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3D Printing

I have a Prusa Mk3$, whatever the current model is. Built from a kit to save money and due to shorter delivery times. I thought about the Ender approach but that seemed more likely to end up with the printer being the occupation rather than the printing, and I wanted to make some bits and pieces. Not interested in ornaments etc.

I use FreeCAD and the Prusa Slicer, so far so good, mostly PET-G and some Flex. Amazon Basics seems fine for filaments.

Next project will be an adaptor to mount a Rega RB330 on my SP10 and a jig to ensure it's in the right place. Obviously I need some bright green filament for this.
 
I've been toying with the idea of a Prusu Mini for a while, just for prototyping (I have in mind an omnidirectional speaker). What 3D modelling software do people use? One that doesn't require heavy duty CPU or brainpower?
If you want to dive in to a full featured CAD system that isn’t actually that hard to use, Autodesk Fusion 360 is free for hobbyists. That’s what I use. Tons of YouTube tutorials out there to support it.
 
I seem to be the only one that prefers resin printing. I've never owned a filament printer as I was always put off with the crude finish of the surfaces. Maybe that has improved recently; I'd like to see some examples.

Without doubt, resin is messy and smelly and a bit of a faff, but the detail it can produce is fantastic, which is surely the ultimate goal.

I mainly use Tinkercad for building, but have also used SCAD to produce some gaming dice.
 
I seem to be the only one that prefers resin printing. I've never owned a filament printer as I was always put off with the crude finish of the surfaces. Maybe that has improved recently; I'd like to see some examples.

Without doubt, resin is messy and smelly and a bit of a faff, but the detail it can produce is fantastic, which is surely the ultimate goal.

I mainly use Tinkercad for building, but have also used SCAD to produce some gaming dice.
I do mostly mechanical parts, so I don't usually care about minute details. I'm thinking if I want to do super detailed prints, I can get my brother to do them. He is into printing and painting video game figures, etc. that have been designed by someone else. For me the fun is in the designing. I probably should have been a mechanical engineer or industrial designer.
 
@booja30 Fusion 360 is great, it’s one of the most comprehensive CAD/CAM packages out there at the mo, I need to re-look at the pro license fees.

SLA/resin printers are great, but my mine gripes with the Formlabs printers we had at work:

- failed prints falling into the resin and causing a whole host of issues, including one incident where the the wiper caused a tidal wave of resin to be forced out of the tank and thus coating all the internal electronics/mechs below -wrote the machine off, big design flaw!

- I have noticed some resins aren’t particularly stable with prolonged UV (goes brittle) or moderate heat (distorts the print). I’m sure this isn’t exclusive to SLA resins, but did seem fairly frequent.

- as mentioned before, disposing of the IPA/resin cleaning bath fluids is a faff.
 
For me the fun is in the designing.

Same here, I love the whole process from a thought in my head to a finished piece that I have designed myself. The accuracy of resin prints means that parts fit together perfectly. For example, I made these simple enclosures for silicon moulds. The tongue and grooves are just 1mm wide, and push into place effortlessly.

4027_1200.jpg


Most importantly, they come apart easily too to release the silicon.

4125_1200.jpg


The dice have my own designs on, and printed extremely well on my Elegoo Mars 2 to create masters for epoxy resin.

4077_1200.jpg


After a bit of fine sanding, the masters are incredibly detailed. Each die is just 15mm x 15mm

4095_1200.jpg



I have noticed some resins aren’t particularly stable with prolonged UV (goes brittle)

I noticed this with 'standard' resin, and big pieces had a tendency to warp. I switched to ABS-like resin and this is much more stable, you can bend a piece with little fear of it shattering.

Sean
 
I thought 360 was no longer free or they cut it off at the knees or something?
It’s still free for personal/not commercial use. It makes you re-apply each year but I’m still using it.

https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/personal

It’s really not crippled at all for 95% of what you’d need. It’s missing some cutting edge tools like generative design. And it limits the number of editable concurrent projects (10?). But that just means you have to occasionally mark a project read only to work on another project.
 
+1 on f360, it's great. I've also used meshmixer a bit for complex shapes.

Who's printing petg and on what build plate?
I'm using hairspray on glass but only getting about 80% success.
 
+1 on f360, it's great. I've also used meshmixer a bit for complex shapes.

