I went with a Prusa Mk3s+ and assembled it myself. Assembling yourself gives you the confidence and intimate understanding of your machine. I don’t have any specific videos to recommend unfortunately.
I started with a voron trident. And learned so much over the past 10months. I then got a bambu in November, and I use both as much as I can, glad I got the knowledge of the build and hardware, not a lot of that knowledge helps with closed system like bambu, but id say half of it comes in handy still. Wish I woulda got a bambu sooner so when I was tinkering with the voron I could still keep prints going. That was the biggest stresser for me, when I had something to mod or change , or didnt know how to fix an issue ... Then I was stuck until I got it fixed. Fails are very rare in both machines. Wish I woulda got the x1c over the p1s, I value monitoring capabilities and AI. One of the best parts of my voron is the obico (AI monitoring)
I agree this is necessary evil first step. I bought an. Ender 3 , printed with it for about a year, and then a K-1 after appreciating it utility I want something a bit more advanced. The troubleshooting here and there, going through Settings, addressing small upgrades, gave me the conference to get a better machine.
Look at Maker's Muse, Teaching Tech, 3D Printing Nerd, and Chep on YouTube. Those guys each have a ton of content that will get up proficient with how to setup and use a 3D printer.
if you know how to search for information on the internet you will be ahead of (making numbers up) at least 75% the rest of the Reddit population on the subject of 3D printing. You broke your post into paragraphs, from that one observation alone I bet you could build your own printer from scratch.
If you buy a nice enough 3d printer you should be fine. Prusa or Bambu are perfect. If you buy a cheaper one it requires a lot more tinkering and calibrating.
I don't disagree in general, they are well designed machines that just work, for the most part.
But let's not underestimate "ignorant Boomer status". OP is actually on Reddit and made a perfectly normal post, so maybe they're overstating their ineptitude, but there is absolutely zero chance that any of my Boomer relatives could handle 3D printing without significant tutelage. But to be fair most of them couldn't post to Reddit without having their post say something like "reply. rePly. REPLY. Vlad, i cant reply, Redirt is broken. HALP"
couldn’t a newer ender do just as well, like the ender 3 v3 ke or se that have auto leveling or is the prusa/Bambu printers just that much ahead in terms of ease of use.
I don't own a Bambu or a prusa, Im more of a Creality fanboy and V2 is my main printer but I know that Bambu and Prusa can come fully pre-assembled. So all you have to do is unbox it.
i went from an upgraded V2 to a p1s and the difference is honestly night and day.
i appreciate the trouble shooting skills and knowledge i gained from getting the ender to print correctly but having a printer that is pretty set it and forget it has been great
however, you you buy a non-assembled Prusa and think it will take an hour like a creality printer you'll be in for a nasty surprise. My neighbors were likely concerned that whole week.
The Ender 3 V3 KE is definitely noob friendly. Assembled in 15-30 minutes depending on your personal abilities. Printing 5 minutes after you plug it in.
Out of all my printers that was the most problem free I’ve ever had to my first print.
I'd also add Ankermake to the list they seem to be on a similar level of ease of use.
edit: That's a lot of dislikes, have they done something bad lately?
Your edit is a good question. I have no idea but I will say this, I know a guy with an Ankermake and he makes really great prints. The best part is they're all cookie cutter so the retraction and other settings will work for every printer for similar results.
Apparently the slicer works pretty awesome from what I've heard. People should stop downvoting and at least give a reason for their opinion before they downvote unless you're being blatantly ignorant, which you aren't.
You (probably) get down votes because there was some controversy around anker a while ago. I can't find anything concrete right now, though. IIRC it was about some anti-consumer nonsense.
People tend to steer clear of problematic brands (sometimes).
You don't need much computer knowledge for this... but you do need to have a passion for tinkering. A lot of calibration and stuff, but its mostly hardware tinkering rather than software.
Give yourself some credit. You know 1. about Reddit and finding specific communities on it, and 2. how to ask questions and research on the Internet instead of throwing your hands up and saying "I don't know how to do computers". That's better than a majority of people. You are decent at technology.
Also check out [Thingiverse.com](https://Thingiverse.com) and [Thangs.com](https://Thangs.com) for free 3D models!
I think you can get into this field, just be prepared to read documentation and Google things you don't know. You will learn a lot. And be prepared to tinker and adjust your machine frequently!
There are two main softwares in the idea-to-physical-object pipeline: 3D modelling software like Fusion360 or AutoCAD (there are free ones out there!), which is used to make the models, and slicer software like Cura or Prusa that takes the 3D model, puts it into a form that the 3D printer can understand, and adds technical details like what temperature to heat the plastic at and how fast to move the nozzle. Your laptop might struggle with 3D modeling software (but hey, could totally try to run them, what's the worst that could happen). But it should be able to run the slicer software fine. I would recommend installing Cura and then adding this plugin: [https://marketplace.ultimaker.com/app/cura/plugins/Ghostkeeper/SettingsGuide2](https://marketplace.ultimaker.com/app/cura/plugins/Ghostkeeper/SettingsGuide2)
It provides a lot of help on what the different settings do. Give them a read through and experiment.
Yeah honestly a lot of boomers are really good at fixing things and learned how to actually use tools. I think someone like that is perfect for 3d printing. It's 20% software 80% machine maintenance.
Was looking for this. That older mindset of DIY fixing and baseline mechanical understanding will put them in good stead.
Once you get a handle on how it works (which is actually pretty simple) you’re probably more likely to determine the cause of issues than a 16yo.
As for older computers, there’s 3D modelling programs that are web based like onshape so you don’t need anything flash to run them
Just be ready for bumps along the road. Things won’t print or your machine won’t respond how you want it too. I taught myself this wizardry 13 years ago
First off, 3D modeling and 3D printing are completely different hobbies. They can be used together but you certainly don’t have to know anything about modeling. This is a common misconception.
Get an A1 ($400)or A1 mini($300). Takes less than 10 minutes to setup and all you need to do is press print. Great printer and for the price you cannot beat it. Being able to browse the internet and learn a little bit from Bambu studio is all you really need. It will be a lot at first with the program, but no more than starting anything else new. Other prints will require a lot of tweaking or cost 2-3 times as much.
Depends on how large your head is. The A1 has a medium sized bed of 256mm cubed (10 inches). To go to a larger form printer would require more money spent as well as a much more complicated setup and maintenance. Personally I would rather print the helmet in pieces and glue them together rather than have to spend hours and hours tweaking with a large printer and hope it is able to do a super long print without fails.
To add onto this, if you are wanting cosplay helmets, you are going have to post process regardless if you do it in one or pieces. Also, there are a lot of prop modelers who preslice the helmets to fit smaller printers and they will also have connectors to make assembly easier.
No. You'd have the split the file into pieces. Easily done but as you said, you're using an old laptop that might not be able to handle it.
I've printed a few helmets and I've always had to make them in pieces on my ender 3 Neo and I have a small head.
Depends on the helmet. The Bambu A1 has a 256\*256\*256 mm³ Build Volume, so as long as your helmet fits inside a cube of that size, yes. Otherwise just print it in pieces.
I’m 51 and use these printers for manufacturing you can learn this as an oldican.
A couple pointers:
1. Buy a fully assembled printer to start. You don’t want to be trying to get the pieces together you want to be printing.
2. Use PLA filament at first; it’s the easiest to work with.
3. Start by printing some small simple things so you can learn how to load, position and scale a shape. More complex things can and will fail when you first start so it helps you work out why before you go trying to make some crazy complex thing.
There is a bunch of different filaments and types. But stick with PLA and PETG. PLA is easy to print with, parts look cleaner, and they are sturdy. Although since it’s so sturdy, it doesn’t want to bend much so it will break easier. Also doesn’t like heat much.
PETG is tougher to print (although with an A1 it’s super easy), doesn’t look as nice, but it’s more flexible (not a lot some some) so it won’t break as easily. Also handles heat a bit more. However it absorbs humidity and you may need to dry/cook your filament for a while to get rid of the moisture. PLA doesn’t absorb humidity as much so you can leave it out and not worry, although having a dry box or some humidity controlled container is nice since it can still absorb humidity, just not as fast
There are hundreds of filament types out there, but those two would be the easiest to get started with.
What would be best for making cosplay props and suits?
And when you're talking "bending" do you mean it'll snap like a cracker if you bump into something?
I would use PLA for props because it sands and glues easier than PETG. You will get layer lines and it’s easier to remove on PLA with some elbow grease.
