Lets talk "3D printers"

[Runs With Scissors]

I print the tap drill size hole with 4 or 5 walls and just use a standard tap for threads. Originally tried those fancy self threading screws for plastic but they were expensive if you needed multiple sizes. I engauge the thread at least 3x the screw diameter. For really strong joints with screws I have printed hex pockets to drop nuts into. For blind nuts just put them in the middle of a part after the clearance hole and stop the print when the pocket is printed to drop the nut in. Then restart the print with just a clearance hole for a couple mm.
I also use machine screws in wood now. Bought special taps and it's amazing how strong the threads are. Have put benches together with then and can't believe how the threads hold. Made a packout for them also with 3d printing and kaizen foam
View attachment 149327

That's only a few of my Milwaukee tools. The packouts are really nice to keep the accessories and tool together when you need to grab one for a job.

You will find many good printers are available today. Multi color will be my next printer. Support for stuff from China on any of them usually means emails to China, providing videos, waiting for parts from China, and fixing problems yourself if you're blessed with a lemon. Otherwise they are usually pretty reliable. Bambu seems to be one brand tied to the cloud and very intrusive into your personal info so even though they have a good reputation, I avoided them. Prusa is the innovator of high quality reliable machines that basically everyone else copies. Check out printables.com for models to get started printing with. You will soon have a pile of benches .

Thanks for the info. I was wondering about if you could "tap" those holes manually, especially for fine/finer threads.

What "flavors" of filament do you prefer typically?

I read a lot about the different filaments and their Pro's Vs. Cons, but with all the info out there sometimes it's difficult to separate the "wheat from the chaff".

 

[mikester]

I'll sell you my printer. If the corners don't warp and peel off the table during printing then prints look pretty. Keep your finished prints away from heat and sunlight to stop them from shrinking and warping. Don't put too much force on finished parts or they break.

I get better finished parts from my CNC mill, many times it's faster the cut than print and I don't have to make 3 scrap parts to make one good one. I can also make bigger parts out of materials like aluminum and steel as well as plastic.

 

[Sidekick]

If you're getting warping, check your bed temp in a dozen spots. Usually too cool a bed makes things curl

I only use PLA and TPU for soft items. I don't have a vented enclosure and most other materials outgass bad stuff. My 3d prints are all used indoors and stay good. Good for prototyping. I'm looking into trying sand casting using single layer prints that vaporize when the hot aluminum is poured. I have made things like lampshades that have been exposed to sun for 10 years without problems. Here's a pic of single layer lampshades I made

I just needed some thumbscrews and printed handles that 1/4 20 bolts press in.

Last week I needed to round over a batch of plywood corners and found router template models on printables. An hour later I had an accurate template to speed up the job. Worked so good that I printed the whole set and made a stand

I also designed and printed a planting caddy for use in my garden and seed carriers

These are just a couple examples of what I use the printer for. If you want outdoor prints get a good enclosed printer that can be vented. Remember if you want to print things like carbon fiber it's up to $100 a roll for good filament so it pays to play with pla before committing. Also filament can absorb moisture so drying sometimes is required to get it to print. Especially in the summer with high humidity present. Models developed on a 3d printer can be a good guide when you set up a CNC machine to mass produce them.

 

[Code]

Bambu can completely run fine with no internet access. The latest hubbub about it is they are making it a bit harder for 3rd party slicers in exchange for a bit better security. After digging into it Im cool with their approach. If you go lan mode then from what I can tell you can't print from your phone. If your on their slicers its a non issue once you bind it.

Prusa has fallen behind in last few years but their new one is worth looking at. Generally very solid printers
Ive seen very mixed reviews of the latest crealty (k1 I think)
Babu is the one to have right now as far as bang for the buck (my opinion). I am loving mine very much

I print the tap drill size hole with 4 or 5 walls and just use a standard tap for threads. Originally tried those fancy self threading screws for plastic but they were expensive if you needed multiple sizes. I engauge the thread at least 3x the screw diameter. For really strong joints with screws I have printed hex pockets to drop nuts into. For blind nuts just put them in the middle of a part after the clearance hole and stop the print when the pocket is printed to drop the nut in. Then restart the print with just a clearance hole for a couple mm.
I also use machine screws in wood now. Bought special taps and it's amazing how strong the threads are. Have put benches together with then and can't believe how the threads hold. Made a packout for them also with 3d printing and kaizen foam
View attachment 149327

That's only a few of my Milwaukee tools. The packouts are really nice to keep the accessories and tool together when you need to grab one for a job.

