Ajzride
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STL files:
Thingiverse.com
makerworld.com
Printables.com
Don't get overwhelmed. YouTube University will teach you everything you need to know.
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Thingiverse.com
makerworld.com
Printables.com
Don't get overwhelmed. YouTube University will teach you everything you need to know.
Boen
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Makerworld is real popular, be prepared it can be indicative lol
Porpoise Hork
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Just look for and start with some basic prints. Things that don't require a lot of supports for example. You'll get more confident as you go and can start working with printing more complex models and messing with multi-materials if you decide to get the AMS system later on if you go with a Bambu Labs printer.
OP
OP
Lricaud81
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- #19
The thought of all this I know I'd really like it as long as I'd be able to pull off making stuff. Lol. Its awesome to have sites to get from but I'd wanna be able to come up with something on my own.
I guess I'll have to get on ytu (youTube university) lol to learn things.
I guess I'll have to get on ytu (youTube university) lol to learn things.
oneinch
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Firstly, spend some money. Get something like a Creality K1 Max or a K2. Spend money. Buy once or you will definitely buy twice. Get a large, heated print bed. Consider a multi filament capable printer. A K1 Max or K2 is just as easy to use as any smaller, lower cost printer. You'll regret not be able to print something on the large side.
Second, if you don't learn how to create your own models then you won't use your printer much. Certainly not as much as you would if you model your own stuff. Once you can model your own stuff you'll use your printer a lot more.
I bought a Creality printer. Get whatever printer brand you like, just get a big printer. I model with Fusion 360. There are several programs to choose from. You don't need to buy software.
Second, if you don't learn how to create your own models then you won't use your printer much. Certainly not as much as you would if you model your own stuff. Once you can model your own stuff you'll use your printer a lot more.
I bought a Creality printer. Get whatever printer brand you like, just get a big printer. I model with Fusion 360. There are several programs to choose from. You don't need to buy software.
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Ajzride
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if the OP was excited to jump, I would say this is great advice. But if he is timid, getting a printer that doesn’t “just work” could actually sour him on the whole thing. There is a reason 80% is the recommendations here are a Bambu Labs printer of some flavor. They work out of the box every time. Mine had over 4000 hours on it before I started have any trouble, and after less than a $150 on some maintenance parts, it’s humming again.
Ive owned almost a dozen printers going back to 2012 (including multiple creality models) , I have 3 different brands now. But for someone timid or tech challenged, the Bambu is the solid answer.
Griffalo
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Several years ago, I bought a Creality Ender 3 Pro printer and used it some. I wound up getting more involved in other things and let this sit on the back burner for a while. I pulled it out and started working with it again a couple of months ago and wound up trying to do some upgrades on it to make it a little more user friendly. Well, long story short, I now have a 3d printer sitting waiting for me to get it fixed again. I got fed up with the upgrades and trying to figure out how to build and compile the firmware to add things like the CR Touch sensor and other things that I wound up looking to buy another printer. I bought a Creality K1 SE model that isn't enclosed (fine since I'm not printing ABS right now) and this thing is miles ahead of my old Ender 3d Pro. It is super quick and was printing perfect right out of the box.
As for slicer software, I've used Orca and the Creality Slicer program and am still in the learning curves of all the changes to be made. There is a little bit of a curve to learning it, but once you get some things set up, it's really pretty smooth sailing. I like the Creality software because I can print straight from my computer to the printer with no issues. My old Ender 3 Pro I had to copy the .stl files to a microSD card and then put it in the printer to print it. No wireless on it. The new K1 SE has built-in wireless and it makes it so easy to print things.
As for designing your own things, Fusion 360 seems to be the go to CAD software for this. I haven't started with that yet, but that is the next step for me. I looked at FreeCAD but the version I downloaded and the instructions I was following are for different versions so it made it hard to follow. I will be working on learning the Fusion 360 soon.
