3D Printers....?

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PaulJ
Posts: 598
Joined: 16 Feb 2018, 19:01
Location: Ipswich, UK

3D Printers....?

Post by PaulJ »

I would like to have a go at 3D printing but really don't know where to start or which printer to buy. I can't see myself ever doing some of the really intricate stuff like Tobe's stick units but I would like to have a go at the Tx cases posted on here by members. What do the panel think about the Creality Ender 3 as an entry level printer which seems to be quite a reasonable price (and in stock!) at HK? Or what other suggestions do people have? :?

Paul
Martin
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Joined: 16 Feb 2018, 14:11
Location: Warwickshire

Re: 3D Printers....?

Post by Martin »

The Ender 3 looks a good buy to me - and if I didn't already have two 3D printers that's probably the one I'd go for.

As we're model builders and electronics tinkerers, it's always possible for us upgrade any printer, if and when we decide to - any 3D printer is capable of printing out new parts to allow upgrades to itself, and/or for building another printer!

To get the best from a 3D printer, its highly recommended that you can design your own parts using some 3D CAD tool. Anything that's capable of outputting .stl files can do it. The two CAD packages most often used, right now, for designing the sort of accurately-dimensioned parts we want are OpenSCAD and Fusion 360.

OpenSCAD is completely free, open source, and great for simple designs like transmitter cases. It helps if you've done some coding because you enter your design a bit like writing a program - you can see the object you're designing on screen and use the mouse to zoom in and out or rotate the object, but you alter the size and shape of the object by editing your 'program'.

Fusion 360 is a commercial offering, but free for hobby use right now. It's very powerful, but still fairly easy to learn the basics. There are tons of Fusion 360 tutorials on YouTube. You do most of your design work by drawing primitives (lines, rectangles, circles, ...) with your mouse, and then using menu items or keyboard shortcuts to extrude shapes, or apply things like chamfers. Of course you still use your keyboard a lot to type in dimensions and such.

Other tools like Blender are more suited to artistic designs - making models of human figures, animals, and such. Some people have used such packages to design accurate mechanical parts though - even things like working mechanical clocks! But that's a bit like using a screwdriver to hammer in nails...
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PaulJ
Posts: 598
Joined: 16 Feb 2018, 19:01
Location: Ipswich, UK

Re: 3D Printers....?

Post by PaulJ »

Many thanks Martin, that's very helpful and a good starting point for my homework! :P

Paul
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