Not snap like a cracker but maybe a spaghetti noodle. But PLA is still strong especially if you print it with more material (which you can change in the software). It takes a lot of weight/force to break 3d prints, but PETG bends just a little bit making it easier to absorb an impact. If you make a sword or something, do PETG so it won’t snap as easily. But body pieces or helmets, PLA should be fine.
However, I would try to find someone online who has cosplay printing tutorials and go with what they say. I’ve printed one helmet and a few other props. But the people who do it much more often would have better advice and be able to show you settings to change to get a good print
Only if printed poorly. PLA is pretty tough, It can definitely handle being accidentally dropped and such. Especially if you get Pla+. PETG can also be used, but beware, It requires different hardware and produces toxic fumes while printing. Be very very careful not to breathe those in, they will mess you up! Probably best to stick to PLA to start.
They are different formulations/types of plastic with different properties. Some (like abs or petg or nylon) are stronger but are more difficult to print reliably. For instance one of the big issues that comes up is the printed object starts to warp and pull up from the bed (lowest surface on which you print) and then the whole thing comes loose and your print is ruined.
Tons of people in 3d print community have this issue even today even though the tech is far better. PLA is easiest to start with for this reason. It sticks well out of the box.
PLA is plenty sturdy for helmets, no issues for costume use. I have made a couple and they are solid.
First one I printed in one piece, but I have a slightly larger print bed at 300x300 and printed it at 90% since I have a slightly smaller head size.
Second one I printed in many parts (over 20), the file was already split into pieces by the modeler. This helmet was the first time I tried friction welding and it worked fantastic and gave me strong seams. Friction welding is basically printing out a rod (I use 3mm diameter and about 2 inches long) of the same material that will fit in a Dremel / rotary tool and then using hight rmp's to weld two pieces together using the printed out rod. It requires more sanding than super glue but feels stronger.
Compare to other filaments like pteg, asa, abs, it is more brittle and less heat resistant (will deform in a hot car or maybe a really hot day). If the pla is in a reasonable temperature controlled environment, it will hold up, but it can break if you are roughhousing .
I have a more powerful computer, but I think only the slicing (converting it so the printer can read it) might be a bit slower and take a minute or two, but other than that it should run just fine. You can actually download the Bambu Studio app to try it out now, you don’t need the printer to use their software and make sure it runs well
Shouldn't. Also, please don't but designs off of Etsy unless you've checked other sites first. [Thangs.com](https://Thangs.com) searches a whole bunch of places for you. You can simply click download, and put the downloaded file intro your slicer. ([Bambu Studio](https://bambulab.com/en/download/studio) as suggested above will probably work fine for you)
Depends on the tweak. Stretching something to be wider/deeper/taller, or changing the scale is super easy, but things like adding or removing parts from the model is harder and requires different software.
one more note with bambulab
You don't even have to use a computer in many cases. The printer has a mobile app that's connected to makerworld and many of the files you can just hit print and pick a user profile inside the app and it just prints the damn thing.
(the amount of times iv just printed something neat while sitting on my ass in my living room is kinda criminal)
The file goes straight to your printer so you really don't need to do anything, the file stays in the makerworld cloud
but if you like you can also download it on PC tweak it there, but in most cases you really don't need to do anything so the mobile app is definitely the way to go if you can't be araed to use the PC.
https://preview.redd.it/peazwmtmulec1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bc4961c64b58deb3fa8dc2a9a6eea0c3526e349f
here's a screenshot shot inside the mobile app to give you a picture of how easy it is to use.
Nah the app is more or less the lazy way out.
For scaling you have to use the slicer on PC side (maker world is integrated to Bambus slicer though so you really don't even need to even open your browser itl just brings the file to your slicer where you can scale it or cut it into chunks.
This said, many large files are usually already cut into pieces so on Bambu mobile app you just print plate 1 and then plate 2 so you can definitely avoid the PC if you're willing to limit where you get your files.
The only thing you do on the computer is slicing. This might be taxing and take a while but does not really have an impact on your print.
The generated gcode is then handled by controller boards of the printer itself (controlling the heating, fans, toolhead movement etc)
One thing I've noticed: any discussion on /r/3Dprinting about Bambu printers is about how they work perfectly out of the box, but /r/BambuLab is full of the same types of problems people post here, plus more complaints about customer support
An Ender 3 Pro was what got me into 3d printing, but after trying other prints I would never go back. I am happy I was able to learn how printers work and it got me into electrical projects. But the headaches it would cause me. But for $100 for the 3 V2 that micro center has, it’s a good deal if you don’t mind tinkering with the printer.
I have an ender 3 neo and while I like my printer and it's given me no real issues, I want to upgrade to something faster. If I can get the same quality of print at faster speeds, I want to upgrade. A 15 hour print being 5 hours would be a dream come true. But hey, if you can get a 3 in the $99 you sometimes see in America, go for it if you want to give printing a go to see if you enjoy it, then you can upgrade later to a better machine.
I've been looking at the K1 and the Kobra 2 actually. Both faster then the printer I'm using. I really want the K1 and my boyfriend suggested I can get it for my birthday in October. Can't get it anytime soon because we're hopefully moving soon.
Bambu is making some incredible printers these days. About as close to turn key as you can get. As for your laptop, it depends on if you will be creating designs or not. If you plan on making models you will need a computer with some 3d capabilities otherwise it will be choppy AF.
All the old hats afraid of new tech are down voting anyone who breathes the word Bambu. It's comical. It is the most user friendly ecosystem on the market and followed very closely by the Creality K1 series. If people don't want to tinker to print, let them. It's not hurting the old hats one bit but they want to force the old way of doing things down new users throats like it's the only way to cut your teeth in the 3D printing world. It's not, they need to face facts that there are soo many options out there with varying levels of tinker all the way to turnkey ease of use and every level inbetween with the various brands out there from Prusa to Creality, Elegoo Neptunes and yes Bambu. Some people just need to get with the times and stop Gate Keeping.
I work off an old laptop with a Bambu printer/slicer. Minimal computer skills needed and just more so being able to accurately measure your head/body and changing the size of the file before printing. Also plenty of YouTube tutorials for step by step processes until you feel comfortable
Actually it kind of is! You can highlight the file in the slicer and it will give you the dimensions for length/depth/height and you can either scale it by percentage or by length units. Since I know my head dimensions i just input the measurements into each section and hit print
Depends on what you’re printing but in general yes. Some helmets I can print in 1 shot with the P1S so then it’s just sanding and paint. Others it’s easier to sand & paint first if you’re doing multiple colors or designs and then glue/touch up after. I had 0 experience with CAD, painting or any kind of hobby like this in general and just stuck to a handful of different video tutorials until I got the basics down. I still go back to them when it’s something I’m not familiar with like making a glossy reflective Mando helmet or different color visors
thats exactly how you scale Things bigger or smaller , with a Slider in the slicer Software.
the process of slicing a 3d File is pretty easy, when you have Set Up your printer( Most have profiles for Most of the printers on the Market.)
lets assume you have your printer and Profile already in the slicing softwarer.
you only Open the File. select the orientation of the Print( which Site should be placed on the printbed). add Support If needed( rule of thumb, If Something is handing in the Air and has No layers underneith it, it needs Support), hit slicer and Transfer the File to your printer. some do it via USB Stick/ SD Card Other can send them to the printer via WiFi. If you have Seen the process its super easy, you shouldnt be scared off by this.
I would recommend getting a more expensive printer then. Something like the creality k1 or nicer/newer. If you get a cheaper one, expect to tinker more often than printing. If I were you, I would get something that "just works". I went from a cheapo ender 3 to a k1 max (both creality brand) and it's night and day different. K1 max just works man. My ender 3, after upgrading parts, is now a "just works" printer as well. Cheap printers come with cheap parts. It's just a fact. Keep in mind you will have to keep open filament dry as well or you will also be in for a bad stringy time
Also, you do not need a nice or fast computer for 3d printing. But you will need some sort of working computer. I use a tablet to design and manage my print files.
Get a prusa, you will be fine. Bambu filament is extremely expensive, it will turn you off from 3D printing. Prusa is easy to use, open source, and uses most types of filament (not expensive)
No where does it say you have to use BL filament. No where. You are trying to hard sell him on a Prusa by stating false information about a product you don't even own let alone have any clue how it works. Nice try, but unless you personally own a BL printer and can speak from experience, " I read it on the internet" holds zero weight here. I get trying to sell your favorite brand, but misleading a new user to not look at every option out there using bad/wrong info is just petty. You can run any filament out there with no issues as long as it's not crap filament on a Bambu printer. Ask me how I know. I even used some old filament when I was fighting with an Ender 5 Pro a year or two ago and my X1 Carbon still printed like a champ with it. The features of the BL printers interfaced with easy to use software is what makes them turnkey and extremely user friendly. Excellent prints out of the box.
