New 3D printer user looking for resources

[Merv]

Has the problem been solved?

I don't know that I had a problem, it was more my inexperience at 3D printing. There is a learning curve.

I'm sure I still have a lot to learn but I am getting along reasonable well. I am able to design my own creation and print it. At this time I'm using SketchUp and OpenSCAD. Both have strengths and weakness. The initial setup is much easier with SketchUp but when it comes to micro adjusting OpenSCAD is the way to go. If I need a part where the size is not super critical, I will use Sketchup. If I need a part to fit down to 50 microns, something like a bushing to slide freely on a shaft without any play, I'll use OpenSCAD. I'm still learning the level of precision my printer is capable of.

I have been working on a needle cutter & have my prototype completed and ready for testing. My goal is to develop a floating head needle cutter. The cutting head will float over the foam, following any curve in the foam and still give precise depth of cut to the needle through the foam.

The bottom line, I'm very happy with my printer, I wish I had gotten one years ago.

 

[Merv]

I've had my printer for 2 months now, I getting along reasonable well. But several problems still plague me. If I try to print something to fit an object, something like a nut or a bearing, it takes 4-5 attempts to get the right fit. Learning how much to adjust seams to be the trick. Smaller objects are more difficult, a M3 nut is harder to hit than a 9/16 nut.

Is this normal or are others hitting the target the first time?

 

[JasonK]

I've had my printer for 2 months now, I getting along reasonable well. But several problems still plague me. If I try to print something to fit an object, something like a nut or a bearing, it takes 4-5 attempts to get the right fit. Learning how much to adjust seams to be the trick. Smaller objects are more difficult, a M3 nut is harder to hit than a 9/16 nut.

Is this normal or are others hitting the target the first time?

there are some calibrations you can do to make this work better. You also have to deal with the fact that your 'lines' from the printer don't have a perfect rectangular cross section which means good layer adhesion is going to make your lines slightly 'wide'. I found with my printer, with no calebration, something like 0.05mm larger/smaller then the desired size got my print output fairly good. You might be able to set that up in your slicer if needed, so you don't need to model your items 'wrong' which is what I was doing.

 

[VARick789]

I've had my printer for 2 months now, I getting along reasonable well. But several problems still plague me. If I try to print something to fit an object, something like a nut or a bearing, it takes 4-5 attempts to get the right fit. Learning how much to adjust seams to be the trick. Smaller objects are more difficult, a M3 nut is harder to hit than a 9/16 nut.

Is this normal or are others hitting the target the first time?

This guy on YouTube has a good number of helpful videos for the Ender 3/3 Pro. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsdc_0ZTXikARFEn2dRDJhg

 

[CustomRCMods]

Get yourself some TPU. RC parts made from TPU are nearly indestructible and depending on the infill can be as flexible or rigid as you would like.

on the ender 3 line people say it can’t be done, but mine has been printing like a champ with the bowden extruded and everything. Here are my TPU settings:

Bed temp: 75 C
Nozzle Temp: 215 C

50 percent infill (for quad parts)
10mm retraction distance
40mm/s retraction speed


I’m using a glass bed so I give it a healthy coating of hairspray before printing.

Bed leveled to one piece of printer paper thickness

Works great!

 

[CustomRCMods]

No, there was none offered.

I've had my printer for 2 months now, I getting along reasonable well. But several problems still plague me. If I try to print something to fit an object, something like a nut or a bearing, it takes 4-5 attempts to get the right fit. Learning how much to adjust seams to be the trick. Smaller objects are more difficult, a M3 nut is harder to hit than a 9/16 nut.

Is this normal or are others hitting the target the first time?

I’m late to the party here but A lot of the time it is the relationship between the file and the slicer rather than the printer itself. Try printing something like a gopro mount straight off thingiverse or something like that and see how close the scaling is, then mess with it in the slicer. I’ve been using my ender 3 v2 now with cura on relative default settings with no calibration issues.

