The MTG Arena of the Planeswalkers board games, if you can get them cheap enough, are a fantastic value for a bunch of minis. I got 2 copies of all three games (really like 2.5 games because one is much smaller) for less than $50 at one point. Mostly humanoid minis, but some interesting models. And the planeswalkers come painted. They don't seem to be on sale on Amazon right now, but if you shop around, I imagine you'll be able to find these cheap somewhere.

Similarly, the D&D Adventure board games often go on sale and are pretty fantastic deal for the quantity, variety, and quality of minis you get. I think the Elemental Evil one is the best as it gives you the 4 elementals, an ettin, and a young black dragon (in addition to all the humanoid sized minis). If you can get it cheap somewhere, it's great! The Castle Ravenloft version is probably the second best, in my option.

Finally, if you're really wanting to dive deep, you could look at 3D printing. It's not the most economical route (unless you're planning on having a huge collection), but it's an entire hobby in itself that supports your other hobby! Great for custom minis, terrain pieces, and having the exact mons you need for next week's game. The Anycubic Photon is an absolute beast of a little resin printer that often goes on sale (I wouldn't be surprised if you can get it for sub $300 on Black Friday) that will give amazing detail with little effort/trouble, and the Ender 3 is a very cheap filament printer that seems to preform really reliably for the price (I do not own this machine, so I'm only speaking based on what I've seen others say). What's cool about the 3D printing route is that just about any monster you can think of as a free model available somewhere online, because the TTRPG 3d printing community is so active!

I hope that helps! Best of luck!

EDIT: changed the link for the Anycubic Photon. Looks like it's $260 on the AC website right now. This is a fantastic price for this machine. A newer alternative is the Elegoo Mars. Hearing fantastic things about it for about the same price.

Most of these are less about upgrading, and more about fixing possible issues. But all of these are great to have and extremely cheap.


As others have said the glass bed and yellow bed springs are great, just be aware the amazon listing on there I used was shipped from china and took almost a month to show up. So pay attention to the shipping times.


The couplers the E3 comes with are straight up garbage. If they are not causing problems yet... they will. These are way better and give you plenty of extras if you ever need them:
https://smile.amazon.com/Ivelink-PC4-M10-Straight-Pneumatic-Extruder/dp/B073TTWWN1/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=ender+3+coupler&qid=1558892247&s=gateway&sr=8-7

​

The PTFE tube it comes with is also not great, any replacement one is usually better, and like others said with Capricorn you can print higher temps, but they also are manufactured to tighter tolerances and have less slack in your system. As to if this is a noticeable difference, it's arguable, but upgrading has fixed problems for some people.
https://smile.amazon.com/Capricorn-Bowden-Tubing-1-75mm-filament/dp/B079P92HN9/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=capricorn+tubing&qid=1558892351&s=gateway&sr=8-3

​

Even more important than the tubing it self is the cutter you use, if you buy different tubing, make sure you get a good cutter so the ends don't get pinched. This can cause drag that causes underextrusion.

https://smile.amazon.com/Capricorn-Bowden-Tubing-Cutter-M-Bowden-Cutter/dp/B07N11H963/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=capricorn+tubing&qid=1558892424&s=gateway&sr=8-8

​

The plastic extruder on the E3 is know to wear out after a few months for some. A filament guide will help but a better aluminum extruder should fix it for good. They are cheap and easy to install:

https://smile.amazon.com/HICTOP-Upgraded-Replacement-Aluminum-Extruder/dp/B0761PGLZ4/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=ender+3+extruder&qid=1558892498&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

​

Once you want to go deeper down the hole, the two big mods that you will be happy with are A auto bed leveler and quieter stepper motors. There are guides for both of these on youtube and they are much more complicated and a bit more expensive but give amazing results.

​

A BLTouch goes for about $80 with the extension cable so you don't have to cut wires. It will make it so you save an offset and basically rarely have to level your bed again and the machine will account for most of it. There is another type of leveler I think it's called EZABL or something like that, but I liked the BLTouch option better so I never did the research on it.


If you want to do more upgrades like a touch screen, filament rounout sensor, and etc. you need a different main board. Most people upgrade to the MKS Gen L. They are about $25 bucks but require you to also buy new stepper motor drivers, which i'll touch on next. The board has more memory and slots for upgrades that the stock board does not. It does require a lot more setup and printing a new housing for the board. Again there are great youtube videos, just search for 'Ender 3 MKS Gen L'

​

If you think the Ender 3 is loud and would like it to be WAY quieter you can install better stepper motor drivers. The TMC 2208 driver will make the movement almost silent. you will still hear the fans, but the movement sound will completely gone. To install them you will need to either use the above mentioned board (as the stock board has the drivers integrated) or if you want an easier way you can order the Ender 3 Silent Ver 1.4 board:

https://www.creality3donline.com/creality3d-new-upgrade-silent-114-mainboard-for-ender-3-pro-ender-5-customized-und-non-standard-matching_p0147.html

This won't give you the upgradabiliity of the MKS board, but is a direct drop in replacement that gives you the silent steppers.

​

Welcome to family, and I hope some of that was helpful

> Thanks in advance for answering my questions.

• How long have you had your Flashforge, and how much have you printed on it?
  
  I purchased it last August. (781 hours logged) It's almost litterly been printing out of the box since day one. The only issue I had out of the box is that the one screw on the build plate got bent as a result of the 2 free spools bouncing into it. I ordered a box of them from McMaster and had it fixed by the end of the week. I contacted Lisa on their google chat form and from what I understand, they now come with the screw as a result of my support ticket. This was an annoyance yes, but I've had more issues with my reprap and that costed me more than this pritner when I bought it. (I originally had a Makergear Prusa)
  
  
• What do you like the most and the least about this printer?
  
  Most: I love the fact that it prints 100% of the times I try to print something. I rarely, and I mean RARELY have a failed print. I love that I can hit print before I go to bed and wake up to a completed part in the morning.
  
  Least: This is small, and it took a while but I have since out grown the build platform (9x6x6 inches). I recently ordred an 8x12 plate from McMaster and that arrives on monday and we'll see how that works. (PSA this requires removing one of the extruders - if you want more info on this let me know)
  
  
• Have you printed with ABS?
  
  Yes, no issues. Just close up the printer with the included panels.
  
  
• If so, did you experience any problems such as curling?
  
  No, I use a glass build plate and a thin coat of purple glue stick. I then spritz water on the plate before each print. I never have a sticking issue and I never have warpage. I personally prefer PLA though since Hatchbox has come to light and makes GREAT PLA
  
  
• Have you had any problems with the metal bed warping or with leveling the bed?
  
  Like I said just above, I use a glass build plate, so I haven't had any warpage issues with the bp. Leveling the bed is a bit of a challenge but I'm fussy about it and I want it within 0.0005 or less so it takes me a while. The reason I'm fussy is because I've only had to level the bed 2 or 3 times since owning it.
  
  The first was when I got it
  
  The second was when I added the glass build plate
  
  The third was when I removed one extruder and added an aluminum carriage.
  
  That's it. It never lost it's level and it's gone through 3 moves (like I moved apartment to apartment)
  
  
• Finally, how is the customer service or community support for this printer? Thanks again!
  
  The only experience I had was with that screw initially. I contacted Lisa on their Google Chat forum and she handled it mostly. Sadly, it wasn't as 'perfect' as I wanted since their solution was to send the printer back instead of sending me a new screw. Never the less, they did try to help on the matter and told me how I could go about getting money for the screw if I so desired. In the long run, it's a screw and I just ordered them from McMaster. I have zero regrets from it and I think I know my printer a bit beter because of it.
  
  single extruder carriage (PSA: their single extruder block is not FF compatible.
  
  My Thingiverse for example prints
  
  Some things I would buy shortly after getting the printer:
  
  Spare Extruder fan : I tend to slip and put a screw drive in the path of this, shattering the blades. If you're a clutz like me, get it. I've needed 4 so far. ::hangs head in shame::
  
  Glass Build Plate : Best purchase I've made for my FF. Works great, easy to install and use. Also get thermal sheets and purple elmers glue, and print the spacer found on my Thingiverse page under "Flashforge Upgrades". Also get a spatula, and dikes
  
  Simplify3D : A lot people tend to spend $X,XXX on a printer and then try to use free software with it and complain when it doesn't print right. To me that's like buying a car without tires. A Corvette ain't shit without a decent set of tires. It's kind of pricy compared to free, I know, but at real CAM programs (which is what this basically is) cost $8,000 or more. It truely is a great printer program and I wish I had purchased it much MUCH sooner than I had.
  
  Last and most importantly, get the an active cooling fan. I originally printed this, and purchased a 12v power supply and added some fans to it. I have since moved on to the offical one from FF. It's not as good but I haven't really ran into an issue. If I had to print from my right extruder, it would be an issue though. What I liked about it, is that it's a plug and play added on. No "modifications" needed to added.
  
  TL;DR / Closing thoughts: I would buy this printer again in a heartbeat. ESPECIALLY if they came out with one similar to the Replicator 2 with the 11.9" build plate. Instead it looks like they went a different way judging by CES but oh well, there's always next year. Further more, I think this is a great entry level printer for someone looking to have a printer help with projects and not be one of them. That doesn't mean you can't mod it or upgrade or whatever, it just means you don't have to if you don't want to.
  
  
  Hope this helps and answers any questions you might have. Feel free to ask more though!
  

Hi people, longtime lurker first-time commenter!

(Incoming wall of text. Just trying to be thorough!)

​

I'm looking to buy a new dual extrusion 3D printer; specifically one that can support soluble support materials such as HIPS or PVA. High layer resolutions are preferred (~<0.1mm) but are not absolutely necessary.

• Budget: $1000 max; prefer staying within the $300-800 range. Amazon strongly preferred but printers sold directly from the manufacturer are okay as well.
  
• Location: US
  
• Pre-builts or kits are both fine. I work for my college's 3D printing lab so technical maintenance is not an issue. Although I would prefer not having to go through extensive modifications on the printer (i.e. printing new spool holders or installing a glass plate is fine, but replacing the motherboard and installing 10 new cooling fans is not).
  
• The printer is for personal use. I currently own the MP Select Mini v2 and love the high detail it provides. However, a lot of parts I'm interested in printing/designing are unprintable w/o the aforementioned support material or resin-based machinery.
  
• SLA/DLP/Polyjet 3D printing is not an option unfortunately. Spacing, high ventilation, and waste removal restrictions prevent me from jumping onto that fun wagon for now.
  
• The printer must be Cura/Simplify3D/Slic3r compatible (basically no proprietary only software; gcode is the go to).
  
  I've currently looked into several newer printers but can't figure out which one is likely the most reliable:
  
  

1. BIBO Dual Extruder and Laser Engraver - $829: I don't recognize this company and I'm still not sure why there's a laser engraver in the device but I won't complain (although this does raise some flags regarding safety). It seems to check all the boxes with dual extrusion, open-source slicers, 0.05mm layer res, etc., but it is a bit pricey and uses firmware I have yet to see on a 3D printer before (if anyone can elaborate on the firmware's reliability or whether it could be flashed w/ Marlin please do!).
   
2. Flashforge Dreamer - $799: Fully enclosed and working right out of the box is nice, but I know Flashforge really likes to push their Flashprint software (although reviewers state it is Simplify3D compatible so let me know if other open-source slicers work!). Product description states it can only print from 0.1-0.2mm, however.
   
3. Monoprice Dual Extruder (Fully Enclosed) - $799: I am partial to the Monoprice brand simply because all my experience with their devices were always excellent. This printer comes with some nice additions such as Auto-Resume features and print monitoring. However it pretty much requires separate spool holders (unless you buy small 200g spools from their website) and recommends its proprietary slicing software. Whether or not this device supports Cura is not confirmed in what few reviews exist for this machine.
   
4. FlashForge Creator Pro - $670: Another Flashforge machine which has all the same quirks as the Dreamer albeit for a slightly older model at a cheaper price. Uses buttons instead of a touch screen which is just a minor gripe. May have wiring issues according to some negative reviewers which is a big safety concern if true. Supports Simplify3D according to the product description but has no mention of Cura which makes this an iffy buy for me.
   
5. QIDI TECH X-Pro - $699: A company I haven't heard much about but I know they make budgety 3D printers (relatively speaking). High layer resolution like the BIBO and has Cura support (although it provides a modified version of it with a lot of options disabled according to reviewers). Firmware is also iffy and the printer may not have the highest build quality making this likely a no-go.
   
   These are pretty much all the printers I have found. Devices that merge two filaments into a single extruder are unpreferred as they are pretty iffy when printing with two different types of materials and need to create purge blocks really increases print time. Right now I'm learning towards the BIBO but would like to hear more about the device.
   
   If anyone has any other recommendations or additional experience with dual extruder 3D printers let me know!
   
   ​
   
   (P.S. I accidentally turned this comment into a wall of text as there was only so much information I could find on reliable, (relatively) affordable dual extrusion 3D printing. Maybe some would be willing to collaborate to make a post covering more info so others don't have to look so far!)

I've owned the Ender 3 for a few months now and have made a number of upgrades, both purchased and printed. Here's a list of what I have purchased and printed, sorted by importance/usefulness.

 

Purchased Parts:

1. EZABL - An automatic bed leveling solution that has worked really well for me. TH3D's firmware and documentation are top notch. Once I dialed it in I've had no issues with bed leveling or adhesion. Also note, TH3D is an American company and Tim, the owner, is even a mod of this sub!
   
   
2. Stepper Motor Dampers - A great way to quiet down the printer. My bedroom and office are connected without an intervening door and the dampers allow me to print overnight and still get get to sleep. Some users have had issues with stepper motors running hot with the dampers installed, but I've had no trouble at all, even after 16+ hr prints.
   
   
3. 5015 Blower Fan - For use with the Petsfang Duct, see below.
   
   
   
4. Assorted M3 Screws - If you're going to be making mods to your printer, you're eventually going to need different sized screws. Having various lengths on hand is super helpful when trying to mount a new part.
   
    
   
   Printed Parts:
   
   
5. Filament Guide Arm - This has helped a lot with keeping the filament feeding smooth and preventing under-extrusion issues. There is a more popular model on thingiverse, but I found this version to be stronger and more stable.
   
   
6. Petsfang Cooling Fan Duct - An extremely popular replacement for the part cooling duct and fan. This creates much more even cooling around the filament as its extruded, providing better bridging and better overall print quality. There is a version using a replacement 5015 blower fan, as I have used, and there's a version called the "Bullseye" that uses the stock fan. I chose to replace the stock fan because mine was starting to rattle.
   
   
7. Tool Holder - It sounds frivolous, but having the tools you need right at hand can be a big help in saving a print or performing trouble shooting. Definitely a must have.
   
   
8. LCD Rear Cover - Protects the circuit board behind the LCD, which is exposed from the factory. If you have children like I do, this is a must.
   
   
9. Cable Chain - Routs the various cables to their destinations in a clean way. Looks super cool. Not necessary, but definitely fun. Note, there is an X-axis cable chain setup available, but I found it made excessive noise and wasn't worth the trouble.
   
   
10. Fan Shroud - Protects the main board fan from bits of filament falling down into the casing.
    
    
11. Storage Drawer - A handy little drawer that slides in next to the LCD. I store things like alcohol swabs, razor blades, and other random tools in it.
    
     
    
    Future Upgrades:
    
    Spool Roller - One issue I've found is that the stock spool holder requires excessive force from the extruder to unwind filament. A replacement spool roller with bearings should reduce the friction significantly and produce more even extrusion.
    
    Metal Extruder - A common problem with the Ender 3 is that it fails to maintain proper tension on the extruder gear, which leads to failure to feed and poor extrusion. An all-metal extruder has been known to fix the issue.
    
    
    
    
    
    

I have a Maker select. It's my first and only 3D printer so my review compared to others is unreliable.

Here's a copy/paste of a review I did on it about a month ago. It's long but detailed with links:

I will give you my background before my opinions. As everyone has different goals, opinions, and experiences.

I got my printer near the end March of this year. I have something like 2500m of filament run though it, and no idea how much print time.

When I received my printer, my test prints failed and I was pissed. But this community helped improve my Cura settings and started producing usable parts. I then went nuts and printed out a BUNCH of mods. This is by far my most favorite thing. There's always something I can print to improve the quality of the prints.

THe down side is I went too far and got to a point where I couldn't produce anything of quality. So, 2 weeks of tweeking and researching later I'm printing in PETG with beautiful quality and very minimal visible layers.

My most recent project in PETG:
http://i.imgur.com/sVf7S2D.jpg?1

So, now to answer your question...

> How do you like your Maker Select?

I love it. It allowed me to buy a cheaper printer (One of the cheapest at the time @ $350) that produced amazing results. It also has upgrades you can purchase or print to improve the quality, so investing smaller amounts over time to make it better and better. I highly recommend it to anyone who is starting because it does require tweaking which forces you to learn and understand how exactly 3d printers work. A major plus was that this community has a lot of Maker Select users for support, which was a MAJOR plus for me.


As of today, I've purchased the following upgrades:

• IKEA enclosure - $115
  
• LEDs for Inside enclosure - $25
  
• MK-9/10 Extruder Gear - $9
  
• Micro Swiss All Metal hot End - $50
  
• Micro Swiss Lever - $18 (Totally not necessary, but Micro Swiss's support was AMAZING to deal with, and I wanted to support them so I purchased this as well.
  
• Misc. M3 and M4 Screws, etc. - ~$25 in total between Amazon Orders and Lowe's for things needed for mods.
  
• New 40mm fan because I broke the blade on the one I had. There are cheaper ones than this. - $14
  
• 50mm blower fan - $8
  
  So, in the last ~3 months I've spent an additional $264... Oh god, don't tell my wife! All are totally not necessary, mind you. The only thing I'd 100% recommend you do are print out the following to mods:
  
  DiiiCooler along with buying the 50mm blower fan. There are cheaper options out there, I just wanted it faster so I bought it through Amazon to get free 2 day shipping.
  
  z-Brace - This is key, and will run you maybe $15 worst case scenario to get enough M4 screws and the threaded rods.
  
  Edit: Forgot a couple more things I bought.
  
  
• Lowe's glass - $4 for 2 pieces of 7.9"x7.9" glass
  
• Borosilicate Glass - $12 - Amazing adheasing with PLA and ABS. Don't use it right now, though because I'm printing in PETG and I read on here that PETG eats borosilicate glass.
  
• Lithium Grease - $7. When I changed my bearing blocks, I had issues with sticking so I purchased some of this to help smoothing out the bearing movement on the polished rods.
  
• 3D print removal tool - $5. Printer comes with a larger scraper, but I needed something a bit more fine (thin) and this thing is perfect.
  
