quicker and apart from adding ABL from the reviews I've read there isn't much else you need to do to it.

 

The most important thing with 3d printers is consider the one you buy a starting point, almost every printer can be made better if you want to and as you get more interested in the subject you'll probably want to modify what ever you buy.

 

Thanks both, these are way more in the budget where i was hoping! The Ender 6 looks like a winner.

[Davit2005]

I've recently started a course in Fusion 360 to get into CAD/CAM work. Getting to the point where i'd like to design and print things but i have pretty much 0 knowledge of 3D Printers.

 

Can anyone recommend a good 3D for under 1k? I'm ok with second hand or refurb all i'm after is that it works with Fusion 360, WiFi Enabled and a built in camera for remote viewing as a plus.

 

Our DT Dept use makerbots (they have about 10 now..) and they seem like a good option but they are a pretty penny!

 

Any advice would be great

 

I have a Prusa MK3, bought in kit form took me a few days to build but you can get them pre-built for under 1k. This is my first 3d printer too. You could use OctoPrint for most of the features like a camera if OctoPrint compatible with the printer?

 

I'd recommend the following YouTube channels Teaching Tech and Thomas Sanladerer

 

The one thing that I was concerned about was getting a 3d printer that had proprietary slicing software. The Prusa comes with PrusaSlicer which is based on Slic3r and was easily exporting from Fusion360 to a format which the slicer could recognise.

 

But as others have said there are printers out there which are cheaper, very easy to modify and plenty of upgrade options such as the Ender 3

Edited January 7, 2021 by Davit2005

[Driftingforlife]

^120% Teaching Tech, he has made a website to help with the setup and calibration on a printer that is a huge help.

 

I use F360 and Cura and it works well for me.

[Ditto]

How are you all getting on with your 3D printers?

 

My son bought and Ender 3 from creality for £120 and I have to say the print quality was surprisingly good on test runs. Sadly, it died on day three when the bulldog clip holding the fibreglass print bed on the heater touched the vertical frame upright, sparked and although the LCD lights, no display now comes up. Dead motherboard is anticipated. A quick test with my recently purchased multimeter shows 24v on the heater bed suggestion a serious electrical fault. We have just contacted Creality to get a replacement or refund. We'll now have to wait and see how good the customer service is, but I'm expecting return postage and quick turnaround.

[Brutal]

How are you all getting on with your 3D printers?

My son bought and Ender 3 from creality for £120 and I have to say the print quality was surprisingly good on test runs. Sadly, it died on day three when the bulldog clip holding the fibreglass print bed on the heater touched the vertical frame upright, sparked and although the LCD lights, no display now comes up. Dead motherboard is anticipated. A quick test with my recently purchased multimeter shows 24v on the heater bed suggestion a serious electrical fault. We have just contacted Creality to get a replacement or refund. We'll now have to wait and see how good the customer service is, but I'm expecting return postage and quick turnaround.

 

You can't beat the Ender 3 for the price. Before it was released in 2018, the next closest 3D Printer (cost wise) was the Anet A8, an absolute steaming hunk of garbage. The frame was made out of acrylic, it had half a dozen severe safety problems that started several house fires, etc. The Ender 3 isn't perfect by any stretch, but it's a far cry better than that.

 

However, the generic China power supply that Creality sends is crap. It's not properly grounded and it can lead to electrical shorts. It's strongly advised to either ground it (videos on Youtube) or replace it with something reputable like a Meanwell.

[Davit2005]

Agreed the Ender 3 is really customizable and compared to assembly of the Prusa MK3 looks easy (if you buy it in kit form), kit form of Prusa is a few days work unless you are really committed, dedicated and have the patience it is literally assembly of nearly every part but the instructions are pretty clear with a small pack of Haribo's to add a few sugary breaks :-) Edited June 23, 2021 by Davit2005

[Ditto]

You can't beat the Ender 3 for the price. Before it was released in 2018, the next closest 3D Printer (cost wise) was the Anet A8, an absolute steaming hunk of garbage. The frame was made out of acrylic, it had half a dozen severe safety problems that started several house fires, etc. The Ender 3 isn't perfect by any stretch, but it's a far cry better than that.