 

[SkyersJet]

I bought a book, 3D Printing by Anna Kazunias France but I think it's a bit outdated now. It has 2012 wooden Makerbots in it :/

 

[SkyersJet]

Get yourself some TPU. RC parts made from TPU are nearly indestructible and depending on the infill can be as flexible or rigid as you would like.

on the ender 3 line people say it can’t be done, but mine has been printing like a champ with the bowden extruded and everything. Here are my TPU settings:

Bed temp: 75 C
Nozzle Temp: 215 C

50 percent infill (for quad parts)
10mm retraction distance
40mm/s retraction speed


I’m using a glass bed so I give it a healthy coating of hairspray before printing.

Bed leveled to one piece of printer paper thickness

Works great!

How easy is TPU to finish? is it prone to warping? I've seen a lot of people use it for wheels, and gaskets etc but I've not seen rigid parts made with it. I'm interested if it can be done.

 

[CustomRCMods]

How easy is TPU to finish? is it prone to warping? I've seen a lot of people use it for wheels, and gaskets etc but I've not seen rigid parts made with it. I'm interested if it can be done.

I’ve had to tinker around with settings a bit, but it prints really well and naturally for me. On my ender 3 v2, a little hairspray on the glass bed works wonders to keep it from warping up. I also found that higher temps on the bed and lower temps on the nozzle have helped increase my print quality. As always, the slower you go the better the result you can expect, I keep it around 20mm/s tops, and have clean results. Everyone has a different setup so it will take some tinkering to get it right but here are my current tpu settings:

75 degrees on glass bed with hairspray
215 degrees on nozzle
50 percent infill (perfect for most quad parts)
20mm/s speed overall
10mm retraction dist
40mm/s retraction speed
Almost always print with supports even if not needed to prevent warping.

Hope it helps!

 

[jpot1]

I’ve had to tinker around with settings a bit, but it prints really well and naturally for me. On my ender 3 v2, a little hairspray on the glass bed works wonders to keep it from warping up. I also found that higher temps on the bed and lower temps on the nozzle have helped increase my print quality. As always, the slower you go the better the result you can expect, I keep it around 20mm/s tops, and have clean results. Everyone has a different setup so it will take some tinkering to get it right but here are my current tpu settings:

75 degrees on glass bed with hairspray
215 degrees on nozzle
50 percent infill (perfect for most quad parts)
20mm/s speed overall
10mm retraction dist
40mm/s retraction speed
Almost always print with supports even if not needed to prevent warping.

Hope it helps!

@CustomRCMods - you are printing TPU with the ender Bowden setup? Didn’t think that was possible as retraction wouldn’t work on the flexibles?

 

[CustomRCMods]

@jpot1 Works just fine, you just need to do some trial and error on the temps and bed adhesion. The specs above are what have worked for me. Near flawless prints now. Using Priline TPU from amazon. I highly recommend hairspray for proper adhesion, especially if you are using a glass bed.

 

[sirjaymz]

Just got my Ender 3 Pro with dual metal gear extruder upgraded refurb'ed for Buck-80 from a local neighbor that get's all the refurbs from @mazon. Worked out well. thought it was defective, until I spent the last 48 hours reading everything there is and watching so many videos.

@CustomRCMods - That's a great recipe you are using. I am very very close to exactly that setting for all my stuff.

Cura is ok for slicing. Best you can get at no-cost, Simplify3d I heard is very well.
Octoprint is an absolute must have !!! buy a RPI 3 model b+. Works perfectly.

Following a guy Teaching Tech on YT. - This guy knows his stuff.. upgrading to the SKR Mini for the E3 Ver 2.0 .. on it's way.. gonna make a huge difference in sound coming from this unit with the new TMC drivers

Using Inland PLA+ for all my prints atm. Have to make a Ikea Lack enclosure before printing anything other than PLA due to the UFP in the house. Don't need that...

Will be printing out my firewalls and control horns for now on.. no reason to be cutting them out of ply.