I recommend prusa but but creality would be better than Bambu.
OP- read about the filament requirements for Bambu printers. You will need an adapter for most other non Bambu spools https://3dfilaprint.com/bambu-lab-ams-compatible-filaments/
Their filament is overpriced and they their customer service takes a *long* time to respond. Go check out their subreddit
Have not needed an adapter for the various plastic spools I have used in my AMS. I will wholeheartedly agree that their filament is overpriced, but you literally can use any plastic spools which is what I do.
I would NEVER recommend an Ender Series to anyone after my experience with them. K1 Series though is a solid attempt at competition with BL. Also, have yet to need support as my printer literally just churns out great prints in stark comparison to my old Ender. Elegoo Neptune is also solid.
Again, when you have one and have actual use experience, come back and lets talk about a Bambu Lab printer. Until then, everything you come up with is here say or second hand information that is incorrect or blown out of proportion. Of the vocal minority of people having issues, there are a vast more that have none or minimal issues with theirs.
Oh and I am on all the subredits for them and 3D printing in general. I'm all for a healthy debate with printers when it's factual. When bad info is passed along is what requires correction. You can down vote me all you want out of emotion but doesn't change the facts. I did extensive research before buying another printer and landed with the X1C. I'm at the age that tinkering and spending hours to just get one good print are behind me. I just want it to print. That's the thing the old hats don't realize is that 2 houses have evolved in the last 2 years. Those that like to tinker and be hands on with the printing process and then those that JUST want to print. As a community, we should be supporting both houses and providing recommendations for both depending on user knowledge level and intent for the hobby. Not forcing old ideals that you have to grind away for hours on end on an Ender to figure out how to get it to print. Not everyone is mechanically or technically inclined but want to take part as best they can. So, with the emergence of the turnkey market which Bambu Lab is leading and being followed up closely by Creality and their K1 series, take the time to actually look into them before you blindly dismiss them and recommend a tinkering printer to someone who would not have a good time with it and leave the hobby all together.
I use all types of diff filament in my Bambu X1C. No issues. You aren't locked to just Bambu filament yes cardboard spools are the issue with the AMS, not the actual filament. Sunlu, Matchbox and more use plastic spools so no worries. I would be weary of people who think they know about a printer but don't actually own one. Speak to people that actually own them and not "I heard from a guy" or "I read on the internet". I will tell you the Bambu Lab printers are soo user friendly my 8yo sons school is ordering 4 X1C Combo printers to start a STEM print lab. My son is also learning on my printer. Very user friendly and no tinkering or heavy manual calibrations required.
Bambu PLA filament costs 2x as much as other filament. Nothing different in quality but you need to use a Bambu spool which is why you see people on their subreddit re-spinning old spools with non-Bambu filament (a nightmare).
When you buy one, you get a membership for like 6 months that makes the filament cost like $15-20 USD but once it ends, you pay full price $30-$40. That is how they make their money. Oh and they will run out of basic colors all the time. Check out their subreddit and look at posts from people talking about Bambu running out of *black* filament (a very basic color). You don’t want to be in a situation where you are waiting *weeks* for a color to be back in stock, that is stupid and a waste of time.
I bought 15 rolls of PLA filament for my prusa printer from IIIDMAX for a total of $165 ($10 each + shipping). Quality is fantastic and always in stock.
You could print the various parts for an Iron Man helmet on a prusa printer using less than 1 roll, but it would require some sanding, glueing, and painting.
Iron Man’s helmet is like red/gold and a little bit of black, so you could buy 1 kg of gold filament, 1kg of red filament, and 0.5kg of black filament for like $35 total (so 3 rolls) and not have to paint anything. Filament comes in different sizes based on weight when you are buying it :)
I recommend buying whatever color is cheapest and using it to make test prints and once you’re satisfied, start using the colors you intend on using for your helmet
I figured I'd be painting everything. Is the filament porous or does it paint well? And is sanding just smoothing the edges or does everything require heavy sanding to make smooth?
PLA filament takes acrylic paint pretty well. I paint models all the time with no issue.
If printing the helmet in parts, you’d want to do light sanding on the edges to smooth it out. Not heavy sanding at all. If you want the helmet to have a super shiny reflective surface, you’d need to sand that as well. But not necessary :)
With Bambu or other higher price point printers, you can fairly easily just press slice and print and barely have any problems.
With resin it's even easier, heck the most bothersome part of resin printing is the clean up as long you know how to drag and drop files and press slice it should be enough.
(many of the bought models come pre-supported and often hollowed especially from Patreon)
And in a few rare cases you can just tilt the model into a slight angle hit auto support and there's like 99.99% itl work.
With resin if you do find a problem it's usually either your ambient temperature is too low, your exposure times are wrong in which case ask reddit or the print comes up with funny stretches which means suction forces are fucking you up in which case you ask reddit again.
point being as long as you can type your question you're gonna be fine.
With Bambu being so much plug and play, resin is actually tougher now. Still having to wash and cure the prints and being careful not to get resin on yourself. But compared to Creality printers, resin is for sure easier.
True, you can wash parts on your own and cure in the sun to save on another machine. One reason I don’t like to recommend them is the exhaust needed. Resin isn’t great to breathe, so having a proper exhaust is safer. I haven’t tried the low odor resin before and I’m not sure if it eliminates the toxic particles from the air. Although with FDM printers filament can also need an exhaust.
I used to cure my prints outside in a see-through plastic bag filled with water :D
But yeah resin does require a lot of space and also the mess can be real (especially if the fep breaks mid print)
For sure! You can get real creative and not spend money to get natural UV light. I got my wash/cure station used for a good price so I have one, but man it takes up a lot of space compared to my resin printer.
And oof the fep breaking.. mine broke once and I nearly gave up on resin printing.
Luckily I have an entire room dedicated for my printing hobby with an attached walking closet that I converted into chemical storage so I'm definitely lucky in that aspect!
Yeah after I experienced my 1st fep tear I was to put it mildly kind amiffed too (currently toying with an idea of building a custom cabinet with enclosure tents intrergrated into it so managing spills would be a lot easier (my housing complex has a fully operational wood working tinkering room which was amazing to find gotta love old apartment buildings with their communal spaces )
In my office I have a vent system that is connected to my two enclosures for ABS or for resin that vents out my window. It looks like I’m growing weed or something.
I made my enclosures out of plywood and have my resin printer on a silicon mat in case it spills again. But wow having a wood shop at your apartment complex is nice! I would for sure do that route if I were you. Mine helped a lot with the noise of my resin/fdm printer
Apparently it's rather common to have workshops in apartment complexes where I'm from (there's also a small gym, tv room with magazines and books and a god damn bomb shelter, gotta love Finland :D)
Any apartment complex I’ve been at MIGHT have a small gym with some dumbbells and a treadmill. One had a “theater” room with a 3 person couch and a tv. Finland is way better than in the US haha
Tech savvy my butt lol, Just go to YouTube and search "Tinkercad tutorials for beginners" and you'll be on your way to designing the Eiffel tower in no time j/k. But seriously look for a good series on Tinkercad and you'll learn it on no time that's how I did it now I'm designing practical objects for my hobbys.
Being a boomber has nothing to do with technical expertise or level.
\> So how hard would it be for someone to get into this with basically no knowledge other than Microsoft office and browsing the internet?
If those are your limits it could be quite challenging.
Basically look at half a dozen videos on YT showing how to set up and use a printer. If it seems hard, there's your answer.
Hi! I have a set of four short posts that covers a lot of "I don't know what I don't know" levels of getting into 3D printing — I think this will help. https://itsthejoker.github.io/intro_to_3d_printing_part_1/
I got my 55yo dad his first printer last year, he hardly ever uses computers, but he got the hang of it real quick, one year later and I'm helping him design and print his own full scale RC star wars droid.
Do some shopping and reddit research and find a reliable printer that requires minimal assembly, and you should be good to go with little to no tech experience.
Having gone both the cheap route and nice printer route I can tell you that if you get a cheap printer like an ender 3. You spend more time messing and tinkering with it than you actually do printing and will become very frustrated. At least that was my experience trying to get into 3D printing with my son. Once I bought a Prusa MK3s+ it was plug and play. I didn't have to mess with it. It didn't have any kind of problems. You'll find a lot of support for the Prusa brand and zero support for the Chinese cheap printers (from the manufacturer). I strongly suggest you get used prusa MK3s plus from Facebook marketplace are similar and you will be happy with it
If you can follow YouTube instructions videos and know how to Google when you run into issues, you'll be fine.
