Bought a 3D Printer Tonight... Anyone Else Out There With One?

[Lewdog]

So I had a 15% off coupon from eBay today and decided to go ahead and take advantage and buy a 3D printer. I had been wanting to get one for awhile, so I pulled the trigger. This one is pretty big and isn't supposed to take too much to set it up.

Anyone else out there got one? Any pointers on some good shareware? Good places to find .stl files?

NEW Alfawise U20 Large Scale 2.8" Touch Screen Aluminium Alloy DIY 3D Printer US | eBay

 

[AsianTrumpSupporter]

I don't have one, but the only reason I'd buy one is to 3D print a lower receiver as a Californian.

 

[Natural Citizen]

What are you gonna print?

 

[Lewdog]

What are you gonna print?

I have a product I designed, and I also plan to print custom figures for people who play board and role play games. Also own a site for custom pieces for Funko products.

 

[Natural Citizen]

What are you gonna print?

I have a product I designed, and I also plan to print custom figures for people who play board and role play games. Also own a site for custom pieces for Funko products.

Oh, I see. That'll be good for that kind of thing.

 

[Lewdog]

What are you gonna print?

I have a product I designed, and I also plan to print custom figures for people who play board and role play games. Also own a site for custom pieces for Funko products.

Oh, I see. That'll be good for that kind of thing.

Well it has a pretty large printing surface compared to a lot of others I found in the same price range. Most were 5.9" all around, while this one is 11.9"x11.9"x15.8". So I shouldn't have problems printing anything I have in mind.

 

[MisterBeale]

I got a buddy that downloaded the plans for those guns before our evil freedom loving overlords took away our freedom of speech. Want 'em?

 

[Lewdog]

I got a buddy that downloaded the plans for those guns before our evil freedom loving overlords took away our freedom of speech. Want 'em?

Almost every person I have talked to in the 3D printing and with guns, have said they would NEVER fire one of them, and even if they did, they wouldn't be worth trying to fire a second time.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

What are you gonna print?

I have a product I designed, and I also plan to print custom figures for people who play board and role play games. Also own a site for custom pieces for Funko products.

Oh, I see. That'll be good for that kind of thing.

Well it has a pretty large printing surface compared to a lot of others I found in the same price range. Most were 5.9" all around, while this one is 11.9"x11.9"x15.8". So I shouldn't have problems printing anything I have in mind.

Interesting ya wanted the ability to print something in the twelve inch range.
Have fun......

 

[Lewdog]

What are you gonna print?

I have a product I designed, and I also plan to print custom figures for people who play board and role play games. Also own a site for custom pieces for Funko products.

Oh, I see. That'll be good for that kind of thing.

Well it has a pretty large printing surface compared to a lot of others I found in the same price range. Most were 5.9" all around, while this one is 11.9"x11.9"x15.8". So I shouldn't have problems printing anything I have in mind.

Interesting ya wanted the ability to print something in the twelve inch range.
Have fun......

Well yeah... if I am going to sell prints of a mold of mine it has to be that big...

But seriously, get your mind out of the gutter. The most important thing is my product has a 6 inch diameter base and all the other printers at 5.9" wasn't large enough.

 

[BULLDOG]

So I had a 15% off coupon from eBay today and decided to go ahead and take advantage and buy a 3D printer. I had been wanting to get one for awhile, so I pulled the trigger. This one is pretty big and isn't supposed to take too much to set it up.

Anyone else out there got one? Any pointers on some good shareware? Good places to find .stl files?

NEW Alfawise U20 Large Scale 2.8" Touch Screen Aluminium Alloy DIY 3D Printer US | eBay

What software are you using? I use grbl.

 

[Lewdog]

So I had a 15% off coupon from eBay today and decided to go ahead and take advantage and buy a 3D printer. I had been wanting to get one for awhile, so I pulled the trigger. This one is pretty big and isn't supposed to take too much to set it up.

Anyone else out there got one? Any pointers on some good shareware? Good places to find .stl files?

NEW Alfawise U20 Large Scale 2.8" Touch Screen Aluminium Alloy DIY 3D Printer US | eBay

What software are you using? I use grbl.