Next up, MPCNC !! and the needle cutter .. oh.. that and complete the Trainer, Corsair, Explorer, and the Goblin... all the parts are in from the FT Store ...

 

[PoorManRC]

I just purchased my first 3D printer an Ender 3Pro. I’m looking for recommendations as to where to start. Your thoughts on a tutorial would be appreciated.

I have limited CNC experience. I have been successful using a CNC router but still have a lot to learn.

I need to make sure to keep up with THIS Conversation!!! 💯👍👍
EVERYONE has recommended the Creality Ender 3Pro.

However I have NO CNC experience and ZERO KNOWLEDGE of CAD!!
In fact I'm CAD STUPID! 😖
I hope that isn't going to keep me from using it at all... I'm planning on simply using Thingiverse Files (WHEN the Site actually works!!) also My MiniFactory and Files my Friends made - along with as many individual settings for each I can get.

This Old, Broken Brain really has a hard time wrapping around the design procedures...
So, as Plug-and-Play I can make this, the better!!

Been watching a bunch of Videos on the subject, especially Bed setup, Settings, Troubleshooting and Filament Types.

I've got nearly a year before I can buy ANYTHING, so for now I'm just sucking up knowledge, and occasionally getting good People to Print things for me.
Can't WAIT to be able to do it myself!!! 😁😉

 

[sirjaymz]

I need to make sure to keep up with THIS Conversation!!! 💯👍👍
EVERYONE has recommended the Creality Ender 3Pro.

However I have NO CNC experience and ZERO KNOWLEDGE of CAD!!
In fact I'm CAD STUPID! 😖
I hope that isn't going to keep me from using it at all... I'm planning on simply using Thingiverse Files (WHEN the Site actually works!!) also My MiniFactory and Files my Friends made - along with as many individual settings for each I can get.

This Old, Broken Brain really has a hard time wrapping around the design procedures...
So, as Plug-and-Play I can make this, the better!!

Been watching a bunch of Videos on the subject, especially Bed setup, Settings, Troubleshooting and Filament Types.

I've got nearly a year before I can buy ANYTHING, so for now I'm just sucking up knowledge, and occasionally getting good People to Print things for me.
Can't WAIT to be able to do it myself!!! 😁😉

The recommendation for the E3P is because the device is completely open source. All the components can be modified, upgraded, changed out, and there is software, hardware, and a community ecosystem built around this and many other platforms.
That means you don't like something, you can research how to change, upgrade and modify it, and get a printer that prints the way you want it to. - It's the Gold Standard on low cost printers with high quality. Bang for the buck has been unsurpassed for several years.

Simple workflow...
1 Idea to Drawing - CAD, Computer Aided Design, drawings, etc are built in programs such as OpenScad, AutoCad, DoubleXT, These are the lines, curves and on a 3-dimensional landscape, drawn to scale. File types such as dxf, stl, and others.. lots of others...

2 Drawing to gcode. - This is where you take the input file you created above in step 1, and use a "slicer" for you want to print, imagine the object sliced into layers, 0.2mm thick, like a stack of kitchen plates. Each plate builds on top of the next plate. But each plate can be a different shape, usually similar though so it flows together.. A slicer takes the drawing and makes the layers, and then it can create the GCODE from those plates on how to print it, basically, the movements of the printer. The gcode tells your printer 'what to do'. To get the gcode, you use a "Slicer". E3P uses Ultimaker Cura to do that. A simple program, and there are others out there to use as well. Some are better than others. The input file for example is an ".stl", and the output file is ".gcode" you can get STL files from Thingiverse that are all drawn up already. example-drawing.stl >>> "slicer" >>>> "example-drawing.gcode"

3 - Print - Take the gcode file from above in step 2 "example-drawing.gcode" , and transfer it into your printer. E3P uses an SDCARD with the gcode file on it, or you can hook up a computer directly to the printer with a USB cable. If you do that, you will need a gcode program. In my case, I use Octoprint on a raspberry pi 3 model b+.