The recommendations here are spot on for beginners. Before I bought the K1 SE, I almost bought a Flash Forge AD5X for the multi-color function, but decided to hold off on that for now. I need to learn more about all of this before I spend much more money on printers. I only wish this thread had been started sooner and I might have bought a Bambu printer to start with. But the fun part of all of this is learning to print the items you see pictured and working with the printer to eventually create your own items. Don't let your young age deny you the pleasure of a fun hobby to start out with. I'm 65 and still learning things about 3d printing now. I have printed lots of useless items and printed a few more useful items and still love playing with it.
Have fun with it to begin with and learn how to use it and you'll find that you'll enjoy creating your own things more.
As for slicer software, I've used Orca and the Creality Slicer program and am still in the learning curves of all the changes to be made. There is a little bit of a curve to learning it, but once you get some things set up, it's really pretty smooth sailing. I like the Creality software because I can print straight from my computer to the printer with no issues. My old Ender 3 Pro I had to copy the .stl files to a microSD card and then put it in the printer to print it. No wireless on it. The new K1 SE has built-in wireless and it makes it so easy to print things.
As for designing your own things, Fusion 360 seems to be the go to CAD software for this. I haven't started with that yet, but that is the next step for me. I looked at FreeCAD but the version I downloaded and the instructions I was following are for different versions so it made it hard to follow. I will be working on learning the Fusion 360 soon.
The recommendations here are spot on for beginners. Before I bought the K1 SE, I almost bought a Flash Forge AD5X for the multi-color function, but decided to hold off on that for now. I need to learn more about all of this before I spend much more money on printers. I only wish this thread had been started sooner and I might have bought a Bambu printer to start with. But the fun part of all of this is learning to print the items you see pictured and working with the printer to eventually create your own items. Don't let your young age deny you the pleasure of a fun hobby to start out with. I'm 65 and still learning things about 3d printing now. I have printed lots of useless items and printed a few more useful items and still love playing with it.
Have fun with it to begin with and learn how to use it and you'll find that you'll enjoy creating your own things more.
oneinch
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Like I said, get whatever brand you like. Get a big printer. Buy once, not twice.
Antimatter22
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I have a Bambu X1C. It's my first printer and definitely on the expensive side but this is something I wanted to get into and I knew I would end up upgrading down the line anyway so I just kind of went for it.
I would say look for ones that have auto bed leveling at minimum. Once you find a printer that meets your needs to learn and fits your budget, then just use some basic PLA and a website like Printables to get the hang of things.
You don't need to know how to 3D model right away as there's tons of free stuff online. That's something I've been meaning to try out and I've done super basic stuff but it's not a requirement to get into the hobby unless you're trying to print something very specific.
I would say look for ones that have auto bed leveling at minimum. Once you find a printer that meets your needs to learn and fits your budget, then just use some basic PLA and a website like Printables to get the hang of things.
You don't need to know how to 3D model right away as there's tons of free stuff online. That's something I've been meaning to try out and I've done super basic stuff but it's not a requirement to get into the hobby unless you're trying to print something very specific.
Porpoise Hork
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Best thing for that would be to start with Tinkercad.com. It's free and aimed at school age kids and novices to learn 3D design. While it appears simple in it's basics it's a pretty powerful design tool and can produce some very complex stuff. I've used it to design or modify a myriad of things from iphone holders for the shower to better cooling ducts for my own 3D printer. There are plenty of youtube channels that show how to really make the most of the tool too. Then later you can work on learning more powerful 3D design tools.
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Baz
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I have been using 3D printers for about 15 years... designed and built two units. I currently use Markforged printers, a Mark two and X7 industrial. Per entry level unit... I would primarily look at the Bambu labs printers.
The reason I use the Markforged units is because their Onyx filament which is a PA6 copolymer filament with chopped carbon fiber blend. It is a great filament that is dimensionally stable and a very resilient thermoplastic that can handle some serious abuse. Bambu has a few similar filaments with chopped CF.
