I'd also advise to skip the dremel idea, learned that lesson the hard way. They're too weak, too inaccurate, and burn up way too easy.
Getting a 3D printer first and using it to build your own CNC is a great path for sure....but definitely adds more to the learning process and will delay having a functioning CNC. Though much of what you'll learn with 3D printing applies directly to using the MPCNC (at least the way most people use it with marlin for control.) so it's not a bad route to take at all.
Yes, the MPCNC can be used as a 3D printer...but swapping tools, making sure things are leveled to get a good first layer, tying up your CNC for hours waiting on a print. It's a less than ideal solution. Having both a CNC and a 3D printer really is empowering - some things are just better done with subtractive manufacturing and some with additive. You can usually come up with a work around if you only have one method or the other, but compromises are never a lot of fun.
If you can afford it then the official Prusa machines are probably the best bet going for a 3D printer. I've yet to talk to anyone who bought one and regrets it whether it's their 1st or 10th printer.
If you're on a budget there are a lot of lower cost options - but they all come with compromises. Some like the anet and creality use customized version of Marlin that somewhat limit the machines and their upgradeability. In the case of the anet the firmware can be downright dangerous as apparently it disables temperature overrun protection - combine with a machine made from flammable acrylic and you've got a potentially dangerous setup. There are also kits like the Folger that many of us have - but they aren't super quick or easy to assemble and often require a good bit of problem solving and creativity to get up and going...but are very affordable.
So while I do think getting a 3D printer first and then printing your own MPCNC is a great path - it's also not for everyone. Those 12hour plus center section parts are very demanding prints - getting a cheap 3D printer tuned and running reliably enough to create them definitely adds an additional challenge.
Buying the printed parts and electronics from Ryan at v1engineering.com is definitely the quicker/easier way to go. There are several of us who'd be willing to help with printing a needle cutter if that's the route you want to take (over making one from wood or metal) or as mentioned earlier you can put an extruder on the MPCNC and use it. Though I'm not sure I'd want to use a MPCNC built large enough to cut DTFB as a 3D printer. I'd probably want to build it smaller first and then expand it later like I did with mine.
Getting a 3D printer first and using it to build your own CNC is a great path for sure....but definitely adds more to the learning process and will delay having a functioning CNC. Though much of what you'll learn with 3D printing applies directly to using the MPCNC (at least the way most people use it with marlin for control.) so it's not a bad route to take at all.
Yes, the MPCNC can be used as a 3D printer...but swapping tools, making sure things are leveled to get a good first layer, tying up your CNC for hours waiting on a print. It's a less than ideal solution. Having both a CNC and a 3D printer really is empowering - some things are just better done with subtractive manufacturing and some with additive. You can usually come up with a work around if you only have one method or the other, but compromises are never a lot of fun.
If you can afford it then the official Prusa machines are probably the best bet going for a 3D printer. I've yet to talk to anyone who bought one and regrets it whether it's their 1st or 10th printer.
If you're on a budget there are a lot of lower cost options - but they all come with compromises. Some like the anet and creality use customized version of Marlin that somewhat limit the machines and their upgradeability. In the case of the anet the firmware can be downright dangerous as apparently it disables temperature overrun protection - combine with a machine made from flammable acrylic and you've got a potentially dangerous setup. There are also kits like the Folger that many of us have - but they aren't super quick or easy to assemble and often require a good bit of problem solving and creativity to get up and going...but are very affordable.
So while I do think getting a 3D printer first and then printing your own MPCNC is a great path - it's also not for everyone. Those 12hour plus center section parts are very demanding prints - getting a cheap 3D printer tuned and running reliably enough to create them definitely adds an additional challenge.
Buying the printed parts and electronics from Ryan at v1engineering.com is definitely the quicker/easier way to go. There are several of us who'd be willing to help with printing a needle cutter if that's the route you want to take (over making one from wood or metal) or as mentioned earlier you can put an extruder on the MPCNC and use it. Though I'm not sure I'd want to use a MPCNC built large enough to cut DTFB as a 3D printer. I'd probably want to build it smaller first and then expand it later like I did with mine.