Have You considered getting a 3D printer

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Have You considered getting a 3D printer

Home Forums 3D Printers and 3D Printing Have You considered getting a 3D printer

Viewing 25 posts - 1 through 25 (of 185 total)
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  • #31661
    Neil Wyatt
    Moderator
      @neilwyatt

      NEW POLL

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      #512811
      Neil Wyatt
      Moderator
        @neilwyatt

        This poll revisits questions from five years ago to see if attitudes to 3d printing have changed.

        Have fun!

        Neil

        #512813
        Pete Rimmer
        Participant
          @peterimmer30576

          Yes – I got mine last Christmas time. It doesn't see much use but when it does get used it's invaluable. Yesterday I printed and e-stop nut with 22mm x 1.0mm pitch internal thread and a pair of lugs for clipping the stitch onto. I wasn't expecting it to screw on the thread at the first attempt, but after trimming a little chamfer in the lead and cleaning the burrs off with an internal thread file – it did!

          #512816
          John Hinkley
          Participant
            @johnhinkley26699

            Trouble with the ones I've looked at is they don't have a large enough envelope for what I think I might want to use them for. And if they have, they're too expensive for me to justify the cost just for a limited number of printed items.

            I'm thinking 200mm x 200mm x 200mm.

            Edited By John Hinkley on 11/12/2020 13:49:51

            #512822
            Journeyman
            Participant
              @journeyman

              Recently got new Prusa Original i3 Mk3S, is very good has an envelope of 250mm x 210mm x 210mm. Good firmware and the PrusaSlicer is pretty nifty as well. Good website Prusa Research

              John

              #512823
              Neil Wyatt
              Moderator
                @neilwyatt

                My i3 clone has just under a 200mm cube the kit cost under £200.

                Neil

                #512827
                Grindstone Cowboy
                Participant
                  @grindstonecowboy

                  Been thinking about one for a while, but not taken the plunge yet for a variety of reasons – can only choose one in the survey, so went with too expensive. Other reasons are not got the room for it, probably not use it enough to make it worthwhile, would have to learn a 3D drawing program and finally not sure how strong or well-finished the bits I make would be.

                  But I still want one….

                  Rob

                  #512832
                  Rik Shaw
                  Participant
                    @rikshaw

                    I don't have one yet but I am waiting for the Sovol SV03 to become available then I'll treat myself. It will live in my study though as there is zero room left in the workshop (unless I screw it to the ceiling).

                    Rik

                    #512834
                    JasonB
                    Moderator
                      @jasonb

                      I had thought about one and would have use dit for pattern making but then the CNC came along and I can use that for patterns and a whole lot more.

                      #512837
                      Ady1
                      Participant
                        @ady1
                        Posted by Rik Shaw on 11/12/2020 14:32:18:

                        I don't have one yet… there is zero room left in the workshop (unless I screw it to the ceiling).

                        and a 3d printer needs a superclean environment and a computer… so its the bedroom, the man cave or the living room

                        I'm running out of room for stuff

                        The reciprocating saw is currently demolishing anything I can get rid of in the garage, about 3 binloads is going on sunday am

                        Too many toys!

                        …but I'm sure I could make use of one…devil

                        #512839
                        Oily Rag
                        Participant
                          @oilyrag

                          I've looked quite hard at getting one – but only as a means to producing casting moulds as in 'Lost wax process'. But ideally the unit would need to be allied with a 3D scanner to be able to replicate the castings I'm looking at reproducing. Until 3D scanners come down in price I'll hold off, seems most hobby printers are used for scary heads and whacky toys at the moment by pubescent boys with bedroom complexes!

                          Seems the way to go given that we are now entering the 'Bangernomics'* era – I foresee that with a post Covid driven green economy the need to repair and rejuvenate products will lead to a big demand in engineers with practical capabilities in the future.

                          *Bangernomics* is defined as encompassing the art of keeping a sub £1000 car running indefinitely rather than spending huge sums on a replacement whether conventional or electric, the lead for this came in the 2008 financial meltdown where the businesses that thrived were the garages that kept vehicles running when they were past their 'normal' end of life scrappage date.

                          #512842
                          Martin King 2
                          Participant
                            @martinking2

                            My Creality Ender Pro 3 cost about £200 last Xmas a "toy" for myself to play with and learn the technology.

                            I ended up making some lathe spiders for my Myford and for a laugh put a set of 3 on EBay for £15.

                            56 sets later and now doing them in different sizes for other chucks as well as hard to find plane fence replicas which have also sold lots.

                            The printer has not skipped a beat despite running night and day sometimes, changed out one nozzle and bowden tube is all the maintenance it has had.

                            Made some casting patterns for a Tom Senior mill part for a friend who has had the parts cast in iron and sold many with no complaints.

                            Made "Bat Man" tooth paste tube squeezers for the neighbour's kids and all their pals wanted them so a bit of a rod for my own back there but good fun! smiley

                            Cheers, Martin

                            #512851
                            The Novice Engineer
                            Participant
                              @thenoviceengineer

                              I was curious about 3D printers years ago , at the time the Hobby ones just looked to flimsy and small to produce anything worth while. I looked on an infamous auction web site and bought a semi-pro FDM unit that had a good print volume and dual print heads though it was broken and needed some work. It was a good learning experience to repair it and understand the technology behind 3D printing. My other half is an experienced figure modeller and was NOT impressed with the quality. She would only entertain an SLA technology unit …. they were just TOO expensive for my "Fun money" budget.

                              My latest 3D printer is a Tiertime UpBox, again bought from the auction site needing some work to get it sorted. I got this primarily to print ABS with less hassle ! As I was finding PLA had limitations when using the printed items outside or in the workshop.