 

However, the generic China power supply that Creality sends is crap. It's not properly grounded and it can lead to electrical shorts. It's strongly advised to either ground it (videos on Youtube) or replace it with something reputable like a Meanwell.

So far, customer service seem to be stalling wanting videos/photos of the problem - we don't have a video of the spark! They are now asking for pictures of any signs of shorting on the motherboard. I know there aren't any - it's probable the main processor is fried/dead, but doesn't show up visibly. I'll go along with it for one more cycle, but then I will quote the distant selling regulations, consider reporting to trading standards and insist on a full replacement or refund. I hope they play ball as I would be happy to accept a replacement and take your advice on the power supply, but suspect the heat bed is live on the exposed edges, through the fixing bolt, but not the bed itself (anodised by Aluminium oxide presumably). That at least is not on the 240V side of mains supply, but either a manufacturing fault or a massive design error. I can see the soldered connection to the heatbed on the underside, and they are not insulated, so it's not a good on that point alone. I'm not sure how well the distant selling regulations can be used being a chinese company, but it was clearly shipped in the UK. My ultimate backstop, I hope, is we bough on credit card to might be able to get refund that route.

 

Thanks for the tip on the Meanwell PSU - are these or alternatives available in UK.

[Ditto]

Agreed the Ender 3 is really customizable and compared to assembly of the Prusa MK3 looks easy (if you buy it in kit form), kit form of Prusa is a few days work unless you are really committed, dedicated and have the patience it is literally assembly of nearly every part but the instructions are pretty clear with a small pack of Haribo's to add a few sugary breaks :-)

I don't know about earlier versions, by my just turned 14 year old put it together in a couple of hours with no help and it worked first time. The main effort seems to be bolting the vertical framework together, assembling the components and plugging a few connectors in. The bed and all the main moving parts were pre-built.

[Ditto]

Quick update - endless stalling! They want video and more pictures and have now asked:

- unplug the heating wire of the hot bed on the motherboard, and then turn it on again to see if the printer can be turned on normally? Provide a video of the printer booting up.- tear off the tape on the right rear corner of the hot bed, and check whether there are burn marks on the hot bed line?

 

No way! I'm not dismantling pre-built parts and either way, it's a non-function printer and that isn't changing regardless of the results of following their instructions. In the last correspondence I asked clearly for them to provide a return label and advise if they wish to replace of refund - they've ignored that. So the next reply will be 100% clear and I plan to quote distant selling regulations. One more day, then it's on to the credit card company. Seriously, for £120, you'd think they'd just take it back. The only small positive is they are replying quickly.

[Chris_Cook]

The Flashforge printers are pretty good, and not too expensive. There's a good range between basic and more expensive models. Our DT dept has several Finders and a Creator Pro.

 

It seems like they are less faff that the prusa/ender ones, if you want to just focus on printing. If you want something to fiddle with and upgrade, then the ender might be quite a good one.

[Ditto]

The Flashforge printers are pretty good, and not too expensive. There's a good range between basic and more expensive models. Our DT dept has several Finders and a Creator Pro.

 

It seems like they are less faff that the prusa/ender ones, if you want to just focus on printing. If you want something to fiddle with and upgrade, then the ender might be quite a good one.

Thanks for this. The Finders version look a possibility, but we'd have to fund an extra £100 beyond his budget, but it might be the best option.

 

I would be interest to understand if it's a design fault with the Ender 3. If anyone has one and a voltmeter, I'd be interested to see if you get -24.0V showing from the heatbed to ground. We needed to test between the bolt holding it in place or on the plate edge. Nothing showed up on the plate surface.

[Davit2005]

Thanks for this. The Finders version look a possibility, but we'd have to fund an extra £100 beyond his budget, but it might be the best option.

 

I would be interest to understand if it's a design fault with the Ender 3. If anyone has one and a voltmeter, I'd be interested to see if you get -24.0V showing from the heatbed to ground. We needed to test between the bolt holding it in place or on the plate edge. Nothing showed up on the plate surface.

 

Have you tried reaching out to Teaching Tech https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbgBDBrwsikmtoLqtpc59Bw , Nerdly YouTube cannels or forums. Teaching Tech would defo be first option. So many people have these I jus cannot see it been a usual problem myself. Customer service should still be better so little consolation I know.

Edited July 2, 2021 by Davit2005