Kessil

Pointers - looking into 3D Printing

Local Fry's still carry ESUN filaments - not a cheapest one but I've had a good experience with it. Amazon has it for couple bucks less.
I also used Hatchbox and Overture - both were good.
 
Do keep your filament untangled by clamp the loose thread to the side of your roll, also keep it dry in a sealed ziplock bag when idle. This is pretty crucial since we all have a glass water box in the house or in garage, I often get hotend clogged and all due to degrading filament, I never had any problem with a new opened filament.

Instead of printing it in open air, I put my filament in a controlled dry box.

And I’m on my 7th printer [emoji23]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
So, how big are these spools? Do they fit in a gallon ziplock? I browsed some videos/images, and realizing they're probably bigger than I thought. I may have ordered 4-5 spools..... was that overkill? :oops:
 
So, how big are these spools? Do they fit in a gallon ziplock? I browsed some videos/images, and realizing they're probably bigger than I thought. I may have ordered 4-5 spools..... was that overkill? :oops:
No it doesn't fit in gallon ziplock - I got jumbo zip from Target. Also I heard that rice is good dessicant - I keep some in the bag.
 
So, how big are these spools? Do they fit in a gallon ziplock? I browsed some videos/images, and realizing they're probably bigger than I thought. I may have ordered 4-5 spools..... was that overkill? :oops:

It does fit my gallon ziplock

9dc007182e5e9147936ac09d1d23cc3f.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
So far I’ve used Hatchbox, eSun, and Sunlu brands of filament. They’ve all been good with good quality control (so far). Their spools all fit nicely in a 1-gallon freezer type ziplock bag like they sell at Costco. I throw a rechargeable color–changing desiccant bag in there with them for storage.
 

great video if you want a off the shelf ready solution other than a DIY octoprint.
 
I may have ordered some stocking stuffers for the kids from adafuit, and a pi4 may have made it into the cart too..... :rolleyes:

Again, still planning on trying out of the box first before changing a lot of variables.

It looks like the Enders come with the Cura (slicer?) but I can download the latest version ahead of time. My understanding is that you can download pre-made objects/files from places like thingiverse, but still need to load them into a slicer to get a file with print instructions that the printer can read? and then if you want to create or modify anything you need some sort of CAD program like TinkerCAD(basic) or Fusion (more advanced). Is there anything else needed from a workflow perspective. Again, you're looking at a total newbie here. Trying to understand whether it really does have everything I need in the box or if there are some things that need to be downloaded from elsewhere.

I found the following on All3DP:
2020 Best Slicers: https://all3dp.com/1/best-3d-slicer-software-3d-printer/
202 Best Free CAD: https://all3dp.com/1/best-free-cad-software-2d-3d-cad-programs-design/
 
Your summary is good. I use PrusaSlicer, which is based on Cura, and I like it. Keep in mind the slicer isn’t just about cutting the 3D model into slices, it also sets important instructions for the printer like speed, temperature, etc. Also you will need to understand how to use the slicer to orient objects to print best, use of rafts to help with first layer printing, and use of supports. It’s worthwhile to play around with it ahead of time like you said.
 
That video didn't seem great. Also the price on creality's site is $45, not $20.
 
Back
Top