I don't know yet. This is the first one I will have owned. How much did your program cost? I have a buddy in Sweden that does a lot of 3D printing that has offered to help me out some.

 

[fncceo]

So I had a 15% off coupon from eBay today and decided to go ahead and take advantage and buy a 3D printer. I had been wanting to get one for awhile, so I pulled the trigger. This one is pretty big and isn't supposed to take too much to set it up.

Anyone else out there got one? Any pointers on some good shareware? Good places to find .stl files?

NEW Alfawise U20 Large Scale 2.8" Touch Screen Aluminium Alloy DIY 3D Printer US | eBay

I built my own Prusa-style printer a year ago. It's great. I'm constantly taking it apart and making improvements on it, a lot of those improvements made with the printer itself.

You're going to find a learning curve, so start slow and don't get discouraged. Here are some recommendations that I all learned the hard way.

1. Join a support group for your specific printer. If you can't find one for your printer, try a general Prusa printer group (your printer is a Prusa design).
2. Watch all you can on Youtube. Many people have done what you've done and you can learn from their mistakes.
3. Start simple. Pick a material that's easy to work with -- I suggest PLA -- and stick with it until you have enough experience to go to more complicated materials like NinjaFlex and PTEG.
4. It's tempting to design your own stuff and if you're good with a CAD program don't hesitate. But, there are literally hundreds of thousands of ready to print STL files for free on sites like Thingiverse and MyMiniFactory. Download them, slice them to create G-Code and print away.
5. Pick simple prints at first, little or no support material. Support material can be problematic to remove after a print is finished and who needs the frustration when you're first learning.
6. Start with a free slicer program -- Cura or Slic3r are the most popular. Learn about how to tweak those settings before investing money in a more powerful, and costly, slicer application.
7. Have fun ... there is so much you can make and many ways to use your prints in much more complicated manufacturing like metal casting.

 

[Lewdog]

So I had a 15% off coupon from eBay today and decided to go ahead and take advantage and buy a 3D printer. I had been wanting to get one for awhile, so I pulled the trigger. This one is pretty big and isn't supposed to take too much to set it up.

Anyone else out there got one? Any pointers on some good shareware? Good places to find .stl files?

NEW Alfawise U20 Large Scale 2.8" Touch Screen Aluminium Alloy DIY 3D Printer US | eBay

I built my own Prusa-style printer a year ago. It's great. I'm constantly taking it apart and making improvements on it, a lot of those improvements made with the printer itself.

You're going to find a learning curve, so start slow and don't get discouraged. Here are some recommendations that I all learned the hard way.

1. Join a support group for your specific printer. If you can't find one for your printer, try a general Prusa printer group (your printer is a Prusa design).
2. Watch all you can on Youtube. Many people have done what you've done and you can learn from their mistakes.
3. Start simple. Pick a material that's easy to work with -- I suggest PLA -- and stick with it until you have enough experience to go to more complicated materials like NinjaFlex and PTEG.
4. It's tempting to design your own stuff and if you're good with a CAD program don't hesitate. But, there are literally hundreds of thousands of ready to print STL files for free on sites like Thingiverse and MyMiniFactory. Download them, slice them to create G-Code and print away.
5. Pick simple prints at first, little or no support material. Support material can be problematic to remove after a print is finished and who needs the frustration when you're first learning.
6. Start with a free slicer program -- Cura or Slic3r are the most popular. Learn about how to tweak those settings before investing money in a more powerful, and costly, slicer application.
7. Have fun ... there is so much you can make and many ways to use your prints in much more complicated manufacturing like metal casting.

I'm in a couple 3D Printer Facebook groups at the moment. I had someone already create the .stl file for my product but there hasn't been a print of it yet.

 

[BULLDOG]

So I had a 15% off coupon from eBay today and decided to go ahead and take advantage and buy a 3D printer. I had been wanting to get one for awhile, so I pulled the trigger. This one is pretty big and isn't supposed to take too much to set it up.

Anyone else out there got one? Any pointers on some good shareware? Good places to find .stl files?

