3D printing

[haganap]

I need some info and what better place to ask than my more than retired friends with nothing but time on their hands where I know there will be an expert or 2 or even 4.

As the title says. 3D printing.

has anyone got an idiots (and I mean complete idiot) guide to how you do it, how it works, do I buy one, what could I potentially do with it? Just bought something for my bike that was "3d printed" what else can be achieved with this technology? how clever do you have to be?

 

[ManTheVan]

I’d be interested too.

 

[daveandsan]

PaulandChrissy might be able to point you in the right direction.

 

[MisterB]

Just buy one and get on with it lol. The creality ones can be found relatively cheap, which is what I bought. You then need the cad software on a pc to create your projects, there are lots of you tube videos showing you how. I use Tinker Cad, it's free and easy to use.
As time progresses you will get better and it really does open up an interesting hobby. I tend just to make things that I think I need as opposed to continually making things.
The secret to me seems to be in the design of the project and being able to use the cad programme, so it might make sense to have a play around with Tinker Cad before you buy a printer. I found using a mouse to manipulate the shapes you create and move around was definitely required

PaulandChrissy seem to be able to make anything anyone asks for and are very helpful.

 

[PaulandChrissy]

Just buy one and get on with it lol. The creality ones can be found relatively cheap, which is what I bought. You then need the cad software on a pc to create your projects, there are lots of you tube videos showing you how. I use Tinker Cad, it's free and easy to use.
As time progresses you will get better and it really does open up an interesting hobby. I tend just to make things that I think I need as opposed to continually making things.
The secret to me seems to be in the design of the project and being able to use the cad programme, so it might make sense to have a play around with Tinker Cad before you buy a printer. I found using a mouse to manipulate the shapes you create and move around was definitely required

PaulandChrissy seem to be able to make anything anyone asks for and are very helpful.

MisterB has has hit the nail right on the head. The art of designing what you want is the most important thing to master. Otherwise you are limited to designs made by others on the internet. I use fusion 360 myself, which at first was a steep learning curve. It does take time to master drawing in cad, but it’s well worth the effort. As mentioned before, watching tons of Utube videos is the way to go.

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[tonka]

I bought my grandson one for christmas.. Think he aimed to high and was trying to make face masks so everything failed..
Been sat around a while and so i thought lets check this out.

He has a Creality ender 3 s1.
Loads on youtube but the basics that i have done so far.
Website "thingaverse" give ready made files that you can download.
Once downloaded you open with a program called "cura" which does a thing called slicing.
That file is then put on an SD card and loaded into the printer.
Set up printer, load the plastic stuff, choose the file, sit back for hours and hopefully you get something.
Biggest issue i have had is getting things to stick to the base, my go to cure is to rub a glue stick over the heat pad. Clean heat pad with soapy water later.

Just done small projects so far, battery holder for my power tools, stand for a gameboy, a duck !!
My grandson took an interest again after i started and managed a mask.

 

[PaulandChrissy]

The most crucial layer is the first layer, and keeping the bed super clean. I use isopropanol with paper towels. The art is to get the first layer to squish just enough onto the bed to give good adhesion. Too close and the first layer will start to tear and too far away it doesn’t stick. I usually keep baby stepping closer until it starts to tear and then back off slightly to the point that the tearing stops. Another trick is to spray isopropanol on the bed and then rub some glue stick on the bed so it mixes with the isopropanol, then gently wipe it smooth leaving a film of glue. The whole printing process can be really frustrating at first with loads of failures, but with experience it gets much easier. You can make amazing things.
Here’s a set of windscreen washers i make with adjustable nozzles. All the water galleries inside are 3Dprinted. The only limit to what you can make is your imagination.

 

[haganap]

quite intriguing what can be done. what sort of sized objects can you do? presumably that's all dependent on the size of the printer?

but also, what materials can you print in?

 

[PaulandChrissy]

You can print in order of ease. PLA. PETG. ASA. TPU. ABS. Polycarbonate and on and on. Each has its pros and cons. I have 3 printers at the moment 1 x 180cubed and 2x 250x210x220. I have on order one that’s 360cubed but won’t arrive until around Christmas time. Very excited about the new big one.

 

[mitzimad]

paul can i put my name down for a second hand printer next christmas

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[Guigsy]

3d printing gets harder and the prints take longer depending on the size of the piece. A lot faster than you'd expect. A print that's about 10cm cube might take 3 hours. A 20cm object would take a full day. The chance of failure also massively increases as with bigger objects, thermal expansion becomes a problem.

I've designed loads of bits for my van. Enclosures for usb ports, clips for awning poles, an adapter so I could fit my radio. It's very useful. But it does require a bit of skill and learning.

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

You can print in order of ease. PLA. PETG. ASA. TPU. ABS. Polycarbonate and on and on. Each has its pros and cons. I have 3 printers at the moment 1 x 180cubed and 2x 250x210x220. I have on order one that’s 360cubed but won’t arrive until around Christmas time. Very excited about the new big one.