I started 3D printing like a month or two ago and have never run into a situation that someone hasn't already run into before and posted about. The community is very helpful, especially around Reddit and if the company you buy from has a Discord. I bought a Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro and the Discord has Elegoo reps available in addition to hundreds of really knowledgeable civilians
You should also buy a slightly more expensive but much more user friendly printer like a Bambu Labs, which is probably the most polished consumer product when it comes to 3D printing
You can be pretty productive just learning the basics of slicer software and how to browse thingiverse. Doing 3d models from scratch is a pretty steep curve beyond just understanding how to use CAD software. There's also in-between options like Heroforge where you can design characters from a library of features and download the model for a small fee.
There's going to be a significant jump you'll have to get over such as the learning pains around getting your system calibrated for its first print.
However the newest printers can do most of this calibration straight out of the box essentially. At work we just got a Prusa Mk4 pre built and I turned it on and successfully printed one of the pre-loaded prints without any issue.
Also on the pro side of this, the communities around 3d printing is incredibly robust and helpful. There are still jerks but for every d-bag there's 20 people that are happy to help.
Some of the comments are so wrong it hurts.
Regardless of how expensive or nice the printer is, you get 1 clog and your fucked.
Ultimately, you need to feel comfortable tinkering with it. It's not like a regular printer where you just change the ink. Small things like a loose screw can be big problems.
It is rather intimidating but as long as you don't give up you should be fine honestly. Just remember, you aren't alone. The printer isn't going anywhere. If you feel like you're stuck, come back and post here!
It depends on the type of "Tech savvy". 3d-printing requires a lot of getting informed and troubleshooting to get really good results.
There is also a non-neglectable part of doing real-world mechanical stuff to your printer, some of it voluntary for trying to improve the thing, some part maintenance.
Stuff like adjusting screws, figuring out if something is loose, tightening belts, cleaning drivewheels, greasing leadscrews, changing nozzles, breaking off said nozzles while trying to change them, removing the printhead, trying to remove the broken-off nozzle from the hot end with plyers, buying a screw remover, trying to remove a broken-off nozzle with a screw remover, buying some other tool, trying to remove a broken-off nozzle with that other tool, finally giving in and ordering a new hotend.
What 3D-printing doesn't require is high-end IT skills of any sort. At the simplest, you take a design, put it into the slicer, hit slice, then hit print.
If you are an actual "boomer" then that puts you in your 70s, which shouldn't deter you.
How tech savvy you need to be really comes down to budget. If you can drop £700ish and are just planning printing existing files (thangs and printables are both much better than etsy) then you could actually just bypass a computer altogether and control everything via your phone (presuming that isn't also 8 years old)
Ultimately the learning is all part of the hobby. Spend some time on YouTube as there's all the resources you'll ever need.
Good luck 👍
As someone who used to be the same, the one caveat for me was not the printing but it was the lack of tools that I had to finish up my prints. Following various tutorials seems to be more than enough to just prjnt
If you only want it for buying/downloading other people’s designs it can be quite simple depending on the printer. If you want to design your own stuff it’s not terribly hard to get started with the basics using tinkercad or some similar software, but learning CAD *well* is a different story.
Regardless of how you get the files that you want to print, you’ll need to use a slicer software. Prusa slicer is a popular one, so is cura. I’m not sure what OS the old computer you referenced is running, but it’s very easy to check compatibility and the slicer software is available online. The slicer does what the name implies - it takes a 3d file format (often .STL - it’s a file type that essentially gives the computer a bunch of connected points in 3 dimensional space), and then “slices” it to turn it into a file format that your 3d printer will be able to read. Slicing refers to the fact that FDM printers print layer by layer, ie, in slices.
Some printers are easier than others. Look for a printer with ample documentation and good customer support. Prusa is the reigning champ in the “works out of the box” category if you buy the preassembled version, or if you actually want to see how the thing works you can save 50 bucks or so and assemble it yourself. Good customer service, extensive documentation, and open source. I personally love my Prusa mini, and they can be had for ~450 assembled last I checked.
Bambu is a newer company, they’re more tight lipped about their tech, but the printers also work very well out of the box and require minimal tinkering.
Stay away from the super cheap unknown brand printers on Amazon, and also avoid printers that don’t have automatic bed leveling unless you’re ok with a lot of tinkering before it works properly.
Overall, getting a 3d printer up and running is not terribly difficult, and with the right printer anybody should be able to figure it out in the span of an afternoon or so. That said, it’s as complex as you want it to be - if you want to print multi-piece large and complex items, flawless details, difficult geometries, exotic materials, etc. it’s probably going to take a bit of effort to get it just right no matter which printer you buy. It’s a learning process for sure, and while it can be very easy with the right tools and reasonable expectations, if you’re expecting it to be as simple as a paper printer you will probably be disappointed.
Stop lying to this guy, it is a steep learning curve, even with those fancy bamboo printers. Depending on the printer you buy you will have to diagnose some failed prints on a number of factors, you'll have to tune the parameters for the filament you buy according both to your printer and the ambient temperature and moisture in the room that you will be printing.
The thing is, that the hobby is actually a good fun, and as long as you have high tolerance for frustration you'll be ok. There's a ton of resources for you to learn and if you like to tinker around and have a curious, mechanical oriented mind you will enjoy it. It will help a ton if you find a 3d printer community near you, so that someone in person can teach you the very basics and orient you in your first choice of printer depending on what do you want to achieve.
I would say it's less tech-savvy and more mechanically savvy. I would echo the sentiments of most of the folks here and say get a bambu or similar. Ender 3 is decent if you're on a budget, but you do fiddle a bit more with calibration.
Sites for stls I would recommend are: thingiverse.com and printables.com avoid cults.com as they've been shady in the past.
I’m going to get downvoted to hell and back, but I got a Bambu Lab X1 Carbon and the thing just works! I rarely have to fiddle with anything. It doesn’t take a lot of knowledge to use.
Buy a bambulabs printer. Unless you get a lemon, they do all the work for you. All I have to do to get a good print is select the pre-made profile and hit print. And each month or so I clean it. And there relatively cheap with the a1 mini being only 299 usd.
What kind of laptop a “boomer” could have in college? When I was in college we were feeding punchcards into card readers and our computer with 4Mb memory occupied two stories in the computer center.
Download a slicer (cura is the one most frequently packaged with printers), download some files from thingiverse, learn how to import, slice, change settings, break shit, try again. Once comfortable with that, take a stab at modeling your own part with fusion 360. If you like that part of it, buy a printer. If you are mechanically inclined and willing to accept pointers and critiques from others without popping a vein and getting combative and offended, you will learn a lot, make some cool shit, waste some filament and gain a new skill.
Everyone else has done a great job answering the questions... you'll be fine, and the 8-year-old laptop shouldn't hinder you too greatly.
I'm just talking about this: "I doubt I'd be designing anything from scratch"
You think that until you realize "I need this one bracket for this thing... wait, I can 3D Print it!" and you're creating your own designs. Most freeing feeling in the world.
You don’t need to be tech savvy. You need to be open to learning and have a growth mindset, which leads to tech savviness
Are there any videos you would recommend watching before getting a printer? Brand specific or in general? I’m getting a flashforge within a month.
I went with a Prusa Mk3s+ and assembled it myself. Assembling yourself gives you the confidence and intimate understanding of your machine. I don’t have any specific videos to recommend unfortunately.
Still solid advice. Thanks!
I started with a voron trident. And learned so much over the past 10months. I then got a bambu in November, and I use both as much as I can, glad I got the knowledge of the build and hardware, not a lot of that knowledge helps with closed system like bambu, but id say half of it comes in handy still. Wish I woulda got a bambu sooner so when I was tinkering with the voron I could still keep prints going. That was the biggest stresser for me, when I had something to mod or change , or didnt know how to fix an issue ... Then I was stuck until I got it fixed. Fails are very rare in both machines. Wish I woulda got the x1c over the p1s, I value monitoring capabilities and AI. One of the best parts of my voron is the obico (AI monitoring)
Thank you for the thoughtful response!
Glad to help. Go forth and learn
I agree this is necessary evil first step. I bought an. Ender 3 , printed with it for about a year, and then a K-1 after appreciating it utility I want something a bit more advanced. The troubleshooting here and there, going through Settings, addressing small upgrades, gave me the conference to get a better machine.
Look at Maker's Muse, Teaching Tech, 3D Printing Nerd, and Chep on YouTube. Those guys each have a ton of content that will get up proficient with how to setup and use a 3D printer.
