Ok, so lots of buzz about printing stuff, and well, I will take the lead here and offer some assistance. These little machines are extremely capable, but they do take patience and a little bit of learning how to tweak them at first. Do NOT expect to plug it in and it just works like an inkjet printer would, there are several steps depending on the type of printer, and well, they aren’t THAT user friendly yet that its plug and play… BUT its not difficult to get successful 3D prints!!!
Ok, so where to start. Well. Obviously the printer! Or, perhaps TYPES of printers. For the most part, there’s FDM (aka Filament models), and Resin (uses a liquid resin that hardens when exposed to UV). Each has its benefits and drawbacks.
FDM - filament isn’t messy, but can tangle. Bigger build areas for less money. Takes a little time to learn to level a bed. The VAST majority of printers in use are FDM (filament deposition method)
Resin - resin can be messy, you NEED gloves, as it can cause burns if left on you and exposed to the sun. Details on resin are 10,000 times better than filament (great for tiny things needing detail, lithophanes, etc). Build plates are small and require a GOOD knowledge of slicing and supporting for some really detailed prints. Not the best option for mass production of most goods (hell, injection molding for lots of stuff vs. printing at all, FDM or resin, really, but printers allow you to retool for pennies on the dollar and change on the fly while injection molding is costly for molds)
So. Printers. There are LOTS of them out there. You honestly get what you pay for with many, but there’s lots of overpriced garbage too. So, lets start with one of the most popular. Creality Ender 3 (pro / V2 / whatever). My farm here consists of 8 Ender 3’s in various trim (4 are regular “Ender 3”, 4 are “Ender 3 Pro”. Biggest difference is the silent motherboard and a beefier Y axis. The silent motherboard helps quiet it down as the stepper motors make a whining sound with other drivers (the motors dont actually make the sound, it comes from the drivers on the mainboard). Some drivers (ex 2209) are silent. If your printer is in an area where you are frequently, the silent board is nice (but you still hear fans, just less whining from the stepper drivers). SO… This printer is insanely popular, there are forums for it, plenty of FB groups, tons of help out there for them. AND… If you are lucky, and have a Microcenter near you, you can use this coupon for ONE HELL of a discount:
$100 Creality Ender 3 Pro 3D Printer | New Customer Exclusive (microcenter.com)
Only in-store purchases, so hope ya have a Microcenter near you. I literally just bought 1, and had my GF buy 1 today as the closest Microcenter FINALLY had stock (these coupons have been going on for a year and my MC never had em in stock). So, YUP, out the door, $102 tax included (Thank god for Urban Enterprise Tax Zones!) Its not the latest “V2” model, but really, do you wanna spend $239 or $99 for a printer with 99% of the same parts and they BOTH perform IDENTICALLY (the V2’s look nicer, but its literally fan shrouds and bullshit NOT worth the extra $140)
Ok, don’t want an Ender and got money to burn? Prusa makes some awesome stuff, more automations so less tweaking, but still some tweaking needed. But generally regarded as Top of the Line for this “class” of printer (250mmx250mm or smaller FDM). Generally expect to spend about $700+, but you are buying the Bentley, not the Honda Accord… In the end, a print from an Ender or Prusa would look the same, if you’ve setup the print / printer right. The extra money spent just takes some tweaking out of the equation.
Most other printers are based off these two styles… Some may be ok, 90% of the parts can be interchanged lots of times (stepper motors are usually NEMA 40 motors, Lead Screws use the same pitch, etc). So even a POS printer can be upgraded with quality components.
If you want the super detail, Resin is your ticket. Most resin guys print D&D Minis, Action figures, etc. Because the detail is there and you really dont see layer lines (FDM printers print in layers 0.2mm layers, resin printers print in 0.01mm layers, like 200x the detail). Elegoo makes the Mars and Saturn series printers, and these are reliable and easy to use once you learn to slice for resin (slicing and supports are VERY different in resin, than FDM) The tradeoff is most are much smaller print beds (size of an avg cell phone), and larger ones (tablet sized) run a bit more like the $800 range. Less commonly used style, but only because there are the right tools for the right job. (I have 11 FDM and 1 Resin so you can see which I use more). Resin, when used for the right job, produces AMAZING prints.
