3D printers?

[snaker]

What 3D printers do you recommend for beginners, amateurs?
What size is good? The bigger the better or something else?
What brands are good in 3D printers?

[Burgerman]

There are so many. And so many options. And unless you already know what you want and why, which comes from experience it is not possible to know...
I started looking years ago. Came to the conclusion that I dont 3d print enough to matter. I had a bunch of hings 3d printed recently. All the plastic stuff is weak, lacks fine detail and accuracy and always looks a bit nasty. Then for a little extra I ordered a complex 3D part that didnt print well, in metal. It was far more accurate, far more functional, strong as a bit of cast metal, and thats my go to solution

A 3D metal printer isnt practical at home unless you win the lottery. But so much better that I lost interest in printig bits am low resolution bandy plastic! So now I just use pcbway or similar.

[Williamclark77]

I 3d print a lot. Several times a week. I don't know what I would do without a 3D printer. It has gotten cheaper to order, but for my use because I don't always know exactly what I need have to print several versions and lack the patience to wait a week every time, it is great for me to be able to do it myself. My 3D printer is currently printing a cover for my mouse in my shop as I type this. I use a 25-year-old Kensington trackball. The shop dust makes it unusable. I don't know why I have never thought to print a cover for it.

3d printers have come a LONG way in the last few years. I have never used the Flash Forge printers but they get rave reviews, especially from beginners who don't want to thoroughly learn all of the settings and just want to Tap a button and get a print. They are also very economical.

I have had several, including ones I built. I currently use a Snapmaker. Over priced, but at the time, around 2020, when I was needing it, it was about the only one that had the features I wanted and had a large enough build area for my chair's battery box covers. 350x350mm I believe. The current printers I had were about 200x200mm.

The cad modeling is the part that you really need to learn. If you are confident in your models being exactly what you need and can wait ten days then it is currently more economical to order the prints.

One of the main pieces of advice I can give you is to don't skimp on the filament quality. Cheap filament is nothing but frustration. It's not so much the chemical composition of the filament but the mechanical dimensions of it. It needs to be perfectly round without any burrs or lumps in it that will cause it to hang up in the print head.

PETG. By far my favorite filament. Much more suited for usable objects than PLA and not much more difficult to use. ABS and ASA can be very frustrating, aren't chemical resistant, and warp. Nylon is very difficult to work with and requires a very specific dedicated setup. I suggest not even trying it. No need to bother with a specialty carbon fiber or whatever filament. They are no better in practice than regular PETG and wear out your nozzles.

[snaker]

Thanks Will for your valuable information.

Maybe I only need something easy like FlashForge. I just want to experiment and learn something about 3D printing. I found a shop selling Flashforge Adventurer 5M PRO for about $500. Is it any good or is there any better choice for $500? In VN, I see Reality and Bambu Lab are popularly used.

For drawing 3D objects, what softwares are you using?

[Burgerman]

Theres a few free ones.

Or
https://filecr.com/search/?q=autocad
https://filecr.com/windows/softfever-orca-slicer/

Or any other software you may want...

[Williamclark77]

I don't have any direct personal experience with Bambu Lab or Creality. They certainly look good. I also don't have any experience using multiple filaments in one print. I've only had single print heads. I don't have enough patience for the print time with single extruders, much less the added time and complexity and waste of multiples. I don't know if their higher price is justifiable.

A friend of mine ordered his son a Flashforge for Christmas. I don't recall which one. I'm sure I'll have experience with it helping set it up soon.

Personal preference only, but I prefer the machines where the print head moves up/down for the z axis, not the bed. Years ago they were more finicky with staying level. They are much better now. It's just physically easier for me to use machines with a fixed bed height. I can't make myself higher to confirm the print started correctly!

