WelcomeWEFreedomWindsorEssexCounty-ActionCommunicationsRalliesResourcesSocialEventsWednesdayNightMeetings-ActivismAgoraAgorismCanadaCommonLawCommunityDataCentersDataCentresDoocracyFarmersMarketIntroductionsNaturalLawNewslettersOntarioOrganizingOutreachProjexProjexWikiRalliesResistanceAnalysisSoireesSoiréesWikiSpooksWindsorElectionsTop Subs
3
AskMatrix - - (+2|-0)
Looking to get into 3D printing(self)
3 commentsbyHiddenFox

I'm looking to buy my first printer. Anyone have any suggestions or bits of wisdom?

Comment preview

[-]AugustineOfHippo25(+4|0)

I bought a cheapie off Craigslist for $75. Rebuilt the hot end and printed a bunch of toys for the kids. After that I got bored and sold it to someone else.
My point is, if you don't have a specific reason for it, it's just a hobby that you will get bored of.
That said, I'd recommend Prusa. The mechanical engineers at my work have some and they are real good quality and real quiet. Anything off Amazon with 4+star reviews will work, just depends on how much cash you have and what your end use is.

parentlinkreply
[-]x0x73(+2|0)

Make sure you have some space in your garage. It isn't considered ideal to breathe the fumes. Also, don't let it print unattended. It's a fire hazard. Some of these printers, like Bamboo Labs, advertise that they support cloud printing, so you can start something while out of the house. But should you?

Microcenter often has good deals. That's where I got mine.

Also you should think about the bed size you want. Do you want to print small stuff or large stuff?

The under-rated underdog is probably the Elegoo Neptune 3. Cheap, and high rated. It's hard to be high rated because people are going have problems no matter what. I did a look because I'm curious. It managed to pull off 4.5 stars while having a low price. It's not the largest though.

Also, some libraries have a makerspace these days. Like Mr. Hippo said, we buy these machines and then find out we don't have very frequent use. But to be fair, 3d printing does require some initial trial and error and the faff out process of learning is less awkward when you own it. You are allowed to fuck things up when you own them. It's unlikely. But I wouldn't want to learn how to 3d print on a public machine. But once I know how to 3d print, I'd rather borrow a printer for my two prints of the year.

parentlinkreply
[-]HiddenFox1(0|0)

I never really gave it much though on where I would be with it in six months... I have two projects in mind but I'm also getting pretty big into robotics so I was thinking I would need custom parts and the like.

Anywaym good idea looking for something used. I'll definitely give that a try.

parentlinkreply