• Spare bearings - $13 because I broke one of them when swapping to 3d Printed bearing blocks.
  
• Digital Calipers - $18
  
  That's another $59, so $323... I have a problem. again, 95% of this is NOT NECESSARY. I'm just addicted to modding.
  
  

SILK PLA is amazing. it DOES have serious issues. the stuff is crazy strong but very very poorly sticks to itself (brittle layer adhesion) Print it hot 220c higher if the plastic behaves for you.

so thin parts? forget it. your not likely to get it off the bed without cracking it (use ultra base)

and even 3 perimeter 25% infill grid parts can "snap" if the nozzles catches an edge (broke my adalinda dragon a few times) and if you drop it it will break.

BUT the results are simply stunning.

Here are some links (gold is not in stock that I can find right now) these are direct non affiliate links. if you want to help me out goto todays3dprint.com and use any of the links their (and then these links) but you don't have to.

Silver (I have not tried this one but they all print the same)

https://www.amazon.com/Silk-Silver-Filament-Printing-Material/dp/B06XSBFB17

Copper
https://www.amazon.com/Silk-Copper-Filament-Printing-Material/dp/B0761PMW3X

if this one was prime I would be ordering one as it looks VERY nice.

These from 3d Solutech are dirt cheap and some of my favorites! I have printed with all of them except the lavendar. I have it just have not used it yet in a print.

They call them "ultra pla"

Yellow

https://www.amazon.com/3D-Solutech-Filament-Dimensional-Accuracy/dp/B01B5KACX8

sample print Drogon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImOW0N1LNSA

Blue (my favorite)

https://www.amazon.com/3D-Solutech-3DSUPLA175BLU

Sample Print Adalinda (75 hour print truly stunning)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZV0LTx-MlY&t

Green (out of stock right now)

https://www.amazon.com/3D-Solutech-3DSUPLA175GRN-Dimensional-Accuracy/dp/B01B5KPNUK

Sample Print. Aria Dragon (another truly stunning model)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g-5oyVsyRA

White

https://www.amazon.com/3D-Solutech-3DSUPLA175WHT-Dimensional-Accuracy/dp/B01B5KFRHO

Sample Print (Loubie Swan)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOavv-K-mYw

Red (really pink I have yet to find a true RED silk they all come out pink)

https://www.amazon.com/3D-Solutech-3DSUPLA175HPK-Dimensional-Accuracy/dp/B01B5LIL58

Sample Print (faceted Tree)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbuFM0UUo2c&t=100s

Here is the GOLD I used (sample print squirrel)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOavv-K-mYw&t=420s

but its not available right now (not sure if it is coming back or not)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XRPYXP2

again. its a PAIN IN THE ASS filament but damn are the results incredible. worth the suffering :-)

again the links are "clear" direct links. if you want to help me visit one of the links to amazon in my videos first which will help me out. or use the direct links here if not.

in general search for "ultra" or "silk" PLA.

Poly Alchemy ALSO makes some disgustingly gorgeous SILK PLA's !! check out Night Shade and Night Sky in particular to be truly awestruck with the beauty of these filaments

Here are some higher resolution images of some of these filaments

Poly Alchemy Night Shade (stunning and dark)
https://i.imgur.com/tyMb4Xn.jpg Another
https://i.imgur.com/fphprtA.jpg

Poly Alchemy Night Sky (I love this one)
https://i.imgur.com/BWv59dv.jpg Another
https://i.imgur.com/9zz93el.jpg

Poly Alchemy Bubble Gum
https://i.imgur.com/6WyaMIY.jpg

Elixr is NOT CHEAP $30 for 750 grams or something like that. (its around $50 a kilo)

in the US Printedsolid.com sells it.

3D Solutech Ultra Green
https://i.imgur.com/5n7nQZx.jpg

As you might be able to tell I REALLY like these plastics :-)

I got my Ender 3 Pro about a month ago, performed some upgrades and ran into a few problems, but with some weird caveates.



I'm trying to print multiple miniatures on a single print, but seem to be getting a lot of oozing or stringing issues, but when I test with retraction tests, the test comes out perfect with identical settings. Additionally, when googling around, I couldn't find anything except for potentially a nozzle clog or potentially hydrated filament (possible, I'll test this later)

​

I've tested a few other prints as well, a benchy and a testcube, they print fine. Really curious about what's going on. Do I need to spread the prints out more, use different settings, or is it more of a mechanical issue?

​

I'd appreciate any help you guys have to recommend!

​

So, lets get down to it:

Printer: Creality Ender 3 Pro

Surface: Creality Glass surface

Upgrades: Aluminum extruder upgrade

Capricorn Tubing

New bed springs



In addition to these, I've tightened the X and Y bolts on the runners to reduce wobble -- there's no more wobble, maybe they're too tight? I don't think so, I've had good prints with these settings, but not with a few things.



Settings:

Basically the same as the "normal" settings for the Ender 3 on Cura 4.0.0

But in addition: (And what I think may be important is bolded)

adhesion_type = raft

layer_height = 0.12

support_tree_enable = True

support_type = buildplate

brim_outside_only = False

fill_outline_gaps = True

infill_pattern = cubic

infill_sparse_density = 25

material_final_print_temperature = 180

material_initial_print_temperature = 180

material_print_temperature = 185

optimize_wall_printing_order = True

raft_margin = 10

retraction_amount = 7.5

retraction_speed = 20

speed_print = 30

support_angle = 40

support_conical_enabled = True

support_infill_rate = 50

support_interface_enable = True

support_pattern = lines

** NOTE ** Standard supports are turned off, I'm using the tree supports

support_tree_collision_resolution = 0.15

travel_avoid_supports = True

travel_compensate_overlapping_walls_enabled = False

wall_thickness = 1.2

As far as quality gains you'll experience from changing over to a Bowden/E3d v6 is that you're lightening the overall mass of the Hotend carriage.

If you stop and think, the gantry is carrying the load of the stock Hotend as well as the weight of the stepper motor and the enertia it's contending with in those back and forth movements which can cause defects in your print if your frame isn't solid.
Is not a design flaw, but just an effect of the design.
Like I mentioned earlier you're limiting yourself with exotic filaments with a Bowden, but you're shedding weight to reduce vibration and gaining the opportunity for more speed without having to reinforce the frame a great deal.
But look at extruders like the Titan. These are high performance direct drive extruders that are lighter than stock, but still heavier than a Bowden but you keep the benefits of printing any filament you like.
As well as you don't have the bad characteristics of A Bowden. The Teflon tube that will run from the extruder to the Hotend on a Bowden system, that guides the filament will have a bit of 'give' in it when the extruder is pushing and pulling the filament.

Here is a crude way of describing it...
Let's say for the sake of simple math, that it takes 1 pound of pressure in your stock, direct drive extruder to properly push the exact amount of required filament required for laying a line of plastic onto the heat bed. Now realistically that pressure changes constantly but let's just say you need a consistent 1lb of pressure all the time. It only has to travel a couple of mm's before it's in the Hotend.
In a Bowden system, the extruder pushes the filament through the long Teflon tube and the tube will give way to that pressure. So though your extruder is pushing at 1lb, by the time it reaches the Hotend its only seeing 0.95 lbs because of the tube absorbing some of the pressure. You can compensate with firmware to tell the extruder to actually push 1.05lbs so that when it reaches the Hotend, it's getting the 1lb that it needs. But it's never really 100% accurate. And if your firmware isn't set perfectly you'll see it in the print, like uneven layers and such. Not a very elegant explanation but I'm typing from my phone.

PETG is stronger and much more heat resistant than PLA. PLA is good for whatnots and things you'll sit on your desk that don't need to be structurally sound. PETG is used for things like printing a hook to hang a rolled up extension cord out in your non climate controlled garage and it not break under the weight over time.
PLA is super easy to print and has a broad window of settings to get a nice print. PETG is not as forgiving in the settings department and you have a narrow margin for error. But once you get it dialed in, it prints like PLA. I mentioned polycarbonate earlier. It's even stronger and more heat resistant and you could print chain links with it and hang your front porch swing on it. But it's damn unforgiving and I struggle with it to this day.

Here is the cleaning filament I use. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MVIYNFW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Q8bkDbV3KFZDT

I only use it when going from one type of filament to another. Like from PLA to PETG. Just changing colors of the same type of filament you wouldn't need it. It's the temperature differences between the 2 that cause jams. PLA prints around 190C. PETG is around 240C. That reminds me of another benefit of the E3d v6. It's all metal and can handle the hotter temperatures of filaments like PETG. You have a Teflon liner in the throat of your stock extruder. I think it's only good up to about 210C.

I haven't really shopped for SLA printers. Consumer SLA printers are still in their infancy. But what I have stumbled across are very small. Like only 6 inch by 6 inch build volumes for $200-$300. And you're limited to the resins that are available. I think only PLA type plastics are available right now. Nothing you could print anything functional with.

It's a hard choice, but I can say that when I was looking at potential units, I did consider the QIDI TECHNOLOGY 3DP-QDA16-01. This is still priced around entry level, so I wouldn't expect it to be a ton better; however, it does have some advantages. One nice thing is that it has a dual extruder setup. Initially, you might think "Why is printing in two colors a big deal?", but the advantage isn't colors but rather material. There's a specific type of filament that is water soluble, which works well for supports. This allows you to remove supports far easier than snipping them and filing down the nubs. It's not always a hard thing, but doing this for delicate parts can be a bit unnerving!

One thing to also consider when it comes to the world of 3D printing is how is the third-party support. That's where rebadges actually work out pretty well as these common designs usually mean more third-party components or even 3D printed parts available. For example, the Monoprice Maker Select V2 that I use is really just a Wanhao Duplicator i3. If I find parts for the Duplicator i3, they're likely going to work with the Select V2 as well. That QIDI unit earlier is the same as the FlashForge 3D Printer Creator Pro, and both of them are actually just rebadges of the Wanhao Duplicator 4! (Wanhao makes quite a lot of 3D printing products.)

One negative thing about that unit is that it's cantilevered. It isn't necessarily a problem, but it does mean that the weight of the carriage plate and hot plate are being carried only on a single side. Being cantilevered is normally only an issue when you start going up in build size, but it's worth noting.

I'd say the most important thing is to make sure the unit does everything that you need. It's not the worst thing if you go with a smaller, cheaper unit just to get your feet wet, and maybe work up to a larger, more capable unit.

3d printing is a pretty niche process, but it has some incredibly cool applications. I use mine for printing custom parts for DIY projects, special items for Cosplay, and little minifigurines for tabletop games. They'll probably never replace injection molding, but for small scale projects they're fantastic.

As for the quality of the printers, it depends a lot on what you're talking about. Something like an Ender 3 is a great machine, both inexpensive and decent quality, but still essentially a hobbyist tool. More expensive brands like Makerbot do lots of little proprietary things to their machines to make them more capable of high quality prints, though in my experience you can usually get pretty close to professional using hobbyist machines as well.

Some printers are also just produced with higher quality parts, which makes them print better and operate more reliably, but still essentially are the same basic design as the cheaper versions. Compare the Ender I posted earlier to something like this which has a plastic frame. The plastic can warp and bend, leading to issues printing, wheras the ender has a metal frame which is more rigid. That simple change makes a huge difference in print quality, and other things like that can be done, from changing the extrusion method to using higher quality electronics, all of which changes the price and quality, but ultimately not how the printer actually "works".

Congrats and welcome to the club!

> Some of the supports looked "wonky" during the print. Like, they didn't go "straight up". Is that normal or did it not have enough cooling?

Not sure what you mean. This print doesn't use supports. Do you mean the walls? Any photos that can show us what you observed?

When printing PLA, more cooling is almost always better: hard to have too much. I'm not sure what problem you observed or whether cooling would have solved it, but better cooling will definitely improve future prints.

> As you can see, it was printed on a raft. If you look cloesly, the bottom of the of the butterfly has a slight lip around it (like the first couple layers are wider than the rest. Is there anything I can do to improve upon that so it's straight the whole way up and down?

Hm, it's not as common to see elephant's foot for something printed on a raft. Usually it happens from the nozzle really squishing the first layer into the bed, or the bed being too hot.

You'll want to learn how to print without rafts ASAP, at which point you'll want to keep an eye on that. Leveling and temperature will make a difference once you're printing directly on the bed, but the best solution is usually a model that compensates for this with a chamfer. After all, really squishing that first layer helps with adhesion and finish. A chamfer allows this without the elephant's foot.

> It has a heated bed with that "sticker/tape/thing".. Does that mean I don't need to bother with painter's tape/a glue stick/hair spray?

I just print straight to my Maker Select bed (with their version of Buildtak that you show in your photos).

Some people still add tape/glue on top of it, but I haven't found it necessary. I've printed everything straight on the bed (mostly PLA, some PETG and TPU) and haven't had a problem yet with adhesion (knock on wood).

> I plan on doing the MOFSET mod and getting a glass plate as soon as I replenish my "fun" funds next month (kinda drained it all picking this thing up).

Just my opinion - some others will disagree - but I'd put money towards the MOSFET before new filament. Maybe you don't have some of the tools and would need to buy them, but the MOSFET itself is just over $10. That's less than a roll of filament and protects the integrity of your new purchase.

I'm pretty new to this too, I bought my Ender 3 Pro around the same time as you. Quiet printing is pretty high on my list as well as being able to print high-temp exotic filaments in the long term while maintaining reliability.

First upgrades I purchased were stiffer bed springs so I would be less likely to throw the bed out of level while removing prints or working around the printer and Capricorn XS tube since it has a more consistent internal diameter, fits closer to the filament, and can work with slightly higher temps. I also picked up a pack of bowden couplers recently as I noticed the end nearest the extruder is sliding past the coupler jaws on de/retraction; don't worry about that unless it's an issue for you. That's about $30 alone since I don't have a supply shop locally and have to order those parts in bulk. I had a Pi 3B laying around unused and flashed Octoprint onto it. Highly recommended. I have a replacement Noctua hotend fan, buck converters, and 5015 blower on order to quiet the fan noise; about $32. Just replaced the Meanwell psu fan with a 60x25mm Noctua I had lying around (Note: there may be better options in the 92-120mm range to replace part of the PSU housing, but that's what I had laying around). Next upgrade coming is the SKR Mini E3 with TMC 2209 drivers ($28) to eliminate almost all of the stepper noise. Also looking into a replacement for the control board fan and some vibration isolating feet for the frame. As far as higher temp printing I haven't made a lot of progress aside from buying a titanium all-metal heat brake ($11) winch I have yet to install or inspect, and looking into enclosure and electronics relocation avenues.

Either way the mods I purchased came in at around $100 US which should quiet the printer and help with reliability. Also looking into picking up a good M3-M4 bolt kit if any exist in the US.

Here are some links to the things I picked up and will, which may be helpful if you're in the US. Mostly from Amazon.

Type | Name | Link | Price
---|---|----|----
Reliability | 8mm x 20mm yellow springs | Link | $6.98
Reliability | Capricorn XS Tubing | Link | $11.49
Reliability | PC4-M6 / PC4-M10 Pneumatic Bowden Fittings | Link | $11.99
Silence | Noctua 40mm x 10mm 3-pin fan | Link | $13.95
Silence/Various | LM2596 Adjustable Buck Converters | Link | $10.95
Silence | 24v 5015 Radial Ball Bearing Fans | Link | $7.19
Silence/Various | SKR Mini E3 w/ TMC 2209 drivers | Link | $28.81
High Temp | Titanium All-Metal Heat Brake | Link | $11.52
TOTAL: $102.88 US + Tax

Parts already purchased/ bought with printer

Type | Name | Link | Price
---|---|----|----
Reliability/High Temp | OEM Ender 3 Glass Bed | Link | $20
Reliability | Feeler Guage Set | Link | $5
Reliability | 608zz Bearings, using with this(My Remix), this, and this, though I like this design a bit better | Link | $5.98
QoL Improvement | Raspberry Pi 3B w/ Octoprint | Link | $34.46
Silence | Noctua 60mm x 25mm 3-pin fan, goes with this mod | Link | $14.95
TOTAL: $80.39 US + Tax

Future planned upgrades

• Bl Touch (Note: if you have a Pi you don't need a separate ISP to flash a bootloader to the stock Melzi control board)
  
  
• Extruder | Zesty Nimble, Bondtech BMG, or SeeMeCNC EZR
  
  
• Cooling Duct | Either Smooth Fang or Hero Me Gen 3 in PETG/ABS
  
  
• Direct Drive | Kit or Printed (this, this, or this)
  
  
• Electronics relocation enclosure and wiring (need to research this more)
  
  
• Vibration Isolation Feet with Yellow Dot Squash Balls
  
  
• Linear rails (maybe)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MUAMRN7/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

upgraded carriage plate, should be one of the first things you do, the stock one is flimsy and prone to warping, making the print bed extremely hard to level reliably.

https://www.amazon.com/Micro-Hotend-SLOTTED-Cooling-Wanhao/dp/B01E1HANLS/ref=sr_1_fkmr3_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497736485&sr=8-1-fkmr3&keywords=i3+plus+all+metal+hotend

all metal hotend will enable you to print at much higher temp, and increase reliability of the print head. not strictly needed, but a great upgrade if you want to print abs, petg, or other higher temp filaments.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HCVJ3K2/ref=sxr_rr_xsim_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=3008523062&pd_rd_wg=sUxZ5&pf_rd_r=W5Q7RV181EJYGTBW4YDJ&pf_rd_s=desktop-rhs-carousels&pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_i=B01HCVJ3K2&pd_rd_w=ZPXZq&pf_rd_i=tri+gorilla&pd_rd_r=F2X8G4XDPCVTNXX6J560&ie=UTF8&qid=1497736655&sr=1

heater bed mosfet upgrade. again, not strictly needed, but also useful for high temp filaments like abs, as you can run the heated bed at higher temps. also solves (small possibility, i3 plus supposedly fixed issue) of stock mosfet burning out and catching fire.

https://www.thingiverse.com/search?q=i3+plus+cooler&sa=&dwh=295945a7ab3d0cd

print a cooling fan shroud, i use the ciiicooler, the diiicooler is great as well. preferably in abs. BIG quality improvement, the stock fan is useless.

these are some of the ones i use, and there's a lot of other things you can do, extruder gear, improved bearings, too many to count really, just a matter of how far you want to go for incremental gains. the carriage plate and the cooling fan shroud are the only strictly necessary ones though.

oh and i made my own version of this z-brace, don't have the files anymore unfortunately, but this one is fine:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1653631

that's also something you should do asap.

Thanks for making a new thread. You mentioned pre-assembled and quality/reliability over cost, but do you have a general price in mind?