Hope this helps you get the overall idea of the steps involved.

EDIT - Just a thought.. if you are able to make a drawing on paper, you could use fiverr.com to get someone to create a CAD drawing for you at a very lowcost.

 

[PoorManRC]

The recommendation for the E3P is because the device is completely open source. All the components can be modified, upgraded, changed out, and there is software, hardware, and a community ecosystem built around this and many other platforms.
That means you don't like something, you can research how to change, upgrade and modify it, and get a printer that prints the way you want it to. - It's the Gold Standard on low cost printers with high quality. Bang for the buck has been unsurpassed for several years.

Simple workflow...
1 Idea to Drawing - CAD, Computer Aided Design, drawings, etc are built in programs such as OpenScad, AutoCad, DoubleXT, These are the lines, curves and on a 3-dimensional landscape, drawn to scale. File types such as dxf, stl, and others.. lots of others...

2 Drawing to gcode. - This is where you take the input file you created above in step 1, and use a "slicer" for you want to print, imagine the object sliced into layers, 0.2mm thick, like a stack of kitchen plates. Each plate builds on top of the next plate. But each plate can be a different shape, usually similar though so it flows together.. A slicer takes the drawing and makes the layers, and then it can create the GCODE from those plates on how to print it, basically, the movements of the printer. The gcode tells your printer 'what to do'. To get the gcode, you use a "Slicer". E3P uses Ultimaker Cura to do that. A simple program, and there are others out there to use as well. Some are better than others. The input file for example is an ".stl", and the output file is ".gcode" you can get STL files from Thingiverse that are all drawn up already. example-drawing.stl >>> "slicer" >>>> "example-drawing.gcode"

3 - Print - Take the gcode file from above in step 2 "example-drawing.gcode" , and transfer it into your printer. E3P uses an SDCARD with the gcode file on it, or you can hook up a computer directly to the printer with a USB cable. If you do that, you will need a gcode program. In my case, I use Octoprint on a raspberry pi 3 model b+.

Hope this helps you get the overall idea of the steps involved.

EDIT - Just a thought.. if you are able to make a drawing on paper, you could use fiverr.com to get someone to create a CAD drawing for you at a very lowcost.

Thanks!! I do understand the WHY. By all accounts so far, it IS the best bang for the buck. It's likely the very best option for someone with my LACK of experience!!
I may not even be Computer literate anymore!! 😖 I haven't had a WORKING Computer in over 8 years - and That had Windows XP!!! 😲 There likely isn't ANYTHING I know that's still relevant.
Almost everything you just wrote looked like GREEK to me! 😭😖

I'm just hoping that I can get by at first just using outside .stl Files, set up the Bed, check everything - and just PRINT.
If I'm fortunate and not gone completely senile - MAYBE the more I use it, and SEE some of the intricacies that I'm NOT getting by reading...
I might even get comfortable with it!

 

[CustomRCMods]

Thanks!! I do understand the WHY. By all accounts so far, it IS the best bang for the buck. It's likely the very best option for someone with my LACK of experience!!
I may not even be Computer literate anymore!! 😖 I haven't had a WORKING Computer in over 8 years - and That had Windows XP!!! 😲 There likely isn't ANYTHING I know that's still relevant.
Almost everything you just wrote looked like GREEK to me! 😭😖

I'm just hoping that I can get by at first just using outside .stl Files, set up the Bed, check everything - and just PRINT.
If I'm fortunate and not gone completely senile - MAYBE the more I use it, and SEE some of the intricacies that I'm NOT getting by reading...
I might even get comfortable with it!

You will get there. There definitely is a considerable learning curve, as with all things, so don't get discouraged. We will be here on the forums if you have questions.

 

[PoorManRC]

You will get there. There definitely is a considerable learning curve, as with all things, so don't get discouraged. We will be here on the forums if you have questions.

Thanks! As always, I appreciate it. 😊