NEW Alfawise U20 Large Scale 2.8" Touch Screen Aluminium Alloy DIY 3D Printer US | eBay

What software are you using? I use grbl.

I don't know yet. This is the first one I will have owned. How much did your program cost? I have a buddy in Sweden that does a lot of 3D printing that has offered to help me out some.

All my stuff is open source-----FREE. I don't have a printer. I built a 3D router instead. Basically the same machine, but I cut material away with a bit while you add it with an extruder. I suppose it's nice to buy the complete package because they have already worked out most of the glitches, and you can get started quick, but don't ignore all the free stuff on the internet. With a little research, you'll probably find something that works as good or better. Get a good Gcode simulator, and a list of Gcode commands. A few simple Gcode edits can sometimes cut your machine time down drastically. It's a fun hobby, and you can do a lot more than you think you can.

 

[fncceo]

Get a good Gcode simulator, and a list of Gcode commands. A few simple Gcode edits can sometimes cut your machine time down drastically.

I don't know why anyone would manually create G-Code when even the free slicer apps can manipulate any parameter in the G-Code you could do manually AND give you a preview of how it will affect the print.

The 11th Commandment... Thou Shalt Not Make Yourself Crazy.

 

[Lewdog]

So I had a 15% off coupon from eBay today and decided to go ahead and take advantage and buy a 3D printer. I had been wanting to get one for awhile, so I pulled the trigger. This one is pretty big and isn't supposed to take too much to set it up.

Anyone else out there got one? Any pointers on some good shareware? Good places to find .stl files?

NEW Alfawise U20 Large Scale 2.8" Touch Screen Aluminium Alloy DIY 3D Printer US | eBay

What software are you using? I use grbl.

I don't know yet. This is the first one I will have owned. How much did your program cost? I have a buddy in Sweden that does a lot of 3D printing that has offered to help me out some.

All my stuff is open source-----FREE. I don't have a printer. I built a 3D router instead. Basically the same machine, but I cut material away with a bit while you add it with an extruder. I suppose it's nice to buy the complete package because they have already worked out most of the glitches, and you can get started quick, but don't ignore all the free stuff on the internet. With a little research, you'll probably find something that works as good or better. Get a good Gcode simulator, and a list of Gcode commands. A few simple Gcode edits can sometimes cut your machine time down drastically. It's a fun hobby, and you can do a lot more than you think you can.

Well this says it should be set up in 5 minutes. Who knows how true that is. With the coupon is saved me $45. I own a website call popsaccessories.com but haven't set it up yet or anything because I hadn't bought a printer yet. I have someone working on my retail site for selling comics, Funko Pops, and a few other things. My site is hosted on go-daddy and my account include unlimited hosting, so I can set up the other site as well at no extra cost. I'm just trying to make some extra money on the side to pay towards my school loans.

 

[fncceo]

So I had a 15% off coupon from eBay today and decided to go ahead and take advantage and buy a 3D printer. I had been wanting to get one for awhile, so I pulled the trigger. This one is pretty big and isn't supposed to take too much to set it up.

Anyone else out there got one? Any pointers on some good shareware? Good places to find .stl files?

NEW Alfawise U20 Large Scale 2.8" Touch Screen Aluminium Alloy DIY 3D Printer US | eBay

What software are you using? I use grbl.

I don't know yet. This is the first one I will have owned. How much did your program cost? I have a buddy in Sweden that does a lot of 3D printing that has offered to help me out some.

All my stuff is open source-----FREE. I don't have a printer. I built a 3D router instead. Basically the same machine, but I cut material away with a bit while you add it with an extruder. I suppose it's nice to buy the complete package because they have already worked out most of the glitches, and you can get started quick, but don't ignore all the free stuff on the internet. With a little research, you'll probably find something that works as good or better. Get a good Gcode simulator, and a list of Gcode commands. A few simple Gcode edits can sometimes cut your machine time down drastically. It's a fun hobby, and you can do a lot more than you think you can.