Extruder

The most popular option is to just go with one of the cheap aluminum extruders. These are a considerable improvement over the stock plastic version. There isn't really much assembly involved, you will need to bolt on the extruder plate/lever and put the spring in, but it's about the most simple upgrade there is.

On the more premium end, depending on which version you buy, a genuine Bondtech comes pre-assembled. It's about $70 more expensive and the benefits are negligible, but that's an alternative.

Hotend

The two main choices for Creality machines are the V6 or Micro Swiss (or a clone), both of which do have some assembly involved.

E3D sells their V6 as a bunch of parts that you assemble yourself, but Filastruder offers it as a pre-assembled version. I believe most V6 clones come loosely pre-assembled as well. Keep in mind however that V6 isn't a direct install, you will need some kind of printed bracket / fan duct like the PetsFang to mount it.

The Micro Swiss on the other hand is a drop-in installation on Creality machines. You do have minimal assembly putting a few parts together, but it bolts up to the stock machine without any changes. I wrote a guide that covers how to do it for the Ender-3, but the Ender-5 uses the same hotend carriage design, meaning the steps are the same.

---

I would personally go with the cheap aluminum extruder and a Micro Swiss hotend. This would be a cost efficient, yet effective set of upgrades for the machine. There is minimal assembly involved, but there isn't much on the market that is 100% ready to go.

Hi, Im new to owning a 3D printer but have done several different prints at my college.

• I am currently studying computer engineering and am planning on printing stuff with micro-controllers, robotics, small electronic components, and maybe some RC projects. Anything related to that sort of stuff.
  
• My budget is up to anything around $1000 ish. If i can save money tho then that would be a great perk.
  
• I live in the USA
  
• Im totally down to do a bit of assembling, especially if it involves saving a little $$$
  
  I have been doing a lot of researching my self on 3d printing technologies. One of the things Ive noted is dual extrusion vs single extrusion. Also Ive heard a glass bed is very important?
  
  Ive read that dual extrusion can be good for certain applications like printing a structure with two materials, one which is dissolvable . Ive also read that dual extruders can have a tendency to cause a print to fail as the material can cool down in the extruder not being used. This then can cause issues when that printer extruder is used again within the same print as the material on the end does not heat up again properly?
  
  Ive looked at several good bang for the buck printers(on paper)
  
  
• Prusa i3 MK3(with multi material upgrade????) - Why is this printer mentioned...everywhere???? whats so good about it vs other printers?
  
• Flash forge 3D printer creater pro
  
• QIDI technology Xpro
  
• BIBO 3D??
  
  Please give me as much info as possible. I really don't have any experience with using different printers at all, and am really open to some good internet education. So please comment away :)

To put things in perspective on the money saved.

• That value in the image is ~$300 shy of what I actually spent on Steam's PC games. at 172 games with 1TB of total download content.
  
  
• That value in the image is my Ivy Bridge Core i7 Gaming PC, with 32GB of RAM and two AMD 7970s (at the time of purchase about three years ago).
  
  
• That value in the image is halfway there to buying this nice bike. A Honda Shadow that I feel is a great cruiser for the price (no that link isn't my own to pander, it is something I found as an example).
  
  
• That value in the image is about what some 3D printers go for in cost at the base price. An example here
  
  
• That value in the image is what many televisions go for in quality and capability, with extra for one's own gaming PC to hook up with keyboard and trackball periphery or gaming console to boot.
  
  
• That value in the image is possibly a price of a cruise trip.
  
  
• That value in the image is what the second highest end Surface Pro 3 configuration goes for and have change left over for accessories.
  
  
• Not a fan of the Surface? The new 2015 Macbook runs of the cost of a laptop plus accessories with the money otherwise used for smoking. Fan of laptop gaming? That right there is the price of a good gaming laptop too.
  
  
• That value in the image is what I spent on for the basics of my workshop (table saw, router, miter saw, sander, first drill press, cordless drill, and accompanying bits and blades).
  
  
• That value in the image (depending on your motivation and intake of instruction) can be attributed to a good chunk of a private pilot's license.
  
  That app needs a personal settable achievement in terms of what one intends to do with the money saved.

My MS is out of commission right now due to a motherboard issue - but that's not something that's common occurence with these machines. That aside - I love my MS, it's a damn good printer for the price and works really well. Plus it's on the cheaper side of things and can be upgraded pretty easily. I would suggest getting this printer, and a glass sheet for a bed upgrade. The buildtak stuff they put on it is fine for a little bit, but the glass just produces better results in my experience. And if you want to at a later point in time, a MK10 all metal hotend nozzle upgrade (with cooling block) is also a fairly cheap and easy buy/install. Just the core machine though, no mods - is really good and easy to install and calibrate. Totally would buy another one if I could right now.

Glass bed

Nozzle upgrade

Seconding everything people have said here and want to add the following.
A glass bed with 10mil PEI from CS Hyde will do wonders for bed leveling.

Upgrade your Y plate as soon as possible, the stock one warps over enough time making bed leveling nearly impossible.

All metal hotend such as the micro swiss is amazing, no more clogged PTFE tubing, easier to clean if it does.

Z brace is a must, also print a fan cooler like the Diicooler on thingiverse. Replace the stock part cooling fan with a nice radial fan, plenty on amazon, make sure its 12v. This helps prints come out cleaner.

Yours should come with thumbwheels, if not, print some, bed leveling is easier with it.

Print some spring cups as well, keeps the springs straight and not bending when leveling the bed.

DO THE MOSFET MOD TO MAKE IT SAFE!

Watch this vid and do his printed mods https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpcm4XEbP1Q&t=752s&list=PLyIdpN_zILcknsQzSZSiWhQ685NxkWsvD&index=2

Also, stay far far FAR away from Shaxon filament! It broke my hotend, check my post history to see the red glob of death I dealt with. I have had very good luck with eSun PLA.

Links for bought parts:
Fans: [here (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MJU6JR2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)]

Glass plate: [Here (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B2YLWF9/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)]

Hotend: [Here(https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E1HANLS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)]

Y plate: [Here (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B251KBS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)]

MOSFET: [here(https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HEQVQAK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)] and wires [here(https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017U6PGLO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)]

The Flashforge Creator Pro and similar machines (they're all clones of the Replicator One dual) may do the trick. Nowadays they come with sides, front doors, and top covers so they're relatively cat safe. The Blessed Cat here recognizes the "filament loading" sound and desperately wants to catch that mysterious noodle thingie but so far she's had no luck.

They don't have so-called autoleveling, which is fine by me. The build platforms are stable enough that once you get the trick of leveling (AKA tramming) the bed to be flat with respect to the plane of the nozzle travel then it's usually good for a long time without needed to be tweaked.

They print PETG just fine, insofar as PETG ever prints "fine." It can be fussy but it's awesome when dialed in right. The bracket on the right, to replace the original swing arm lamp bracket, is done in PETG and is holding up great.

Sorry I can't answer all of your questions, but here's a few suggestions. Number one, a better part cooling fan. Just buy a cheap blower fan like this one, and print a radial cooling fan like this one. This should help a bit with your bottom screw holes being messy. For bigger prints this is a necessity. When it comes to getting prints off of the beds, I use a glass bed with a gluestick for adherence, and to remove prints I use this thing. Incredibly, incredibly useful. It's thin enough to get under prints without denting them, and the long design lets you move it underneath prints to free the whole this. The end is also sharp enough to scrape glue off of the printbed. Works a lot better than the scraper included with the printer.

Budget: $300 Max ( $220 - $250 Preferred )
Country: USA
I would be willing to build it from a kit - It's no problem. I don't have much experience with electronic maintenance, but I'm good w/ making stuff and my dad has experience.
I plan to print things out for fun, maybe mini figures. I would like to print things out that are larger though.
No circumstances. I just prefer fast-ish shipping if possible. Also must be a cyber-monday sale. I found some deals that fit my budget and look nice and I don't know whether or not they're good or worth. I'll link them in the post. If you could find a better one or give me opinions as to which one is the best to buy that'd be appreciated.

https://www.gearbest.com/3d-printers-3d-printer-kits/pp_1841229.html?wid=1433363&lkid=17765773
https://www.gearbest.com/3d-printers-3d-printer-kits/pp_725101.html?wid=1433363&lkid=17749496
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/ANYCUBIC-Formax-3D-Printer-Large-Plus-Size-FDM-Impresora-4max-Diy-Kit-Modular-Design-Nozzle-3D/32852262715.html?spm=a2g01.12110341.layer-3te59f.543.3924dfaczlvX5Z&gps-id=5780592&scm=1007.19881.118560.0&scm_id=1007.19881.118560.0&scm-url=1007.19881.118560.0&pvid=e1ff7053-f1ef-45eb-b234-73ffb4b482a8
https://www.gearbest.com/3d-printers-3d-printer-kits/pp_009713679625.html?wid=1433363&lkid=17749753
https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Printer-Filament-Preloaded-Printable/dp/B018GZBC3Y/?tag=all3dp0c-20

OK - the 1st one lists itself as a CR-10 S5, which has a 500x600x500 build area. What is listed is the base CR-10 with a 300x300x400 build area. It's also NOT the "S" version which has lots of upgrades: mainly a filament sensor, a second motor for the z axis and has a Atmega 2560 instead of Atmega 1280 for the controller board.

The 2nd one lists itself as a base CR-10 and by all appearances seems to be one.

Seeing how a CR-10 sells for $499 on Amazon, this seems to be a good deal. You'd have to look at the eBay vendor's feedback to see if they are delivering what they advertise. It seems like the $400 price isn't out of the range of what they cost coming straight from China, but is on the low end so be careful.

Honestly, I'd strongly recommend getting the CR-10S as they upgrades, especially the board, are well worth it. They sell on Amazon for $599 https://www.amazon.com/HICTOP-Printer-Filament-Monitor-300x300x400mm/dp/B074QLQSQV and the Hictop is a solid build as far as CR10S go. You cold probably find a better deal on one from overseas.

If that price is too steep for you, and you are OK with a smaller bed size the Monoprice Select Mini is another good starter printer. For $220 you get a heck of a lot of printer: https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Select-Printer-Heated-Filament/dp/B01FL49VZE

I've had an Anet A6 (similar) for just over 2 years now, and (after a lot of tuning) I've been able to use it for applications that require a fair bit of dimensional accuracy. I have a RAMPS 1.4 setup with Skynet, a mosfet for the bed, and that's about it. As long as you take care of it, you should be able to get some pretty darn good prints out of it. I unfortunately don't have a picture of it, but a while ago I was able to make a nice looking desk ornament that looks sort of like this with no weird artifacts popping up or even support. So, you could feasibly use your A8 for making tabletop figurines.

However, I actually prefer printers that use extruded aluminum frames like the Tarantula, Ender 3, and HE3D IE3, since its really easy to print attachments for mods that fit nicely into the t-slots of the aluminum bars. You can even get an Ender 3 on Amazon for $230. I've never owned or used one before, but I've heard from many that they work pretty well even out of the box.

Honestly it depends on your free time, level of technical competency and how much of that free time you want to spend working on a 3D printer rather than printing with it.

A kit like a FolgierTech kossel will get you much larger print volume for the money. The down side is that getting a kit running can almost be a hobby in and of itself.

If you are comfortable soldering wires and PCB components, flashing firmware to an arduino and know enough C and/or C++ to make the occasional firmware tweak yourself a kit can be a great way to go.

The down side is that it can take hours to assemble and troubleshoot.

An off the shelf printer will have a much lower price to print area ratio, but will often come ready (or nearly ready) to print.

Also, another thing to consider is support- often with a kit you're pretty much on your own unless a part arrives missing or broken. Sometimes there is a forum or the manufacturer has an e-mail address you can contact but that's about it. Most prebuilt manufacturers actually do offer some kind of warranty where they can and will repair your printer if something goes wrong.

Something like the MP Select would let you print 8" square and 7" tall parts for pretty cheap which is honestly why it's so popular. Whether or not it's big enough for you and you're OK potentially printing pieces for cosplay costumes that have to fit together like a jigsaw is up to you.

haha! I actually bought it on amazon!
http://www.amazon.com/FlashForge-Structure-Optimized-Platform-Extruder/dp/B00I8NM6JO

It was definitely an expensive investment, but worth it. It makes prototyping things extremely efficient.

They can get pretty expensive, think Makerbots and stuff. But there are less expensive ones that do a great job too. /r/3Dprinting has a lot of great advice. There are some helpful forums elsewhere too.


This makes way more sense now... I couldn't believe you had seen that shark for $1,500.

I’ve been printing with an Ender 3 (Comgrow Creality Ender 3 3D Printer Aluminum DIY with Resume Print 220x220x250mm https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BR3F9N6 ) for the better part of the year and it’s been mostly great!

The base price there is pretty cheap comparatively, and 1kg of filament (printing material) is about $20. That will last you quite a long time and print dozens and dozens of miniatures.

The largest downsides are probably the learning curve. It definitely takes some time to learn settings. But there are lots of resources out there.

The other thing is that Ender 3 is FDM which essentially means the resolution isn’t quite as high. This is just fine for printing terrain but you get a “layering effect” making it difficult to get high quality detail on some minis. That being said I’ve had great success printing minis for npcs and monsters.

The other option is resin printing which generally produces higher resolution and detail but can be messier and resin is pretty toxic so requires more safety precautions.

Ultimately I’ve been happy with my 3D printer and it’s really enhanced my gaming experience

Not much really. The benefit of buying the mk2s is that you really don't need to modify or swap anything.


Here are a few things you might want in my opinion:

• You might want some different filaments. You can stick with the brands and types that Prusa includes printing profiles for, or for other brands and types you may have to do some testing to find the right print temperature, speed, cooling, etc. Reading up on that process is a good idea.
  
  
• A paint scraper can be helpful for removing prints from the print bed, just be careful not to scratch the print surface.
  
  
• Some rubbing alcohol. Rubbing alcohol or window cleaner is what Prusa recommends to clean the PEI print bed. You can also use rubbing alcohol for this very cool trick to help loosen stuck prints
  
  
• A good set of calipers can be handy for measuring printed objects, measuring real-world objects you're trying to model things to fit, etc.
  
  
• bookmark some fun things on Thingiverse, MyMiniFactory, etc. that you'd like to print. Especially some small things that you can print quickly in your first few days/weeks with your printer that don't require painting, other parts, etc.
  
  
• I found my printer printed much better after I calibrated the Extruder and the Z-height. A decent extruder calibration process for the Prusa can be found here. The same site has some info on calibrating z-height, or I had good luck with this method. Mine was a kit though, so it's possible those are pre-calibrated with the assembled printer.
  
  
• You can buy different size and different material nozzles for the e3d hotend. Hardened steel nozzles are recommended for most of the filaments that have stuff embedded in them (carbon fiber, wood, etc) as those are really abrasive on the standard brass nozzle and can deform it internally,, causing later printing problems.
  
  
• Paint, sealant or epoxy can be useful for finishing up models. I haven't tried it myself, but I've seen pictures of some awesome results using this epoxy to give a smooth, hardened finish to your prints. Standard acrylic hobby paints are also great for color and pizzazz to your finished prints, especially more artsy stuff.

Having printed a LOT of these tiles, I would caution against relying on a public library as a resource.

These things take a LONG time to print enough to make an entire dungeon. It's unreasonable to assume that the librarian would be willing to allow you to continuously print that many. (I will easily print almost 24/7 for weeks at a time to complete a set)

That being said, they are very cool tiles... and it's unbelievable that they are offered for free, Devon Jones is the man, for sure!

I would greatly advise looking into purchasing your own printer... my pick for this would be an Ender 3. Check out some videos on YouTube, and join the Facebook user group to get a good idea of how to get started. The printers aren't that much, about $230 USD on Amazon right now... and it will be worth it in the long haul to invest.

As far as your attachment method, the bases can be magnetic... but the magnets do end up costing a lot if you use them in all the tiles... I quit doing this after a few sets.

The OpenLock design is based on an attachment type by printablescenery.com, and most of the files you find on Thingiverse.com will be based on this. It's pretty cheap, as you only use filament to print them, and they hold well.

The "grip liner" as you put it is a decent idea, but I don't think it would hold up to practical use, some of the tiles have seperate floor and wall tiles, which need to be glued together with the base to form the finished project. Also, they would like be a bit "janky".

Hopefully this advice helps. It is a fun world to get into, and though there is a lot to learn it can be rewarding.

Wow, thanks for going though that!

Though I'm going with the advice that almost everyone is saying on this post and wait for the printer to arrive.

That said, I'm going to buy the dampeners anyway because I'm in an apartment that the walls are thinner than most apartments in my area. I know that it's a 3-5 db difference based on what I read, but the lower the sound, the better.

I'm going with these dampeners

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I'm also going to get the M3 Scews anyway as well just to have spares.

> My glass was warped. I used the tape it came with to flatten it but then got the mirror.

if the glass bed is warped when it arrives, I'll get a mirror tile after making sure that the printer is working fine.

> Mine came with large knobs already. And the print bed strain relief for the wires.

I've been told now that this is the case. Though I did buy this from the GearBest US Warehouse so I don't know if what they have is the latest. though I guess I'll find out on Thursday.

> I'm still using the stock clips. Or you could print new ones.

I wasn't aware that stock came with clips! So I'm going to skip getting clips until the printer arrives.

> Maybe. I've been using a mirror from Home Depot and it's been ok. I saw the creality magnetic mounted surface was only $22 on amazon so I actually ordered that today.

Can you let me know how that goes? I was wondering about those too.

> Mine came with the upgraded extruder that works better with TPU and such. The holes already started wearing larger though where the filament fed so I got a $20 aluminum setup.

did you order those upgrades or are they on the printer?

> I'm using this new hot end vent ring too this week and been liking it. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2912394

Dumb question but are you using PLA or ABS for that vent ring? Just curious.

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Thank you so much for the advice!

Yes, still have it - I've run about 1.5L of resin through it, just bought another couple of litres and am starting to think about changing the original FEP sheet out.

My only real complaint is with levelling. It's a bit of a hassle, not because it's hard, per se, it's just that you need to be really precise (you're doing ultra thin layers, after all) and it's easy to get a liiiitle out of whack. Then again, it's pretty much a one-time thing, so it's a marginal complaint in the grand scheme of things. I found it helps to run a piece of paper in each corner to check that they feel pretty much the same; it's easy for one corner to be a little loose. Once I figured that out, I spent maybe 15 - 20 minutes levelling (hold plate down, tighten, check... nope, still not even; loosen, repeat) and haven't touched it since.