He who dies with the most printers wins

 

[PDrill]

Designing is the part that I had the most doubts. Quickly found Tinkercad and that's really easy to start with, you just drag and drop the shapes to the 'table' and resize them as needed. I don't remember having any issues from day one even if I have a bit short fuse when it comes to learning something like this. It's a bit limited so one has to think quite hard to get something more complicated done, but many things are possible with Tinkercad. It's free to use so learning can begin right away.

 

[Guigsy]

Designing is the part that I had the most doubts. Quickly found Tinkercad and that's really easy to start with, you just drag and drop the shapes to the 'table' and resize them as needed. I don't remember having any issues from day one even if I have a bit short fuse when it comes to learning something like this. It's a bit limited so one has to think quite hard to get something more complicated done, but many things are possible with Tinkercad. It's free to use so learning can begin right away.

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Printing that in that orientation would be possible, but the overhangs will probably lose precision. You could try with the two halves facing with the inside face up and let the slicer add some sacrificial supports. With 3d printing, you need to think differently to what you'd see with a moulded part.

 

[PDrill]

Printing that in that orientation would be possible, but the overhangs will probably lose precision. You could try with the two halves facing with the inside face up and let the slicer add some sacrificial supports. With 3d printing, you need to think differently to what you'd see with a moulded part.

Oh. That was just something to show that Tinkercad (which I mentioned) can be used for stuff like that even if it's a bit beginner level 'cad'. There were no problems printing that thing, the slicer just added supports to the print and all fine.

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[Sailerpete]

I am self taught using Onshape which is free and YouTube gave me all the information I needed, I have just purchased a creality K1C very quick and easy to use.

 

[68c]

I use FreeCad. Took me a while to understand CAD designing means things being being added to, rather than taking away as you do with any machining operation, like a lathe.

For instance to make a round spacer you add a positive cylinder to make the basic body, then add a negative cylinder to make the hole. Gets much more complicated than that of course to make more complex parts.

An interesting thing is you can make a hollow part which is impossible to machine, or cast. (OK, I accept you could roto mould it.)

 

[Jane And Rog]

I think we’re drifting from haganap ‘s initial question

Printers are pretty cheap now. Having a go isn’t that difficult or expensive. I’d recommend a Bambu labs A1 as being cheap, very capable and probably the easiest printer to use.

You can easily start printing things for your van without any 3d design knowledge. Search on Thangs for your van model and base vehicle - I bet there are a few useful designs you can print.

Once you manage that skill, like any engineering project you can learn on the job - 3d design, the many different plastics you can use and the subtler skills of printing.

I think the only challenging thing when printing for a van is that the easiest plastic to print (PLA) is not suitable for use in a van - it deforms at a temperature your van might reach in direct sun - I think learning why that is and how to get around it is part of the fun though

 

[starquake]

Agree with avoiding PLA -> however some PLA's will work in van like temperatures -> I have a white filament that has survived being outside in direct sun for 3 summers now without delaminating (it's a plant pot), and it's in the greenhouse in direct sun so well above ambient temperatures.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01BZO8O3O/?tag=mhf04-21 is the white filament I use and it is both cheap and also very good.

The same brand in black (I have tested over multiple years) however did not survive, printed on same printer with same nozzle and bed temperature. So I think it really depends on color too.

I'm about to venture into PETG (I've been using mostly PLA to date, or blends), just worried about it sticking to my glass bed too "much".

Ref; printers, I use a Creality Ender 3 pro. It's very very cheap from China, and probably isn't suitable for small children around it as it's got all sorts of exposed wiring etc (mostly low voltage mind). However the advantage is repairs are cheap as it's a very common brand of printer.

Something I should add to above is it's really useful to add a Rasperry Pi connected to any 3d printer, as it allows you to drag and drop files and run the printer without needing to move SD cards around on every time you "reslice" a model for printing. Mine runs Octoprint (https://octoprint.org/) and allows the full control of the Printer from anywhere, and ALSO gives me a camera to watch the thing as it prints so I can close it off to make noise without keeping entire house awake. (Plug a normal webcam in + the printer via USB and it controls it, & takes videos as it prints, as well as monitors for things going wrong as it prints)

 

[RustyRuss]

You can print in order of ease. PLA. PETG. ASA. TPU. ABS. Polycarbonate and on and on. Each has its pros and cons. I have 3 printers at the moment 1 x 180cubed and 2x 250x210x220. I have on order one that’s 360cubed but won’t arrive until around Christmas time. Very excited about the new big one.

Paul, can you tell us the makes and models of your printers, and perhaps what we, as novices, should be looking out for when considering our first forays into this field?

TIA!

Russ

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[Guigsy]

PLA is still the easiest filament to print with. As long as it's not sitting on the dash or outside in the elements, I use it for a lot of my van prints.