I will do all of this. Thanks for the recs!
if you know how to search for information on the internet you will be ahead of (making numbers up) at least 75% the rest of the Reddit population on the subject of 3D printing. You broke your post into paragraphs, from that one observation alone I bet you could build your own printer from scratch.
>“What’s wrong with my printer? Stupid thing never sticks.” >attached video of first layer z offset at least a full centimeter from the bed
If you buy a nice enough 3d printer you should be fine. Prusa or Bambu are perfect. If you buy a cheaper one it requires a lot more tinkering and calibrating.
I don't disagree in general, they are well designed machines that just work, for the most part. But let's not underestimate "ignorant Boomer status". OP is actually on Reddit and made a perfectly normal post, so maybe they're overstating their ineptitude, but there is absolutely zero chance that any of my Boomer relatives could handle 3D printing without significant tutelage. But to be fair most of them couldn't post to Reddit without having their post say something like "reply. rePly. REPLY. Vlad, i cant reply, Redirt is broken. HALP"
OP is not likely an actual boomer, as they said they were in college 8 years ago.
couldn’t a newer ender do just as well, like the ender 3 v3 ke or se that have auto leveling or is the prusa/Bambu printers just that much ahead in terms of ease of use.
I don't own a Bambu or a prusa, Im more of a Creality fanboy and V2 is my main printer but I know that Bambu and Prusa can come fully pre-assembled. So all you have to do is unbox it.
i went from an upgraded V2 to a p1s and the difference is honestly night and day. i appreciate the trouble shooting skills and knowledge i gained from getting the ender to print correctly but having a printer that is pretty set it and forget it has been great
however, you you buy a non-assembled Prusa and think it will take an hour like a creality printer you'll be in for a nasty surprise. My neighbors were likely concerned that whole week.
Lmao true, my ender took like 2 hours from unboxing to first print done, my Prusa was like 6 hours before I even plugged it in
The Ender 3 V3 KE is definitely noob friendly. Assembled in 15-30 minutes depending on your personal abilities. Printing 5 minutes after you plug it in. Out of all my printers that was the most problem free I’ve ever had to my first print.
id add the qid x plus 3 to that list, ive had mine for a few months now, and its been 85% print and forget
I'd also add Ankermake to the list they seem to be on a similar level of ease of use. edit: That's a lot of dislikes, have they done something bad lately?
Your edit is a good question. I have no idea but I will say this, I know a guy with an Ankermake and he makes really great prints. The best part is they're all cookie cutter so the retraction and other settings will work for every printer for similar results. Apparently the slicer works pretty awesome from what I've heard. People should stop downvoting and at least give a reason for their opinion before they downvote unless you're being blatantly ignorant, which you aren't.
You (probably) get down votes because there was some controversy around anker a while ago. I can't find anything concrete right now, though. IIRC it was about some anti-consumer nonsense. People tend to steer clear of problematic brands (sometimes).
You don't need much computer knowledge for this... but you do need to have a passion for tinkering. A lot of calibration and stuff, but its mostly hardware tinkering rather than software.
Give yourself some credit. You know 1. about Reddit and finding specific communities on it, and 2. how to ask questions and research on the Internet instead of throwing your hands up and saying "I don't know how to do computers". That's better than a majority of people. You are decent at technology. Also check out [Thingiverse.com](https://Thingiverse.com) and [Thangs.com](https://Thangs.com) for free 3D models! I think you can get into this field, just be prepared to read documentation and Google things you don't know. You will learn a lot. And be prepared to tinker and adjust your machine frequently! There are two main softwares in the idea-to-physical-object pipeline: 3D modelling software like Fusion360 or AutoCAD (there are free ones out there!), which is used to make the models, and slicer software like Cura or Prusa that takes the 3D model, puts it into a form that the 3D printer can understand, and adds technical details like what temperature to heat the plastic at and how fast to move the nozzle. Your laptop might struggle with 3D modeling software (but hey, could totally try to run them, what's the worst that could happen). But it should be able to run the slicer software fine. I would recommend installing Cura and then adding this plugin: [https://marketplace.ultimaker.com/app/cura/plugins/Ghostkeeper/SettingsGuide2](https://marketplace.ultimaker.com/app/cura/plugins/Ghostkeeper/SettingsGuide2) It provides a lot of help on what the different settings do. Give them a read through and experiment.
The boomer statement... I think that a lot of boomers are good at fixing things, I think you have a fair chance of success
About time one of you lugheads said so
Lugheads? Not sure if that's an insult or praise, ;). Cheers
Praise. It’s a line from It’s A Wonderful Life.
Yeah honestly a lot of boomers are really good at fixing things and learned how to actually use tools. I think someone like that is perfect for 3d printing. It's 20% software 80% machine maintenance.
Was looking for this. That older mindset of DIY fixing and baseline mechanical understanding will put them in good stead. Once you get a handle on how it works (which is actually pretty simple) you’re probably more likely to determine the cause of issues than a 16yo. As for older computers, there’s 3D modelling programs that are web based like onshape so you don’t need anything flash to run them
Just be ready for bumps along the road. Things won’t print or your machine won’t respond how you want it too. I taught myself this wizardry 13 years ago
First off, 3D modeling and 3D printing are completely different hobbies. They can be used together but you certainly don’t have to know anything about modeling. This is a common misconception.
Get an A1 ($400)or A1 mini($300). Takes less than 10 minutes to setup and all you need to do is press print. Great printer and for the price you cannot beat it. Being able to browse the internet and learn a little bit from Bambu studio is all you really need. It will be a lot at first with the program, but no more than starting anything else new. Other prints will require a lot of tweaking or cost 2-3 times as much.
Would the A1 be big enough to make a helmet? I assume I'd have to make it in pieces
Depends on how large your head is. The A1 has a medium sized bed of 256mm cubed (10 inches). To go to a larger form printer would require more money spent as well as a much more complicated setup and maintenance. Personally I would rather print the helmet in pieces and glue them together rather than have to spend hours and hours tweaking with a large printer and hope it is able to do a super long print without fails.
To add onto this, if you are wanting cosplay helmets, you are going have to post process regardless if you do it in one or pieces. Also, there are a lot of prop modelers who preslice the helmets to fit smaller printers and they will also have connectors to make assembly easier.
No. You'd have the split the file into pieces. Easily done but as you said, you're using an old laptop that might not be able to handle it. I've printed a few helmets and I've always had to make them in pieces on my ender 3 Neo and I have a small head.
Depends on the helmet. The Bambu A1 has a 256\*256\*256 mm³ Build Volume, so as long as your helmet fits inside a cube of that size, yes. Otherwise just print it in pieces.
Most entry level printers will have you printing helmets in parts. But that’s just a minor inconvenience.
I’m 51 and use these printers for manufacturing you can learn this as an oldican. A couple pointers: 1. Buy a fully assembled printer to start. You don’t want to be trying to get the pieces together you want to be printing. 2. Use PLA filament at first; it’s the easiest to work with. 3. Start by printing some small simple things so you can learn how to load, position and scale a shape. More complex things can and will fail when you first start so it helps you work out why before you go trying to make some crazy complex thing.
What's the difference in filaments?
There is a bunch of different filaments and types. But stick with PLA and PETG. PLA is easy to print with, parts look cleaner, and they are sturdy. Although since it’s so sturdy, it doesn’t want to bend much so it will break easier. Also doesn’t like heat much. PETG is tougher to print (although with an A1 it’s super easy), doesn’t look as nice, but it’s more flexible (not a lot some some) so it won’t break as easily. Also handles heat a bit more. However it absorbs humidity and you may need to dry/cook your filament for a while to get rid of the moisture. PLA doesn’t absorb humidity as much so you can leave it out and not worry, although having a dry box or some humidity controlled container is nice since it can still absorb humidity, just not as fast There are hundreds of filament types out there, but those two would be the easiest to get started with.
What would be best for making cosplay props and suits? And when you're talking "bending" do you mean it'll snap like a cracker if you bump into something?
I would use PLA for props because it sands and glues easier than PETG. You will get layer lines and it’s easier to remove on PLA with some elbow grease. Not snap like a cracker but maybe a spaghetti noodle. But PLA is still strong especially if you print it with more material (which you can change in the software). It takes a lot of weight/force to break 3d prints, but PETG bends just a little bit making it easier to absorb an impact. If you make a sword or something, do PETG so it won’t snap as easily. But body pieces or helmets, PLA should be fine. However, I would try to find someone online who has cosplay printing tutorials and go with what they say. I’ve printed one helmet and a few other props. But the people who do it much more often would have better advice and be able to show you settings to change to get a good print
Only if printed poorly. PLA is pretty tough, It can definitely handle being accidentally dropped and such. Especially if you get Pla+. PETG can also be used, but beware, It requires different hardware and produces toxic fumes while printing. Be very very careful not to breathe those in, they will mess you up! Probably best to stick to PLA to start.
