I have two printers, both printrbots. One has dual extrusion, but I haven't used it yet.
The least important thing in 3D printing is..... the printer. They are, as my daughter says, "Robot Glue Guns". Another expert I talked to said that the printer does what it is told to do and it does it.
The critical factors are:
CAD- can you design things in a CAD software. I use Tinkercad and anytime I try to get more sophisticated, I get lost. It more is that I don't do things often and it is a skill you need to keep up. Outside of CAD software to design things, you can download things off of Thingiverse to print.
Slicing Software- the CAD make the object the 'slicing' software tells the printer where to move and put plastic. CURA, I think is the current leader. I used Slic3r for awhile until it literally went tits up the day before I HAD to have something printed. The settings are the key for each printer and the filament used. Temp, how fast it moves and 50 other little parameters.
Filament- First, what chemistry- Nylon, PLA, ABS, PET variants, flexible, support(dual head), metal/wood filled. The producer and the color. I've had a lot of success with makerbot stuff, plus it was available from the local Micron computer store. I did have a pink spool for things for my daughter that I eventually threw out it gave such bad prints. Their white ABS runs awesome for me.
Printing Surface: The printer lays down a trace of plastic on each level. The first level is critical because if it doesn't stick, the part will get dragged around and ruined. It isn't just sticking, the plastic also wants to warp and contract, so it is trying to pull the part off the printing surface. This is where the voodoo starts. People use:
Bases- glass, metal, polyimide films, cordura, painters blue tape, it goes on
Treatments- slurried ABS, hairspray, glue sticks, blood of sacrificed virgins
What ever you can to get the part to stick. And when you get it to stick, you need to get the part off. I just ripped to shreds a plastic film (Buildtak) because I over did sticking the part to it.
But the printer:
You need heated bed(printing surface). It helps plastic stick and not warp.
The bigger the platform the better- especially since heated beds towards the edges don't work as well
Cooling fans- to solidify the plastic after being extruded (PLA) or for bridging.
I'd buy either a printrbot, Lulz or an Ultimaker. That new Ultimaker 3 looks awesome. Dual extrusion and soluble support makes these things real tools. Designing parts that work and can be 3D printed can be confining. The process isn't very forgiving of 'overhangs'- but the printer and the software has some influence. Being able to stuff support material in there is a key part.
Get ready to be frustrated. From design, to printing, to bed adhesion things go wrong.
And things go right. I remember the first time I had a problem and straight solved it. Wifes 50 year old Train set given to her by her dad had track sections that wouldn't stay together. I pulled out the digital calipers and measured the dimensions for a part to bridge between the two track parts. Went upstairs, mocked something up simply in Tinkercad, printed it in 20 minutes (small part), walked downstairs and snapped it into place. Viola. Printed off a bunch of the and problem solved. My wife also wanted a caboose for this German Gauge 1 train set, so I made her one and printed it.
Play around with CAD and see what you think about your ability to make stuff. I'm going to be basically not home till mid April, but I'll print some parts for you when I'm back.
Oh, and to geek out more, I have my own filament extruder so I can turn plastic pellets into filament for printing. Make my own colors too. All in ABS so far.
Last edited by FromMyColdDeadHand; 03-11-17 at 12:40.
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Originally Posted by Outlander Systems
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