3D Printing

[indy4x]

Just started using 3D printer, its the Balco model (rebranded Wanhao i3 Plus) sold by Aldi (or was it Lidle?). Anyways, I bought it S/H off my BIL as he has 'upgraded' to a different printer, can't remeber what it was but I think he is regretting selling the Balco as the new printer is having a few issues.

I've had it about 6 months but only started using it 2 weeks ago, it has been trouble free and I have churned out a few pieces with it. From memory its pretty much standard but I think the hot bed may have been upgraded and it has a glass bed clipped over the hot plate using bulldog clips.

Am using the latest version of Cura for generating the G code and am finding my way around it, definately not an expert

3D modelling using Autocad Inventor 2020, again, no experience of CAD programs, just using the free student version (doesn't appear to be any checks as to whether you are actually a student as I used my personal email and home address)

I think I have the bug though, I did wonder what I would use it for but am now finding loads of 'stuff' I need to print and also started lusting after bigger and more capable machines

 

[Ruffian]

Well at the moment for example.

Fusion 360 is still free *(ish)
Cura is free.
Ender 3 with a roll of pla. £200.

That's all my costs so far to start making printable stuff.

 

[Ali]

Actually I’ve heard good things about the Dremel one, but don’t know anything about it myself. Worth a look though, and post up when you’re closer to a decision. It’s such a minefield, there’s so much choice...

 

[AndersK]

Looks like budget needs to be £1000.

Is Cura a good slicing programme?

That kind of money will get you a fully assembled and tested Prusa with the multi material upgrade kit.
With that you can load 5 different materials and use in the same print.
That will cost 1300 €

Cura is what I use but the Prisa users claim their slicer to be better in some parts

 

[Wedg1e]

We bought a Creality CR10-S5 for a job at work; we're building an inspection system that uses belt-driven rollers and a vertical spindle with an air chuck. Despite the fact that the whole machine hides behind a light curtain perimeter the H&S nazis, (sorry, the client, and quite right they are too ) insisted that all the drive components should be guarded. Now it was either make some moulds and produce GRP guards, butcher some sheetmetal myself or pay a fabricators to make something... until I came up with the 3D printing idea. The 10S-5 was chosen as it has a 500mm cube build envelope, but it's basically just an oversized version of the standard CR10 and they didn't take into account the fact that the larger bed loses heat faster (the heater's only 300mm square under the 500 sq. bed). Granted, they don't specify it as being suitable for printing ABS which is what I thought would work best for the covers so it did take a few goes on smaller parts to realise it wouldn't get hot enough and we ended up doing them in PLA.
Amazingly, there was so little shrinkage (or perhaps I should say an equal amount of shrinkage) in the two halves of the main belt guard that they clipped together perfectly tongue and groove all the way around the edges, the guard's about 400 x 275 x 70mm.
Other bits and pieces were less grief and I even managed to include the company logo in some of them

The benefits of 3D-ing such parts include the fact that once the prototype is finalised, any number can be run off by anyone who can drive a printer. That would include 3rd parties as we intend to provide the 3D models with the machine. That led us to speculate that at some point in the future, once 3D printing finds wider acceptance, a factory could have its own in-house 3D printing facilities and any time a part breaks or looks shabby on any machine by any maker, they can just run one off in-house, perhaps overnight (let's face it, nightshift maintenance does the square root of sod-all anyway ) and maybe even in their own corporate colours. No need to worry about 'obsolete' spares or involve Dave the local fabricator.
I've bought a 240V silicon heater pad rated at something hellish and when I get a minute or ten I'll swap that onto the 10-S5's bed and see if we can get enough heat into it that way.

I use Cura, Creality's own slicer doesn't seem as good and Meshmixer appears not to understand the dimensions of the 10-S5.

 

[Onoff]

Just used a 3D printer to repair an obsolete switch on a 33 year old machine. Client v.happy.

 

[garethp]

@garethp , you said on the other thread you paid £58 for yours, what was it/link?

I attempted to buy a Creality Ender 3 a little while ago for £59.95 from cogkart.com but it's a scam. Still trying to get the money back via the bank.

Been told on some of the cheaper ones it's a good idea to "upgrade the MOSFETs", to do with the motors and fire risk I think.

I went with the Anycubic i3 Mega S on recommendation.

Hi @Onoff

It was one of these https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CTC-A8-D...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

I got the price slightly wrong - I paid £69.99 instead of £86.29, I think the £58 came from having some money in my paypal account.

I think its not bad for the price but my thoughts are;

• Its a kit and you need to build it
• The instructions are poor and are best used as rough guide
• Some of the fixings are the wrong lengths and a mixture of normal nuts and nylocs were supplied, they need juggled to make sure they all fit in the right place
• The frame is flimsy and you can see it flexing as the Y axis moves from side to side, this can be sorted by lowering the speeds and printing some frame braces from thingiverse, once the braces are fitted the speeds can be increased
• The linear bearings are quite rough and noisy so I'm changing those for self lubricating plastic ones (when they finally arrive...)
  