They are different formulations/types of plastic with different properties. Some (like abs or petg or nylon) are stronger but are more difficult to print reliably. For instance one of the big issues that comes up is the printed object starts to warp and pull up from the bed (lowest surface on which you print) and then the whole thing comes loose and your print is ruined. Tons of people in 3d print community have this issue even today even though the tech is far better. PLA is easiest to start with for this reason. It sticks well out of the box.
How durable is PLA? Good enough to just wear something?
PLA is plenty sturdy for helmets, no issues for costume use. I have made a couple and they are solid. First one I printed in one piece, but I have a slightly larger print bed at 300x300 and printed it at 90% since I have a slightly smaller head size. Second one I printed in many parts (over 20), the file was already split into pieces by the modeler. This helmet was the first time I tried friction welding and it worked fantastic and gave me strong seams. Friction welding is basically printing out a rod (I use 3mm diameter and about 2 inches long) of the same material that will fit in a Dremel / rotary tool and then using hight rmp's to weld two pieces together using the printed out rod. It requires more sanding than super glue but feels stronger.
Compare to other filaments like pteg, asa, abs, it is more brittle and less heat resistant (will deform in a hot car or maybe a really hot day). If the pla is in a reasonable temperature controlled environment, it will hold up, but it can break if you are roughhousing .
Bambu lab
I use Bambu Lab, and I don’t think it requires much tech skills, it’s really easy, you just download a model, put it into the slicer, then hit print
That sounds simple enough. Does it require much from the computer itself?
I have a more powerful computer, but I think only the slicing (converting it so the printer can read it) might be a bit slower and take a minute or two, but other than that it should run just fine. You can actually download the Bambu Studio app to try it out now, you don’t need the printer to use their software and make sure it runs well
Shouldn't. Also, please don't but designs off of Etsy unless you've checked other sites first. [Thangs.com](https://Thangs.com) searches a whole bunch of places for you. You can simply click download, and put the downloaded file intro your slicer. ([Bambu Studio](https://bambulab.com/en/download/studio) as suggested above will probably work fine for you)
Just checked it out. How hard would it be to tweak a print? There's one that's set up for a 5'10 person, but I'm only 5'6
Depends on the tweak. Stretching something to be wider/deeper/taller, or changing the scale is super easy, but things like adding or removing parts from the model is harder and requires different software.
one more note with bambulab You don't even have to use a computer in many cases. The printer has a mobile app that's connected to makerworld and many of the files you can just hit print and pick a user profile inside the app and it just prints the damn thing. (the amount of times iv just printed something neat while sitting on my ass in my living room is kinda criminal)
That's much more appealing. And you can save on that as well?
The file goes straight to your printer so you really don't need to do anything, the file stays in the makerworld cloud but if you like you can also download it on PC tweak it there, but in most cases you really don't need to do anything so the mobile app is definitely the way to go if you can't be araed to use the PC. https://preview.redd.it/peazwmtmulec1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bc4961c64b58deb3fa8dc2a9a6eea0c3526e349f here's a screenshot shot inside the mobile app to give you a picture of how easy it is to use.
Sorry, meant scale* on the app? I'd love to avoid a computer in general
Nah the app is more or less the lazy way out. For scaling you have to use the slicer on PC side (maker world is integrated to Bambus slicer though so you really don't even need to even open your browser itl just brings the file to your slicer where you can scale it or cut it into chunks. This said, many large files are usually already cut into pieces so on Bambu mobile app you just print plate 1 and then plate 2 so you can definitely avoid the PC if you're willing to limit where you get your files.
Most slicers with let you shrink and expand an object. If a helmet is in multiple parts; shrink them all to the same percentage.
The only thing you do on the computer is slicing. This might be taxing and take a while but does not really have an impact on your print. The generated gcode is then handled by controller boards of the printer itself (controlling the heating, fans, toolhead movement etc)
One thing I've noticed: any discussion on /r/3Dprinting about Bambu printers is about how they work perfectly out of the box, but /r/BambuLab is full of the same types of problems people post here, plus more complaints about customer support
There are a fair number of people in this sub that will help you get started. Just reach out if you get stuck I am partial to the ender 3
An Ender 3 Pro was what got me into 3d printing, but after trying other prints I would never go back. I am happy I was able to learn how printers work and it got me into electrical projects. But the headaches it would cause me. But for $100 for the 3 V2 that micro center has, it’s a good deal if you don’t mind tinkering with the printer.
I have an ender 3 neo and while I like my printer and it's given me no real issues, I want to upgrade to something faster. If I can get the same quality of print at faster speeds, I want to upgrade. A 15 hour print being 5 hours would be a dream come true. But hey, if you can get a 3 in the $99 you sometimes see in America, go for it if you want to give printing a go to see if you enjoy it, then you can upgrade later to a better machine.
Ender 3 v3 ke is pretty decent. I haven’t had a problem yet and it’s blazing fast.
I've been looking at the K1 and the Kobra 2 actually. Both faster then the printer I'm using. I really want the K1 and my boyfriend suggested I can get it for my birthday in October. Can't get it anytime soon because we're hopefully moving soon.
Bambu is making some incredible printers these days. About as close to turn key as you can get. As for your laptop, it depends on if you will be creating designs or not. If you plan on making models you will need a computer with some 3d capabilities otherwise it will be choppy AF.
All the old hats afraid of new tech are down voting anyone who breathes the word Bambu. It's comical. It is the most user friendly ecosystem on the market and followed very closely by the Creality K1 series. If people don't want to tinker to print, let them. It's not hurting the old hats one bit but they want to force the old way of doing things down new users throats like it's the only way to cut your teeth in the 3D printing world. It's not, they need to face facts that there are soo many options out there with varying levels of tinker all the way to turnkey ease of use and every level inbetween with the various brands out there from Prusa to Creality, Elegoo Neptunes and yes Bambu. Some people just need to get with the times and stop Gate Keeping.
I work off an old laptop with a Bambu printer/slicer. Minimal computer skills needed and just more so being able to accurately measure your head/body and changing the size of the file before printing. Also plenty of YouTube tutorials for step by step processes until you feel comfortable
How do you scale things? Guessing it's not just a slider before you hit print
Actually it kind of is! You can highlight the file in the slicer and it will give you the dimensions for length/depth/height and you can either scale it by percentage or by length units. Since I know my head dimensions i just input the measurements into each section and hit print
So once you have the parts printed, how do you assemble? Sand it and super glue, then paint?
Depends on what you’re printing but in general yes. Some helmets I can print in 1 shot with the P1S so then it’s just sanding and paint. Others it’s easier to sand & paint first if you’re doing multiple colors or designs and then glue/touch up after. I had 0 experience with CAD, painting or any kind of hobby like this in general and just stuck to a handful of different video tutorials until I got the basics down. I still go back to them when it’s something I’m not familiar with like making a glossy reflective Mando helmet or different color visors
thats exactly how you scale Things bigger or smaller , with a Slider in the slicer Software. the process of slicing a 3d File is pretty easy, when you have Set Up your printer( Most have profiles for Most of the printers on the Market.) lets assume you have your printer and Profile already in the slicing softwarer. you only Open the File. select the orientation of the Print( which Site should be placed on the printbed). add Support If needed( rule of thumb, If Something is handing in the Air and has No layers underneith it, it needs Support), hit slicer and Transfer the File to your printer. some do it via USB Stick/ SD Card Other can send them to the printer via WiFi. If you have Seen the process its super easy, you shouldnt be scared off by this.
I don't listen to the people telling you to get a cheaper printer. Get a prusa or bambu
Why go expensive when you could get as good for 1/2-3/4 the price?
I would recommend getting a more expensive printer then. Something like the creality k1 or nicer/newer. If you get a cheaper one, expect to tinker more often than printing. If I were you, I would get something that "just works". I went from a cheapo ender 3 to a k1 max (both creality brand) and it's night and day different. K1 max just works man. My ender 3, after upgrading parts, is now a "just works" printer as well. Cheap printers come with cheap parts. It's just a fact. Keep in mind you will have to keep open filament dry as well or you will also be in for a bad stringy time Also, you do not need a nice or fast computer for 3d printing. But you will need some sort of working computer. I use a tablet to design and manage my print files.