You will find many good printers are available today. Multi color will be my next printer. Support for stuff from China on any of them usually means emails to China, providing videos, waiting for parts from China, and fixing problems yourself if you're blessed with a lemon. Otherwise they are usually pretty reliable. Bambu seems to be one brand tied to the cloud and very intrusive into your personal info so even though they have a good reputation, I avoided them. Prusa is the innovator of high quality reliable machines that basically everyone else copies. Check out printables.com for models to get started printing with. You will soon have a pile of benches .

 

[Sidekick]

I think the reason for Creality K1 problems are people trying to use cheap filament for high speed printing. My $379.00 K1 has been through over $1000.00 worth of hyper PLA filament without one issue. I tried one roll of that cheap SUNLU filament in the beginning and had a plugged nozzle in 15 minutes. Like using the wrong hydraulic fluid in a Kubota. Tossed that garbage filament out because it's not for high speed printing and never had another problem. I'm looking at the new K2 4 color now for the 14 inch cube printing area. I also have a Anycubic Chiron that is slow but over 15 inch cube printing area. It has never had issues but is very slow not being a core xy printer. If you follow instructions and use recommended filament, I think they all are good. I wanted a good enclosed printer for under $400.00 when I bought my K1 and it has been awesome. The Bambu equivalent was over $1000.00 at the time with all proprietary parts and cloud based. Set a budget and buy the best you can get within it. They are just a short term purchase with new technology right around the corner that's faster and better.

 

[Code]

yea That's what I'm seeing with k1 after digging in more. The k2 is certainly interesting. Im guessing Ill have another print by end of year if my printing doesn't slow down. Wife is going nuts with all the doodads for me to make for her garden organization. Ill print my stuff at some point

I think the reason for Creality K1 problems are people trying to use cheap filament for high speed printing. My $379.00 K1 has been through over $1000.00 worth of hyper PLA filament without one issue. I tried one roll of that cheap SUNLU filament in the beginning and had a plugged nozzle in 15 minutes. Like using the wrong hydraulic fluid in a Kubota. Tossed that garbage filament out because it's not for high speed printing and never had another problem. I'm looking at the new K2 4 color now for the 14 inch cube printing area. I also have a Anycubic Chiron that is slow but over 15 inch cube printing area. It has never had issues but is very slow not being a core xy printer. If you follow instructions and use recommended filament, I think they all are good. I wanted a good enclosed printer for under $400.00 when I bought my K1 and it has been awesome. The Bambu equivalent was over $1000.00 at the time with all proprietary parts and cloud based. Set a budget and buy the best you can get within it. They are just a short term purchase with new technology right around the corner that's faster and better.

 

[Sidekick]

Needed a short Phillips screwdriver this morning and printed some knobs that press on driver bits.
It got the job done and only took a couple minutes to download and print

Wife wanted another jar lid and I needed some shims so the printer came to the rescue again

Great Tool Toy to have around and it's something that gets used a couple times a week. RWS I bet your wife will like all the oddball things she will be able to request.

 

[dlsmith]

I printed some organizer trays for my taps and dies a while back. I print some new doodad I need probably once a week.
I have a QiDi Tech printer I bought almost 10 years ago, and a Hypercube 300 core XY that I built from scratch. I used the QiDi to print a lot of the parts for the Hypercube. It has a Duet3D board that has USB and ethernet, so it's attached to my network. Makes it easy to download files and print them out remotely.

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

Someone told me the two most common things to print are test pieces for learning how to print and containers/holders/tools for 3-D printing. I think the third most common thing is a tie between Dungeons & Dragons figurines and custom tool holders.