• They have a reputation for catching fire, not sure how true this is or if its more a case of 'my mate knows someone down the pub who has a mate etc' I fitted a seperate mosfet to supply the heated bed for few quid and printed a bracket to attach it, I've ran some 12+hour prints through it and nothing on the electronics side gets warm
• I'm having issues at the moment with stringing and altering settings isnt making any difference, next step is to take the nozzle apart and see if something isn't put together properly
• The bed is aluminium and needs masking tape applied for the filament to stick to (This is the same for all printers with similar style beds) I dont like having to do that so I've got a glass ultrabase to go on it as they are supposed to work without tape or other adhesives, its not fitted yet as I'll change the bearings first because they are under the bed
• I've been using Repetier host (it uses a built in cut down version of cura) to print via a usb cable, I tried the sd card slot on the printer over the weekend and it turns out it only supports older sd cards with a max capacity of 2gb

All the above are known problems and I was expecting it to be a bit of a project but its worked out better than I thought it would.

I've got Cura sussed now and have got my head round orientating prints and checking layers, infill etc. The next step is improving how I use Fusion.

After that the next steps are possibly a new better made head and I might go for a metal frame to convert it to an AM8, I might also go for a dual extruder but that'll need a new controller board.

 

[carbon]

The bed is aluminium and needs masking tape applied for the filament to stick to (This is the same for all printers with similar style beds) I dont like having to do that so I've got a glass ultrabase to go on it as they are supposed to work without tape or other adhesives,

I’ve fitted a printbite sheet on mine and haven’t had many issues, you need to make sure it’s clean. I just wipe it over with acetone after a few prints

 

[Wedg1e]

When I ordered the CR10S-5 I also bought their recommended glass bed tack adhesive in a squirty bottle: £10.
Turns out Aldi hairspray is just as good: 79p.

 

[ukracer]

When I ordered the CR10S-5 I also bought their recommended glass bed tack adhesive in a squirty bottle: £10.
Turns out Aldi hairspray is just as good: 79p.

Strange how some people swear by clean glass and others don't.
I have to admit , possibly due to the mishmash of rolls of PLA I have acquired with various printers I just don't think it's all that good myself.
I started with Lidl hairspray purely because the guy I had my first printer off used Lidl brand......it worked...and I did not see any need to reinvent the wheel.

 

[ukracer]

I have a modded Ender 3 and it's got Marlin Inc mesh bed levelling.
Don't rate it at all yet as I had to resort late last night to using the Ender 2 and print upright using ABS Pro. As I use a slurry it sticks like STAB with no warping usually.

 

[Onoff]

Running out of pla here! Is pal+ better?

Could someone point me at a good supplier please!

Thanks

 

[ukracer]

Running out of pla here! Is pal+ better?

Could someone point me at a good supplier please!

Thanks

Never used PLA plus. I have used so many brands that came with printers a a bulk second hand job lot I got.
I think once you get a good brand in a particular material you should stick with it. Keep a profile for each one as well . I found they all have small quirks.

 

[AndersK]

Different supplier name them differently.
I have 3 different
E-pla, e for easy and the cheapest
X-pla stronger, more heat resistant and better print quality.
HT-pla, high temp version and stronger. Not used yet but will experiment with it as support material for PETG.

 

[ukracer]

Different supplier name them differently.
I have 3 different
E-pla, e for easy and the cheapest
X-pla stronger, more heat resistant and better print quality.
HT-pla, high temp version and stronger. Not used yet but will experiment with it as support material for PETG.

Yeah it's all getting silly with so much marketing now...

 

[choco]

Id recommend the Creality printers. I picked up an Ender 2 for 120 euros and also have a CR10. I tend to use the Ender2 more than the CR10. Just finished putting a 32bit controller board into the Ender2(25 euro i think it was including the drivers). Printers have been great for me. Have a look at the Ender 3 also. The Ender 3 was not released when i bought my CR10, if it was, i would of picked that.

 

[ukracer]

Id recommend the Creality printers. I picked up an Ender 2 for 120 euros and also have a CR10. I tend to use the Ender2 more than the CR10. Just finished putting a 32bit controller board into the Ender2(25 euro i think it was including the drivers). Printers have been great for me. Have a look at the Ender 3 also. The Ender 3 was not released when i bought my CR10, if it was, i would of picked that.

I can't get PLA to stick to the bed on the ender 3 and it's crealitys own glass bed.

 

[Ruffian]

I can't get PLA to stick to the bed on the ender 3 and it's crealitys own glass bed.

I got told hair spray, but not sure.
I have the glass bed but haven't used it yet as nothing I have printed has mattered as such.

 

[choco]

PLA should stick fine to glass. Make sure the bed is levelled right, first layer is printed slow. I use a mirror from IKEA on the CR10 with glue stick. I tried this spring steel PEI bed from AliExpress recently and it's been great on the ender2. The ender2 is basically half an ender3
€ 11,42 30%OFF | ENERGETIC PEI Flexible 3D printer heated bed, PEI sheet 3D Printer Platform, Removable 3D Printer Spring Steel Sheet Heat Bed
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/nB5ifALyX

 

[ukracer]

PLA should stick fine to glass. Make sure the bed is levelled right, first layer is printed slow. I use a mirror from IKEA on the CR10 with glue stick. I tried this spring steel PEI bed from AliExpress recently and it's been great on the ender2. The ender2 is basically half an ender3
€ 11,42 30%OFF | ENERGETIC PEI Flexible 3D printer heated bed, PEI sheet 3D Printer Platform, Removable 3D Printer Spring Steel Sheet Heat Bed
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/nB5ifALyX

Yeah just glass on my Anet AM8 works fine with PLA...but it does not on the ender 3.