As for the S... I think the improved LED is probably the biggest upgrade, since it should reduce cure times and will hopefully produce slightly better prints across the whole platform. That said, I don't know that I'd spend the money to upgrade from my original unit - I've never had any issues with Z wobble and would rather see linear rails if to improve the kinematics anyway. I'd actually be tempted to keep an eye out for sales on the base Photon - Amazon has done a few flash sales lately (LOL, they're actually doing one now!) for $370 or so, and at that price, I don't think the S is worth the premium.

https://www.amazon.com/ANYCUBIC-Assembled-Innovation-Off-line-Printing/dp/B078N2TSYS

Thanks for the advice guys. I still haven't decided if I will go for it, but I thought it might be worth summarizing a bit of research I did in case others come across this post.

Here is a useful table (that I hope is accurate) to give you a list of chemical resistances by plastic type.

After consulting a few more chemical resistance charts through many a google search, I found that PVDF would do the job, but it seems like it may be tough to keep consistent temperature for a good print, and I would need a heated build plate. I found a relatively inexpensive (~$340) printer from Monoprice that should be able to print at the temperature I need and though seems to be pushing it, the build plate seems like it can get hot enough to print PVDF.

I've found from sellers like this one and this one that print temperature should be around 210C with a bed temperature around 120C (both costing ~$200).

I haven't decided if I will go ahead and buy it to try out. It might be nice to have the 3D printer for other things even if this doesn't work. I will look into how easily I could just fashion the basket from a block as suggested as well.

The Ender-3 and Ender-3 Pro are good budget first printers. I would advise to buy the Pro over the standard Ender 3 since it has a Mean Well UL Certified power supply, rather a generic one. If you can afford it.

Recommend to buy it from Amazon for good customer service or Banggood and Aliexpress if you want the best price.

Ender-3: https://www.amazon.com.au/Comgrow-Creality-Ender-Aluminum-220x220x250mm/dp/B07BR3F9N6/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=ender+3&qid=1573525773&sr=8-1

Ender-3 Pro: https://www.amazon.com.au/Comgrow-Creality-Printer-Upgrade-Certified/dp/B07GYRQVYV/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=ender+3+pro&qid=1573525812&sr=8-3

There are other printers in that price range such as the Anycubic i3 Mega, Anet A8 and the Monoprice Select Mini, the Ender 3 is the most popular and easily available in Australia.

> Also wanting to know other than a printer what would I need to start 3d printing. i.e. what sort of computer programs and other periferals

You will need to install a slicer on your computer, which will convert 3D models into instructions for your 3D printer. If you don't want to have your printer plugged into your computer while it is printing, your computer will need to have an sd card slot, if not purchase an adapter.

Highly recommend reading through the Getting Started guide for this subreddit.

Also here is a guide on how to build the Ender 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me8Qrwh907Q

And the Ender 3 Pro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibsOYzXduYc

Hope that helps

Looking at the price of some of the printers recommended here you aren't far off the price of the Monoprice Maker Select V2 right now. It is on sale for $280 from Monoprice (Use code MAKER15 at checkout for the discount) or Amazon right now. Free shipping from Monoprice. (not sure what country you are in so maybe that will make a difference for you on shipping)

If you can stretch your budget about $40-50 you will get a highly recommended printer (here and other sites) that is very easy to setup, has a large community/support for tweaking/upgrading later, and takes 15-20 minutes to setup out of the box (its pre-assembled, literally 6 screws to build it). Also it prints fantastic out of the box, and with a few minor upgrades it rivals printers far above its price range.

I recently got a MP Select v1 with an upgraded hot end and PEI laid on the bed for 230 shipped on eBay. It has been working great, so far. I honestly wouldn't recommend buying a used printer for your first one though (exactly what I did) as it is a gamble and mine field right now with used printers, (I got lucky thankfully and was covered by eBay if anything was wrong).

Also, depending on your requirements of build volume, I would highly recommend looking at the MP Select Mini Amazon. It has a 4x4x4" build area, comes completely pre-assembled and leveled (most of the time leveled) out of the box. Literally unpack, and print. It is highly recommended here and other places for an entry level/low budget printer. Very high quality prints from it, the only downside is the smaller build area, but that depends on each person/use case. It is portable, so trade offs I suppose.

TL;DR: The Maker Select V2 is on sale right now for about $40 more than the prices of most printers linked here, and it is an outstanding printer out of the box, and highly recommended. If you can stretch your budget a little, I would buy that. If you need to save and don't need a large build volume I recommend the MP Select Mini. Don't get caught up on one specific sale/website, keep an eye on other options as there are sales other places.

TL;DR of TL;DR:
See also

Source: Have been in the same too expensive boat for 3 years. Finally purchased a MP Select for my first printer last week and out of the box got fantastic prints with 0 knowledge/experience.

Don't purchase a Delta for your first printer - they're far more hassle than worth. For 900USD, I'd recommend the Flashforge Creator Pro. A replicator 2 clone that's built great, pretty much plug and play, comes with filament. Has to be set up with something like Sli3r or Cura but it's not very difficult and there is a great tutorial here.

i've used it before (with PLA) and the enclosure / heated build plate do great things for the quality of the print, fairly good build volume and top rated on 3dprinthubs.

First off, check out the Wiki:
https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/wiki/index
https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/wiki/gettingstarted#wiki_what_printer_to_get
https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/ckjcu6/purchase_advice_megathread_what_to_buy_who_to_buy/

The only one I have personal experience with is a Wanhao Duplicator i3. It's fine for what I paid for it three years ago, but there are better options available today.

I'm posting links from Amazon below because I'm lazy. You can probably shave off $20 or more if you do some bargain hunting. Beware of shady dealers though -- some will give you opened/used stuff, so check the reviews.

The consensus here for the best quality bottom-dollar printer seems to be the Ender 3 at around $230:
https://www.amazon.com/Comgrow-Creality-Ender-Aluminum-220x220x250mm/dp/B07BR3F9N6

The Monoprice Mini is supposed to be good too, but I would find the limited build volume annoying.

The cheapest one I would personally consider buying today is the Ender 5 at around $350. I like printers that are designed so the print bed doesn't have to shuttle the whole print back and forth with every movement in the y direction -- in general, you can get high quality prints at faster print speeds if the print bed is only moving slowly in the z direction and the hotend does all the jerky x and y movement.
https://www.amazon.com/Comgrow-Creality-Printer-Printing-Function/dp/B07KQ2MTGM

If I was going to spend a little more for some nice bonus features, I'd probably go with a Monoprice Ultimate 2 at $550:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V9YBVY9/ref=sspa_dk_detail_3?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07V9YBVY9

If my budget was higher ($800-$1200), and I had a ton of free time, I'd build a Voron from parts:
http://vorondesign.com/
https://www.reddit.com/r/voroncorexy/comments/86vs8b/why_is_voron_superior_comparing_to_others_3d/

I'm not sure how much help I'll be, but I also use a Flashforge Creator Pro...

1: If you're sick of dealing with abs, just put some blue painters tape on the bed and print PLA, once you open up the thing enough and modify your settings it does PLA perfectly well.

2: PVA glue stick, (though it looks like you are already using this) helps with bed adhesion with ABS and also gives you a bit of an ablative layer for when you are scraping things back off.

3: get a print removal tool like https://smile.amazon.com/ToyBuilder-Labs-Print-Removal-Tool/dp/B00VB1U886/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1494526580&sr=8-4&keywords=print+removal+tool to help pry things off the bed without destroying the sheet.

4: rafts, these really help with getting things off the bed, you waste quite a bit of plastic, but it's much easier to get things off.

5: bed level (and height) adjustment (and this really should be number 1) the little plastic sheet they give you to slide under the nozzle is of no real value, you may just be printing the first layer way too close to the bed, and absolutely squishing the filament into the bed. It is far more useful to just print a leveling pattern and then see where the bed needs adjustment and how it's extruding than to even bother with pulling the sheet out from under the head. I use this one http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:97151 and generally will tweak things until the strands are attached but will come off with my fingernails.

Pretty new to 3d printing but really interested. I basically just want to print stuff that people post and probably dabble in designing my own stuff. I am a technical guy, but I know that the designing of the models is pretty tough. I have sifted through the comments and saw two printers that stood out to me within the range I was thinking of. The CR-10 and the Prusa i3. I don't know which version is good for the CR-10 and I'm looking in the $400 range, but could go up to $800 if you guys think my value would be best there. Here are other printers I was looking at and not sure how everyone feels about those. If anyone can give me some feedback about them it'll help immensely in my decision.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I8NM6JO/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I3MX1XJ2F9XGZ7&colid=30UBVRH3KC9LH

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07421SR9J/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I3SEAHNKKLM0QY&colid=30UBVRH3KC9LH

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016R9E7J2/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I205Z5A0OGO6ZD&colid=30UBVRH3KC9LH

1. Motor stopper dampeners. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C7FRLNX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 These will greatly reduce sound on your machine.
   
2. X and Y motor supports Y = https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2845950 X = https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2793110 with dampeners. This'll help alleviate belt tension on the motor/belts and quiet the pritner even more. You'll need some M3x40mm screws for this.
   
3. Flash the firmware with Marlin and enable the heat runaway options. This will stop the printer from burning down your house if a critical error occurs. https://www.printedsolid.com/blogs/news/installing-marlin-1-1-9-on-your-cr-10s-with-mesh-bed-leveling-thermal-protection-better-menu-layout-and-finally-power-resume
   
4. Add a Mirror tile to your bed. Most CR10s beds bow in the middle. Mirrors are totally flat, so just make a mirror your new print bed/print bed base.
   
5. Print the Petsfang upgrade https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2759439 and get a Noctua 40mm fan. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072JK9GX6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and a 50mm blower fan https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071WMHNG5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 You can choose if you want the 10 or 20mm noctua fans. Petsfang page says all the screws you'll need.
   
6. Print some support stuff and get some rods to make supports. This'll reduce your print height by 20mm, but it'll greatly stabilize your printer when you do large prints, alleivating weird artifacting when the print gets higher up. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2805226
   
7. Get a better Boaing tube. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079P92HN9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (I'm not sure if this is the best out there.)
   
8. A steel wear resistant nozzle if you wanna print things other than PLA/TEPG.
   
9. A PEI plate to make it much easier to get prints off. Preferably a flexible one. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RDQF7KQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
10. A spool mount https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2440814 which will lets you use bigger spools all while greatly reducing the amount of strain on the extruder and the noise that the filliment makes when it turns.
    
11. Control box cooling fan and base. I've yet to install this one myself as I'm not sure how to wire up the fans, but this'll greatly reduce fan noise and keep the control box super cool. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2729888 It'll also remove the problem where if the print goes over 300mm in height where the filiment can sometimes snap due to strain.
    
12. A BLTouch to make bed leveling automatic more or less. I've yet to install this myself. https://www.amazon.com/ANTCLABS-BLTouch-Leveling-Premium-Extension/dp/B076PQG1FF/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=bltouch&qid=1562832293&s=industrial&sr=1-3
    
    ​
    
    Anyone got any others?

Hey all, Im looking to get back into 3d printing. I used to own the Davinci 2.0, great device but it needed a lot of patience. I had to give it up, loved the size and quality of prints werent bad. The bed was always off an axis and its really a full time hobby.

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To the point, Im looking to spend the least possible but my max is around 500. I dont mind building. NYC. Mostly use for parts of my dioramas 12th scale to 64 scale and some figures like boats, cars, hats, guns, maybe even cosplay peices like guns haha.

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What type of filament should i use? Id probably prefer resin but I dont mind if someone else recommends something greater. Ive been eyeing thephoton, especially at 358 right now.

Check that the screw that holds the spring arm on your extruder hasn't backed out. The first time I encountered this problem my prints looked exactly like yours and it took me a couple days to figure it out. It will keep happening too, unless you change out the extruder. It's because you can't have that screw too tight or the arm won't apply pressure. So because it's a little loose, it will slowly work out over time, and there's not very many threads engaged in that hole, so the screw can wobble around.

The cheapest fix would be to install an all-metal replacement for around $13. If you look closely at the link I posted, you'll see that the spring arm has an insert for the screw that will allow you to tighten the screw all the way down but still allows the arm to rotate. I haven't had to re-tighten that screw since I installed it. It works great. Also, if you take a 5/32" drill bit and drill out the hole on the arm itself, you can insert a short piece of teflon tubing into it that will protect the filament from the leadscrew. You can just use a regular wood bit and hand drill. Aluminum drills super easy.

Not from Prusa, but here are some other things I use over and over and over and am glad I bought. These are not affiliate links and you can probably find some of these items cheaper elsewhere:

Thin craft spatulas for removing prints: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075SLTY8B (some say "never scrape using a metal tool" but these are very thin and flexible and really help with some prints)

Cleaning filament: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MVIYNFW

Silicone socks: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07779TP4S

Good quality hex drivers https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006O5014 these will make assembly and maintenance MUCH easier than the included tools. Especially the smallest one that fits the set screw in the Bondtech extruder gear really well, much better than the "decent" hex keys I already had in my toolkit

FYI, The Monoprice Maker select V2 is a rebranded Wanhao Duplicator i3 V2.1, and its also known as the Coccoon Create in other countries. If you see any of those names, thats your printer.

Your printer doesnt use an E3D V6 hotend, it uses a MK10 hotend.
You can use a V6, but you'll have to print a bracket for it, will probably require some firmware changes with requires flashing a bootloader with an arduino, and may require some additional hardware.

Normally its recommended to just heat up your hotend and carefully pull that plastic off with tweezers, but as your heating cartridge is damaged, that leaves you with two options-

• You can heat it up (oven, lighter, etc) and pull the crap off it. Depending on the formulation of the filament, acetone may help soften it. PLA isn't soluble in acetone but depending on the brand they may use other plasticizers, and those can be, so try soaking it in acetone for a few minutes.
  
  
• Replace the whole hotend. The store I link below has one, but it doesnt look quite right to me and the label isnt right... You can find replacement MK10 hotends on amazon/ebay from china, but if quality is more important than price to you I'd check out Microswiss. Theyre an American company, they make good stuff. You'll still need a heater block though... this one looks like its well made.
  
  I never used it, but this one from Gulfcoast Robotics looks well made as well. this is your whole setup minus a heating cartridge. A whole all metal hotend with nozzle and thermistor for $45 is a deal. They've even got installation instructions linked in the description. Side note- i assume it takes a 1/4in 6.35mm cartridge like the original but you might want to double check with them. You can never go wrong with well-manufactured American components.
  
  Either way you'll need a new heater cartridge (and probably thermistor). Heres a link to a replacement cartridge. Heres a link to a store full of wanhao parts.
  
  This printer uses an unusual sized heater cartridge- 1/4in, AKA 6.35mm.
  Most (E3D) cartridges are 6mm.
  
  Dont get a 6mm cartridge, get a 6.3-6.35mm cartridge. (A 6mm will be too loose and thats one of the reasons that the Anet A8 is such a fire hazard, the heater cartridge can fall out)
  
  Good luck!

I highly advise going with the MAX v3 at that price-point. That Hatchbox delta others are recommending is quite a step down in quality and features for the price. Considering it's just a relabeled Chinese Kossel kit, the value just isn't there.

The MAX v3 is a much higher quality printer with more features and better construction, but, you have to build it yourself. IF you can swing the build, you're going to be a lot more happy with the v3 over the Alpha.

However, if you absolutely need/want an assembled printer at that price, look into the Flashforge Creator Pro. It's a solid printer that will give you great quality and provides dual extrusion capability, although dual extrusion can be difficult to get right with that design. Many people have fantastic success with it though.

I'd highly suggest just going with the MAX v3 kit though. The hardest part is soldering some large gauge wires to a flat contact on the heated bed, which you can find video instructions for in the SeeMeCNC assembly guide. If you just don't think you can solder anything, look into that Creator Pro.

Although yeah 3d printing isn't the cheapest hobby, it doesn't have to be too pricey either. Unless you were aware of it already, I wanted to let you know you can get a decent printer these days and a set of tools and filament, at least enough to get started comfortably, for under $400 total. And if you are fortunate enough to have more cash than that, you can find your bang-for-buck scales pretty linearly above and beyond, there are many great printers out there for people of all income levels.

Back when I was in college, I paid ~$350 for just the printer kit I had to assemble, being able to buy a (mostly) assembled printer for just two-thirds the price that has over 8x the build volume and a heated bed is awesome.

It is a hobby that is accessible to almost anyone who can scrap together a one-time cash investment and has some spare desk space at home. It's very cheap to design and print small models, a single spool lasts quite awhile as long as you don't do anything too crazy. Although it's fair to say while it can be cheap to operate in dollars, it can be quite time expensive!

Not to mention if you're clever it can save you money in the long run if you use it to repair your stuff, although I wouldn't expect it to pay for itself right away unless you break things a lot :)

Around $540. You can get it on amazon for $540 but you can also get them on ebay or aliexpress. Anycubic usually has one up for auction every week on ebay and I've seen them sell for $450-$480.

I like the fact that the photon doesn't need to be tethered like the D7 does (unless you spend extra on the control box) though there are a few other advantages like the clear panels to see inside, linear rails rather than rods. The main advantage of the D7 I have seen is the ability to control it using a raspberry pi and, it's more easily modified, and has a taller build volume.

OK good info! I can get loads of 3mm hardware easily so no worries there.

I found this hot end and cooling block in the related items: Micro Swiss All Metal Hotend with SLOTTED Cooling Block for Wanhao i3 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E1HANLS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_d.w0xb2R481VR is this good for the price? I'll look online but are there specific enclosure designs that work best?

Also found a laptop cooling fan that is supposed to fit, and borosilicate glass for the bed.

I'm going to start slow with PLA and see where my adventures take me but I might get a reel of ABS too, hopefully I can make RC car parts and stuff like that the some point.

I personally love the Ender 3 by Creality, it has a little of assembly but its way worth it, I would watch a few videos on youtube about it. You will also have to level the bed, this is my favorite way to do that, Chep Ender 3 Bed Level. some great filament is this.

Good luck!

What is big?

What are you planning on printing in? PLA like normal people or ABS which needs a heated bed and to be much better ventilated?

Anycubic i3 Mega is 8.3 x 8.3 x 8.1 inches

If you're literally just looking for the cheapest way into 3D printing Microcenter has PowerSpec Duplicator i3 Mini for $150.

Its build area is 5.9" x 5.9" x 4.5" and it uses 1.75mm PLA

You'll probably be printing a lot more things smaller if you're experimenting around since double the length, width, and height cubes the volume (though there's a lot more filament in the shell than infill).

Also, Cura or any other slicer that works on Linux is going to take .stl files and output gcode files to an SD Card and you can then print from the SD card in the printer without the computer attached.