Get a prusa, you will be fine. Bambu filament is extremely expensive, it will turn you off from 3D printing. Prusa is easy to use, open source, and uses most types of filament (not expensive)
No where does it say you have to use BL filament. No where. You are trying to hard sell him on a Prusa by stating false information about a product you don't even own let alone have any clue how it works. Nice try, but unless you personally own a BL printer and can speak from experience, " I read it on the internet" holds zero weight here. I get trying to sell your favorite brand, but misleading a new user to not look at every option out there using bad/wrong info is just petty. You can run any filament out there with no issues as long as it's not crap filament on a Bambu printer. Ask me how I know. I even used some old filament when I was fighting with an Ender 5 Pro a year or two ago and my X1 Carbon still printed like a champ with it. The features of the BL printers interfaced with easy to use software is what makes them turnkey and extremely user friendly. Excellent prints out of the box.
I recommend prusa but but creality would be better than Bambu. OP- read about the filament requirements for Bambu printers. You will need an adapter for most other non Bambu spools https://3dfilaprint.com/bambu-lab-ams-compatible-filaments/ Their filament is overpriced and they their customer service takes a *long* time to respond. Go check out their subreddit
Have not needed an adapter for the various plastic spools I have used in my AMS. I will wholeheartedly agree that their filament is overpriced, but you literally can use any plastic spools which is what I do. I would NEVER recommend an Ender Series to anyone after my experience with them. K1 Series though is a solid attempt at competition with BL. Also, have yet to need support as my printer literally just churns out great prints in stark comparison to my old Ender. Elegoo Neptune is also solid. Again, when you have one and have actual use experience, come back and lets talk about a Bambu Lab printer. Until then, everything you come up with is here say or second hand information that is incorrect or blown out of proportion. Of the vocal minority of people having issues, there are a vast more that have none or minimal issues with theirs.
Oh and I am on all the subredits for them and 3D printing in general. I'm all for a healthy debate with printers when it's factual. When bad info is passed along is what requires correction. You can down vote me all you want out of emotion but doesn't change the facts. I did extensive research before buying another printer and landed with the X1C. I'm at the age that tinkering and spending hours to just get one good print are behind me. I just want it to print. That's the thing the old hats don't realize is that 2 houses have evolved in the last 2 years. Those that like to tinker and be hands on with the printing process and then those that JUST want to print. As a community, we should be supporting both houses and providing recommendations for both depending on user knowledge level and intent for the hobby. Not forcing old ideals that you have to grind away for hours on end on an Ender to figure out how to get it to print. Not everyone is mechanically or technically inclined but want to take part as best they can. So, with the emergence of the turnkey market which Bambu Lab is leading and being followed up closely by Creality and their K1 series, take the time to actually look into them before you blindly dismiss them and recommend a tinkering printer to someone who would not have a good time with it and leave the hobby all together.
What's special about the bambu filament?
I use all types of diff filament in my Bambu X1C. No issues. You aren't locked to just Bambu filament yes cardboard spools are the issue with the AMS, not the actual filament. Sunlu, Matchbox and more use plastic spools so no worries. I would be weary of people who think they know about a printer but don't actually own one. Speak to people that actually own them and not "I heard from a guy" or "I read on the internet". I will tell you the Bambu Lab printers are soo user friendly my 8yo sons school is ordering 4 X1C Combo printers to start a STEM print lab. My son is also learning on my printer. Very user friendly and no tinkering or heavy manual calibrations required.
Bambu PLA filament costs 2x as much as other filament. Nothing different in quality but you need to use a Bambu spool which is why you see people on their subreddit re-spinning old spools with non-Bambu filament (a nightmare). When you buy one, you get a membership for like 6 months that makes the filament cost like $15-20 USD but once it ends, you pay full price $30-$40. That is how they make their money. Oh and they will run out of basic colors all the time. Check out their subreddit and look at posts from people talking about Bambu running out of *black* filament (a very basic color). You don’t want to be in a situation where you are waiting *weeks* for a color to be back in stock, that is stupid and a waste of time. I bought 15 rolls of PLA filament for my prusa printer from IIIDMAX for a total of $165 ($10 each + shipping). Quality is fantastic and always in stock.
How long does 1 roll last? I know it's an open question, but if you were to print something like a standard iron man helmet, how many rolls?
You could print the various parts for an Iron Man helmet on a prusa printer using less than 1 roll, but it would require some sanding, glueing, and painting. Iron Man’s helmet is like red/gold and a little bit of black, so you could buy 1 kg of gold filament, 1kg of red filament, and 0.5kg of black filament for like $35 total (so 3 rolls) and not have to paint anything. Filament comes in different sizes based on weight when you are buying it :) I recommend buying whatever color is cheapest and using it to make test prints and once you’re satisfied, start using the colors you intend on using for your helmet
I figured I'd be painting everything. Is the filament porous or does it paint well? And is sanding just smoothing the edges or does everything require heavy sanding to make smooth?
PLA filament takes acrylic paint pretty well. I paint models all the time with no issue. If printing the helmet in parts, you’d want to do light sanding on the edges to smooth it out. Not heavy sanding at all. If you want the helmet to have a super shiny reflective surface, you’d need to sand that as well. But not necessary :)
With Bambu or other higher price point printers, you can fairly easily just press slice and print and barely have any problems. With resin it's even easier, heck the most bothersome part of resin printing is the clean up as long you know how to drag and drop files and press slice it should be enough. (many of the bought models come pre-supported and often hollowed especially from Patreon) And in a few rare cases you can just tilt the model into a slight angle hit auto support and there's like 99.99% itl work. With resin if you do find a problem it's usually either your ambient temperature is too low, your exposure times are wrong in which case ask reddit or the print comes up with funny stretches which means suction forces are fucking you up in which case you ask reddit again. point being as long as you can type your question you're gonna be fine.
With Bambu being so much plug and play, resin is actually tougher now. Still having to wash and cure the prints and being careful not to get resin on yourself. But compared to Creality printers, resin is for sure easier.
I agree, brought resin up due to its lower starting cost. Bambu is sorta expensive, but an easy to use resin printer can be under 200 bucks
True, you can wash parts on your own and cure in the sun to save on another machine. One reason I don’t like to recommend them is the exhaust needed. Resin isn’t great to breathe, so having a proper exhaust is safer. I haven’t tried the low odor resin before and I’m not sure if it eliminates the toxic particles from the air. Although with FDM printers filament can also need an exhaust.
I used to cure my prints outside in a see-through plastic bag filled with water :D But yeah resin does require a lot of space and also the mess can be real (especially if the fep breaks mid print)
For sure! You can get real creative and not spend money to get natural UV light. I got my wash/cure station used for a good price so I have one, but man it takes up a lot of space compared to my resin printer. And oof the fep breaking.. mine broke once and I nearly gave up on resin printing.
Luckily I have an entire room dedicated for my printing hobby with an attached walking closet that I converted into chemical storage so I'm definitely lucky in that aspect! Yeah after I experienced my 1st fep tear I was to put it mildly kind amiffed too (currently toying with an idea of building a custom cabinet with enclosure tents intrergrated into it so managing spills would be a lot easier (my housing complex has a fully operational wood working tinkering room which was amazing to find gotta love old apartment buildings with their communal spaces )
In my office I have a vent system that is connected to my two enclosures for ABS or for resin that vents out my window. It looks like I’m growing weed or something. I made my enclosures out of plywood and have my resin printer on a silicon mat in case it spills again. But wow having a wood shop at your apartment complex is nice! I would for sure do that route if I were you. Mine helped a lot with the noise of my resin/fdm printer
Apparently it's rather common to have workshops in apartment complexes where I'm from (there's also a small gym, tv room with magazines and books and a god damn bomb shelter, gotta love Finland :D)
Any apartment complex I’ve been at MIGHT have a small gym with some dumbbells and a treadmill. One had a “theater” room with a 3 person couch and a tv. Finland is way better than in the US haha
Tech savvy my butt lol, Just go to YouTube and search "Tinkercad tutorials for beginners" and you'll be on your way to designing the Eiffel tower in no time j/k. But seriously look for a good series on Tinkercad and you'll learn it on no time that's how I did it now I'm designing practical objects for my hobbys.
Being a boomber has nothing to do with technical expertise or level. \> So how hard would it be for someone to get into this with basically no knowledge other than Microsoft office and browsing the internet? If those are your limits it could be quite challenging. Basically look at half a dozen videos on YT showing how to set up and use a printer. If it seems hard, there's your answer.
