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3-d printers, who has the?

jkcerda

jkcerda

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jun 10, 2013
1,000
41,623
Criminal Mexi Midget
already ordered creality ender 3 Max.
wonder what others printers people had success with and any tips that could help get started.
 
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I have an AnyCubic 4Max Pro. I use Cura for slicing, but it is all to SD Card as my 3D printer doesn't have a network connection.

Oh and I mainly use PLA, I have a roll of PETG but I feel like the printer makes more errors with it (PETG).
 
Flashforge Creator Pro. Used to have a Adventurer 3 and wanted to explore the world of Dual Extrusion. Fantastic printer.

Switch to Simplify3D and added an AstroPrint Pi.

What are you guys using to design parts? I had issues finding good s/w for the Mac and now experimenting with Fusion personal edition. Steep learning curve for my needs.
 
Have a Dremel Digilab 3D40 & 3D45 at work. Works pretty well and easily. Only issue is the slicer crashes when quitting.

Also had an Ultimaker 2, upgraded to a 2+. I like the number of options it has for filaments, but I felt I spent more time calibrating & troubleshooting it then actually printing stuff. Really hard to level the bed, filament would backup into the extruder. To be fair, never used it very much, so the filament probably went bad. Looks like the Ultimaker 3 and S5 fix a lot of the issues. Haven't used a 3, so can't confirm.

In my experience, I've had better luck with filament from the same manufacturer as the printer. Bit more expensive, but lot less issues. YMMV
 
My first 3D printer was a CR-10S, over the course of a year or so I upgraded it to an all metal hot end, auto leveling, setup Klipper firmware on a Raspberry Pi and changed to a .6mm nozzle to speed up printing of larger objects. It is a pretty awesome medium sized printer to this day. I encourage people that want to seriously get into the hobby and learn the ins and outs to make their first printer a solid basic model they can upgrade and tweak themselves. You learn so much more about the tech and how everything works that way.

Last year I picked up an Ender 3 Pro on sale for $99. I got one with a crazy warped bed, so switched it out for glass and a BL-Touch pretty quick. It's been pretty solid too. It and the CR-10 have a lot in common in function and parts too.

Filament, I am lucky to live near a MicroCenter and their house brand of PLA and PLA+ is generally very good. My favorite filament for finish quality and texture though is ProtoPasta HTPLA.

Been using Cura, recently just started playing with SuperSlicer which is a fork of Prusa Slicer/Slic3r. They have an M1 native version, and I find it is better for certain types of prints.

Lastly, one of my favorite things about 3D printing has been poking at Fusion 360. To say the learning curve is steep is an under statement. I'd love to take a class someday, but have been picking up a lot from YouTube vids and tutorials.
 
I've just started evaluating what my favored slicer will be, and have a simple question -- is Cura's UI really so rough and janky as the norm? Compared to PrusaSlicer, it's not very fluid or responsive, like something is broken. It would drive the people in the iOS subforums who live and die by dropped frames into conniptions.

I'm using a 2019 iMac i5/3.7, and while it's no M1 Max, have yet to come across an app whose performance feels abnornal, or subpar…until now.

It would be a shame, because there is a lot to like about it in comparison, like readable font sizes for those who aren't under 25.
 
TheIntruder said:
I've just started evaluating what my favored slicer will be, and have a simple question -- is Cura's UI really so rough and janky as the norm? Compared to PrusaSlicer, it's not very fluid or responsive, like something is broken. It would drive the people in the iOS subforums who live and die by dropped frames into conniptions.

I'm using a 2019 iMac i5/3.7, and while it's no M1 Max, have yet to come across an app whose performance feels abnornal, or subpar…until now.

It would be a shame, because there is a lot to like about it in comparison, like readable font sizes for those who aren't under 25.
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The thing with Cura is that a lot of settings are linked and calculated based on what you enter in other settings. So changing one setting may cause several dozen other settings to simultaneously recalculate and update causing a very noticeable moment of lag while trying to type in a text box. Also, the gcode preview mode can lag when previewing complex/large objects, depends a lot on your GPU.