Who's printing petg and on what build plate?
I'm using hairspray on glass but only getting about 80% success.
I'm printing PETG as we speak on a Prusa textured plate. I think it's been around long enough that third parties are making them for other brands. It makes a really nice textured finish on the one surface. I learned from a forum a few years ago that spraying it with Windex (or other glass cleaner) and wiping it off with a paper towel gives it a little extra adhesion. If I print PETG on my smooth plate it sticks too well and wears the coating.

Here's a photo of speaker terminal adapter parts I make for old Sansuis.

50596931661_5b2a3ab005_c.jpg


These are PETG and you can see the rough texture that the rough build plate creates.
 
Well after much deliberating on buying a used example, I decided the saving wasn't enough, so just went ahead and ordered a Prusa Mini :)

5-6wk lead time though :(

Can the FDM users here give me a quick overview of filaments, which materials are you using, and where do you source them? I'm mainly looking to print mechanical/functional parts (brackets/housings etc) so am looking for consistent mechanical properties, and good durability over life - no adverse effects from UV or environmental changes (temp/humidity).
 
+1 on f360, it's great. I've also used meshmixer a bit for complex shapes.

Who's printing petg and on what build plate?
I'm using hairspray on glass but only getting about 80% success.

Use this stuff and specifically this stuff, not prit stick. Put a layer on then let it dry then another layer

Kores - Glue Sticks, Strong-Hold Adhesive, Safe and Non-Toxic Craft Glue for Arts and Crafts, School and Office Supplies, Pack of 4 x 20g : Amazon.co.uk: Home & Kitchen
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
Well after much deliberating on buying a used example, I decided the saving wasn't enough, so just went ahead and ordered a Prusa Mini :)

5-6wk lead time though :(

Can the FDM users here give me a quick overview of filaments, which materials are you using, and where do you source them? I'm mainly looking to print mechanical/functional parts (brackets/housings etc) so am looking for consistent mechanical properties, and good durability over life - no adverse effects from UV or environmental changes (temp/humidity).

Quite honestly I have found amazons own Eono brand to be the best balance of price and performance, infact its never put a foot wrong for me on either petg or pla. I also like Sunlu
 
Amazon Basics PET-G seems fine. Prusament is probably better, but more expensive, especially in small quantities. Amazon Eono isn't the same as Basics, but I've never tried it.

PLA and PETG straight on to the standard Prusa plate, sticks no problem, removal no problem. Prusa supply what appears to be a Czech brand Pritt stick, a smear of this under a TPU print and all just worked. So I have one side of the plate clean, the other a bit gluey.
 
I've used a few cheap* filaments, but wanted an orange PLA for visual impact and this is by far the best PLA I've used to date: https://copymaster3d.com/

I accidentally thought Pritt stick would work and am still trying to clear off the mess it left behind. Ordered a glass plate straight afterwards.

Any recommendations for a relatively soft TPU?

*Everyone seems to do 1Kg of PLA for around £15. Sunlu works ok for me.
 
It’s still free for personal/not commercial use. It makes you re-apply each year but I’m still using it.

https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/personal

It’s really not crippled at all for 95% of what you’d need. It’s missing some cutting edge tools like generative design. And it limits the number of editable concurrent projects (10?). But that just means you have to occasionally mark a project read only to work on another project.

I've just downloaded it, something to fiddle with over the weekend.
 
Note that with PETG I’ve found that I had to play with the ‘extrusion multiplier’ setting to get perfect prints (reducing to 95% or so). This was the case with two different brands of PETG. At first I thought it was because my filament had absorbed moisture, but then the same thing happened with a brand new spool. The problem was that part way through print the nozzle would build up a lump of molten filament and then deposit it in a ball somewhere on the print. Then it would cool and the head would crash into it. Not good!

The moral of the story is Google is your friend and whenever you encounter a problem you will find others who have already had it. You may find multiple remedies, but be patient, do some trial and error with small test prints, and you’ll get it!
 
I’ve used SLA and SLS professionally for decades, but few years back I got an exdemo Ultimaker S5 with air station. Wanted a decent bed size.
As an engineer I only do functional parts, nothing arty. For CAD I’ve used Semens Solidedge for years, otherwise I would have used 360, which I looked a while back for the CAM side.
For slicing Cura is good and can be used on various printers.
Material, I like the carbon fibre loaded material, super strong and rigid, other wise Tough PLA is excellent stuff. TPU for rubbery things. Tend use Filamentive brand.
Just printed an LP12 chassis !!!

Secret is to design parts suitable for printing, trying to print parts that look like injection mouldings normal break easy. Being cunning with internal ribs and the honey comb infill matrix on chunky parts works best. I’ve made Jacking blocks you can jack your car up on for example.
 


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