Anycubic boasts 10 microns, but the layer height 100-400 is going to be your main source of "quality" in my opinion and it can match that. What you're giving up is mostly the ability to print ABS, potentially the ability to print Glow-in-the-dark PLA (you need a hardened steel rather than brass tip for this), and heated bed.

Obviously, the Creality C10 and Tevo Tornado and if it's me, and I have $350 in my hand, I'm going to grab a Tevo Tornado.

And of course: Monoprice's Budget Model is small, but gives you the heated bed and hot-end temperatures to do ABS, etc. if you wanted to.

I'm pretty sure that they can all just print GCODE from your SD Cards.

I'd be remiss if I didn't plug Octo-print

Thanks for the reply. So far I haven't touched the extruder arm screws so the should be ok but I will check them later tonight.

I have watched the gear and it looks pretty good to my untrained eye. It doesn't appear to be slipping and also doesn't look like its digging in too much. I have had the chance to check out the tube when I was cleaning out the nozzle and hot end and it looks free from any particles.

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I have purchased https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07DC594D6/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_1NwwCb51ACY2Q and it should be arriving today. So I will try to use https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3203831 to stop any future issues.

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I will go through the the procedure shown in the video you link and hopefully, this will help.

​

All of this as well as Kamilon's should hopefully resolve my issues.

Prices are without promotions. Monoprice are often on sale.

$200 Monoprice mini. Small 120mm^3, fast to out grow. Good secondary printer. Would be good if you plan to get a nicer, bigger one in the future.
https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Select-Printer-Heated-Filament/dp/B01FL49VZE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479528271&sr=8-1&keywords=monoprice+mini

$320-400 Monoprice Maker Select/Wanhao I3. Same machine, monoprice is a rebrand and has a cheaper base price. Larger then the mini at 200mm by 200mm by 180mm. Good machine to start out with. Does have some cheap parts but is easy to work on and there is a large community to help out.
https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-13860-Maker-Select-Printer/dp/B018GZBC3Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1479528290&sr=8-2&keywords=monoprice+mini

$700-800 Prusa I3 MK2. Available in kit form or pre built. High quality machine with parts to match. Same size as the Maker Select. Prusa offers addition upgrades to keep the machine relivenent like the multi-material upgrade that changes the machine from having 1 extruder to 4. If you are able to, this may be the best machine to start with.
http://shop.prusa3d.com/en/3d-printers/59-original-prusa-i3-mk2-kit.html


Edit: added links

Maker Select V2 is a good beginner printer under 350 with minimal setup, and the important parts are metal. Stick away from anything with an acrylic frame.

An alternative and cheaper unit would be the Maker Select Mini which has a smaller print bed but is around a hundred dollars less.

Both of these choices are pretty good and if you choose between the 2 I would opt for the Maker Select V2 because of the larger print bed.

Common filaments like PLA, PETG, and ABS are anywhere from 15-40$ depending on the quality you buy and more exotic filaments can be $50+ dollars. Maintenance cost for the most part is pretty minimal unless you break something like the hotend.

3d models are loaded into something called a slicer which converts the model into layers so if you can get it into the slicer and it slices you can use any model.

You can get one yourself for a couple hundred bucks if you're interested. Mono select mini is a good cheap one. Free slicing programs too like cura and big libraries of free files on places like thingiverse and all you need is a few YouTube videos to figure out how to print. It's a lot of fun and quite useful too.

Here's my favorites!

Filament standoff arm to keep it from pulling straight down

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2917932

​

And Complimentary filament guide:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2894097

​

Ribbon Cable Clips:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2960375

​

I added an SD card ribbon because the micro SD location and size Sucks!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D9JIUU0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

Fan cover to get rid of upwards draft, and keep little bits of filament out of the fan:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2935204

​

Immediately replace that crappy Plastic extruder with any metal one off amazon.

​

Capricorn Bowden Tube:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079P92HN9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

Powder Coated PEI Magnetic Build sheet! (Priceless!)

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/trianglelab-235-X-235-ender-3-Double-sided-Textured-PEI-Spring-Steel-Sheet-Powder-Coated-PEI/33008374363.html?spm=2114.search0104.3.8.221538feJjwDlN&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_7_10065_10130_10068_10890_10547_319_10546_317_10548_10545_10696_453_10084_454_10083_10618_10307_537_536_10059_10884_10887_321_322_10103,searchweb201603_52,ppcSwitch_&algo_expid=04b2bf81-a9de-45c6-9ea4-23cf0e249943-1&algo_pvid=04b2bf81-a9de-45c6-9ea4-23cf0e249943&transAbTest=ae803_3

​

Change your fans over to Noctua fans, and the printer becomes nearly silent. (amazon)

​

I got an EZABL bed leveling kit. Doing BL Touch soon, but The EZABL has pre-configured firmware, which made life easy!

Raspberry pi zero W or 3B+ with octoprint is a must!

​

These got me into sexy print land pretty quick!

Not OP, but something like this can be done by even a beginners 3d printer using PLA filament (the most common type of filament). A single D&D miniature costs anywhere from $0.05 to $0.15 on average in my experience. The tiles would be around the same, just depends on how much infill you use on them to make them more solid.

EDIT: Check out http://fatdragongames.proboards.com/thread/3340/started-3d-printing . These guys are great, though I recommend a http://www.prusa3d.com/ as the best printer. They estimate an average wall section costs $0.45, so a bit more than I'd originally guessed.

>Any chance you could be more specific on the dupont connectors required?

You'll need 4 pin dupont housings and dupont female connectors and a crimper for them. That's assuming you have something to strip the wires as well. You can find the dupont female pins and housings cheaper places like aliexpress, ebay, etc.. but I recommend buying a quality crimper instead of whatever is the cheapest you can find as a quality tool will make the job a lot easier. If you're really strapped for cash, there's video's of people crimping dupont connectors with pliers online instead of the crimp tool.

>So <motor><cA> => <cB><cable><cC> => <cD><RAMPS board>

The wires transfer over to the same place from melzi to ramps, and pretty much any board. You'll have a X endstop, y endstop, z endstop, then connectors for the X motor Y motor Z motor and extruder motor, and so on and so forth. A ramps guide will help you visualize what to connect where.

>Any idea how big a cable for the power?

IIRC, the stock wires at 18ga, which is fine for the ramps board since it only draws 5A for all the motors, hotend, etc. The only other larger gauge connectors are for the heatbed, which I believe are also stock 18GA. FWIW, I'd go with a external mosfet instead of using the ramps on board ones which are rated for 11A, which is just within spec of what the bed draws.

Download Blender and Fusion 360 to try designing. Tinker CAD is also great but a little elementary for my taste. Fusion is great since it has alot of the features of a full CAD program and lots of videos to learn. Ita free too (Have to download it, then click on your name and select that your not making any money off the software to get it for free).

I've heard good things about this printer, but look up what upgrades people recommend before purchasing.


https://www.amazon.com/Comgrow-Creality-Ender-Aluminum-220x220x250mm/dp/B07BR3F9N6

Hey, my birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks and I was trying to think of something to ask for when a 3D printer crossed my mind. I've always thought they were pretty cool and I have a bunch of ideas for stupid little stuff to print out.

The only issue is that I know absolutely nothing about them and what I should be looking for in one or even if it's worth it for me to get one anyway. I don't mind having to put one together myself since it looks like that's the case with a lot of them after a quick Amazon search (very precise, I know).

My budget is under $300 and I'm in the US. I did find this one and it looks like it's pretty deece but want the experts to give me an educated opinion on it. [It's this one right here](https://www.amazon.com/Comgrow-Creality-Printer-Upgrade-Certified/dp/B07GYRQVYV?ref_=Oct_BSellerC_6066127011_1&pf_rd_p=471a90b9-8a34-5dd9-a6f0-17598d2f0fae&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-6&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=6066127011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=P83BAX28P3Y3BW4VJ6YZ&pf_rd_r=P83BAX28P3Y3BW4VJ6YZ&pf_rd_p=471a90b9-8a34-5dd9-a6f0-17598d2f0fae)

I just plan on using it to print out cool stuff others post online but may take a crack on designing my own stuff eventually. Nothing too big or fancy. Like I said before, I know what 3D printers are but that's about it, lol. I'm just hoping someone here can point me in the right direction.

I bought an Anet A8 a while back before doing enough research, and have been pretty lucky until recently. My current printer has decided to cook itself, even after the upgrades that are suggested to make the printer safer. I would like to upgrade to a better printer that I can run for extended amounts of time without worry of setting a house fire. I would really like a printer that has a camera so I can monitor my prints while at work, and having dual extrudes would be a plus.

• Cost: Anywhere from $300-$800
  
• I live in the USA
  
• Willing to build the printer from a kit, I have an Anet A8 already. I am looking to get a printer that I can let run for 24+ hours without worrying that it will burn down my house. I have built many PCs at this point, I have basic knowledge in soldering and electrical wiring.
  
• I want to print parts for board games, D&D minis, Busts, High quality film props (I am a filmmaker), Replacement parts for mostly anything, general hobby printing with the option to do a little more. I would also like to be able to print in PLA, Woodfill, and some metal fills, ABS would be nice too.
  
  I have been doing a little research before posting but i'm not jazzed about what I have found so far. (although I am concerned about the build volumes) Some printers that I have come across are Mono Price Fully Enclosed Dual Extruder 3D Printer W/ Camera, FlashForge 3D Printer, and of course the Prusa i3 MK3S Kit (however adding the dual extruder is pricey)
  
  I'm not sure if I'm all that sold on the three I listed so far mostly due to the build volume, and price, as well as not having a whole lot of reviews on them other than the Prusa.
  
  ​
  
  When it comes to the camera I thought about mounting my own webcam to the printer, and using that instead to help cut costs. Is this a viable idea?
  
  ​
  
  If anyone has any suggestions they would like to throw out please let me know.

A TL;DR + details for those that don't want to read through the whole album:

I made this numpad for a friend of mine to go with an RF-87U 55g that I was selling him. He wanted a hand in it, so a lot of what you see is his idea, and he helped me do about half of the wiring.

This numpad is made with a 3D printed case, DSA Otaku key caps, Cherry Clears, and a Teensy 3.2 to power it all!

Here is a link to the filament, if you're interested.

This is my first time diving into any sort of custom keyboard project like this. Never done any wiring, never programmed a Teensy (or Arduino), and we were a little afraid of how it was going to turn out. I'm very happy with the result!

If you have any questions for me, feel free!

EDIT: Added some links.

At that price range, I've been extremely happy with my QIDI Tech printer. (http://www.amazon.com/TECHNOLOGY-3DP-QDA16-01-Extruder-Structure-Filaments/dp/B01D8M32LU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463690261&sr=8-1&keywords=qidi+tech) My friends who have 3d printers are all very impressed by the quality that it prints straight out of the box.

I'll also recommend, the biggest quality upgrade I've experienced is when I paid $140 to get Simplify3D. All objects instantly came out with better quality than when I used the free Makerbot slicer.

Our 3D print removal tool or any other similar long-reaching palette knife is useful to remove prints and for setting consistent nozzle gaps.

Just don't use it as a pry-bar to try to pry the entire print off all at once. Instead, incrementally separate the print off the bed. As can be seen by our Amazon reviews

A hot glue (so you'll need a gun) can rescue a lifting print from continuing to lift - if caught early, it can save a huge print job, and can come off the plastic cleanly with just a little bit of practice.

A portable butane torch is great if you want to thoroughly burn off PLA and ABS crud off nozzles - in most cases, though, just get a spare nozzle. For switching out nozzles, you'll want the appropriate nut driver or wrench to make it easier to remove the nozzle.

I'd say Amazon. They're all from China in the end/beginning, but Amazon is pregnant the best.

This seems to be the best reviewed at a good price https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07BR3F9N6

I personally have (and love) a monoprice maker select v2
that you can get here on amazon. It's pretty great for making things like minis, terrain, and so on. You can dial the resolution up pretty high and get some pretty fantastic results.

You could print TPU (AKA polyurethane) easily on most printers, though you have to do it slooooooowly, because the stuff feels like pushing wet spaghetti. Honestly one of the best bets to try this with would be the Monoprice Maker Select. I say this because the Flexion extruder kit is custom designed to fit on it, which is a system built from the ground up to push flexible materials efficiently.

As for using them, well, you're welcome to give it a shot. If you printed them with a lot of shells, thick top and bottom layers, and at high infill, I could see them conceivably working, but It'd certainly a brave move to try it.

I just got a Monoprice Maker Select v2 about a week ago. It's working really well so far. Only $300 on Amazon, has a nice large print area, and a heated plate. If you're looking to get into 3D printing, this seems like a great one to get. Seems to be the best bang for your buck. And it's a popular printer so there's a large online community surrounding it for support.

Link: Monoprice Maker Select 3D Printer v2 – (113860) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018GZBC3Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_PUSCzbHHJ07EC

Extruder: get a microswiss hotend for it will be able to print flexible and other materials.
Parts cooling: Upgrade to the petsfang 5015 mod for better print cooling.
Auto bed leveling: Get the TH3D ezabl sensor for great bed leveling.
Other mods: motor dampers to reduce noise and vibration
To smoothers to smooth prints
Raspberry pi for octoprint
All metal extruder
Capricorn tubing
Hope I could help 😀
Links:
micro swiss hotend
petsfang part
ezabl sensor
motor dampers
tl smoothers
octoprint link
all metal extuder
capricorn tubing



Also this is what my petsfang with sensor looks like. https://i.imgur.com/sQahB69.jpg

Looking to buy my own printer for whatever comes my way. I like to 3d print random stuff I make or things i find online from moving parts to figures. Was looking around amazon and saw this [Comgrow Creality Ender 3](Comgrow Creality Ender 3 3D Printer Aluminum DIY with Resume Print 220x220x250mm https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BR3F9N6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_XxgODbQCRC3R1) but also found [this](Comgrow Creality Ender 3 Pro 3D Printer with Removable Build Surface Plate and UL Certified Power Supply 220x220x250mm https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GYRQVYV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_GzgODbTQ6ZNAJ) which looks identical for a higher price. I don't see a difference. My budget would be around 300 to 400ish. I'm looking for one that'll either be enclosed or be easy enough to enclose since I'll be in a college dorm, so I don't want my roomate to be bothered by the smell if left alone. Any wireless features would be neat, but I'm fine with plugging my laptop and leaving it there. The more safety features or safer in general it is, the better.

I'm using a FlashForge Creator Pro from Amazon. It is printing with Hatchbox filament from Amazon. The printer fluctuates in price. I got mine for $1000 so it should go back to that price. Printing is more of an art then a science, but you should have a pretty good technical background to make your life easier. Expect to have to take an extruder apart to clean it out or fiddle with settings. You will have failed prints and you will have awesome one. I knew really nothing about 3D printing 2 weeks ago, but I watched videos and did research. If you have any questions I can probably answer them.

I can't get over how amazing this filament looks. This is my 5th "gold" filament purchase and I think I've finally found a filament that actually looks like gold!

Most "gold" filaments look like bronze or worse, goldenrod (yellow). This is Zhuopu New Materials (ugh, someone tell this company about branding) "Silk Gold" PLA. Now that my second 1kg spool has been ordered I feel better about sharing it (because... They might run out... forever!):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XRPYXP2/

IMPORTANT: I have absolutely no affiliation with this company. I simply bought a whole bunch of filaments labeled "gold" from Amazon with my own money and this one just happened to blow my mind.

I was so excited about how well this print turned out I made a video!

https://youtu.be/34v9TFZOiYs

Here's the model if too you're interested in printing your own Low-poly Rose Twist Vase:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2173745

Info about this print:

• 0.15mm layer height (0.4mm hardened steel nozzle)
  
• 5 bottom layers
  
• 0 top layers,
  
• 2 perimeters (not vase mode because I wanted it to be less flimsy)
  
• 215°C temperature (use 205°C with a brass nozzle)
  
  To understand why I'm so excited about this filament find, here's a comparison between what most manufacturers consider "gold" filament and this filament:
  
  http://i.imgur.com/jm0GUmc.jpg
  
  How can BamTack! call their filament "gold"?! It's bronze!

It came out a little messy in some spots, but I was honestly impressed with the quality this thing can put out - it's on par with some $1500+ printers after a little tweaking.

This was printed on a Monoprice Maker Select. It's currently at $350, but it's not uncommon to see it drop to nearly $300. It's probably the best bang for your buck as far as printers go, and it's definitely one of the cheapest out there. Monoprice also makes the Maker Select Mini for $220 that's a little simpler and has a smaller build plate.

Shameless plug: if you want to get something printed/see what this one can do, you should use my hub at 3DHubs and let me buy more filament! It's cheap, and if you tell me you're from reddit I'll give you $2 off!

edit: here's the link to the model

Budget: $100-$300

Country: US

Kit: Sure, experienced with electronics and soldering

Uses: looking to print mechanical keyboard parts (cases, keycaps, etc) and anything else I might need to print parts for.

I'm currently looking at a few different printers and most are from Creality. The Ender 3 and Ender 3 pro specifically are what I'm going for. What's the best place to actually buy one though? There's a ton of different sites with different prices and it's pretty overwhelming.

There's the one from eBay supposedly direct from the seller for $237

Amazon from Comgrow (?) for $279

And straight from Creality (I think) for $259

I'm leaning towards buying directly from the seller because I've read some things about the warranty not being fulfilled directly from creality if you buy from another source.

Other ones I'm looking at are the da Vinci 1.0 pro, regular Ender 3, or any other really. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hello all, just found this subreddit for the first time tonight!

Looking to order my first 3d printer.

I’m in the USA.

I can build a kit.

Honestly it will just be used to play around and make small prototype like parts.

Budget is around $300+-

I think I’ve narrowed it down to these two:

Creality Ender 3 Pro

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07GYRQVYV/ref=sspa_mw_detail_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Or

The AnyCubic Mega S

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07J9QGP7S/ref=sspa_mb_hqp_detail_mobile_aax_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1A5FQE7R5RISB



Any thoughts on the two of these for a newb.

I’m a tinkerer, and machinist, right now I own a Shapeoko CNC router, but have programmed and created many things over the years.

I appreciate the help!

I’d like to order tonight!

I was originally going to buy an ender 3 as my first 3d printer. I have zero experience but after lurking here a bit I thought I knew what to buy. However amazon currently has some good deals on some of these printers. so my options are now:

Ender 3: $229.99

Monoprice Maker Select v2: 239.99

Ender 3 pro : $259.99

Monosprice Maker Select Plus: $289.99

​

I'm sort of leaning toward the Maker Select v2. But having no experience I'm hoping you guys will know better. I don't think building an Ender kit would be an issue, but for my first one I think Monoprices may be easier. I'm mostly looking to start with some minis and maybe randon little knick-knack type things. Although I think this may be something I get really into down the line, so as long as they're versatile I will probably build anything and everything I can :-p

Printer - $200

Plastic - $23

Some software (browse around and torrent) and trial/error and you too can be printing whatever your freedom-loving heart desires. And thats just from banging around on Amazon. You can do better (read: cheaper) on one of the Chinese sites. Alibaba or Gearbest or whogivesafuck.com you can probably put in for less than $200 all told.