Well this says it should be set up in 5 minutes. Who knows how true that is. With the coupon is saved me $45. I own a website call popsaccessories.com but haven't set it up yet or anything because I hadn't bought a printer yet. I have someone working on my retail site for selling comics, Funko Pops, and a few other things. My site is hosted on go-daddy and my account include unlimited hosting, so I can set up the other site as well at no extra cost. I'm just trying to make some extra money on the side to pay towards my school loans.

Coincidentally, the very first thing I ever designed from scratch with a CAD program and printed was a stand to allow Pop Vinyls that won't stand up by themselves (looking at you Lemongrab) to be supported.

 

[Lewdog]

So I had a 15% off coupon from eBay today and decided to go ahead and take advantage and buy a 3D printer. I had been wanting to get one for awhile, so I pulled the trigger. This one is pretty big and isn't supposed to take too much to set it up.

Anyone else out there got one? Any pointers on some good shareware? Good places to find .stl files?

NEW Alfawise U20 Large Scale 2.8" Touch Screen Aluminium Alloy DIY 3D Printer US | eBay

What software are you using? I use grbl.

I don't know yet. This is the first one I will have owned. How much did your program cost? I have a buddy in Sweden that does a lot of 3D printing that has offered to help me out some.

All my stuff is open source-----FREE. I don't have a printer. I built a 3D router instead. Basically the same machine, but I cut material away with a bit while you add it with an extruder. I suppose it's nice to buy the complete package because they have already worked out most of the glitches, and you can get started quick, but don't ignore all the free stuff on the internet. With a little research, you'll probably find something that works as good or better. Get a good Gcode simulator, and a list of Gcode commands. A few simple Gcode edits can sometimes cut your machine time down drastically. It's a fun hobby, and you can do a lot more than you think you can.

Well this says it should be set up in 5 minutes. Who knows how true that is. With the coupon is saved me $45. I own a website call popsaccessories.com but haven't set it up yet or anything because I hadn't bought a printer yet. I have someone working on my retail site for selling comics, Funko Pops, and a few other things. My site is hosted on go-daddy and my account include unlimited hosting, so I can set up the other site as well at no extra cost. I'm just trying to make some extra money on the side to pay towards my school loans.

Coincidentally, the very first thing I ever designed from scratch with a CAD program and printed was a stand to allow Pop Vinyls that won't stand up by themselves (looking at you Lemongrab) to be supported.

.stl?

 

[Lewdog]

So I had a 15% off coupon from eBay today and decided to go ahead and take advantage and buy a 3D printer. I had been wanting to get one for awhile, so I pulled the trigger. This one is pretty big and isn't supposed to take too much to set it up.

Anyone else out there got one? Any pointers on some good shareware? Good places to find .stl files?

NEW Alfawise U20 Large Scale 2.8" Touch Screen Aluminium Alloy DIY 3D Printer US | eBay

What software are you using? I use grbl.

I don't know yet. This is the first one I will have owned. How much did your program cost? I have a buddy in Sweden that does a lot of 3D printing that has offered to help me out some.

All my stuff is open source-----FREE. I don't have a printer. I built a 3D router instead. Basically the same machine, but I cut material away with a bit while you add it with an extruder. I suppose it's nice to buy the complete package because they have already worked out most of the glitches, and you can get started quick, but don't ignore all the free stuff on the internet. With a little research, you'll probably find something that works as good or better. Get a good Gcode simulator, and a list of Gcode commands. A few simple Gcode edits can sometimes cut your machine time down drastically. It's a fun hobby, and you can do a lot more than you think you can.

Well this says it should be set up in 5 minutes. Who knows how true that is. With the coupon is saved me $45. I own a website call popsaccessories.com but haven't set it up yet or anything because I hadn't bought a printer yet. I have someone working on my retail site for selling comics, Funko Pops, and a few other things. My site is hosted on go-daddy and my account include unlimited hosting, so I can set up the other site as well at no extra cost. I'm just trying to make some extra money on the side to pay towards my school loans.

Coincidentally, the very first thing I ever designed from scratch with a CAD program and printed was a stand to allow Pop Vinyls that won't stand up by themselves (looking at you Lemongrab) to be supported.

I've got about 500 Pops and minis.