Whatever you get, I HIGHLY suggest making sure it has accurate automatic bed leveling. It's not difficult to do and only takes a few minutes if you're physically able. It's a pain for me. The height sensor has failed on my Snapmaker and it takes me 30 minutes to do and it's not as accurate because I get frustrated and lose patience. I need to order a new sensor. It's worth it.

For 3d modeling I use an old 2016 version of Autodesk Inventor. I like it simply because that was the first software I learned. Self taught. Many youtube tutorials. Solidworks is also good. Tinkercad. Blender. Many choices.

Pick a horse and ride it. I would suggest Inventor or Solidworks. Overkill and overwhelming for simple models. However, once you learn it you can build complex assemblies that move realistically. I completely 3D model the chairs I build down to every nut and bolt before I start machining. They're not hard to find online. BM's link is perfect. You don't need a very powerful computer for basic use as long as it has a fast solid state drive.

[Burgerman]

https://filecr.com/search/?q=solidworks

Solidworks 2026 but its huge! And for free...
And a few addons for it like camera etc.

https://filecr.com/search/?q=solidworks

[Burgerman]

Philips x heads were once the normal thing and posidrive didnt exist. Now its the opposite way around. Build a PC? All either posidrive 1 or 2 or hex screws.

And now the hex drive (allen head) screws are beginning to be used in place of any type of cross head screw. Because those are just better. And better suited to use with electric scredrivers, automation, impact drivers etc.

When I repair laptops, hobby stuff like RC transmitters even the self tapping screws are hex/allen drive. And I have a full case of household screws used for shelves or brackets or cupboards etc that also are now all allen heads.

Why better? Dont slip. Transfer torque without having to push... And they line up the screw with the tool so easy to start it straight or begin its "journey"...

Allen head bolts or screws do not slip, get rounded off or fail either. Unless you use crappy soft low quality tools, or you are clueless in your application. I use nothing else today. And replace things with allen heads.
https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=small+ ... -Audio.jpg

[LROBBINS]

Don't forget Torx - from 1 mm size for PCs to humongous in cars.

[Burgerman]

Yes on phones and laptops mostly.

Afew years back I was fed up coming across new fastners and anti tamper stuff in small to medium sizes. So bought this:

https://www.ifixit.com/products/manta-d ... driver-kit
So far it has always had every possible thib needed for phones laptops hobby stuff etc. Used it too many times to remember. Expensive but excellent quality.

Add some suitable tweezers, blue loctite, and a set of amazon "spudgers" and you have a bomb proof kit that will outlive you if you put everything away!
Add a new solder station like my aliexpress one here:
T245 handle version https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006172847327.html


From micro stuff like watches to medium stuff like PCs or radio controlled hobby stuff all soldering needs you are covered!

[LROBBINS]

Our VW Caddy had lots of quite large Torx bolts, so I have 2 sets: a smaller IFixIt kit for the small stuff, and L-shaped Torx wrenches for the large stuff.

[Burgerman]

I have extensive tools inc torx and several variations on that theme in large and small sizes. But cant say I ever saw any used on chairs though. Usually on things like seat belt mounts or drain plugs on modern cars gearboxes etc.

One thing I always recommend is DO NOT BUY CHEAP TOOLS! Its ok to get cheap cordless tools, but not on drill bits, screwdrivers, hex or star or torx bits etc. And ESPECIALLY so on thread cutting equipment. So I always use DORMER branded HSS metric drills and taps. Or bosch twin point drills for hand held use. Not cheap but they actually work! And dont end up destroying an engine or gearbox casing etc.

[Burgerman]

As for 3d printers, I wont buy unless the metal printers get cheap enough. The quality from those is so much better than any plastic printed part and its hard to know it was actually 3d printed at all. The parts are strong. Accurate. And look like milled from solid plus a very fine/light sand blast. I wouldnt have believed it if I didnt see it myself. You can file, drill, tap, polish, spray or machine those parts too. For the cost of a small round of drinks delivered! About 3x the price of plastic.


https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=3d+pri ... iax=images