Since I use 3D printers in my professional career and for personal projects, I don't care about colors or using other materials because I have vetted this material and performs amazingly for my projects. Yes, its expensive which is why the Bambu Labs printers and filaments would be a great starting point. I would recommend getting a printer that can print the CF filament with hardened nozzle and other upgraded parts to handle the abrasive nature of the CF filament. This is all in my opinion but I would rather spend the money up front and have a unit that is capable of print CF filament. Rather than buying a lower end unit and having to upgrade later.
I also work in 3D CAD pretty much everyday, so I can design whatever I need to. This is a huge thing people overlook, having a 3D printer is one piece of the equation but then you either have to learn how to do 3D CAD and design(modify existing CAD/STLs) your own stuff or rely on readily available CAD/STLs to print. There are a ton of resources to learn 3D CAD, I am not saying it is required but it is huge part of being able to utilize a 3D printer effectively but some people are happy with printing things that others have already designed. The decision is simply what expectations you have for the 3D printer.
The reason I use the Markforged units is because their Onyx filament which is a PA6 copolymer filament with chopped carbon fiber blend. It is a great filament that is dimensionally stable and a very resilient thermoplastic that can handle some serious abuse. Bambu has a few similar filaments with chopped CF.
Since I use 3D printers in my professional career and for personal projects, I don't care about colors or using other materials because I have vetted this material and performs amazingly for my projects. Yes, its expensive which is why the Bambu Labs printers and filaments would be a great starting point. I would recommend getting a printer that can print the CF filament with hardened nozzle and other upgraded parts to handle the abrasive nature of the CF filament. This is all in my opinion but I would rather spend the money up front and have a unit that is capable of print CF filament. Rather than buying a lower end unit and having to upgrade later.
I also work in 3D CAD pretty much everyday, so I can design whatever I need to. This is a huge thing people overlook, having a 3D printer is one piece of the equation but then you either have to learn how to do 3D CAD and design(modify existing CAD/STLs) your own stuff or rely on readily available CAD/STLs to print. There are a ton of resources to learn 3D CAD, I am not saying it is required but it is huge part of being able to utilize a 3D printer effectively but some people are happy with printing things that others have already designed. The decision is simply what expectations you have for the 3D printer.
Porpoise Hork
Well-known member
I still use Tinkercad for my design work today. I tried figuring out more complex cad tools but the videos I found either assumed too much or went through the basics so fast that I said screw it. lol.
Oh another Youtube channel that you can pick up a lot of useful information on designing parts specifically for FDM is Slant 3D. While he runs a print farm and he does center on implementing design aspects for mass production a lot of what he discusses is still incredibly informative and has saved me a lot of time and frustration with printing my own parts designs.
Other things if you don't already have is get yourself a decent micrometer off Amazon for taking very accurate measurements. Not only for what you want to make but printer calibration and accounting for material shrink.
MonkeySpank
Well-known member
I have the Ender 3 Pro, upgraded to silent stepper motors and it prints in complete silence, awesome budget printer.
My friends all have the Bambu, and it's quality and speed are phenomenal.
My friends all have the Bambu, and it's quality and speed are phenomenal.
FI300
Well-known member
I have been following this tread and there is a lot of good information.
To help you along a couple of quick terms.
Filament - is the plastic used in the printer. There are a bunch of different types with pros and cons. PLA is the basic I would start with. Its the easiest to get good results with but not the strongest. Its generally not good for most functional parts but its fine for items not under stress. PETG and the newer PCTG are a step up in strength but not quite as easy to print. Then you get into some of the more demanding filaments that may require a heated build area which is why the more high end printers are enclosed and not open.
Slicer - is the software program that takes the 3D model and outputs a file the printer can actually use. This is where it can get a little complicated with all the options. For a beginner using the slicer developed for a specific printer is the easiest route, Bambu printer / Bambu slicer software.
The 3D model itself is normally in a stl format but there are others. Its a file format for 3D models made up of a bunch of triangles. There are hundreds of palaces to download free 3D models. A few examples are Thingiverse, Printables, Makersworld and Cults. There are search engines specifically for 3D files such as Thangs and Yeggi.