You are correct, in my experience, the Slic3r based spin offs like Prusa and Super Slicer tend to run a lot more fluid. But I also prefer Cura's UI. Most of the time now I choose my slicer based on the print job. Each has strengths and weaknesses and bugs. In the end it is about the final output and a successful print, I don't really care if the layer preview wasn't able to hit 60fps.

Keep in mind that a lot of the apps and utilities in the 3d-printing world are open source, so they may lack a level of polish and optimization. However, in my opinion, it is absolutely amazing the quality and variety of software/resources that are available and supported for free via the community.
 
To be clear, I'm not expecting 60 fps responsiveness, and there is a lot about it that I like better than Prusa.

But, when a fresh install with no plugins jerks when rotating an empty bed, it doesn't exactly inspire affection.

Seems to be par for the course, though, with complaints coming from all platforms and levels of hardware, so I guess it's the nature of the beast. And while it's great that some of its contributors chime in, the general attitude seems to be that it's something due to the user, or their hardware, not the software itself. That doesn't inspire confidence either.

However, the price is right, and ultimately, the results are what matters. There are always tools in tools in toolboxes that aren't going to be first one to be reached for, but they'll do the job.
 
I'm looking to jump into 3d printing as a hobby. I've been doing my research and I've largely settled in on the Prusa Mini +. I was (and still am) heavily tempted by the Prusa MKS3+ and to a lesser extent the Bambu P1P.

The MKS3+ seems to be the gold standard when it comes to 3d printing (for home use), with top notch components, great build quality and a company that is quick to help and support you. The downside is the kit is 800 dollars (before shipping and taxes). That's a mighty big price tag on something that I may not fully fall in love with.

The Bambu X1, seems to be the first in a new wave of 3d printing, but with a price tag starting at 1,400 dollars, that limited its appeal. They released a cut down version the P1P for 700 dollars, but it seems that you'll want to upgrade/mod it to get it to a point to fully take advantage of the improvements. The biggest downside for me right now is its proprietary components - you can only buy parts, and upgrades through Bambu

That leaves the Prusa Mini+ So far, I've not really heard of any negative thing regarding the mini - other then the printing size but I'm starting out, so I don't think that's a show stopper. The price tag is 450 (plus tax and shipping) so that pill is easier to swallow.

I haven't pulled the trigger yet - I like to mull things over and obsess over the details for a while before fully deciding but it seems like a fun hobby to get into
 
It really comes down to what parts of the hobby you find appealing and if you are looking for a printer that is a Reliable Tool, or something that is a project in and of itself that you tinker, tune and upgrade with time. For some that aspect is a bigger draw than the actual printing aspect, others just want great prints for their use case and something that works great out of the box.

If you are in the latter group and ok with a device that is closed-source, the X1 or P1P is your printer, no question. What you trade in Open-Source comparability you gain in out of the box precision and speed. The P1P is a beast for the price and is essentially the X1 minus the enclosure, touchscreen and camera. You don’t need an enclosure if you are printing with the usual PLA, PETG or TPU materials common for most printing. The camera you can add plug-in a USB webcam I believe. I find myself interacting with my printer through its web interface 99% of the time, so lack of a touchscreen is not as big of an issue as it seems. Also, both are comparable with Bambu’s multi-filament AMS box.

On the other hand if you want to really build an understanding of the science and engineering of 3D printing, there really is no other experience like building and maintaining your own kit printer and tuning and adjusting it. It’s not for the easily frustrated or those that want to just take something out of the box and print.

It’s becoming more and more difficult to recommend Prusa because of the price point and a lot of other ‘cheap’ printers have caught up and even surpassed them in build quality/features in some cases. Something like the Ender 3 S1 Pro is very similar in terms of specs/capabilities of the MKS3+ for half the price. If you are price conscious or want to get something to try before committing a bigger spend, I’d consider the Ender 3 S1 or S1 Pro Granted, you are getting the support with Prusa, but bedslinger printers all pretty much operate on the same principles and you’ll find yourself well supported by the community in either case.
 
