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

[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

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.

Check out BlenderCam. Design your model and save it as Stl, Obj, or any one of dozens of formats and generate your Gcode with one program. Free. Youtube is your friend.

 

[BULLDOG]

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.

Yep. My brain fart. When printing, you need to cover most of the model footprint with each pass. With my router, it makes no sense to pass over areas where no material is to be removed, and editing that part out saves lots of time.
Never mind

 

[fncceo]

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?

.stl ... stereolithography file. Is a drawing generated from a 3D CAD program that is in a format that can be sliced into G-Code. Your printer can only read G-Code. It doesn't know if your printing a duck or a dragon ... it just knows movement commands.

Most CAD programs allow you to export your drawing files to an .STL file which is what you will need for 3D printing. Some will even slice your file and make the G-Code itself, but I've stayed off that path because A) I already knew how to use Fusion 360 which doesn't have that feature and B) even the free slicer apps will allow you much more control over your printing parameters than the same function integrated into the drawing app.

When you download files from sites like Thingiverse and MyMiniFactory, they are already to go in .STL format. The downside to that, that makes them really difficult to modify.

But, I recommend to start simply, download a ready to print .STL file before venturing off into trying to modify other folks designs.

 

[Lewdog]

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?

.stl ... stereolithography file. Is a drawing generated from a 3D CAD program that is in a format that can be sliced into G-Code. Your printer can only read G-Code. It doesn't know if your printing a duck or a dragon ... it just knows movement commands.

Most CAD programs allow you to export your drawing files to an .STL file which is what you will need for 3D printing. Some will even slice your file and make the G-Code itself, but I've stayed off that path because A) I already knew how to use Fusion 360 which doesn't have that feature and B) even the free slicer apps will allow you much more control over your printing parameters than the same function integrated into the drawing app.

When you download files from sites like Thingiverse and MyMiniFactory, they are already to go in .STL format. The downside to that, that makes them really difficult to modify.

But, I recommend to start simply, download a ready to print .STL file before venturing off into trying to modify other folks designs.

No it is kind of a joke on the Facebook groups that every time someone posts something cool, people always asks for the .stl file. So everyone will respond .stl??

 

[fncceo]

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?

.stl ... stereolithography file. Is a drawing generated from a 3D CAD program that is in a format that can be sliced into G-Code. Your printer can only read G-Code. It doesn't know if your printing a duck or a dragon ... it just knows movement commands.

Most CAD programs allow you to export your drawing files to an .STL file which is what you will need for 3D printing. Some will even slice your file and make the G-Code itself, but I've stayed off that path because A) I already knew how to use Fusion 360 which doesn't have that feature and B) even the free slicer apps will allow you much more control over your printing parameters than the same function integrated into the drawing app.

When you download files from sites like Thingiverse and MyMiniFactory, they are already to go in .STL format. The downside to that, that makes them really difficult to modify.

But, I recommend to start simply, download a ready to print .STL file before venturing off into trying to modify other folks designs.

No it is kind of a joke on the Facebook groups that every time someone posts something cool, people always asks for the .stl file. So everyone will respond .stl??

I've never seen that. I'd be a bit surprised that someone's actually printed anything without knowing it.

It's like asking a Microsoft Office group what is a .doc file.

 

[Wyatt earp]

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.

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.

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.

The people you talked don't know what the hell they are talking about


.

 

[Wyatt earp]

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?

.stl ... stereolithography file. Is a drawing generated from a 3D CAD program that is in a format that can be sliced into G-Code. Your printer can only read G-Code. It doesn't know if your printing a duck or a dragon ... it just knows movement commands.

Most CAD programs allow you to export your drawing files to an .STL file which is what you will need for 3D printing. Some will even slice your file and make the G-Code itself, but I've stayed off that path because A) I already knew how to use Fusion 360 which doesn't have that feature and B) even the free slicer apps will allow you much more control over your printing parameters than the same function integrated into the drawing app.

When you download files from sites like Thingiverse and MyMiniFactory, they are already to go in .STL format. The downside to that, that makes them really difficult to modify.

But, I recommend to start simply, download a ready to print .STL file before venturing off into trying to modify other folks designs.

No it is kind of a joke on the Facebook groups that every time someone posts something cool, people always asks for the .stl file. So everyone will respond .stl??

So what did you make?

 

[MisterBeale]

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.

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.

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.

The people you talked don't know what the hell they are talking about


.

Depends on the plans really.

 

[Weatherman2020]

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’m making guns.

 

[Lewdog]

First test print. A rifle bullet I am turning into a keychain.

 

[BULLDOG]

First test print. A rifle bullet I am turning into a keychain.

Cool. Looks pretty smooth. Planning anything practical yet?

 

[Lewdog]

First test print. A rifle bullet I am turning into a keychain.

Cool. Looks pretty smooth. Planning anything practical yet?

It could use some more sanding around the bottom, but the surface is actually pretty smooth. My buddy's family works for the local schools and they are already interested in getting some stuff done. We were talking about making custom cookie molds for the team mascot. And making the same kind of molds for sheet cakes. My printer can make almost a 12x12 size print and up to about 15 inches high.

 

[BULLDOG]

First test print. A rifle bullet I am turning into a keychain.

Cool. Looks pretty smooth. Planning anything practical yet?

It could use some more sanding around the bottom, but the surface is actually pretty smooth. My buddy's family works for the local schools and they are already interested in getting some stuff done. We were talking about making custom cookie molds for the team mascot. And making the same kind of molds for sheet cakes. My printer can make almost a 12x12 size print and up to about 15 inches high.

Sounds fun. I have a cnc mill, and will get a printer as soon as I can either find a model or some parts to scan to replace some plastic parts on my project car. 400.00 for a 6x5x1.5 piece of plastic is more than I'm gonna pay.

 

[MaryL]

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

You are now the coolest person ever.

 

[Lewdog]

Benchy test passed! Just needs a little sanding.

 

[Lewdog]

Here is my next project today.

It is a dice roller.

 

[Lewdog]

Got my printer to do a tough one tonight... part of a DNA strand. Not bad results for a $300 printer.

 

[fncceo]

I built my own open-source printer a couple years ago, based on the Prusa design. Love it. Just be prepared for the learning curve that comes with it. Join a user group and YouTube will be your best friend.

 

[fncceo]

Benchy test passed! Just needs a little sanding.

That's a pretty good Benchy right out of the box. Just a touch of banding. But overall a good print. What slicer are you using?

 

[Lewdog]

Benchy test passed! Just needs a little sanding.

That's a pretty good Benchy right out of the box. Just a touch of banding. But overall a good print. What slicer are you using?

I have the free version of Cura. Sometimes however when I put the .stl file into GCode the printer doesn't recognize it. At first I found it was because I was taking the thumb drive out before doing the "safe ejection" button. But even tonight I did it the right way and didn't read it.