|
|
Reminds me of when I had to explain the the young developers why a radio button control is called a radio button.
They still use it to mean checkbox...
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
|
|
|
|
|
|
Do not let them take your temperature when you go to the supermarket, because it erases your memory.
I went in for mac and cheese and came out with 2 cases of beer.
I'm not sure how many cookies it makes to be happy, but so far it's not 27.
JaxCoder.com
|
|
|
|
|
Maybe you are wearing your mask wrong, it should be over your mouth and nose, not over your eyes 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Were the instructions - can you get me a can of beer at the shop and if they have mac and cheese bring back two packs?
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
|
|
|
|
|
Does anyone else have a 3D printer? I just ordered a Creality Ender 3 Pro, and was looking for one or more kindred spirits.
After watching a crapload of videos, and reading a crapload of articles, I ordered a crapload of upgrades, and hope to soon be printing a crapload of little plastic things.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
-----
You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
-----
When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013
|
|
|
|
|
I have a Prusa, love it and print all kinds of goodies.
You'll be needing a good CAD program before long. You can only print so many things that others create before you start saying; "WHy hell I can make one better than that".
Until then Thingiverse - Digital Designs for Physical Objects[^] has a lot of stuff to wade through.
I'm not sure how many cookies it makes to be happy, but so far it's not 27.
JaxCoder.com
|
|
|
|
|
I have a Anycubic i3 Mega-S, and it works really well.
For CAD, I can strongly recommend AutoCad Fusion 360, with Ultimaker Cura for the actual slicer. Both are free, or free for hobbyists / startups.
Have a look here: Adventures in 3D printing Part 1: Fusion, you CAD![^] - it covers my initial steps.
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
|
|
|
|
|
I built an Ender 3 for my brother in law... check the connections inside the main control board box, the hotbed power connector was loose on arrival, and tried to overheat the connector.
Other than that it is a good little machine.
|
|
|
|
|
Yep, just checked that. The connections are tight, and it appears as if Creality is listening to youtubers, because my printer came with a genuine XT60-H connectors on the power supply pigtail.
The print area is a lot smaller than I thought it would be. I'm considering getting the Ender Extender 300 kit (300x300mm print area).
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
-----
You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
-----
When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013
|
|
|
|
|
I've had an Ender 3 for about 7 months.
You can print a lot in 235x235x250 mm^3 and you can always split a model into several pieces in the slicer or, better, design it so it prints in pieces which fit together.
Also, printing smaller models means that when a print run screws up you haven't wasted as much filament. 
|
|
|
|
|
And another Anycubic I3 Mega S here.
A good choice if you want a filament printer and a big build volume. However, if you need a better quality and can live with a small build volume, then take a look at the Anycubic Photon.
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.
His last invention was an evil Lasagna. It didn't kill anyone, and it actually tasted pretty good.
|
|
|
|
|
I read and watched a lot of YouTube videos on FDM printing, but all of the printers in my price range appeared to need a lot of fiddling around to get quality prints. I wound up getting an Elegoo Mars Pro resin printer. After 10 minutes of unpacking, plugging it in and setting the build plate height, I've been printing lots of miniatures and board game upgrade pieces. The post processing is a lot messier than FDM, but I knew I wouldn't have the patience to get an FDM printer dialed in. Now I've got another new skill to work on - airbrushing, because it would take far too long to prime and base coat everything I've printed using brushes.
|
|
|
|
|
It does take some work to get the base leveling done, but it's effort well rewarded.
I got it roughly right, then printed a dovetail to attach my dial test indicator to the head.
Then I could slot the DTI in and get actual measurements across the plate, which makes it a load easier than faffing with paper thickness.
And once you have it right you shouldn't need to do it again until you swap out the hotend or the nozzle.
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
|
|
|
|
|
I ordered a BLTouch setup for mine.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
-----
You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
-----
When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013
|
|
|
|
|
I already had a DTI, so it made sense to stick with that.
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
|
|
|
|
|
Why is it that it's taken me 7 months to find mention of using a Dial Test Indicator to level the bed? 
I've been fiddling about with paper and even considered getting a BLTouch even though I don't think it's a true solution since it just compensates for a non-level bed rather than actually adjusting it.
And since I would still need to do basic bed levelling manually, I might as well do it properly so, since I have a glass bed which should be flat(1), I don't need a BLTouch!
Of course, as soon as I search for "3D printing dial test indicator" Google returns loads videos, mounts, etc.
I've ordered a cheap DTI off eBay and will be designing(2) an attachment shortly to see how well it works!
--
(1) The glass could be warped, in which case a BLTouch would help, but if it was noticeable, I'd just replace it.
(2) I have a custom mount for cooling fans round the hotend so standard fittings aren't going to work.
|
|
|
|
|
There are a bunch of youtube videos showing the use of a DTI. Do your search in youtube instead of google.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
-----
You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
-----
When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks, my Google search already found lots of YouTube videos.
My comment was really on the fact that I've probably seen several hundred videos/articles about 3D printing over the past year but I don't recall encountering the use of a DTI until I explicitly searched for "3D printing dial test indicator"!
|
|
|
|
|
Well, I'm a car guy, so working on something until it's right is kinda my thing. There are a lot of things to consider:
0) Initial construction - for me, that means making sure the gantry is trued up as it goes together.
1) Ensuring you have a level bed - while you are not absolved of manually levelling the bed the first time, there are several auto-leveling systems available that help out later on.
2) Make sure your filament is feeding correctly. The printer I chose has a problem with a cheap plastic extruder, and I've oredered an all-metal extruder to replace it.
3) If your printer uses a bowden tube to feed filament, make sure it's properly connected/seated to the hot end.
4) It appears that you need an enclosure to ensure that the printer's environment is as stable as possible. This is even more important when you try to use ABS, carbon fibre, or other more exotic filament material.
Making sure the hardware is right is key. If you know your hardware is good, all you have to worry about is the slicer configuration.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
-----
You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
-----
When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013
|
|
|
|
|
Been there, done that (apart from building an enclosure  ).
|
|
|
|
|
( Your mileage WILL vary ) I spent years as a machinist, so parametric CAD is how I think, some will prefer the "push pull prod" methods. There are several free 3-D cad systems out there that will handle single parts OK. Pick to your way of thinking.
Yes, an enclosure seems important, but I still got warp problems ( as the upper layers cooled - shrunk I was making an angle bracket camera mount 1.25" sq. flat base - not what the thing loves ).
Lost all my first tries to separation from the plate. Even after using a glue stick / blue tape I had two pop free ( One at done enough to work ).
PVA glue stick and or good ( paper ) painters tape can help for grip and separation. ( At least with my print surface. )
Oh, I used a piece of thin stiff plastic, ( a feeler gauge would work well ) for leveling, much better feel than a sheet of paper.
Have fun, keep your powder - oops FILAMENT dry.
|
|
|
|
|
If you have a plastic extruder, you have the Ender 3. The Ender 3 Pro has a metal extruder already.
You don't really need an enclosure unless you print ABS and even then it is somewhat optional.
Levelling the bed is the biggest PITA I've had to deal with. I don't know how it keeps getting out of alignment.
I'm retired. There's a nap for that...
- Harvey
|
|
|
|
General 
News 
Suggestion 
Question 
Bug 
Answer 
Joke 
Praise 
Rant 
Admin 
Submit an article or tip
![Beer | [beer]](https://codeproject.freetls.fastly.net/script/Forums/Images/beer.gif)
