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All Springer/NP/PCP Air Gun Discussion General > Machine Shop Talk & AG Parts Machining

3D Printer Recommendations

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toddbrat:
Looking to get into 3D printing, nothing major just really want to explore it and I've seen some parts I'd love to print for my AG's. I'm looking for something under $300. I've seen great reviews for the Ender 3. I'd like to stay away from the Anet 8, I've heard they are a big fire risk without modding the power supply. I'm open to either a kit or a ready to print. I have 0 experience with these or with anytype of CAD software so looking for something that is fairly easy to learn but does have expansion capability down the road.

a1rgunz:
This is the printer I started out with: . Got mine for $100 cheaper by applying for a Amazon credit card lol. It is the printer I still use, but almost everything has been upgraded, replaced, and/or modified to suit my needs. It will print great with PLA right out of the box. The Ender 3 looks like it would be just as good a starting place.

As is often the case with airguns, you will modify your printer as you gain experience and begin to demand better performance from your printer. I've got a total of $378 in my printer, so I've spent more on upgrades than the actual printer. You'll also want to keep spare parts on hand.

http://www.tinkercad.com is a great place to start with 3d modelling. There really isn't much you can't do with it. Once you have a 3d model, you'll then have to run it through a slicer to prepare it for the printer. This is where the true learning curve of 3d printing comes in. Cura is a common one. I've used Cura a lot in the past, but now prefer Slic3r. Join some forums specific to your printer and see what settings other people are using. That will provide a starting point for you.

travelbike:
I personally use the Monoprice Maker select v2. I think it runs under $300.

One of the hardest part is learning what your plastic spool wants to maintain consistency.  What i do now is after a few hours of printing when the spool is exposed to air, I take it home and put it in the oven at about 150F for a few hours. Then I store it in a sealed plastic box with desicant inside ready for the next project.

Good luck on your printer.  Patience is the key. Expect to make mistakes on your projects but keep on doing projects to hone your skills.

dan_house:
Todd your looking at a vertical learning curve.

IVe started this journey myself in march, with a Monoprice IIIP delta printer.  3d printing is not ready for prime time. You'll be learning new terms and cpncepts ("Bed adhesion"), the machines are metric based, meaning the travel speeds and machine dimensions are in millimeters (although you can draw your stuff with imperial units...)( and you'll need metric tools. you will need tools), you HAVE to learn a "slicing" program,  that is, the program that takes your data file and tells the machine how to move where in order to print it. Layer hiehgt, print speed, filament flow, bed temps, shell thickness and much much much much more can be controlled and manipulated thru the slicer. When your stuff doenst print, or looks bad, its likely the slicer set wrong somewhere. Even a small object printed can take hours at fine resolution, lower resolution will show the layers more, but print faster. Print time is in HOURS, and bigger items, DAYS. (my longest to date: 39 hours....)

You  need to learn how to diagnose issues... is it the gcode, the drawing, or the printer? Your printer will jam. You'll need to learn a basic tear down to fix it. Printing nylon is different from printing PLA. Nozzle temps, material flow and print speed are intimately intertwined for results. JUST geting stuff to stick on the print bed long enough to finsih a print can be exasperating for a noob (and Ill vouch for that 1000%...) Then you bump into things like "does it need supports?" or you get a complete print, but its bad quality (did the extruder get starved?, bad filament? humid day...oh yes your local weather can affect how the machine behaves...). You'll learn a whole new language, and concepts.

Drawing the stuff....Ive been using AutoDesk Fusion 360. but any 3d program that will save data in a file format the slicer understands will work. If you have Photoshop or Illustrator experiecne, then the cad program wont seem sooo foreign. IF you dont, thats another layer you have to learn, or your stuck with some one else's drawings.   And depending on what you want/need to draw, it can be a long challenging journey.

3d printing isnt magic. You need to learn, learn, learn, then learn what you still dont know and fil in those knowledge gaps.  YouTube has been a god-send for learning (and filling in the gaps) Fusion 360.  Good CAD programs can be $$$$, but you may not need that much power, depending.

Im not trying to scare you away from this, jsut trying to inform you of the rabbit hole your about to descend. IT is fun.it is highly rewarding to imagine, draw then watch the thought you had go from mental idea, to drawing and then a real object being created in front of you.  It does get easier as you get more experience.

IVe now got two printers, the aforementioned Delta and the newish MP Maker Pro Mk1 (300x300x400 mm build area). My suggestion would be research, research reaserch. STart with a small project, learn to draw it, then learn to print it.

Good tools, research, YouTube, faith in the Divine, adult beverages and especially patience will get you thru it.  Keep us posted

WhatUPSbox?:
I'm still in the tire kicking phase on 3D printers so I don't have any first hand knowledge. Here is an Ender 3 review that discusses some of the warts and possible fixes.

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