Great thing is the only thing you need to re-up is the cheap ass plastic. The printer should last you longer than your imagination.
Just save $20 a paycheck and by Christmas you'll have yourself a nice gift.

I understand the nook and cranny issue. There would have to be some post processing to smooth the surface out. The issue I have been reading is that the material used for food safe 3d printing cant take much abuse and or quickly biodegrades, has little to no resistance to being cleaned with any sort of chemicals. Again, this is what I know of, I am hoping someone knows of a solution.
I was reading more about PTFE and 3d printing. It seems like you can not 3D print using PTFE besides the 3M material and thats going to be crazy expensive for now.
As far as making parts that dont need to be food safe, ABS seems like the way to go. It looks like getting an enclosed printer is also a good idea. Or getting a printer you can make an enclosure for. So far I have looked at a CR-10, Monoprice Maker Select Plus, and FlashForge 3D Printer Creator Pro though the build area is a bit small on this one.

Nice ! I can see you've done your homework lol, all good choices. I'll just give you a few suggestions then since you've pretty much got it covered. The springs I used on my enders were these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FY47BX7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 You might need longer screws, not sure about that, but you can get those at any hardware store, probably around 35mm m3 screws should do the trick. And the motor vibration dampers i used were these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C7FRLNX/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 you don't need them on the z-axis, just the x and y. As far as smoothers go, I think the creality boards currently use a4988 stepper drivers, so you'd probably not see any benefit from tl smoothers. I'd definitely recommend the glass bed, since ender 3 print beds are almost always warped to some extent which can make leveling the bed a real pain in the ass. The hardened steel nozzle is cool, just be aware it's not as good at transferring heat to the filament as a brass nozzle, so it prints slower, and it's only useful if you're planning on using abrasive filament like carbon fiber or glow in the dark filament. Pla, petg, wood pla, and abs don't need it. You can actually print anything you want with a brass nozzle, you'd just replace it more often depending on how much abrasive filament you use. Also, don't know which fan shroud you're planning on, but the bullseye is very good and it uses the stock fan : https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2759439

Sorry about the wall of text lol.

>https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079P92HN9/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F1K1LTC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (a bit more than 20$ now sorry! lol)

You get enough from these two products to upgrade more than one printer as well, I love capricorn tubing, I wish it was just standard with every printer also just double checking that you're using 1.75mm filament I don't know the CR10 that well if that's an option that wont work with these products if you're using a larger filament. Good Luck!

Hotend replacement:
I replaced the stock hotend/PTFE tube setup with an all-metal Micro Swiss hotend ($50):Amazon link to the Micro Swiss all-metal hotend kit: https://amazon.com/gp/product/B01E1HANLS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Bed leveling:

1. Most importantly, I purchased a glass bed to eliminate the never-really-level printbed.Amazon link to the borosilicate glass bed ($25): https://amazon.com/gp/product/B07BHG5HCV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
   
2. Since that didn't I completely fix the warped bed issue, I also replaced the aluminum Y-carriage underneath with a thicker, stronger carriage and my bed leveling is now perfect. I still re-level before every print just in case, and now never have leveling-related problems.Amazon link to the aluminum Y-carriage ($28): https://amazon.com/gp/product/B07B251KBS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
   Frame Stabilization:
   I printed the parts, and purchased the hardware at Home Depot for the Z-brace mod, which stabilized the printer frame:Thingiverse link for Z-brace mod for I3 Plus: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1653631(note the original Thingiverse link in comments, which is required for the other Z-brace parts: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:921948)
   
   Cooling:
   I printed a Dii Cooler in PETG and replaced the stock cooler with one of those 24V "squirrel cage" fans, which provided much better cooling for all sides of my prints. Before that it really only cooled the front of prints, leaving the sides and especially the rear of prints looking pretty bad.Thingiverse link for Dii Cooler for i3 Plus: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1025471

I use a thin metal spatula for removing prints from the bed. It often tears the masking tape, but that's OK - That encourages me to put down fresh tape, and fresh tape makes for better prints.

Here is a list of things that people will always need, I understand you can't stock everything as overhead is an issue with retail, and storage as well, but most of these are small enough that they can occupy the shelf space you currently have. As for the larger things, like the 2020 extrusions, you could sell them in common lengths of 500mm and 1000mm and let the customer cut them down to the size they need, or just don't carry these at all. It's not a niche item, but for a retail store like you it would be hard to store and maintain, but man, would it be nice to be able to get those locally if i needed a piece for a project instead of having to wait on mail order.

• PSU 12v/24v
  
• Fans 30mm/40mm in 12v/24v
  
• PEI 200mm, 250mm, 300mm for Deltas and 300x300 for Cartesian, CoreXY.
  
• E3D Hotends
  
  • v6
    
  • Volcano
    
  • Titan Aero
    
  • Nozzle Variety Pack
    
  • Thermistors
    
  • Pro Socks
    
  • Heater Cartridges
    
  • Volcano Nozzles
    
  • Heat Breaks
    
• Boro Glass
  
• Spatulas similar to this style
  
• Plastic Razor Blades
  
• Capricorn PTFE Tubing 1.75/3mm variants
  
• Screws, Cap head, M3, M4, M5 etc.
  
• 2020 Extrusion, 2040 Extrusion etc
  
  this is just a basic list, others have listed other things as well, Steppers, Belts, Pulleys, Bearings etc. If you want 3d printing as a reason for other people to go to your store, these items will satisfy the need. Just keep prices fair, I have no issue paying a bit more compared to amazon to get it today.
  

Idk about $180, but you can definitely save a bit of money if you order it from the warehouse in China. It just takes longer to arrive, and I personally feel more comfortable dealing with Amazon, as compared to eBay or Alibaba.

OP, here are a few purchasing option links. Also, I would go with the glass bed option if I were you. The eBay link has the option to choose "Ender 3 + Glass Bed" at what looks like no extra cost. Otherwise, you can buy the glass bed separately for less than $20.

eBay Creality Warehouse store ($205): https://www.ebay.com/itm/Creality-Ender-3-Ender-3-Pro-3D-Printer-220X220X250mm-DC-24V-1-75mm-PLA/223496146513?hash=item3409688e51:m:mCXoexVEaY-yqetXfGJ-tyg

Alibaba Creality Warehouse store ($200): https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Official-Creality-3D-Ender-3-Ender_62047106886.html?spm=a2793.11769229.0.0.49733e5fSDdLkY

Amazon.com ($230): https://www.amazon.com/Comgrow-Creality-Ender-Aluminum-220x220x250mm/dp/B07BR3F9N6/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=ender+3&qid=1571603563&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExVko5TVZIMU5VVzRKJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTk4NDkzMkxIQ1ZQRDVRSE1NJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAxMjc0MDlFWEc2V1BKT0ZGWjkmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

Ender 3 Glass Bed ($17): https://www.amazon.com/Creality-Ender-Glass-Upgraded-235x235x4mm/dp/B07RD6D2ZQ/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?keywords=ender+3+glass+bed&qid=1571603812&sr=8-3-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyRjhOSlg2T0ZVRDNLJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDY4MzE3MkJJV1ozNk5VSENKUCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNjY0MzIwWUhHWFJSU0U0V1NBJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

Don't get me wrong, it's certainly a tinkerers hobby and has a somewhat steep leaning curve, unless you want to buy a 5k ready to go printer... but all of what I listed usually comes in preset software profiles. So you're not starting from scratch by any means. The settings above are just tweaks based off the defaults that I found worked best for my printer with this particular dickbutt model. I've bought 3 printers, and all of them printed decent quality out of the box with no modifications, so it really depends on how much you want to perfect a print when it comes down to settings.

If you're at all interested in getting into the hobby, this is the one I started with, and even though I have a printer with a foot squared printing area, I still use it all the time: https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Select-Printer-Heated-Filament/dp/B01FL49VZE

(Note in case the Reddit redesign doesn't make it clear: there are three pics in the gallery.)

I bought my character from HeroForge and printed him in a wood/PLA filament. I'm really happy with the results in person. The photos are big enough that it really highlights the layers and any small color differences. (And also some pieces of fluff from when I was cleaning the stain off of him that I removed after seeing the pics.) In real life, the layer lines are not very visible, and look more like wood grain where they can be seen.

I printed in 0.1 mm layers, with the tree root-looking supports from Meshmixer. I then stained him with an Olympic color called Royal Mahogany. I just dipped him in and then wiped him off pretty much right away - previous tests had shown that leaving the stain on for 10 minutes didn't really look any different. Happy to add other details if desired.

I can't say this is what the "best" method is, just what has worked for me in the past:

• Coat with epoxy and/or use epoxy putty to deal with any large gaps or to make up for rough edges.
  
  
• Let it dry overnight
  
  
• Then LOTS of sanding. So, so much sanding. I honestly love this part, so carthartic.
  
  
• Spray paint automotive primer. I think the reason it has to be this specific type is because it does a good job of filling in the cracks and holes. I also give it a few rounds of sanding with a 220 grit sandpaper after priming to give it a silky smooth surface (yes, you can sand this type of primer!)
  
  
  My biggest gripe with 3D printing was that the ridges were always present. This process makes it so the ridges are non-existent and easier to paint!
  
  Edit: I should mention I've mostly worked with large scale cosplay props. This process might not work for everything, like you probably don't need to put epoxy on small stuff.

Hello everyone, I am currently in the market for my first 3D printer, and was hoping to get some advice on what printer would best fit my needs. I would like to spend no more than 300 USD max, and I live in Wisconsin in the United States. I am willing to build a printer from a kit, and I have limited electronics experience (though I am very willing to learn and my brother has a lot more experience). With the printer I would like to print a variety of things, such as pieces for props I am making, a lightsaber, probably some miniatures for DnD, and any other stupid things I can think of and design. I don’t really have any extenuating circumstances. Currently I am looking at 3 different printers, all around the same price:

Monoprice Maker Select V2: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018GZBC3Y?tag=thewire06-20&linkCode=xm2&ascsubtag=AwEAAAAAAAAAARPY

Anycubic Photon: https://www.amazon.com/ANYCUBIC-Assembled-Innovation-Off-line-Printing/dp/B07TVW9HGH/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?adgrpid=61744442371&gclid=Cj0KCQiA-4nuBRCnARIsAHwyuPr9qUkHk3c-bjztvPtoPCnQfwmJiur43IW5Sqo_gLb2kfWEBrmndEMaAusvEALw_wcB&hvadid=274732107337&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9018836&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t2&hvqmt=e&hvrand=1205846483522208665&hvtargid=kwd-409136528305&hydadcr=21036_9428322&keywords=anycubic+photon&qid=1573068757&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFZUVVYT0NERzhRTFImZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTEwNDE5NjlRMUFTUlBNR1ZRNksmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDUzMDYwN1BBOEZWNFRKU01GVyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX3Bob25lX3NlYXJjaF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

Ender 3: https://www.amazon.com/Comgrow-Creality-Printer-Upgrade-Certified/dp/B07GYRQVYV/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa?adgrpid=56791742355&gclid=Cj0KCQiA-4nuBRCnARIsAHwyuPpuBebDhMzsbSGWKX2y-Dq2wg37UXSEJqeqqEfB5I6zU-MDqdo4q8QaAiFfEALw_wcB&hvadid=274684426752&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9018836&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t3&hvqmt=e&hvrand=5031503050646445943&hvtargid=kwd-446200976551&hydadcr=14671_9484359&keywords=ender+3+3d+printer&qid=1573068855&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyNlJNRVZTSEVBVkdHJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDY2NTcxMVlVNjFBVExFSTZWUCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUExMDIzODY4V1BDMkY5UUpZR0NMJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfcGhvbmVfc2VhcmNoX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

I am open to other printers, these are just the ones that were on my radar, so feel free to suggest other options.

Thanks for the help and sorry for the long links!

Wanhao i3 Duplicator v2.1 by way of Amazon.

I have two of them, easy to use and improve machine.

Here's a Facebook group dedicated to them.

If you get this printer, this is a highly recommended upgrade. It's a hardened steel nozzle and slotted cooling block kit. Very easy to install, improves holding a given temp in the hot end.

And here is a good deal on filament that's made in America, a grab bag of four rolls for $60, your choice on type.

Bought mine from Amazon.de, sold by Comgrow, shipped by Amazon. Ordered on Tuesday last week, arrived three days later. Price was 220€, but I got a spool of black PLA with it for free, so I guess I can round that down to 200€. I guess I did pay a premium, but the fast shipping and the added amazon safety is worth it I guess.

Got mostly lucky with quality control too. The extruder motor bracket is not bent to a perfect 90°, so I had to leave the Z guide screws on it pretty loose. But it prints well, so I'm not complaining.

Most people are telling you it can't be done, but the truth is there are food grade filaments and techniques for printing food safe parts. I don't recommend you do this, but at the same time I'm happy to provide the following information.

• Don't print with a brass nozzle, as it probably contains lead.
  
• PETG is food safe, and can be sterilized.
  
  https://all3dp.com/food-safe-3d-printing-material-filament-plastic/
  
  https://www.3dhubs.com/talk/thread/overview-food-safe-3d-printing-materials
  
  Slightly related, I've emailed Smooth-On to confirm their XTC-3D is not food grade.
  

Basic Cura guide for simple problems-https://ultimaker.com/download/170/Cura_User-Manual_v1.0.pdf

Sli3r manuel (I know you are using cura but the advanced settings are adusting the same things and some of the different settings can get confusing this can explain each setting)-http://manual.slic3r.org/

Your machine has a max temp of 230C and I print my wood filament (http://www.amazon.com/HATCHBOX-1-75mm-3D-Printer-Filament/dp/B01092XXD4) at about 205-210C so you are good.

As for all the speeds you have to experiment to see what is right for your printer but I would start slow and work up. I agree 60mm/s is a good starting point. Use the suggested temps for the filamnet as a baseline and work from there. I believe the Maker Select is almost identical to the Wanhao Duplicator i3 so these articles might help you also-http://3dprinterbrain.info/pmwiki.php/DupI3/SlicerSettings

After you start printing use this to tune and troubleshoot, it is very good-https://www.simplify3d.com/support/print-quality-troubleshooting/

Above everything, you are going to fail some prints and you are probably going to troubleshoot, but when you have a problem just come back and we help you troubleshoot.

Hey guys，im brand new to 3d printing and looking to get my first printer. Im wanting it to make scenery and miniature stuff for wargaming. I would much rather get a pre built one and have found this
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01FL49VZE/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1
Is it any good? Seems pretty good according to ebay. Any advice or tips would be verry much appreciated thanks!

I recently went through exactly this same situation. I was ready to upgrade to a microswiss all-metal hotend and the catastrophic failure of the print leaving gunk all over my heater block forced the issue. In my case, I opted to replace everything I could including the thermistor and heating element. They are both very inexpensive and you should have a spare laying around anyway in case you need one in a hurry. So...how to clean your heating block...

Fire. Seriously. I used a combination of blowtorch and solvent to remove all the gunk (and mine was a LOT worse than yours...it basically encapsulated one entire end of my heater block, entombing the thermistor, heater and associated wiring).

I used your typical propane torch, holding my heater block in a vise or vise grips. I'd heat it up then quickly wipe away the melted PLA with a clean cloth. Heat, repeat. Then I'd soak the whole thing in some solvent (acetone, MEK, etc). Repeat until clean. Pay careful attention to the tiny setscrew that holds the heater in place...work it free with a hex wrench while it is hot...chances are you got some PLA stuck on there, too. Obviously be super careful when you do this. Ventilation, fire-extinguisher handy, your mom on speed-dial.

When you replace the thermistor and heating element you'll need to do some soldering. This is pretty unavoidable. Those elements come with very long wires attached to them and the Wanhao/MP print heat doesn't need that length. Clip it short, make good solders and use heatshrink over your joints. For the thermistor I simply cut out the center section of the wire and spliced the connector back to the component at the length i needed.

Now, when you put it all back together you will have the option of re-wrapping the heater block with cotton and Kapton tape. People seem split on if this is necessary, but since I'd battled heat creep before I didn't want to introduce any more heat up the block...so I opted to do it. It's a bit tricky if you get the non-punched cotton strips like I did. Luckily I had hole punches handy to make the provision for the hotend and nozzle to get thru the insulation. If you don't have these tools (or don't quite know how to do it), i'd shop around for pre-punched sets.

good luck. Let me know if you need any more help.

here are the parts i used:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071K8Z9KF/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N4KY6TR/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076NW3GNH/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E1HANLS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I started with the Anycubic Photon. Aside from being fairly cheap, I found it pretty easy to use. I have, however, noticed a tendency for it to unlevel far more often then it claims. I level it every 2-3 prints, but the process only takes a couple minutes.

I also found this video enlightening and it inspired me to be sure I got a little bit of extra equipment.

I cant speak to the quality of the printer, but I will never buy a 3rd party product from Walmart ever again nor their warranty. They will not back up the warranty and will want you to deal directly with the manufacture on any issues. This manufacturer is in China and it will take days to get a response. They will also not allow you to return it to the store since its 3rd party.

You can pick up a Ender 3 for a great price and get amazing prints out of it when you dial it in.

https://www.amazon.com/Comgrow-Creality-Ender-Aluminum-220x220x250mm/dp/B07BR3F9N6/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=creality+cr10+3d+printer&qid=1550091365&s=gateway&sr=8-8

This little 3D printer is pretty decent and 30% off for the next 5 hours:
https://www.amazon.ca/Monoprice-Select-Printer-Heated-Filament/dp/B01FL49VZE

Hackaday Review

(Be forewarned - you need to love tinkering if you want to be happy with a 3D printer. So far it's been fun though...)

Hi there! I'm looking to explore 3D printing, because it interests me. I'd be a hobbyist. Maybe make youtube videos for fun or something like that. The biggest thing to me is that I don't have an engineering background, so friendly, obvious, accessible interface is the single most important thing to me.

• What is your price range?
  
  Let me put it this way, affordable is a plus to me, but I'm willing to give on price if it buys me a printer that's easier for me to use as an amateur. Let me says this . . . NO MORE than a thousand.
  
  
• What do you intend to do with the printer?
  
  Printing trinkets, maybe models. I don't have any intention of making parts for heavy use.
  