                              Parts for a recent 3D Router project were created using 3D printed parts

                              Router2.jpeg

                              #512855
                              Martin of Wick
                              Participant
                                @martinofwick

                                Wouldn't be without mine, just a budget Creality Ender but have made everything on it from replacement fan on a jig saw, lathe change gears, saddle stop, chuck spiders, nudgers, spacers, Stephenson's Rocket, servo frames for RC gliders, patterns, moulds, sundry replacement bits for broken/missing 'things' round the house and on and on…lost track really.

                                They could all be considerably improved with some effort, but despite various plans to improve my Ender it is still pretty much as it came out of the box… because it just delivers consistent output in the 'good enough' spectrum.

                                In future, I hope there is some improvements in media technology addressing issues such as strength, bonding, stability etc. Ideally for a structural product, we would like a filament with the strength and stability of nylon or polycarbonate, the ease of printing and resilience of PLA and the post processing properties ABS.

                                #512857
                                John Hinkley
                                Participant
                                  @johnhinkley26699
                                  Posted by Journeyman on 11/12/2020 14:08:17:

                                  Recently got new Prusa Original i3 Mk3S, is very good has an envelope of 250mm x 210mm x 210mm. Good firmware and the PrusaSlicer is pretty nifty as well. Good website Prusa Research

                                  John

                                  And …….

                                  My i3 clone has just under a 200mm cube the kit cost under £200.

                                  Neil

                                  Looks like I've taken my finger off the pulse and the technology has moved on a bit since I last looked. I might treat myself in the new year!

                                  John

                                  #512862
                                  Nicholas Farr
                                  Participant
                                    @nicholasfarr14254

                                    Hi, no I've not got one, not to saying I'm not interested, but I think I've got to many projects on the go now and I don't seem to have the time to learn something new. I dare say there is something within my level of budget, but I'm not willing to shell out for something that I may not ever use, but who knows!

                                    Regards Nick.

                                    #512866
                                    Ex contributor
                                    Participant
                                      @mgnbuk

                                      I got an Anycubic i3 Mega in April – 210x210x205 capacity, sheet steel frame with round rod slides & linear bearings. I particularly liked the dual screw & stepper motor Z axis drive arrangement. £170 delivered with a kilo of filament from the Anycubic store on Ebay. Same model still seems to be available for similar money.

                                      It required minimal assembly & worked well out of the box. It has a ceramic "Ultrabase" coating on the heated bed that grips tenaciously when hot, but releases prints with minimal affort when cold.

                                      I have just about run off my first kilo of PLA, mainly on pre-designed bits from Thingiverse, though I have managed to design a couple of parts from scratch using FreeCad – a steep learning curve !

                                      Really need to change my approach to designing bits to make more use of it – 40-odd years of working with metal fabrications & subtractive machining are deeply ingrained. The stepper motor mount on "Novice Engineer's" router being a case in point – currently thinking about doing something similar & automatically thinking of machining a part from a block of aluminium.

                                      Nigel B.

                                      #512869
                                      Anonymous
                                        Posted by Ady1 on 11/12/2020 14:50:35:

                                        and a 3d printer needs a superclean environment

                                        It does? Why?

                                        #512872
                                        not done it yet
                                        Participant
                                          @notdoneityet
                                          Posted by John Hinkley on 11/12/2020 13:49:20:

                                          Trouble with the ones I've looked at is they don't have a large enough envelope for what I think I might want to use them for. And if they have, they're too expensive for me to justify the cost just for a limited number of printed items.

                                          I'm thinking 200mm x 200mm x 200mm.

                                          Edited By John Hinkley on 11/12/2020 13:49:51

                                          The SVO1 is bigger than that. I’ve found it easy and reliable in use – just not used it enough as the workshop and garden have taken up a lot of ‘spare’ time this year.

                                          #512873
                                          Oven Man
                                          Participant
                                            @ovenman

                                            There is a Sovol SV01 in a box in our house. I am not allowed to open it until Christmas Day!

                                            Peter

                                            #512874
                                            Pete Rimmer
                                            Participant
                                              @peterimmer30576
                                              Posted by Peter Greene on 11/12/2020 16:53:50:

                                              Posted by Ady1 on 11/12/2020 14:50:35:

                                              and a 3d printer needs a superclean environment

                                              It does? Why?

                                              I had to blow the dust off mine last time I used it 😀

                                              #512876
                                              Chris Gill
                                              Participant
                                                @chrisgill22114

                                                I bought a Creality Ender 5 recently and I like the machine

                                                First job – more parts for the printer. Second job – fix toys for the grandchildren.

                                                Now, I'm sure I had a project or two in mind …

                                                #512877
                                                Jeff Dayman
                                                Participant
                                                  @jeffdayman43397

                                                  Same as me Pete, the only thing on my Ender 3 that I keep reasonably clean is the glass bed. Quick alcohol wipe for that, quick brush off of the way surfaces the carriage wheels roll on, and away it goes. Certainly NOT a super clean environment, and plenty of great parts off the Ender 3. Drop of iso 32 oil once in a while on the Z axis screw.

                                                  Edited By Jeff Dayman on 11/12/2020 17:14:14

                                                  #512878
                                                  Thomas Cooksley
                                                  Participant
                                                    @thomascooksley79020

                                                    Hi everyone. I haven't got a 3D printer yet. The idea sounds good but I wouldn't have a clue where to start or how to use one. Tom.

                                                    #512879
                                                    Jeff Dayman
                                                    Participant
                                                      @jeffdayman43397

                                                      Hi Thomas, plenty of great how to 3D print video on Yout Ube. Michael on Teaching Tech channel in Australia has some excellent ones. Link below.

                                                      https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbgBDBrwsikmtoLqtpc59Bw

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