3D Printers

[Kumagoro]

Have you done much with the resin printers yet?


We are looking to get one where I work but none of us have ever used one before and don't know what is worthwhile spending extra on.

[Jonj1611]

I have done a few prints so far. Quality is like night and day to be honest. However the build plate is smaller, though think you can get bigger ones than the one I have. Also due to the supports you can end up wasting a lot just supporting your model. I do find it a bit wasteful as it can't be recycled as far as I know.

Only thing I would say is its a bit of a messy job sometimes. You have the resin which needs to be filtered back into its container if you are not using all of it. The tank needs to be cleaned, you really could do with a wash and cure station. In my picture the resin printer and wash and cure station are sat on a silicone mat. If anything spills on it just leave it in the sun for it to harden and peel it off.

Anyway bottom line is detail is far superior to even a top end filament printer though the trade off is smaller models and messier.

[Jonj1611]

So thank you for the advice I was given.

I changed the settings too many to mention, created my own PLA profile and had another try using that filament.

This time it printed perfectly. So happy days. Trial and error definitely needed!

[Saracen999]

So thank you for the advice I was given.

I changed the settings too many to mention, created my own PLA profile and had another try using that filament.

This time it printed perfectly. So happy days. Trial and error definitely needed!

Satisfying when you finally get there, innit?

If I eventually get around to buying a machine, probably Prusa, I can see me having the reverse problem - most of what I want to do is probably going to be easier getting 'pretty good', maybe even 'very good' results but the moment I have something a bit unusual and challenging, or want 'best', I'm not going to have the grounding you're getting by having done the trial by fire. And that is the downside, other than the cost, of going the Prusa route, IMHO, of course.

I'll probably end up doing the frustrating trial by fire bit eventually, but just later on. The irony is, if (a pretty big 'if' these days) I'm in the mood, I actually enjoy the tweaking and fiddling process, making notes, working out the 'if doing this, then that happens' of it all. But as I get older, I'm enjoying it less, and getting more impatient to just get it done and move on. It is certainly an attitude that doesn't help with my DIY efforts, where attention to detail, and good prep, are so important.

Anyway, it's good to see you got it sorted, though.

[Saracen999]

....

This time it printed perfectly. So happy days. Trial and error definitely needed!

It's surprising how many things trial and error applies to.

You may remember I got a half-decent espresso machine and coffee grinder recently. It's surprising (to me at least) just how big a difference some pretty small changes (especially to how fine the grinder grinds) make, but also to temperature, pressure, etc., if you want best out of whatever beans you're using. And how those small changes can make a pretty big difference to the taste of the resulting drink. The same logic applies, it seems, to getting the most out of a given filament.

[Jonj1611]

Tweaking is definitely the answer here. You are correct small adjustments made can make a big difference overall.

I have a bit of spare time lately so really have been finding things that do need attention as gives me something to do. That being said the heated bed cable needs replacing as its temperamental at best. So I am going to replace the wire and sell this printer as an Ender 3 Pro V2 is going locally which I believe has a bit more support than the current printer I have and for the price its going for its well worth it. Will report back on that whether I get it or not.

[Saracen999]

This is better than Eastenders and Corrie put together.

Not that that's hard, seeing as I wouldn't be caught dead watching any soap.

But you get my point - the ongoing Saga of Jon's 3D Printer-buying Escapades!

Note: It needs a better working title, preferably one with a catchy acronym.

[Jonj1611]

PrinterWars : A New Hope

[Jonj1611]

And picked up the Ender 3 Pro, came with about 6 rolls of pretty pricey filament so happy about that and as a bonus have found someone has updated the mainboard to a 32-bit one. Will update how I get on with this one

[DanceswithUnix]

If I eventually get around to buying a machine, probably Prusa, I can see me having the reverse problem - most of what I want to do is probably going to be easier getting 'pretty good', maybe even 'very good' results but the moment I have something a bit unusual and challenging, or want 'best', I'm not going to have the grounding you're getting by having done the trial by fire. And that is the downside, other than the cost, of going the Prusa route, IMHO, of course.

Nah, there's still loads to play with. In some ways, knowing that you can get really nice prints out makes it worse if you are the sort of person who will chase that ideal. But it usually comes down to calibration. Each spool needs to be calibrated for filament width as it won't quite be 1.75mm wide, the ideal melt point needs to be found by printing a temperature tower. On a current mk3s+, you probably want to upgrade the extruder to have a geared drive to smooth the flow out of the nozzle. Then there's movement speeds and flow rates, cooling fan settings.

But I think with Prusa cost you are largely funding their R&D budget as things have really improved during the few years I've been using mine, in terms of slicer software and printer firmware as well as the hardware improvements.

And picked up the Ender 3 Pro, came with about 6 rolls of pretty pricey filament so happy about that and as a bonus have found someone has updated the mainboard to a 32-bit one. Will update how I get on with this one

Sounds awesome. How's the wife taking all this?

I find a 3d printed rose goes down nicely, worth getting some cheap green filament for the stem if you don't already have that colour. I think I used this one: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:673206/files
though there are others where you print the stem standing up to avoid a flat ridge down the side. That seems like asking for trouble

My wife has a collection of different coloured ones in a 3D printed vase (ofc)

[Jonj1611]

Sounds awesome. How's the wife taking all this?

Alas I am a single parent. So no wife for me. And no one to answer to yay

[Jonj1611]

Bought a TP-Link Tapo Camera so I can monitor both printers now. Its effective and for £23 means I don't have to keep going to see if the printing is coming out ok

[DanceswithUnix]

Alas I am a single parent. So no wife for me. And no one to answer to yay

Foot+mouth; sorry!

Bought a TP-Link Tapo Camera so I can monitor both printers now. Its effective and for £23 means I don't have to keep going to see if the printing is coming out ok

Nice one. Are you going the Octopi route as well? I have a Pi on both my printers, the one here at home has a Pi camera mounted on the printer. My "spare" printer, cobbled largely from parts left over from upgrades, is at work with a standard USB webcam just plugged in. It is dead handy, and on Octopi I can remotely cancel the print job before the spaghetti gets too out of hand
But then I hadn't seen just how cheap stand alone cameras have become.

[Jonj1611]

I am not sure to be honest. The Halot One is controlled over Wi-Fi by the Halot Box software so can start and stop that anytime I want. Only one it might be useful for is the Ender 3.

This is the camera I have, its an IP camera, tilt/swivel etc :

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08K3M6N7C

[Jonj1611]

An update. Have decided to move the resin printer on. The print quality was amazing and details are far superior to filament but its a chore to use to be honest. Its messy, smelly and I probably would need to take out a bank loan to invest in the amount of paper towels I was going through.

[Saracen999]

Well, that's kind-of a shame, but really, not much of a surprise, at the same time. I contemplated resin, but reached pretty much the conclusion that unless I had s specific need that required the resolution (and I don't) the lack of practicality in use, in the environment I'd be using it, was too much of a problem. I mean, in my case, it's not that I have a need but rather, just want to try the technoloy out. Filament makes so much more sense for me. Could it change in the future? Maybe, if I develop a real need for resin, but I'm not holding my breath.

Your experience tends t just reinforce that view for me. So thanks for that.