  
• Are you interested in assembling a kit or would you prefer to purchase an assembled printer?
  
  Must be assembled. Building one sounds terrible to me.
  
  
• Did you read this FAQ?
  
  Yes.
  
  Just to be clear, I've got one in mind. But there's no way for me to really grasp the range of options without using one.
  
  I was looking at the:
  

  Monoprice Select Mini 3D Printer
  

  
  It's this one on Amazon. Feedback?
  
  Also had a recommendation to take a look at the Select as opposed to the mini . . . all comparison info is also helpful.
  

Hey, that's my thread! It's nice to see that it inspired you. I use a Monoprice Maker Select, and they are about $60 cheaper than when I bought mine a couple months ago, so it's probably a good time to grab one if you're serious about it.

3D printers work well when you keep them working. They need plenty of maintenance and calibration to get nice prints. Be prepared to spend a bit more cash on parts and upgrades, and read through a lot of forums. If you're already DIY prone and have some patience, 3D printing is fun and pretty much the coolest thing ever.

To follow up on my printed Arrow, I didn't get to maiden it until Flite Fest, and even then I almost decided not to because there was a strong tailwind at the time. I finally got brave and gave it a try, but it failed. I don't think I had the elevons set up right. It took a hard dive and the pod got crunched and one of the stabs broke off.

However! I did meet a guy at Flite Fest using the same pod on his Arrow, and it flew great, so the concept is proven! If anyone saw an Arrow with two kiwi birds painted on it, that was him. I'm assuming he was a New Zealander, by the accent and the paint job. It would be pretty cool if he showed up here to give his input...

Aftermath: Mostly Intact

> It's definitely not as easy as it seems, and there is some post print work, but i love it.

In grad school I got to play with a Makerbot Replicator and a Lulzbot. I'm looking for one of my own, with an emphasis on cheap and big.

Is this the one you have? Very nice. A bit expensive for me, though.

Not sure if this is the 'PDF' you speak of, but best place is here: http://manual.prusa3d.com/c/Original_Prusa_i3_MK2_kit_assembly because you get high resolution images and can read comments against each step that other builders have made during their builds. Lots of good hints & tips there, plus a video from Joseph about calibration.

Edit: Buy one of these for bed-removal of objects: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VB1U886/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And a pack of these to clean your bed: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KJ6U8NE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Nozzles

PTFE. This is the cadillac option. Cheaper tubing is very cheap, like $5 for 5 feet or something.

I didn't mention these as I haven't installed them, but stepper dampeners. Please see the stickied thread on /r/ender3 about these, if you want to order them!

The springs I ordered. Note: I couldn't quite replace the one where the wires attach to the bed. I didn't play around too much, I just left that one on there. The other three have held solid, and the next time I'm adjusting my bed, I'll try to put that one on there as well.

Hope that helps!

Edit: Reddit markdown not liking my links, I'll try to fix them

Look at something like this :https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VB1U886?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
I used to just wreck prints trying to get it off with the stock scraper they send with the printer. It’s a thinner edge so it really seems to pop it off the bed a lot easier. I got that second one I linked a few posts back and I don’t use one of the tools but the longer one I’ll use after using the first tool on big prints outside of that this one really seems to get under prints with out to much effort.

Another solution that I have heard good results with but I not personally use is this stuff: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N2JGTWJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_xQdWAb79FZS82
It’s on my list to try but my current printer doesn’t really need anything to help with binding or release from the bed. Now I did pick up a bed surface called geckotek : www.geckotek.co it’s supposed to be a bed pad like on the printer already but is supposed to just release prints after the bed cools down. Might run around $20 so it’s not to bad of a loss not sure when I’ll get around to installing it but could be better than the current surface it has now.


For a camera/smart switch look into a octopi setup. It uses a raspberry pi but it acts as a print controller. From what I heard is you can start/stop prints as well as upload prints you sliced and just run it from there. But you are supposed to be able to remote view it with a camera as well. I just never got around to setting one up but I do have everything if I ever need it. I normally run my long prints on the days I know I’m home but I normally don’t have to many issues though I have failures in the middle of the night but with me being close by I can catch it before any chance of damage. I do have my printer on a ups but I think it’s on the end of its life span so I will most likely need to replace it or the batteries later this year.

Man this conversation has me back fired up to get one. I got on amazon and the prices have dropped so much it's really affordable now. This one has decent reviews if used right and the price point has it in the realm I could do it now but I'll probably be wiser and wait till my next bonus still. I wish I would have looked a week ago I've nearly spent that much on new mods and vape gear this month. I'm excited to see them in the price range to it's so much more in reach now. Last time I looked they were still closer to $1K

The Monoprice maker select v2(.1?) Is a little over $300 on Amazon, but other than that, it fits all of your other needs. It uses standard metric screws and such, so fixing and modding the printer is easy. It's also has a respectable build volume of 200mm^2 and a height of 180mm, which is nice to have. It comes mostly assembled: you just need to use 4 included screws to attatch the gantry to the base and 2 more to attach the filament holder. It took me no time at all to start a test print. I'm coming up on six months with my printer now, and it hasn't given out on me once. For the best prints, you'll want to do some mods, but only the absolutely necessary MOSFET mod requires non-printed hardware that isn't just screws and nuts (or the standard M8 threaded rod used in AzzA's Z-brace mod).
Tl;dr: Monoprice Maker Select v2 on Amazon, order a MOSFET to go with it, 10/10 IGN

Alright, seeking advice here (duh, right?)...

I'd like to keep the purchase under 1k USD so strongly considering the Prusa MK3S kit, though I noticed the below options. I'd like dual extrusion, but mainly for support materials (dissolvable), but not a requirement. Does anyone have any thoughts on the other two or should I stick to the Prusa at this price point? TIA!


Flashforge

https://www.amazon.com/FlashForge-Structure-Optimized-Platform-Extruder/dp/B00I8NM6JO and subsequently ...

Qidi

https://www.amazon.com/QIDI-TECHNOLOGY-Printer-Newest-Model/dp/B076BLQWHY

I'm noticing a trend involving multi-tailed foxes...

Very cool, but I have a question. Do you think the filament would still be sensitive enough to heat if it was coated in epoxy such as this stuff to give it a nicer, more "sculpture"-like finish? It'd be fun to have something like this, but I typically do everything I can to obscure print lines on display pieces. Can't prime or paint this though, obviously.

What you absolutely MUSTTTTTTT!!!! order? Nothing. The printer works as is. But if you want to do yourself a favour, here's a list of what I consider essentials:


- New springs, both bed and extruder. I don't have a link for an extruder one as I upgraded my entire extruder drive frame and that came with a better spring

- A new removable bed. Creality glass bed or glass with a PEI sheet is my bed of choice

- Thermal pad to avoid the annoying bed clamps. Cut squares out of it, lay them in a checkered pattern alternating between thermal pad and nothing and place your bed on top. They will hold the bed in place and help with heating

- Stepper dampers if your printer is anywhere near where you spend your time, it sounds like a bloody jackhammer right out of the box

- New tube fittings, the stock ones are terrible and will give out in a matter of weeks at best. They also barely hold onto the tube

There are a ton of other great upgrades, but I think a good idea is to get a feel for it yourself.

What you can do, however, is check out some printable upgrades. I have this thread where people contributed with their choice of printable upgrades. It's a great list you can refer to later. Essentials on that are the fan guard and LCD back cover simply because the Ender 3 as is has the fan and back of the LCD exposed and that makes it crazy vulnerable to dust and gook damage

Hello all,

I'm trying to solve a persistent clicking / extrusion / constant print failure problem with my Qidi X-One 2.

I own a Qidi X-One 2, and for the last few weeks I am experiencing a clicking, extrusion problem that I cannot seem to fix. The filament twists and turns coming out of nozzle.

I changed the nozzle and tube a few weeks back, and printed ok for a few prints, but now the same problems are back. I only use PLA.

I recently placed this order through Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MVIYNFW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I used the cleaning filament last night, following the instructions on the package. I ran about one to two feet. I tried cold pull but the filament broke both times and did not pull all the material from the nozzle.

I ran some more cleaning filament, and then switched to my Solutech white PLA. I started to run the PLA to flush out the cleaning filament, and as this happened, clicking is back, and the filament twists and turns coming out of the nozzle.

Its like it did nothing!

I have also ordered some needles for nozzle cleaning, but these haven't arrived yet. I have also ordered some more nozzles and tubes, and will exchange for new ones when they arrive. But ultimately I would like to prevent the problem from happening in the first please.

Please let me know what else to try. Any help is greatly appreciated as I am fairly new to 3d printing.

Thank you!

Actually, the parts are pretty standard, so it doesn't really matter where you buy from.

I bought them from various sources (electronics markets, amazon, and some local shops), so my links are just to be seen as examples:

• PSU Switching Power Supply 400W 12V 33A for 3D Printer Kits 115V/230V S-400-12 (got mine locally for 20€)
  
• MOSFET BIQU Heat Bed Power Module Expansion Hot Bed MOS Tube for 3D Printer or alternatively TriGorilla 3D Printer Heating Controller MKS MOSFET for Heatbed Extruder MOS Module (this one is huge, but powerful)
  
• Power socket & switch https://www.amazon.com/URBEST-Module-Switch-Certification-Socket/dp/B00ME5YAPK - here any 10A 250V 3 Pin IEC320 C14 type will do
  
• T-Belt RepRap Champion 5 Meter 6mm Width GT2 Timing Belt for Reprap Delta 3D Printer Kossel Rostock
  
• Pulleys BIQU GT2 20Teeth 3mm Bore Aluminum Timing Belt Idler Pulley for 3D Printer 6mm Width Timing Belt (Pack of 5pcs)
  
• Bushings 3D Printer Solid Polymer LM8UU Bearing 8mm shaft - Igus Drylin RJ4JP-01-08 for Anet A8 Prusa i3 3D Printer RepRap (warning: you need 8 pcs of these bushings. Couldn't find any listed offer with 8)
  
• Borosilicate Glass Signstek 3D Printer MK2 MK3 Heated Bed Tempered Borosilicate Glass Plate 2132003mm
  
  Printed upgrades:
  
  
• Z-Endstop for 3mm Glass
  
• Improved Fan duct or Fan duct for Anet A6 because my original fell out and killed a print as well as the fan mounting plate
  
• PSU cover
  
• Y-Belt holder
  
• Table nut and cover spring
  
• Anet A6 Dual Mosfet Holder (works only for the small MOSFETs)
  
• Z-axis calibration spacer (not really necessary but nice to have) - print two
  
  There is one small error in the assembly videos: The bed mounting plate (the H-shaped thing) is mounted upside down in the video. The bar that goes across the axes and connects both outer plates should be under the plates, not above as in the assembly videos.
  

I've been experimenting with different things.

Plastruct Plastic Weld makes a pretty solid bond. The only time I've had trouble with it is lately while trying to bond sections of a sword blade that are 0.3" thick and 3" wide. The sections with the most stress on them can snap if I let it flex enough.

I used Gorilla Glue to glue together pieces that left gaps. It expands and fills, so that was handy. The bond seemed strong, so I'm going to try that on the blade pieces next.

I've also used Loctite gel control super glue and it worked fairly well, but I don't believe the bond is as strong as Plastic Weld.

As for finishing prints, my current method is to use XTC 3D to smooth the print. After that, I prime, sand, and paint using spray paints. I will probably get an airbrush soon to try for nicer looking paint jobs.

I actually replaced my whole extrusion path.

First, I found that the spring in the stock extruder assembly would fatigue resulting in under extrusion and jams. The BMG is a little pricey but worth it IMO. Comes with pretty good instructions.

Second, I switched to a Micro-swiss all metal hot-end. I probably didn't need to do this - given I almost never print high-temp materials but did it anyway.

Last, cheapest, and not least, Capricorn Tubing. Do not underestimate the difference this can make.

If you're up to the challenge, I highly recommend a BLTouch. It completely solved my first layer woes (warped bed on my CR-10s).

So here is what you can do.

​

1. Check the side door on the extruder. Make sure it isn't too tight or lose. If you don't know how to check, then please let us know.
   
2. Check the filament. Basically, check to see if it has too much water in it or if the size is all over. Even if you're getting normal looking walls, if there is too much water this will require higher temp to work. If the filament is pretty new, then you don't have to worry about water being a problem.
   
3. Check if there is a clog. You can do the normal atomic pull stuff, or you can use cleaning filaments like the following. With pretty much any type of cleaning filament, you need to keep an eye out on when it's coming out of the nozzle. It's clear for a few seconds before it gets cold. If there is stuff inside then you will see it within the clear coming out. https://www.amazon.com/eSUN-CLEANING-Filament-Printers-Cleaning/dp/B00MVIYNFW/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=cleaning+filament&qid=1555863155&s=gateway&sr=8-3 (NOTE there is a few different brands. Pick whichever you trust. There could be a wide gap in price. But you only need 1 of them since you will hardly ever use it. I bought mine a good year ago and maybe only used 10% of it.)
   
4. Check for this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSPPrb0J8CY&feature=youtu.be (I'm thinking this might be your problem, but everything above is far easier to deal with)

i have an ender 3 pro and after saying no to any upgrades I finally started to see what everyone is talking about 6 months down the road. here is a list of things that you will see a lot of you tubers tell you to replace. the YouTube channel Tomb of 3D Printed Horrors is a great resource for everything about the ender 3.

1. new boden tube and couplings that are alot better to use then stock https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DC594D6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
2. THIS IS A MUST HAVE! a new metal extruder (eliminates a crap ton of extrusion issues) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079JZ374W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
3. Glass bed (best bed adhesion with 0 cleanup) this is optional but does solve a ton of issues down the road https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JKGNB6W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
4. extra nozzles in a variety of sizes (not needed but nice to play with different sizes and to clear any clogs fast you can just replace the nozzle....i run .2, .4, and .8) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JPZ7TNX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
   the YouTube Chanel Tomb of 3D Printed Horrors has a step by step build guide for your ender 3 ( i used it for mine) he will recommend most of this list as well. He also has other videos on the slicer settings you will use for Cura. for D&D models you can use this google doc list https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PemvBH7LC-hm4KoeA8OXVu5_k963Vpmw7kOEA_1tzWs/edit?pli=1#gid=0

Hi, I have the tempered glass one with ridges, they don't say it needs anything. I think If you use a glue-stick on it would stick forever. When I had it placed good it worked without anything, but something happend and it unleveled itself.
https://www.amazon.com/Creality-3D-Platform-Tempered-235x235x3mm/dp/B07FSM8DK9/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=ender+3+glass+bed&qid=1566487149&s=industrial&sr=1-4

The idea on using the glass to space it is great! I will try it!

Thankyou for respoding :)

https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-13860-Maker-Select-Printer/product-reviews/B018GZBC3Y/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_viewopt_sr?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews&showViewpoints=0&pageNumber=1&sortBy=recent&filterByStar=one_star

Thats the 1 star reviews, only 14 of them (and one is just calling out what they think are fake reviews) - 84 5* reviews.

I posted this on here in another thread, but the one I bought this week came with a 4GB card (and a slot that has the card stick out for easy access) & a larger spool holder along with metal thumbwheels for the base adjustment - so they are improving in-versions, making a couple of the criticisms unwarranted.

It seems lots of people will recommend other printers, but almost all of them are twice the cost or more - so I guess it boils down to how much you want to invest. Personally I think its better to learn on a cheaper unit by printing

How about a nice Stratasys? Oops for $300 better go with a select mini V2:
https://www.monoprice.com/mobile/product/details/21711?gclid=Cj0KEQjwrYbIBRCgnY-OluOk89EBEiQAZER58kwSc1xq_iea4n4yOLLp71sCvbZa_SZPft3H5Kh7TTAaAixI8P8HAQ

Or maker select, which is slightly over budget, but based on the i3 platform and probably something that you can grow with.
https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-13860-Maker-Select-Printer/dp/B018GZBC3Y

Both are great printers and will give optimal quality for the price.

Second - some Amazon links for the upgrade pieces I mention:

Springs - https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SDDHYN4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Bowden Tube - https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B079P92HN9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Couplings - https://smile.amazon.com/Dorhea-Straight-Pneumatic-Fittings-Accessories/dp/B07NSRCH2W/ref=sr_1_15?keywords=3d+printer+fitting&qid=1574436375&sr=8-15

Extruder - https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B079JZ374W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

PEI Sheet - https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GSJSDWR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Stepper Motor Dampeners - https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C7FRLNX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Bootloader Flashing Kit - https://smile.amazon.com/Gulfcoast-Robotics-Bootloader-Flashing-Duplicator/dp/B07S5BBLKM/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=arduino+uno+ender+3+kit&qid=1574436535&s=industrial&sr=1-3

Note that I didn't buy this flashing kit, but this one seems to have everything you need to get a bootloader onboard the Ender. What happens is you go through a bunch of steps to attach this so the printer and then put a bootloader onto the Ender 3 board. You only have to do that one time, then you can update the firmware as often as you want - typically via a USB cable. I have Octoprint installed, so I can flash my firmware on my basement printers from my upstairs computer using wifi. Super easy and handy.

Set it up and use the existing hotend to print out a z-brace kit, I printed for days without it but it really helps. This will also help you understand and appreciate the difference when you upgrade the hotend :) People run into the connector problem when heating the bed up for ABS and other higher-temp filaments, I have had no issue running PLA. I also never leave the house when it's running, but that's a general distrust of robots thing. Now, with z-braces, allmetal hotend, and a pei sheet, I have had awesome prints every time.

Your hot end is not able to extrude the amount of filament you are trying to push into it.

you need to do one (or more) of the following:


the hot end hotter. ^1
to print slower. ^1
to sort out a clog (either full or partial.) ^2
calibrate the E steps and flow rate. ^3




----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

^1
Not all filaments are made equal, I've had rolls of PLA that print fine fast at 210, then others that will gum up the hot end at speed. The printer takes time getting up to speed so some filaments look fine when printing slow or small models. Long paths show this failure I've had filament refuse to print cleanly unless the hot end is set somewhere on the upper side of 225-235 - going to extremes with temp should only be considered after ruling out a clog e.g. a/b the misbehaving filament with another brand and have the other brand work fine at the lower temps/same speed.


^2
(make sure to replace the stock bowden couplers they are crap allow the tube to back out and will cause no end of clogs, something like https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07DC594D6/)
Follow this video on how to replace the nozzle paying close attention to the temperature everything is done at and the procedure to make sure the tube is snug with the nozzle. (to loose and you get goo, too tight and you'll squish the bowden tube and get clogs) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRzsGttNMyk
If you need to clean your nozzle (a big bag of 0.4 nozzles is a worthwhile investment and you can find them cheap on amazon) hold the nozzle in pliers and cooking off everything over a gas burner, use cocktail sticks to remove the majority of the gunk, get the rest out with the acupuncture needle the printer came with. - Needless to say this is all very hot and the plastic can catch fire and drip, so do it somewhere or over something non flammable and easy to clean, I do it over a ceramic stove top with gas burners.


