3D Printer Discussion

[Outlander Systems]

Any of you fellas do any 3D printing, in a non-professional setting?

What unit do you have? What unit do you recommend?

I'm constantly finding myself wanting simple things that don't exist. Despite descending from a long line of multi-generational woodworkers, I don't have the itch to get my carve on.

3D printing I can sink my teeth into something like that.

Before it's brought up, I'm highly versed in CAD.

[P2000]

I do a little printing. Myself and 2 friends have an Anet A8. It can be had for about 160 bucks. And it works. It is the cheapest printer out there, but requires assembly. None of us have complaints, although it works best with PLA plastic. It's a great gateway printer. I'm a buy once cry once kind of dude, but in general 3d printers are getting better and cheaper year by year. No sense in spending 1k on one right now for hobby use.

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[Outlander Systems]

Roger that.

I don't mind assembly.

At some point I'd like to try my hand at designing/printing a holster.

[P2000]

Roger that.

I don't mind assembly.

At some point I'd like to try my hand at designing/printing a holster.
Check them out on YouTube. And there is a facebook group of anet users.
I need to get better at cad. I can think up stuff that I am unable to draft. I'm slowly learning.

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[FromMyColdDeadHand]

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.

[Outlander Systems]

I work with Autodesk products professionally, so exporting 3D solids should not be a problem.

Are .STL files generally pretty universal in regards to the format needed for the printers themselves?

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

I work with Autodesk products professionally, so exporting 3D solids should not be a problem.

Are .STL files generally pretty universal in regards to the format needed for the printers themselves?

STL is converted to a g-code file by slicing software that is the head movements and extrusion amounts.

Cad output is STL
SLIcer software out put is g-code
Printer uses g code to know how to move

You've got the skill part with auto desk, the rest is just dialing everything in

[Outlander Systems]

Thanks, brosef.

If I can pick your brain some more, as a total n00b regarding the hardware, what features should I look for?

I can wait a while longer and save my pennies if it's worth it for the Ultimaker. I was hoping to shoot for around $1,500, but no biggie.

Future-proofing would be nice.

[P2000]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170311/8d11d96726c251a68b94d2e1c02a360c.jpg

Finest printer 160 can buy. I'm printing a part for a friend now.

[Outlander Systems]

That looks like a pretty large surface area!

[MegademiC]

Wow, $160?

I haven't been keeping up, but, I may need to buy.

Can you use metals or plastics only?

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

I might be projecting on the Ultimaker;) , though that dual nozzle integration seems the best thought out. With the rest, I just think it is features, (heated bed, extruded and hot end) and the support you'll get when things go wrong. Look at the RepRap Prusa printers for ones that need assembly and don't have factory support to Ultimaker on the extreme other end. Printrbots fit my comfort and feature levels. I really haven't looked at printers in over 24 months

[TAZ]

I do a little printing. Myself and 2 friends have an Anet A8. It can be had for about 160 bucks. And it works. It is the cheapest printer out there, but requires assembly. None of us have complaints, although it works best with PLA plastic. It's a great gateway printer. I'm a buy once cry once kind of dude, but in general 3d printers are getting better and cheaper year by year. No sense in spending 1k on one right now for hobby use.

Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk

That Anet 8 looks like a good little father - son project. What CAD/Design software do you use to generate the 3D data to be printed?

[P2000]

That Anet 8 looks like a good little father - son project. What CAD/Design software do you use to generate the 3D data to be printed?
It would be. It takes several hours to assemble and is fun. Designspark for CAD, then Cura to turn the file into the gcode toolpath file which the printer uses. There are lots of cad programs out there.

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[P2000]

Wow, $160?

I haven't been keeping up, but, I may need to buy.

Can you use metals or plastics only?
Yeah, it was too cheap to pass up. Gearbest dot com has the cheapest price, and they have sales. I haven't explored all the various filaments, not sure what works and what doesn't. PLA is going well for me.

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[FromMyColdDeadHand]

If you go past PLA resins, you will need a heated bed. Until you get to the Ultimaker or Makerbot level I would plan on having to do repairs and tweaks. Building your on will give you the confidence to tear it apart and repair and rebuild it. Replacing hot ends, tweaking extruders, replacing broken end stops, replacing bad bearings are all part of the game.

I'm more interested in materials and functionality of the final part then the printer. To be the printer is the means to the ends, and the least interesting part of the whole chain.