Ok, so you’ve read supports and slicing, but have no clue what I am talking about. Well, a slicer is a program (most are free, I use Prusa Slicer mostly (not locked into using a prusa printer with it yay!), but Cura is the other really popular slicer. A slicer program takes your 3D model, and “slices” it into layers, then generates the toolpath for your printer to “lay down the filament” (or, in a resin printer, expose only that layers shape). So. a slicer essentially takes one type of file (usually an STL file), and makes it into a gcode file so your printer can make the item. Printers cannot understand an STL file and need gcode files to print. SUPPORTS! Essentially, gravity prevents us from printing in the air. Bridges can be printed, aka filament spans between two points. But overhangs need support (or they fall before they can harden / be built up). An Ender 3 can typically print to a 30 degree angle, and beyond that needs support (90 being vertical, 0 being horizontal, supports are needed from 0 to 30 degrees). A Resin printer requires different supports to be generated. Most slicers have auto-support generation and it works 99% of the time flawlessly, but special attention needs to be paid for resin supports. Islands (parts of a print, that are printed without a support, and are not connected to another part) can cause catastrophic failures like punctured FEP films, so DO pay attention to supports in detailed resin models. Your printer could depend on it.
Upgrades? Lots of them, and LOTS OF JUNK. On my printers I usually swap the mainboard to a BigTreeTech Mini E3 (v1.2 or now v2.0). I prefer a glass bed, but the stock print surface works just as good. $30 for creality glass bed or $4 for 2 pieces cut to size at lowes? I’ll go to lowes thank you, the borosilicate bed from creality STILL can chip and pit, and then its just a $4 piece of glass anyway. Bed Levellers - They make some things easy, but they DO not just level your bed for you. You STILL need to be able to figure out offsets and shit, so just LEARN TO LEVEL YOUR BED without one! I have 1 on my first printer (upgrade queen that didnt need 50% of that shit). And I have 2 more on my 400x400 enders because at that bed size, the bed DOES warp (and thats where the Bed Levellers, aka a BL Touch, will help, it maps the bed and adjusts the print head according to the warps in the bed). Thats its for the upgrades that matter (to me). If you plan on high temp filaments, an all-metal hotend also helps. With PLA filament its not needed.
Sending your print to the printer…
Stock way is transfer via a Micro-SD card, aka Sneaker-Net. These printers don’t hook up like a standard inkjet or laser printer do. If you want to avoid sneaker-net, you get this awesome free software called OctoPrint, and install it on a Raspberry Pi, which you plug the printer into. That gives you a web interface on your LAN to be able to send files to the printer, and PrusaSlicer even lets me print directly to an Octoprint setup. Not essential to use Octoprint to make a print, but if you use your printer daily, its a worthy investment of time (cause really, the Pi 3B shouldnt cost you much at all)
Filaments / Resins. There are as many manufacturers as there are printers. Find one you like. I like Overture and Hatchbox, and Amazon Basics isnt bad either. I use Elegoo resin for my resin printer. Price can vary from $15/kg to $200/kg for specialty filaments meant to be cindered / welded later (metal infused filaments). $22 / 1kg roll is what I spend usually and am happy with the filament. Moisture can degrade filaments making crappy prints, some filaments are affected more than others (hygroscopic). PLA I leave out with no issues. ABS and PETG I would seal and keep as low RH as possible while storing. You can revive “wet” spools using a food dehydrator, or an oven (just be cautious with the oven temp / time).
Ok, I think that covers the essentials. So what have I made?
“vent” to convert a rubbermaid tote to a cloning / humidity chamber
Camera mounts for shooting spherical, aka 360° videos, WHILE scuba diving. Underwater brings its own challenges with refraction. I have 3, 4, 5,6 and 9 camera mounts, and some even do stereo 360 fairly decently (in a headset, you WANNA reach out and grab the tube sponges, they are RIGHT THERE!) lol My favorite is the 6 cam “flying saucer” (not pictured) its got 2 cams on each side of a triangle, for L/R eyes. Stitching Cam1L with Cam2L and Cam3L, and doing the same with Cam1R, 2R and 3R, was fun, but the final product is mindblowing! Too big to share online and you really need a Head Mounted Display to see the 3D effect.
Lithophanes (these combine black FDM prints, and white resin prints)
Remote holder so my buddy would stop losing remotes to his 3yr old…
Scuba Tank boat Holders - $5 to print, or $42 to buy a replacement arm.
MOST of the sensors in my grow are ESP32 boards using 3D printed enclosures (gotta get pics of them).
I am sure I will add a ton of printed objects from the house. So much stupid stuff ya dont even think about it like Clips to mount a whiteboard. They are functional and just blend in.
Oh, and I have a whole HO Scale Model RR layout thats printed. Some houses:
Plus the flips… And holders for my dab rig parts, holders for carts, tent accessories like camera pole mounts and shelves.
Really, the only limit is your imagination…
Ok… Time for another hash hit…
The printers are yet another tool in the arsenal.