^3

https://mattshub.com/2017/04/19/extruder-calibration/

I'd make an addendum to the above instructions, ideally E-steps should be calibrated without filament running to the hot end, and the altered steps would look something like:

hot end at temp
remove filament completely
undo the bowden coupler
insert filament slightly into feeder,
cut filament flush at the hole the bowden coupler was in
extrude, measure, math, set e-steps,
cut filament flush
extrude, measure, math, set e-steps, save settings.

This way completely removes any sort of partial clog, variance in filament diameter size or issues downstream from the feeder assembly.

I have been looking into 3d printing and decided the best place to start would be with an ender3 so that I would be able to have quality prints, for a reasonable price. However, looking on several websites there are different prices and I am just not sure which one would be best to go for.

Amazon has the ender-3 from Comgrow for $230 here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BR3F9N6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2ALB3RMNIRLH8&psc=1

However, it says the official one, again for $230 is here: https://www.amazon.com/Official-Creality-3D-Printer-Source/dp/B07D218NX3/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?keywords=creality&qid=1569107314&s=gateway&sr=8-3-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExWjJVQlE0MjhKMEQ2JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwODU2MjU2MzNSMTQ2SlFGUjg1OCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwODA4ODAzMldSNTRQMDZOTzBXQyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

I also found a website listing it on sale for $189 here: https://www.gearbest.com/3d-printers-3d-printer-kits/pp_1845898.html?

I got the last link from Maker's Muse video and I am just very confused. I do not want to spend more money than I need to as filament is also rather expensive.

Any help would be appreciated, I really want to get it for the cheapest price without it coming in damaged or in a month.

First of all, thanks for the awesome post!

But I have 3 questions about what you wrote on the Monoprice Maker Select V2 and Plus models:

1. Regarding the MP Maker Select Plus, are there any mods that you know of that it needs in order to make it a half-decent printer?
   
   
2. You state that the Monoprice Maker Select Plus does not have the Mosfet issues that the V2 does, however, the Maker Select Plus user manual states the max bed temp is 70C. Yet users state it can go up to 110C. I take this to mean by monoprice, "if you do go over 70C, you will damage the circuitry and we will voic your warranty" lol. Do you have any idea why the manual says 70C is the max bed temp?
   
   
3. You state that Amazon has pulled the Monoprice maker Select V2 and Select Plus models. But I have been researching these models over the past 2 weeks or so and even today they are still both up for sale ("Ships from and sold by Amazon.com" with active buy button). I have never seen them out of stock at all. V2 - Plus
   Are you talking about other Amazon sites besides the .com/US site?

Hey friend, if you're looking for a cheap reliable printer you might consider an Ender 3. I think, at the moment, that printer will likely give you the best for your buck.

Happy printing!

Hi All!
Just ran into this while doing a search. I got a v2.1 for Xmas as well.

Have fought many battles, won't go into it here, you'd be reading for hours, LOL!
But I did install the MOSFET upgrade, as well as installing a 300W power supply. One's a safety issue, the other is so I can safely run a higher temp hotend with elevated bed temps. The 200W unit they used is marginal at best (trust me, I'm an Electronics Tech for 47 years...).

Here's the MOSFET board I used:
BIQU Heat Bed Power Module Expansion Hot Bed MOS Tube for 3D Printer (About $11)
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HEQVQAK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and the Power Supply: eTopxizu 12v 30a Dc Universal Regulated Switching Power Supply 360w for CCTV, Radio, Computer Project ($18 - $20, varies)
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D7CWSCG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also got some cork sheets to put under the hot bed at Michael's called ArtWall Cork Tiles 12:x 12" - used the App and got 40% off cost less then $5! I used some 3M adhesive (468MP) strips stolen from a sheet I got when I bought a Gizmodorks PEI sheet I put on a glass plate stolen from an old Canon scanner that was toast. :-) Recycling ...LOL! Nice thing was it's DEAD flat, and FREE!

Well that's all for now. Any Questions will be answered next time I drop by Reddit (which is pretty infrequently, sorry!).

PuterPro

 

Thingiverse

 

Prusa Multi-Material!

We're having a LAN party so...I decided to cut up an existing heartstone model from thingiverse for multi-material.

I'll upload the model to thingiverse later today for my fellow nerds/geeks.

 

Images

 

Print time: 35hrs

Detail: .15mm

Filament:

Stone

Blue

 

The stone filament worked, surprisingly, great with the multi-material. Multi-material is insanely picky about filament quality so I'm pretty happy with the outcome. The first print I tried had some bleeding with the blue, so I increased the wipe tower a bit, which solved the issue.

After months of fighting with the MMU, I think I've finally got it tuned in...knocks on wood.

Thanks! I'd not heard of that model. Someone else recommended Flashforge 3d (http://www.amazon.com/FlashForge-Structure-Optimized-Platform-Extruder/dp/B00I8NM6JO/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1449683425&sr=8-5&keywords=ultimaker+3d+printer) any comparison.. or is the Ultimaker 2go that much better.

Casting would allow me to use different materials, adjust the painting, weigh them correctly..

WOOD FILL?? Oh my. That IS interesting.

The Monoprice Select Mini is around $200, and a 1kg spool of PLA is $20-30 (that will print around 375 standard size chess pieces). It's a really great starting 3D printer, at a great price, for someone that is trying to learn what all the steps are and if they are comfortable with the effort that goes into the hobby. It's primary 'con' is that it has a smaller print area than many other printers, so the things you can print are limited to 120mm^3 (without further modifications).

Monoprice Select Mini 3D Printer with Heated Build Plate, Includes Micro SD Card and Sample PLA Filament - 115365 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FL49VZE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_VHFn3TI1ZXX8F

This is what I mainly use, If it’s not a CR-10 just for large build area.

The only thing that’s really an issue with either of them is the board they (and most other cheaper printers) use can’t supply enough current to the hotbed so it will start to cook the connector off the board and then start a fire. It’s super easily solved with adding a mosfet between the board and the hotbed.

If you end up getting your own look into OctoPrint. It will allow you to control the printer from a webpage, but more importantly it acts as a host for a video stream to your printer so you don’t need to run back and forth to babysit. Plus once you have the webcam hooked up you can get some sweet karma off the timelapses

I'm a connoisseur of purple.

• Polyalchemy Nightshade is gorgeous. At $35/.75kg it better be. :)
  
• MakerGeeks Royal Purple is really nice, but they're very unreliable to order from.
  
  Other than that, I enjoy Ziro Marble and Proto-Pasta Teal.

Buy

($6)Wires:For the MOFSET mod

($1o)MOFSET

($6)Wire spades:For the MOFSET mod

($8)Assorted M3 Bolts:You need some for a few mods and for the bolts you will inevitably strip on this cheap wonderful machine

($13)Longer assorted M3 Bolts:For a few mods

($9)M4 Bolts:For one of the mods

($9)Metric allen wrench set:Had to order one of these since metric tools aren’t common round these parts

(~$20) PLA of preferred choice- You’ll run out of the sample bit quick so go ahead and order a roll or two to be prepared. You will note some upgrades require ABS so a small spool of that to your order will also help.

($6)M3 Lock nuts:Critically needed for a simple mod

($10)Threaded rod and nuts:Please note that this item seemed difficult to find online. I recommend going to your local hardware store and getting two 5/16” rods of at least 16” in length. They should have an assortment of threaded rod in various lengths available. Also note that the pitch of the threading matches the nuts you buy. Further instructions regarding this can be seen in Azza’s Z-Axis braces below.)

($6)9mm Wrench for the nozzle: Don’t wait for your first clog, go ahead and have this on hand to remove/change the nozzle. Note to only tighten/loosen the nozzle when heated.



Below is the order of printable upgrades I recommend but I suggest you mix in a few other prints along the way because this is a hobby after all and you should be having fun. It helps to have your quality as tuned in as much as possible for some of these so be patient and keep trying if you need to.

Print

Spool holder- temporary : Until you can mount your spool on top of the enclosure or any other personal preference.

Belt tensioner- print x2

Z-brace

Shielded stop button

Cable relocator : It’s a pain, but if you spend the time to do this and turn your extruder motor 90 degrees then you can get the full Z height without ruining your cables. It does involve opening all the cables to the PSU and feeding a few extra inches back through the cable chains.

Cable shroud : Looks nice if you do the cable relocator.


The following need to be printed in ABS:

M3 Bed Nut retainer: 10/10 upgrade. I know they look worse than the nice metal stock ones, but these help keep your bed level longer.

CiiCooler

Glass bed Holder


Now that the first major round of printed upgrades is done it’s time to shift to a few more supplies to pick up to really fine tune the machine.


Buy

($5)Radial fan: For CiiCooler

($5)Glue sticksThis and a glass bed is magic

($25)Borosilicate glass 8” x 8”

($26)Y-Carriage plate upgrade: This has been a nice upgrade as I now only need to relevel the bed every couple weeks instead of every print. Check out this guide for a ‘how to’ as well as a free upgrade by shifting your Y pulley over.

($15)rechargeable dehumidifier: For keeping in the bin with your opened filaments

($9)Extruder gears: Might be able to hold off on these, but will need eventually. If for some reason you have a Maker Select with metal X-axis blocks (V1 and V2, but not V2.1) then this is a must. You can follow this guide for a how to.

($28)Metal extruder plate and lever: Not needed, but nice.

($14)Noctua 40mm fan: Not needed, but makes the printer a lot quitter. A LOT quieter.

($50)MicroSwiss All Metal Hot End: The destruction of my PTFE tube by this point pushed me to doing this upgrade. If needed you can follow this guide for replacement. Remember to tighten/loosen when the nozzle its hot.

($6)Ceramic cotton: Tore off the stock one when replacing for the all metal hot end by accident. At least its thicker than stock

Now that the printer is in its final form, its time for the enclosure which is a stacked Ikea Lack hack.

Print

Spool holder

Pi Case

120mm fan cover

Fan grill

120mm fan PSU modification: I edited this to fit upside down since my PSU is mounted on the underside. This was nice since I blew the 40mm fan anyways so it made everything a lot quieter than before.

IKEA Lack filament guide

Webcam holder: This is one I designed specifically for the webcam I happen to have lying around. The camera mount piece can be changed out no problem though for what ever webcam you have or buy. The SketchUp file is included on Thingiverse for such purpose.

Buy

($20)2x Ikea Lack: Luckily there is one right down the street from me. I am located in North America though, so we do not have the STUVA, if you live literally anywhere else you may check in to this as an alternative.

($80)Plexi glass for enclosure: Could be cheaper alternatives, but it looks cool

($9)Foam pads for feet

($42)Raspberry Pi3: For OctoPrint. I also suggest using a different USB cable than the stock one provided by Monoprice or you will have issues.

($9)2x 120mm fans: Used for the power supply cooling and enclosure

($6)Rocker Switches so that the enclosure fan can be on for PLA, but off for ABS

($15)Dimmable LED lights

($10)8mm LED light connectors


Total:
$250 printer + $452 upgrades/parts + ~$80 PLA/ABS to date

I've only used https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01092XXD4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 but had some great results.

Here's some of my wood pla projects. The first two images are sanded and stained, the final is fresh off the printer with some fuckups I was troubleshooting. https://imgur.com/a/DdEEXzZ

Depends on the build area you want, but the monoprice maker select is a good printer to start with. It will print okay from the get go, but with a couple mods (look up z brace mod) you can get it printing very nicely.

I haven't tried it myself, but this Gold Silk PLA has gotten good reviews and I've seen people post some really beautiful prints made with it.

There's limits to how precise FDM can get. Well, less a limit on the precision and more on resolution. There's a Maker's Muse video that covers this very well. You could probably just put a smaller diameter nozzle on an Ender 3 and do pretty well with some longer print times.

But if you really want to go incredible precision and stay exclusively small scale (and have a well ventilated space) I would recommend the Anycubic Photon. SLA blows the precision of FDM out of the water.

Directly. Creality 3D Printer Platform Heated Bed Build Surface Tempered Glass Plate for Ender 3/Ender 3 Pro 3D Printer 235x235x3mm https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FSM8DK9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_s9RvDbM16RZ7Y is the one I got. It has a coating on it. I have been extremely happy, though it took me another 15 minutes to relieved since it’s thicker and you gotta reset everything.

Only real change is you should wait for it to cool before pulling stuff off, but once it cools, it doesn’t stick. Like... at all. It’s quite nice. Also, it doesn’t warp, which I only found out after, because I was only after a new bed and figured I’d upgrade. Then I read about it ;)

Do you mean the little blue clips? They've been coming with those for a number of months, but yeah, do yourself a favor and just get some better quality pieces to begin with. This is what I'm using, as an example.

So creating this took a bit of practice and patience. Basically, I built the 3d model from scratch using a software called fusion 360. Once I got the model built I used Simplify 3d to get the printing parameters set (layer hight, print speed, nozzle/bed temp etc...)

You then send that file directly to the printer for printing. I’m using a JG Aurora A5s which is a relatively cheap intro printer. I loaded it up with some wood PLA filament (amazon link for reference: HATCHBOX 3D Printer Filament, Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.03mm, 1.75 mm, 1 kg Spool, Wood https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01092XXD4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_3AulDbTCWTM9X).

I’m not sure exactly how this filament is made but it seems like a mixture of saw dust and plastic that functions almost exactly like the normal PLA plastic most 3d printers use.

Anyways, once the print is done. (This took about 4-5hrs) you can sand it down and polish out any imperfections the printer may have left. And also being wood, it will absorb any type of wood stain.

You can still see some layer lines but if I adjust the layer hight and put more effort into sanding, then those would be a lot less noticeable.

Hope this helps!

Just getting this today (I also missed the monoprice promo cutoff). But good news, Amazon has it for $272 + free shipping w/prime.

edit: just saw same comment below. The same good news twice is still good news...?

Thanks for the detailed reply.

​

I need to read more to understand the z switch and z screws you are referring to. I have no idea what those are. I assembled by watching some channel on youtube do it. It was like a tales from the crypt vibe channel.

​

As much as it sucks, I probably need to completely disassemble it and start over. There has to be something done incorrectly for it to be this difficult. I am definitely going to get one of those gauges before I get back into. I returned the springs today and ordered different springs on amazon. When they get here, I might sit down one night and try again.

​

As for the bed, the glass one I got was scratched to hell from those stupid springs. I didn't know I had to raise or lower whatever switch you were talking about. Like I said earlier, I already ordered a SD card reader so that will be a definite mod. As for the octopi, is there a list somewhere on this subreddit of everything you need to purchase before starting? I have a raspberry pi at the house. I originally bought it to build a retropie but I haven't gotten around to it yet. I could use it for the printer if needed. I really like the idea of remote printing, having a webcam to see the print live, and putting a part on there that stops the print if there is a filament issue.

​

I have to go into the city tomorrow so I was thinking of stopping by ikea and getting some Lack Tables for the eventual enclosure but now I don't know if I am even going to keep the Ender 3. I am debating on returning it and moving up a tier. I really want to get started on this but it seems like I am never going to be able to print any of this awesome stuff. So many awesome files on thingiverse and I can't use any of them.....

​

Here are the parts I have purchased so far....

​

SD Card Extension

​

Glass Bed

​

Springs that I bought that would not lower bed enough

​

Most Recent Springs I am going to try

​

Metal Extruder Upgrade

​

Filament Black and Red

This is the printer I own:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FL49VZE/

It's very affordable and prints with really impressive detail.

The downsides would be that it's not very fast, the build size isn't huge, and it does almost require some modifications in order to prolong its life, but I've had almost no issues with it in the 8 months I've had it. It's definitely a great starter printer if you're looking to get into it!

I have the Qidi Tech version of this printer and love it (https://www.amazon.com/TECHNOLOGY-3DP-QDA16-01-Extruder-Structure-Filaments/dp/B01D8M32LU/ref=sr_1_1/137-3764290-4585929?ie=UTF8&qid=1494515935&sr=8-1&keywords=qidi+tech). Well worth the money spent and a very solid printer, I did an extrusion upgrade to it as well as changing to a PEI platform and I can print flex material / ABS with zero issues.

From my brief research https://smile.amazon.com/Monoprice-Select-Printer-Heated-Filament/dp/B01FL49VZE?sa-no-redirect=1 seems like a very good first 3D printer. But that's way under your budget. So I'm sure for your budget there are hundreds of better ones out there.

from the black friday thread, deal is done but you can still get it here:

For the Canadians looking for a deal, Amazon.ca has the Monoprice Maker Select for a good price at $398 CAD with free shipping. Ships from Amazon's Toronto warehouse so you won't have to worry about duty. https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B018GZBC3Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - JeffDM

We use FDA Compliant PLA for the cookie cutters. It takes a little more work than running to the store, buying a cutter, and washing them. You have to trim the excess plastic off, lightly sand/buff any stray bits, hand wash in warm water, and give them a test run before you can use them. If you're really finicky, you can coat it in polyurethane (but then you have to let it cure for a couple of weeks), though some forums suggest it's unnecessary since it doesn't come in contact with food as long as something like a drinking glass.

Still worth it, though! I was spending ~$7 each for 3D printed cutters from other sites. While I'll still order from them for their adorable designs, it's really nice that his hobby had cheapen mine a bit.

He's enjoying his 3D printer. He ordered this one. Reviews said there were some issues with it that could easily be fixed, but after attempting to fix them, he found the manufacturer had already fixed them. Something or other about needing a piece installed to fix a temperature issue.

Last night he printed the parts to make my son an enderdragon toy from Minecraft. Now my son wants an enderdragon cookie cutter to go with it.

Flash Forge pro. I hear it has great support, but I've never needed to use it. Great printer

I thought about a Lulzbot for a long time, but ended up going for the Forge. Enclosed so its easier to print ABS, smaller build space, but I dont mind that with what I do with it.

It’s ZIRO “Marble Color” PLA from Amazon! ($21.00)

Awesome Filament. Hides Layer Lines Incredibly Well.

It’s as smooth as normal PLA, just looks textured from the speckles.

This was printed at .2mm on my Ender 3. One of my Favorite Materials And Prints to date!

It's a super easy mod to do. The parts are like $8 on Amazon and you print the mount. This is the first thing I did on my Maker Select.
Mod link: https://letsprint3d.net/2017/01/29/guide-installing-a-mosfet-board-maker-select-v2/
Part: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HEQVQAK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_cZbPCbG4PRAN7