[P2000]

If you go past PLA resins, you will need a heated bed. Until you get to the Ultimaker or Makerbot level I would plan on having to do repairs and tweaks. Building your on will give you the confidence to tear it apart and repair and rebuild it. Replacing hot ends, tweaking extruders, replacing broken end stops, replacing bad bearings are all part of the game.

I'm more interested in materials and functionality of the final part then the printer. To be the printer is the means to the ends, and the least interesting part of the whole chain.
My anet has a heated bed. If I remember right, it is set to 50 degrees C for pla printing. I have heard if much higher bed temps for other plastics are needed, it can struggle to keep up though.

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[MegademiC]

If you go past PLA resins, you will need a heated bed. Until you get to the Ultimaker or Makerbot level I would plan on having to do repairs and tweaks. Building your on will give you the confidence to tear it apart and repair and rebuild it. Replacing hot ends, tweaking extruders, replacing broken end stops, replacing bad bearings are all part of the game.

I'm more interested in materials and functionality of the final part then the printer. To be the printer is the means to the ends, and the least interesting part of the whole chain.

Same here, maybe I'll find someone to print stuff for now. I don't have time for all that.

[kwelz]

I do have one.

Posted here a while back about possibly printing gun parts and got some opinions. Decided to just go ahead and do it.

Best damn decision I have made in a long time.

I ended up getting a Powerspec Ultra 3D. It is produced by Flashforge for Microcenter. Duel extruder, Heated bed, the works. And it is only 500 bucks or so.
http://www.microcenter.com/product/448607/Ultra_3D_Printer

I figured I would use it for a few big things. Frankly I find that I use it almost every day. All the little things you always say to yourself "Hey I need something to do X" . Well guess what. You can probably find a design for it, and if not you can use easy free design software to build it.

I have also found that https://www.thingiverse.com/ is probably the single best source for designs. You can find just about anything you need on there. Even some gun parts like AFGs and rail sections.

Stand for my laptop when using it on my desk? Done.

Under desk mount for some computer equipment? Done.

Specific sized picatinny rail for my KRISS? Done.

The list goes on.

How about a Flash drive/SD card organizer?

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/zz274/Kevin_Welz/20170314_020803_1.jpg


Or a baby Groot that my wife has wanted for her desk?

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/zz274/Kevin_Welz/20170314_020942.jpg


Honestly it isn't even the big things I thought it would be useful for. Oh yeah it is great for that. But it is the little things. The "It would be great if I could do this" things.

I will say this. A lot of the generic software is kind of Meh... I ended up spending the money to buy Simplify 3D for prepping and slicing models. And I use 123D Design for custom Design work. Although I haven't had to do much of that at all.

[P2000]

Problem: Precision Armament washers do not have a chamfer. Some muzzle threads are cut without clearance for such washers. As seen in this photo, the gap between the washer and shoulder.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170316/5f1d54f8ecdfe8da56f35e7e0ebedfb5.jpg

Solution: fire up CAD and 3D printer, to turn drill into a lathe, to make a fixture which holds the washer in the drill to rotate it and make a nice chamfer.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170316/0dfc6a38ae1ff987e3ae05155faf1ed6.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170316/56df4ba3f88de3fdc8eaee37314cc580.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170316/8a454ad6ddcb5fd6a2393343ddc36c71.jpg

Sure there are other ways to solve this problem, but I had fun doing it this way. This is part of the fun of 3D printing. Design things and make them. Learn. My dream is to take an idea, prototype it and perfect it with some help from the 3d printer, then start a business. I already have an idea, but it is going to take a while.

[Outlander Systems]

^That...IS AWESOME!

[Rayrevolver]

You guys print anything cool you would like to share?

Monoprice has a $199 printer that I am thinking about. Just something to mess around with and maybe print some toy parts.

https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-115365-Select-Printer-Filament/dp/B01FL49VZE/?tag=edit-tech-round-up-20&ascsubtag=9592b0fa-8252-4ce1-baf0-b3e543063390

Review:
https://hackaday.com/2016/06/13/review-monoprice-mp-select-mini-3d-printer/

Sounds like I can use Cura for free but still need a 3D Modeling program. Sounds like Tinkercad is a decent free program but uses a browser. Any other programs you guys have tried that I can download?

