Which 3d printer ?

[Onoff]

Super quick this X1C!

 

 

[CADjockey]

Love my Creality Ender 5-S1. When the plumbers fitted the shower tray traps it was a godsend to be able to design and print some custom parts for the air/water trap that I am damn sure they just chucked out because they didn't fit! Am sure it's ancient now though!

Edited July 12, 2024 by CADjockey
added image

[Onoff]

My lad came up with this Pokemon themed 35mm film holder for his mate. Embedded neodymium magnets in each face. First attempt. You can see the magnets through the layers on the red half:

 

 

 

Same mate he made the Deus Ex B3 Wingman (toy gun from a game) for.

They're both 25 FFS! 

 

Then this, a Dewalt to Ryobi battery adapter in green PETG:

 

 

 

Edited July 31, 2024 by Onoff

[Onoff]

Temporary phone case printed in black TPU "rubber":

 

 

 

 

[Temp]

Metal Detector work in progress...

Carbon tube and 3D printed parts including coil frame. Still printing some parts.

 

 

[dpmiller]

jumping on in here. I know nothing of this stuff, but big son is making noises about wanting one and Christmas is coming. He's doing ICT, Technology, and Engineering at A-level and is pretty handy with CAD.

What's good and entry-ish level these days?

[Pocster]

54 minutes ago, dpmiller said:

jumping on in here. I know nothing of this stuff, but big son is making noises about wanting one and Christmas is coming. He's doing ICT, Technology, and Engineering at A-level and is pretty handy with CAD.

What's good and entry-ish level these days?

Bambu is best - even entry level .

[Onoff]

1 hour ago, Pocster said:

Bambu is best - even entry level .

 

For now and I say that as someone who's invested in the Bambu X1C. They can't afford to rest on their laurels.

 

Other core XYs are catching up with bigger volume, heated chambers etc.

[Pocster]

Just now, Onoff said:

 

For now and I say that as someone who's invested in the Bambu X1C. They can't afford to rest on their laurels.

 

Other core XYs are catching up with bigger volume, heated chambers etc.

Agree. Others are playing catchup to Bambu. BUT! as my very 1st 3d printer it seemed to whip the floor of all the others in ( for me ) ease of use. I just want to print not fanny around plate levelling etc etc etc.

Printing stuff not setting it up. No 3d printer is perfect and of course I get bad prints for a variety of reasons.

[Onoff]

Bambu were due to make a significant announcement a little while back but I believe they've held off. Think is was ref a bigger volume machine. Guess they're waiting until they've got it right (again). 

[Pocster]

33 minutes ago, Onoff said:

Bambu were due to make a significant announcement a little while back but I believe they've held off. Think is was ref a bigger volume machine. Guess they're waiting until they've got it right (again). 

Yeah - I’ve been seeing that . Early next year now I reckon 

[Temp]

6 hours ago, dpmiller said:

jumping on in here. I know nothing of this stuff, but big son is making noises about wanting one and Christmas is coming. He's doing ICT, Technology, and Engineering at A-level and is pretty handy with CAD.

What's good and entry-ish level these days?

 

Do you know what sort of things he wants to print?

 

The easiest filament to print is PLA. Works for most things but it has a low(ish) melting point so its not suitable for things that will be left in cars on very hot days or in the engine compartment! They are unlikely to melt but can warp if they get hot while under load. That said I used it to print my metal detector above so its a very usable filament.

 

ABS and other higher temperature filaments are harder to print well and you typically need a more expensive enclosed printer to minimise draughts.  

 

In between is a whole range of filaments like PETG which can be printed on most basic printers.

 

In short, if he has a hobby that needs high temperature parts then perhaps look for an enclosed model that can do ABS but otherwise a printer that can do PLA and PETG will be fine. 

 

There is a bit of a learning curve to 3D printing. The big one is getting your prints to stick to the bed of the printer and not come off during printing. Most printers used a heated bed to help with this. I use a toughened glass plate on top of the heated plate and 3DLac spray. Some filaments stick too well. Plenty of other approaches out there. Most important thing is adjusting/levelling the print bed so the initial gap between the nozzle and the bed is right. The optimum gap varies with filament material. Some printers have auto bed levelling which can be an advantage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 22, 2024 by Temp

[dpmiller]

yep a few of his mates have them already so he's not starting from zero. I think he's more interested in the IT side than actually printing too many things, going from design through CAD and into slicing etc.

 

So is the open/ closed source thing an issue re. Bambu?

[Onoff]

2 hours ago, dpmiller said:

 

 

So is the open/ closed source thing an issue re. Bambu?

 

Not at all. You're not restricted to Bambu filaments either.

 

How old is he?

 

Maybe a Bambu A1 Combo? Comes with the AMS (enables 4 colour printing). £389.00. Got a budget? 

 

https://uk.store.bambulab.com/products/a1?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA9IC6BhA3EiwAsbltOB8hyYzUcQWxmlOit0BlU3j1lLeKa5D_LkJD6ZPH7ASffRN-Qlf3BBoC7SsQAvD_BwE&id=40885928558652

 

A mate at work asked, I said Bambu and he just got his son the X1 Mini. The envy of his mates! For Christmas he's now getting the add on AMS but it's a lot more if bought separately. 

 

So glad my lad had the Anycubic i3 Mega S to start with. (Thanks @PeterW). Learnt, tinkered, modded and upgraded way beyond the stock spec. Tbf he was getting quality not far off the Bambu with it but so much slower. (It's just sat in a box now). 

The support possibilities with the Bambu AMS are the game changer for him / us.

Tbh him getting the X1C is like a treat / reward. Why I went halves on it with him but it's solely his.

[dpmiller]

1 hour ago, Onoff said:

How old is he?

that awkward age between 0 and grownup, lol.   17, first year of the A-levels.

 

ADD with history of getting bored with stuff quickly so sensible budget, say £200-ish.

[Onoff]

This is the one my mate bought his lad (12, 13?). He was well happy. He just wanted to print straight off. Didn't want him to have to assemble, tinker, upgrade (dare I say learn!) He's printing toys, fidgets etc whereas my lad is designing and printing real world, engineering stuff.

 

https://uk.store.bambulab.com/products/a1-mini?variant=41918452170812&skr=yes&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA9IC6BhA3EiwAsbltOEuwPlj8A0ehYRKsD5SeXNSIxYpgyrGxDRM0CkmND-UDOW7dTbXMbBoCpVEQAvD_BwE

 

That's £169 + £8 delivery I think. Pros: The cheapest Bambu there is. Printing straight out of the box. Cons: Single colour printing, no AMS. As I say cheaper to buy the AMS now than later. Later though is always a present option for his birthday etc. 

[dpmiller]

so the winner is... Ender 3 V3 KE. Superb piece of kit, hasn't put a foot wrong yet.

[Onoff]

My lad changed the stock 0.4mm nozzle on the X1C Bambu to a "Hardended Steel vs E3D 0.4mm High Flow ObXidian" (one of his Chrimbo pressies):

Did a couple of "torture" test prints. They go from 15 mm³/s at the bed to 35 mm³/s. New nozzle on the left, stock one on the right. The stock print didn't adhere well and basically fell over:

 

 

 

Printed in Bambu Lab PLA Basic Green.

It really puts some volume down and smoothly too!

A cut away of the new nozzle shows how the molten filament gets "pooled" then extruded through 2 (maybe 3?) channels to massively up the flow rate by something like 60%.

 

 

With the new hot end, as the volumetric flow increases  the strength remains more of a constant: