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feel the need to rid myself of some troublesome extra cash i happen to have lying around.......
I think i would like to dabble in 3D printing for making widgits and small replacement plastic parts. I think i want to spend about 500 bucks for a starter printer, i would like one that is dependable and can use any brand filament. some sort of included autocad software would be bonus. I looked on amazon and cant wrap my head around the reviews.
what are "must haves" when looking at printers - and is there a good forum out there for newbies?
Youtube research is your friend! I've been out of the industry for a few years now but some of our "must haves" messing with this stuff were a heated print bed, a reliable extruder, and parts support. Beyond that basically everything on the market should suit your needs.
I am going to save you a lot of time and questions. Just get a Prusa and all will be laid before you. You will need to increase your budget slightly, but it is sooooo worth the money. https://shop.prusa3d.com/en/3d-printers ... 3-kit.html
You can literally use any drafting software. I use the student version of Autodesk Inventor. The printer comes with Prusa Control for part layout and slicing. It makes things so easy!
1982 Wagoneer Limited 5.3L Vortec 4L60E swap - finished/restored - sold - bought back - sold again
1979 Wagoneer 360 TH400 1339 QT - built into perfect daily driver - sold
1981 J10 Sportside Honcho - finished/restored - sold
1979 Cherokee Golden Eagle - 5.3L Vortec 6L80E swap - finished/restored - sold
1967 Super Wagoneer - sold, too much work
1978 J10 Golden Eagle - finished/restored - sold
1962 Rambler Classic Cross Country Wagon - current project, wife's daily driver - she'll never let me sell it
csuengr wrote:FDM printers are gross. All they can do is make bad toys.
Moving up to a DLP or the like greatly increase the cost of the printer however. FDM is fine for hobby stuff, and some FDM printers have decent quality.
The other advantage of a FDM is to do your prototyping, and then you can have a 3D Print House print a final version on a SLS or the like and ship you the finished version.
If you dont mind electrical work and assembly you should get a folger tech ft6 it's an oversize printer so you can make a lot more parts with them.
Depending on what your doing you may want to look into investing in a mosaic pallet. It allows you to print in multiple colors or to switch between filament types (for example soluble support and PETG) without needing a second print head
Stay away from XYZ or any other printer that requires filament cartridges rather than spools.
I personally like atomic brand filament, I've never had issues with them.
PLA is easy to work with but doesnt have any strength, lots of people will tell you to use ABS but it is a pain and puts off poisonous fumes. PETG is super strong, decently easy to print with and not poisonous
You will need to increase your budget slightly, but it is sooooo worth the money.
