New 3D printer user looking for resources

Merv

Site Moderator
Staff member
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.
 
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JasonK

Participation Award Recipient
look up how to do bed leveling, that is one of the biggest things that effects your print (at least the starting part of it).
After that, what types of things are you looking to print? Optimizing for miniatures is different then optimizing for RC parts, which is different then optimizing for terrain, etc.
 

Turbojoe

Elite member
If you search for 'Ender 3 Pro Cura settings' in youtube, your going to get _massive_ amounts of suggestions on how to configure things, some of it even conflicting.

I've spent hours and hours on YouTube looking at videos for better than a year now and am only now starting to get set up to my liking. One thing I've found with YouTube and anything 3D printer related is that you have the watch the ones related to the absolute latest slicer versions. Cura has had at least 3 updates in the last few months and added a lot of improvements. Now if TinkerCad would add a little more functionality I'd be a happy camper!

Joe
 

Turbojoe

Elite member
Mostly rc parts

Perfect for RC parts. I design and print all of my servo trays, formers, motor mounts, ribs, building tools etc. etc. etc. If I knew more than TinkerCad there is so much more I could produce. This worn out old brain just can't wrap itself around trying to learn a real CAD program though.

Joe
 

Merv

Site Moderator
Staff member
This worn out old brain just can't wrap itself around trying to learn a real CAD program though.
Ive been using SketchUp for my cnc router, there is a painless extension to produce g code files. I was hoping it will be compatible with Cura or some other slicer.
 

jpot1

Elite member
@Merv - just got my ender 3 pro about two weeks ago. Still figuring things out and would recommend taking a look at youtube - specifically CHEP and Tomb of 3D printed horrors.

There is just so much to learn but managed my first Tinkercad part yesterday and printed it today!
 
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Merv

Site Moderator
Staff member
Got the bed leveled & printed the dog, looks great.

The machine came with Creality Slicer which according to the "about software page" is powered by Cura.
Is this the slicer I want to use?
 

JasonK

Participation Award Recipient
Cura is works fine for an ender 3, and there are lots of tutorals on using it. What a slicer does it take your 3D model and creates the needed 2d 'slices' and related G code to print your object. it also will add/modify geometry (supports/infill/rafts/etc) based on your configuration settings.
 

JasonK

Participation Award Recipient
I would use the newest version, @Merv . The newer versions should work better then prior versions. Given that it is free, there is very little reason to use an older version. (the one reasons that I can think of would be if you need to use a profile that is available for an older version, but not the newer version or if there was an idendified bug in a newer version that wasn't in the older version).
 

Merv

Site Moderator
Staff member
Just made a 1 inch cube in SketchUp, was able to export it using the STL extension, then import it to Cura and successful print it. Y & Z measurements were spot on, X was 2% short.

Any thoughts?
 

LitterBug

Techno Nut
Moderator

Pintuu

New member
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.
Did not get the trainning from seller?
Pintuu