Since I don't have that much free time I just use a clear box.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

All I can say is "WOW".

Y'all do some amazing work with these machines.

I am getting tons of ideas for when I finally decide to "pull the trigger".

 

[Sidekick]

All I can say is "WOW".

Y'all do some amazing work with these machines.

I am getting tons of ideas for when I finally decide to "pull the trigger".

If you're not in a hurry to get one, Black Friday week is the best time to get great deals on both printers and filament. You may also want to look at lasers next 🫣. If you run into problems getting started call the grandkids for technical support and ideas . They will enjoy a 3d printer.
My grandson " poppy can you make me some nerf targets? " Me "hold my coffee and watch this".

 

[dlsmith]

When I was assembling the engine for my Nova, I made a tool to hold the dial indicator to align the bellhousing with the crankshaft centerline.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Well, I just got my newly printed "Lathe tooling holder" and it turned out great.

It turned out much better than I had anticipated.

I am "duly impressed"

The other things, well, it was kind of a mixed bag.

They all turned out nice, and seemingly well made, but some of the circular parts came out square?

Not sure what happened there, but I have a feeling there was some sort of "miscommunication" with the file.

Everything you see below that is "square", should have been round.

Not sure what happened, but they all seem plenty strong.

 

[Sidekick]

Well, I just got my newly printed "Lathe tooling holder" and it turned out great.

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View attachment 149669


It turned out much better than I had anticipated.

I am "duly impressed"

The other things, well, it was kind of a mixed bag.

They all turned out nice, and seemingly well made, but some of the circular parts came out square?

Not sure what happened there, but I have a feeling there was some sort of "miscommunication" with the file.

Everything you see below that is "square", should have been round.

Not sure what happened, but they all seem plenty strong.


View attachment 149676

View attachment 149678

Nice. Which printer did you get? When you export a STL rounds are really segments. Up the number of segments to get rounds in the export page that opens when you hit export.

Decided to make a whole set of the mini drivers with extra bits I had. Printed the finger knobs, Printed a holder that fit in an old Dewalt case, and made some vinyl labels.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

.......... tie between Dungeons & Dragons figurines and custom tool holders.

Since I don't have that much free time I just use a clear box.

And since I retired my "Dungeons and Dragons" stuff just about the same time I discovered girls; that puts me squarely in the "custom tool holder" category I guess.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Nice. Which printer did you get? When you export a STL rounds are really segments. Up the number of segments to get rounds in the export page that opens when you hit export.

Decided to make a whole set of the mini drivers with extra bits I had. Printed the finger knobs, Printed a holder that fit in an old Dewalt case, and made some vinyl labels.
View attachment 149680 View attachment 149681

Very nice!



I don't actually have it yet, but I have decided to start off with a Creality K1 SE.

It seems like a decent "beginner printer".



Those things I posted were printed by my SIL on his Bambu P1.

 

[Sidekick]

Very nice!



I don't actually have it yet, but I have decided to start off with a Creality K1 SE.

It seems like a decent "beginner printer".



Those things I posted were printed by my SIL on his Bambu P1.

That's the one I have K1 (but se is missing covers) and love. There's a newer model that comes with the camera, upgraded nozzle, and supposedly faster. K1C I think it's called. I added the camera to mine upfront and it a worthwhile upgrade if you're printing in a different area then the computer is located. Also new nozzle has higher tempd for more materials but still not vented. If you're going to add a camera the newer model isn't really more expensive. Prime days and Black Friday will usually save you 100 bucks but with the new tarrifs once US stock is sold out we probably will se a 25% price increase. Stick with Hyper PLA if you go Creality.

 

[Sidekick]

Another thing that is fun to print is what they call a hologram from a picture. Use an online converter to slice a photo into different depths making it look like a picture when the back is exposed to light. Here's an example of one I made.

Prints out and looks like a mistake but expose the back to light and a picture pops out.

Make great lights and night lights.

 

[dlsmith]

I just made a holder fo my rolls of emery paper, rather than having them lie on a shelf and get knocked around and unwound. Printed it in two parts joined in the middle with 1/4" wood dowels.