The reason a lot of people recommend the Bambu printers for a beginner is it takes out all of the guess work especially if you use their filament and slicer software. That will let you get started printing without a lot of frustration. Sure there are probably better and bigger printers out there but they take a little more knowledge to get consistent good results with. I know I went down that road.
Designing 3d prints to me is the hard part. I'm not computer illiterate but I didn't have any experience with cad programs and the concepts. There are a ton of designs online you can download for free with some restrictions. I print mostly for myself so that not an issue, if you start getting commercial things are different with the licensing.
I agree Tinkercad is a great way to start and I have and still use a lot to modify designs I found on the web and to make simple items. There is a lot of designs out there and chances are for a lot of things someone has already done a lot of the work. Tinkercad has a lot of features that are simple to use. It allows you to easily modify existing designs and to adjust them to fit your needs.
For more complex programs I think the best resource I found was for FreeCAD. A lot of the tutorials I tied for other programs assumed you knew more that you did or went to fast. Even the beginner courses would often skip steps here and there. I have trained a lot of people in other fields and it can be hard not to leave out things you know as second nature. There are some FeeeCAD videos that are pretty good for an absolute beginner with no CAD experience. There is probably some great videos out there for other programs as well but that's what I found. I know Fusion 360 is popular and although the concepts are the same I find FreeCAD a little easier.
Just because these videos helped me getting started I'm going to include a link. Like I said I'm sure there are others but this is what I used to get me started. It starts with installing the software which may be to basic but go from there.
To help you along a couple of quick terms.
Filament - is the plastic used in the printer. There are a bunch of different types with pros and cons. PLA is the basic I would start with. Its the easiest to get good results with but not the strongest. Its generally not good for most functional parts but its fine for items not under stress. PETG and the newer PCTG are a step up in strength but not quite as easy to print. Then you get into some of the more demanding filaments that may require a heated build area which is why the more high end printers are enclosed and not open.
Slicer - is the software program that takes the 3D model and outputs a file the printer can actually use. This is where it can get a little complicated with all the options. For a beginner using the slicer developed for a specific printer is the easiest route, Bambu printer / Bambu slicer software.
The 3D model itself is normally in a stl format but there are others. Its a file format for 3D models made up of a bunch of triangles. There are hundreds of palaces to download free 3D models. A few examples are Thingiverse, Printables, Makersworld and Cults. There are search engines specifically for 3D files such as Thangs and Yeggi.
The reason a lot of people recommend the Bambu printers for a beginner is it takes out all of the guess work especially if you use their filament and slicer software. That will let you get started printing without a lot of frustration. Sure there are probably better and bigger printers out there but they take a little more knowledge to get consistent good results with. I know I went down that road.
Designing 3d prints to me is the hard part. I'm not computer illiterate but I didn't have any experience with cad programs and the concepts. There are a ton of designs online you can download for free with some restrictions. I print mostly for myself so that not an issue, if you start getting commercial things are different with the licensing.
I agree Tinkercad is a great way to start and I have and still use a lot to modify designs I found on the web and to make simple items. There is a lot of designs out there and chances are for a lot of things someone has already done a lot of the work. Tinkercad has a lot of features that are simple to use. It allows you to easily modify existing designs and to adjust them to fit your needs.
For more complex programs I think the best resource I found was for FreeCAD. A lot of the tutorials I tied for other programs assumed you knew more that you did or went to fast. Even the beginner courses would often skip steps here and there. I have trained a lot of people in other fields and it can be hard not to leave out things you know as second nature. There are some FeeeCAD videos that are pretty good for an absolute beginner with no CAD experience. There is probably some great videos out there for other programs as well but that's what I found. I know Fusion 360 is popular and although the concepts are the same I find FreeCAD a little easier.
Just because these videos helped me getting started I'm going to include a link. Like I said I'm sure there are others but this is what I used to get me started. It starts with installing the software which may be to basic but go from there.
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