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

I use Tinkercad since it is easy and free. I'm going to start to use Fusion because I think for small users and hobbyists it is free.

Later this week I'll post what I've made.

[elephant]

Knowing how to use CAD software makes owning a 3D printer worth it. I would recommend Autodesk AutoCAD, Inventor, Fusion 360, Parasolid, Solidworks or Rhino. If you have a 3D printer and do not know how to create parts in CAD, you will be limited to printing parts found online in "freemium" libraries.

All 3D printers use the STL file (stereo lithography) and operate using G-code or N-code

Some printers have a workspace that is 4"x4"x4" and other printers offer a larger workspace up to 10"x10"x10".

The best pro-sumer 3d Printers are between $1000-$3500: These printers are touch screen, fully enclosed and thermo-regulated, can use ABS, ASA, PET, Nylon or PLA filament, all metal hot-ends, self cleaning, bed leveling, support STL, OBJ and DXF, use quality servo stepper motors, Y and Z axis guides, rods and mounts are precision machined, linear axis ball bearings, removable build plates, cooling fans and dual bed heaters. These printers can also be connected to a network or use USB, SD cards or connect directly to computer.

Makerbot- open source software- probably one of the best 3d printers
Formlabs- another great 3d printer
Zortrax-
Raise3d - firmware sucks!!
Lulzbot - uses proprietary filament but creates awesome parts.
Leap Frog-





Other than that, the best 3d printer is the HP Jet Fusion 580 which cost $390,000 and can make replacement parts for the human body.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

Prude i3 mk3 with quad feeds will be my next one.

[Diamondback]

Can't wait 'til there's a sub-$1000 rig that'll SLP a viable lower... just 'cause I wanna be able to say "push button, got gun, suck a dick Grabberfascists!" :)

[kwelz]

Can't wait 'til there's a sub-$1000 rig that'll SLP a viable lower... just 'cause I wanna be able to say "push button, got gun, suck a dick Grabberfascists!" :)

I have printed 2 as tests on my printers. Both my printers together cost less than $1000 Both lowers were functional and with a bit of tweaking would have been as good as any polymer lower on the market.

[elephant]

You guys print anything cool you would like to share?

If your into scale high powered model rocketry this might interest you, this is a 1:50 (4") scale Gemini Space capsule that I created in Autodesk Inventor. Took a couple of nights of gathering hi-res photos, information, dimensions and details and then I drew it in 3d and spent the better part of 4 hours adding in all the little details. I used a Makerbot Replicator+ to print this piece and it took about 2 hours. Its actually (2) pieces, the capsule itself and the bottom part which is what presses into the rocket body tube. Both pieces are epoxied together to make 1 unit.

50594
50595


I have designed some 7 inch long "Centurion Arms" CMR type rail covers to fit my KAC URX 3.1 rail: I will be printing these later this week for test fit/trial and applying a industrial rubberized coating to give texture.
50596

Here is an exact copy of a Noveske NQR 13.5" rail and a KX3 Flaming Pig that I am wanting to make for an airsoft gun. (Ill most likely never get around to doing these)
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[Outlander Systems]

Do you have a .dwg of the KX3 and NQR?


If your into scale high powered model rocketry this might interest you, this is a 1:50 (4") scale Gemini Space capsule that I created in Autodesk Inventor. Took a couple of nights of gathering hi-res photos, information, dimensions and details and then I drew it in 3d and spent the better part of 4 hours adding in all the little details. I used a Makerbot Replicator+ to print this piece and it took about 2 hours. Its actually (2) pieces, the capsule itself and the bottom part which is what presses into the rocket body tube. Both pieces are epoxied together to make 1 unit.

50594
50595


I have designed some 7 inch long "Centurion Arms" CMR type rail covers to fit my KAC URX 3.1 rail: I will be printing these later this week for test fit/trial and applying a industrial rubberized coating to give texture.
50596

Here is an exact copy of a Noveske NQR 13.5" rail and a KX3 Flaming Pig that I am wanting to make for an airsoft gun. (Ill most likely never get around to doing these)
50597
50598

[elephant]

Do you have a .dwg of the KX3 and NQR?

yes, PM me your email. I can send .ipt, .dwg, .STEP and IGES files as well. I lied, its a 12" rail (305mm), not 13.5"! Just double checked!
50600

Here is a Daniel Defense MK18 Rail if your interested.
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