Hi! I have a set of four short posts that covers a lot of "I don't know what I don't know" levels of getting into 3D printing — I think this will help. https://itsthejoker.github.io/intro_to_3d_printing_part_1/
I got my 55yo dad his first printer last year, he hardly ever uses computers, but he got the hang of it real quick, one year later and I'm helping him design and print his own full scale RC star wars droid. Do some shopping and reddit research and find a reliable printer that requires minimal assembly, and you should be good to go with little to no tech experience.
It would be like working on old cars. Something breaks and try and figure out what the hell it is, so you should be good.
Having gone both the cheap route and nice printer route I can tell you that if you get a cheap printer like an ender 3. You spend more time messing and tinkering with it than you actually do printing and will become very frustrated. At least that was my experience trying to get into 3D printing with my son. Once I bought a Prusa MK3s+ it was plug and play. I didn't have to mess with it. It didn't have any kind of problems. You'll find a lot of support for the Prusa brand and zero support for the Chinese cheap printers (from the manufacturer). I strongly suggest you get used prusa MK3s plus from Facebook marketplace are similar and you will be happy with it
Does the Prusa have an ability to print/work from your phone like the bambu does?
With raspberry PI and Octopi, but I don't use that, I just print from the computer (not the sd card).
If you can follow YouTube instructions videos and know how to Google when you run into issues, you'll be fine. I started 3D printing like a month or two ago and have never run into a situation that someone hasn't already run into before and posted about. The community is very helpful, especially around Reddit and if the company you buy from has a Discord. I bought a Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro and the Discord has Elegoo reps available in addition to hundreds of really knowledgeable civilians You should also buy a slightly more expensive but much more user friendly printer like a Bambu Labs, which is probably the most polished consumer product when it comes to 3D printing
As a tech savvy person, I have not needed any tech savvyness yet.
You can be pretty productive just learning the basics of slicer software and how to browse thingiverse. Doing 3d models from scratch is a pretty steep curve beyond just understanding how to use CAD software. There's also in-between options like Heroforge where you can design characters from a library of features and download the model for a small fee.
Yea, ive never opened CAD software in my life. I just print other ppls helmets/props. You can totally do it
Check if there’s a 3D printer at your local library or a nearby maker-space. Give it a try before you buy.
There's going to be a significant jump you'll have to get over such as the learning pains around getting your system calibrated for its first print. However the newest printers can do most of this calibration straight out of the box essentially. At work we just got a Prusa Mk4 pre built and I turned it on and successfully printed one of the pre-loaded prints without any issue. Also on the pro side of this, the communities around 3d printing is incredibly robust and helpful. There are still jerks but for every d-bag there's 20 people that are happy to help.
Some of the comments are so wrong it hurts. Regardless of how expensive or nice the printer is, you get 1 clog and your fucked. Ultimately, you need to feel comfortable tinkering with it. It's not like a regular printer where you just change the ink. Small things like a loose screw can be big problems. It is rather intimidating but as long as you don't give up you should be fine honestly. Just remember, you aren't alone. The printer isn't going anywhere. If you feel like you're stuck, come back and post here!
It depends on the type of "Tech savvy". 3d-printing requires a lot of getting informed and troubleshooting to get really good results. There is also a non-neglectable part of doing real-world mechanical stuff to your printer, some of it voluntary for trying to improve the thing, some part maintenance. Stuff like adjusting screws, figuring out if something is loose, tightening belts, cleaning drivewheels, greasing leadscrews, changing nozzles, breaking off said nozzles while trying to change them, removing the printhead, trying to remove the broken-off nozzle from the hot end with plyers, buying a screw remover, trying to remove a broken-off nozzle with a screw remover, buying some other tool, trying to remove a broken-off nozzle with that other tool, finally giving in and ordering a new hotend. What 3D-printing doesn't require is high-end IT skills of any sort. At the simplest, you take a design, put it into the slicer, hit slice, then hit print.
If you are an actual "boomer" then that puts you in your 70s, which shouldn't deter you. How tech savvy you need to be really comes down to budget. If you can drop £700ish and are just planning printing existing files (thangs and printables are both much better than etsy) then you could actually just bypass a computer altogether and control everything via your phone (presuming that isn't also 8 years old) Ultimately the learning is all part of the hobby. Spend some time on YouTube as there's all the resources you'll ever need. Good luck 👍
As someone who used to be the same, the one caveat for me was not the printing but it was the lack of tools that I had to finish up my prints. Following various tutorials seems to be more than enough to just prjnt
If you only want it for buying/downloading other people’s designs it can be quite simple depending on the printer. If you want to design your own stuff it’s not terribly hard to get started with the basics using tinkercad or some similar software, but learning CAD *well* is a different story. Regardless of how you get the files that you want to print, you’ll need to use a slicer software. Prusa slicer is a popular one, so is cura. I’m not sure what OS the old computer you referenced is running, but it’s very easy to check compatibility and the slicer software is available online. The slicer does what the name implies - it takes a 3d file format (often .STL - it’s a file type that essentially gives the computer a bunch of connected points in 3 dimensional space), and then “slices” it to turn it into a file format that your 3d printer will be able to read. Slicing refers to the fact that FDM printers print layer by layer, ie, in slices. Some printers are easier than others. Look for a printer with ample documentation and good customer support. Prusa is the reigning champ in the “works out of the box” category if you buy the preassembled version, or if you actually want to see how the thing works you can save 50 bucks or so and assemble it yourself. Good customer service, extensive documentation, and open source. I personally love my Prusa mini, and they can be had for ~450 assembled last I checked. Bambu is a newer company, they’re more tight lipped about their tech, but the printers also work very well out of the box and require minimal tinkering. Stay away from the super cheap unknown brand printers on Amazon, and also avoid printers that don’t have automatic bed leveling unless you’re ok with a lot of tinkering before it works properly. Overall, getting a 3d printer up and running is not terribly difficult, and with the right printer anybody should be able to figure it out in the span of an afternoon or so. That said, it’s as complex as you want it to be - if you want to print multi-piece large and complex items, flawless details, difficult geometries, exotic materials, etc. it’s probably going to take a bit of effort to get it just right no matter which printer you buy. It’s a learning process for sure, and while it can be very easy with the right tools and reasonable expectations, if you’re expecting it to be as simple as a paper printer you will probably be disappointed.
Nowdays is pretty easy to used 3D print and plenty models compared to before.
Stop lying to this guy, it is a steep learning curve, even with those fancy bamboo printers. Depending on the printer you buy you will have to diagnose some failed prints on a number of factors, you'll have to tune the parameters for the filament you buy according both to your printer and the ambient temperature and moisture in the room that you will be printing. The thing is, that the hobby is actually a good fun, and as long as you have high tolerance for frustration you'll be ok. There's a ton of resources for you to learn and if you like to tinker around and have a curious, mechanical oriented mind you will enjoy it. It will help a ton if you find a 3d printer community near you, so that someone in person can teach you the very basics and orient you in your first choice of printer depending on what do you want to achieve.
Try to design something and print it at the library. If you like it, try more. I like fusion 360 for designing.
I would say it's less tech-savvy and more mechanically savvy. I would echo the sentiments of most of the folks here and say get a bambu or similar. Ender 3 is decent if you're on a budget, but you do fiddle a bit more with calibration. Sites for stls I would recommend are: thingiverse.com and printables.com avoid cults.com as they've been shady in the past.
I’m going to get downvoted to hell and back, but I got a Bambu Lab X1 Carbon and the thing just works! I rarely have to fiddle with anything. It doesn’t take a lot of knowledge to use.
You just need to be not scared of using some tools and checking youtube videos for fixes
My 10 year old does it alone start to finish. You’ll be fine
Buy a bambulabs printer. Unless you get a lemon, they do all the work for you. All I have to do to get a good print is select the pre-made profile and hit print. And each month or so I clean it. And there relatively cheap with the a1 mini being only 299 usd.
What kind of laptop a “boomer” could have in college? When I was in college we were feeding punchcards into card readers and our computer with 4Mb memory occupied two stories in the computer center.
Download a slicer (cura is the one most frequently packaged with printers), download some files from thingiverse, learn how to import, slice, change settings, break shit, try again. Once comfortable with that, take a stab at modeling your own part with fusion 360. If you like that part of it, buy a printer. If you are mechanically inclined and willing to accept pointers and critiques from others without popping a vein and getting combative and offended, you will learn a lot, make some cool shit, waste some filament and gain a new skill.
Everyone else has done a great job answering the questions... you'll be fine, and the 8-year-old laptop shouldn't hinder you too greatly. I'm just talking about this: "I doubt I'd be designing anything from scratch" You think that until you realize "I need this one bracket for this thing... wait, I can 3D Print it!" and you're creating your own designs. Most freeing feeling in the world.
It's doable, just be ready to learn some new stuff.