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sevoneone said:
It really comes down to what parts of the hobby you find appealing
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Indeed. I think for me, I don't want to spend hours and hours tinkering.
sevoneone said:
It’s becoming more and more difficult to recommend Prusa because of the price point and a lot of other ‘cheap’ printers have caught up and even surpassed them in build quality/features in some cases. Something like the Ender 3 S1 Pro is very similar in terms of specs/capabilities of the MKS3+ for half the price.
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Here's my $.02 as I continue with my obsessive research.
An MKS4 is rumored to be released at some point - but then that rumor has been on going for a year or two. The Prusa printers (both the MKS3+ and the mini) are very expensive, but you're buying into a system.

Someone said that if you want to tinker, get a chinese knock off, or an Ender. If you want to print out of the box (so to speak) get a Prusa. I am leaning heavily towards a Prusa and I'm probably a bit biased towards them but of all of the research is that you get a tightly integrated system that both the hardware and software has been tuned. Very much Mac like where one company controls hardware and software.

I've also read horror stories of Ender's customer support and they seem (based on the internet) to have QC issues and oversight. I'm sure many people are happy their Ender, but it seems to get it to work just the way you want, you may need to mod, and upgrade it. To put another way, the cost of upgrading the bed, extruder, and other components, you may be getting close to the cost of the Prusa.

I'm really liking the Mini as the cost is easier to justify and you get all of what I just said. I think I want a product that I plug and play. Though with that said, I'm liking RatRig V-minion, its a competitor of the Mini, its not cheaper, but I've seen positive reviews. There's another Mini competitor I'm looking at but as I type this the name escapes me.
 
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maflynn said:
There's another Mini competitor I'm looking at but as I type this the name escapes me.
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Kingroon KP3S - I stumbled upon some very positive review of this printer, and did more digging and its well received.
 
Rumor time
this reddit thread is blowing up with images of some new Prusa models.
https://www.reddit.com/r/prusa3d/comments/12575ng

This doesn't deter me from leaning heavily towards getting the Mini.

The real question for me, is why do I want a 3D printer?

The cost isn't terribly high but a Prusa does have higher then normal entry cost. I'm thinking as a hobby, it would allow me to learn about 3d modeling, creating something and being a bit more artistic. I know it could be used to solve minor inconveniences at home, i.e., creating a part to fix something but overall that seems more of a solution in search of a problem.
 
maflynn said:
The real question for me, is why do I want a 3D printer?
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Better ask yourself ”Why don’t I have one already?”

I got my first printer years ago when I was drinking with a buddy who had one. We’re waking up next morning and did not remember much until Amazon rang the bell in the afternoon.

3 years fast forward I own 3 printers, can fluently design in Fusion and Shapr, acquired electronics skills, design my own things and bring them to life. I learned to program micro controllers, have my own LED light show, can fix anything that breaks at home and always have that crazy present ready for a birthday. My first printer went to my kiddos elementary school, where the STEM teacher went absolutely nuts about it. The kids love that thing and now they learn to design and create.

Short answer to your question is: to expand your horizon and spread the joy of DYI.
 
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BATman.Berlin said:
Better ask yourself ”Why don’t I have one already?”
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Oh that's an easy question: Money, Time, effort and priorities. This would be a hobby and a learning experience, as such, I have other more important matters to attend to that a 3d printer would be a luxury - one that can wait.

I've decided to defer any possible purchase for that very reason, I've lived much of my adult life with the ideal that if I'm not at peace with a decision then don't do it. I don't not going out of my comfort zone but rather peace with the decision.

I feel right now, the time is not right for me to pursue this, I'll re-examine the lay of the land this fall and see if its something I'd like to follow up on
 
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