3D Printers

[Jonj1611]

My thoughts too.

Apparently its only been used a couple of times and from the pictures it looks like new. However comes with things which would have cost a bit by themselves like the resin itself so for what I am paying which is about £140 for everything I think its worth it.

[Jonj1611]

The only issue for me with resin is waste. As in I need to throw it in the bin. I am not a big environmentalist or anything but the amount of waste produced can be quite high. It's a shame it can't be recycled or reused.

[Saracen999]

Just about everything has a downside. But it looks like you lucked out there. Nice one. I will be very interested in how you get on. I did look at resin too but, for me, it's "maybe later". Phase 2. Or 3. Maybe.

[DanceswithUnix]

The only issue for me with resin is waste. As in I need to throw it in the bin. I am not a big environmentalist or anything but the amount of waste produced can be quite high. It's a shame it can't be recycled or reused.

That is indeed a niggle. Sometimes I throw out sizeable failed prints, but I think that is balanced by sometimes I repair stuff that would otherwise get thrown away. Because even with FDM printing there isn't usually a recycling triangle on prints so you can't recycle them even if they are made of something that is in theory recyclable.

I wonder if you could get a "stamp" to put on a soldering iron or similar to burn a recycling mark into printed plastic items for when you want to discard them.

[cheesemp]

That is indeed a niggle. Sometimes I throw out sizeable failed prints, but I think that is balanced by sometimes I repair stuff that would otherwise get thrown away. Because even with FDM printing there isn't usually a recycling triangle on prints so you can't recycle them even if they are made of something that is in theory recyclable.

I wonder if you could get a "stamp" to put on a soldering iron or similar to burn a recycling mark into printed plastic items for when you want to discard them.

I've seen a few experiments on youtube where people melt down PLA failed builds into sheets that can be milled or even better converted into new filament but to be honest it never seems to be worth it given the mixed results by people with way more time than me! Technically PLA can be composited but only in industrial composters (home ones too cold) and then you've got to find one that'll take compostable plastic!

I've come to the conclusion 3d printing as a hobby is less about the objects you make and more about the experimenting to make something in the first place.

[Jonj1611]

That is indeed a niggle. Sometimes I throw out sizeable failed prints, but I think that is balanced by sometimes I repair stuff that would otherwise get thrown away. Because even with FDM printing there isn't usually a recycling triangle on prints so you can't recycle them even if they are made of something that is in theory recyclable.

I wonder if you could get a "stamp" to put on a soldering iron or similar to burn a recycling mark into printed plastic items for when you want to discard them.

I am going to look into it a bit more, some can be recycled and others can't. Be nice to know which is which

[Jonj1611]

I've seen a few experiments on youtube where people melt down PLA failed builds into sheets that can be milled or even better converted into new filament but to be honest it never seems to be worth it given the mixed results by people with way more time than me! Technically PLA can be composited but only in industrial composters (home ones too cold) and then you've got to find one that'll take compostable plastic!

I've come to the conclusion 3d printing as a hobby is less about the objects you make and more about the experimenting to make something in the first place.

Agreed, its more for me about setting it up, downloading the software, learning something new etc. Probably get more fun out of that than the actual printing

Picked up the printer and curing station now and a whole bag of extras. Very happy so far, going to set it up later today.

[Jonatron]

I wanted a resin printer, but I just don't have the space needed. It's not the printer itself, it's the PPE, potential mess, cleaning, and resin fumes, that require something like a garage IMO. Interested to see how you get on!

[Jonj1611]

The main machine is really quite compact though I was surprised how heavy it was. I have a box of latex gloves from when I fix my car. The resin smell, hmm yes it does a little however think it depends on the brand etc as some are apparently smell free almost.

Cleaning so far from what the bloke I bought it from was telling me is straight forward, it came with a filter and funnel so unused resin can go back in the container and has some replacement film for the bed. The wash and cure station takes a lot of hassle out of cleaning and you can get water washable resin so you don't need to use isopropyl alcohol.

Going to start my first print in a couple of days. Just waiting for some new resin. I got some with it but going to use new.

Some pics :

[Jonj1611]

Ok so bit of an update. Still have the resin printer but realised I needed a bit more area to print so managed to pick up for £40 a Anycubic i3 Mega

I have a question though. It's printing well but after a print are you supposed to remove the filament or is it ok to be left in ready for use on the next model?

[Jonatron]

Yeah you can just leave filament in. I have heard that some filament can absorb moisture, so can need drying. That's just another thing to be aware of though, it's not like all filaments need drying before every use.

[Saracen999]

Also something to be aware of, if you aren't already - apparently (I'm told) not all filaments are created equal.

There are some interesting videos about how they're made, but essentially, pour granules in one end of a machine and extrude the filament out the other end, run it along a long path (to cool) to a winding machine. Job done.

The devil is apparently in the detail, though. Exactly what materials are going in? Some manufacturers are, supposedly, more .... erm, consistent .... than others and, who knows, maybe that's reflected in price.

It's one of the things that draws me to Prusa, making both the machines and their own line of filaments apparently has advantages in the settings in slicer software. That said, there are other highly regarded filament manufacturers too. My point was just that, like inks for inkjet printes, not all are created equal.

Of course, my 'knowledge' is theoretical, from YT vids, and no doubt those with actual experience will have some comments on this view.

[Jonj1611]

Many thanks, the filament I am using is some no name brand the bloke who sold me the machine had left over that had been sat on his shelf for a few months. Print quality though was excellent but no idea what the brand of filament was.

I do need to get some more, generally budget wise I try not to go for no name brands and err more towards something known but not expensive. Apparently Amazons own range is supposed to be ok but obviously not tried it myself. There are several brands on sale at the moment, eSun is another one with money off at present but no idea what quality is like on them.

[DanceswithUnix]

£40? Wow, you've been snagging some bargains there

It depends on the weather as to if I would leave filament out or not. It does absorb moisture, but on a nice sunny day like today the humidity is low enough that it's fine.

If a roll gets water in it, then that water content turns to steam as it goes through the ~200C nozzle giving you a rough texture to your print. In some cases, you can actually hear the filament crackle as it is printing. The annoying thing is, filament is often made in humid places and despite turning up in a vacuum sealed bag with a gel pack inside can have trapped moisture from new.

I got a right telling off from She Who Must Be Obeyed for drying out filament in the oven. To be fair, after a couple of hours drying plastic it did leave a slight smell. So I bought one of these:

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00KB9494S/

Two or three hours at 70C dries it out nicely. Also helps get those gel packs dry again, which I use in a storage box:

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001CMUOBK/

That's got a nice rubber seal to keep moisture out, and a 12L box can store a few reels of filament with some of those "do not eat" packets you get when buying stuff to keep the moisture out.

[cheesemp]

I've some eSun white PLA+ its ok. I think there is definitely better but also worse available! I got an esun drying box because I tend to print only infrequently and its sat in a slightly damp room but heard from many people you can generally ignore damp getting in unless room is damp/you spend months using up a reel. I did get a set of sealable bags and vacuum pump from china to keep my half used filament in - check out ebay/amazon/aliexpress.

[Jonj1611]

Sometimes things just pop up and you grab it while you can. I have missed out on a few things over the last couple of years due to dithering.

Thanks both for the advice on filament and drying.

What started off a little while ago as a passing interest is slowly getting out of hand :-