Life with a 3D printer

This Sunday (2/27/17) will mark two years since I ordered my printer. I figured I'd share my experiences.
I ordered a Prusa (that's the style) i3v from MakerFarm because it was the best bang-for-the-buck, had a large build envelope (10" cubed) and was a kit. I wanted a kit because you know something would go wrong with it one day. I wanted to know how it worked so I would be able to fix it.
Well, two years later I still love it. I'll say this first, Colin at MakerFarm is GREAT. I've never had customer service like this, ever. I had a question during the build process and I shot off an e-mail on a saturday or sunday evening. Assuming he'd answer it Monday afternoon. Nope. I had an answer during the 7th inning stretch at his kids little-league ball game. I'm glad I went with MakerFarm because I wanted someone that would take my calls after the credit card cleared.
Anyway, the printer just kept on printing good quality parts, with one exception; more on that later.
The first part I printed allowed me to repair, instead of replace, the pressure tank on my toilet. That saved me $400 right there. Suddenly the $600 buy-in didn't hurt at all.
So, about the one issue I had. My first few, and last few layers weren't really solid. More like a screen. I was playing around with different slicing software trying to solve it, to no avail. Well, a few weeks ago I had a mishap, totally my fault. I had filament ooze out of the top of the hot end

Like that, but much, much worse. That lead me to totally break down the hot end and extruder to get all that plastic off. I discovered that I had something lose that was allowing inconsistent extrusion.
Here's what the bottom of a bad print looked like:

After I tightned everything correctly, while the parts are up to temp, things improved immensely. Here's a shot of the first layer of a part I printed last night:

That's a solid layer of plastic.
Here's some before and after comparisons, same part, before and after tightening everything:
Notice the mesh look on the left, and the ugly hole

Now here's the same part after the adjustment:

Do I need a 3D printer? No. Can I get by without one? Yup. Has it proved to be immensely useful? Absolutely. My kids are enjoying learning about the new tech. Next up, printing 3D maps of Mars, the moon, and landscapes from google earth.

What are some of the things that you've made with it that have helped you in general life? LIke this toilet part...

I'm actually torn between the desktop cnc setup or a 3d Printer, so I'm following this thread intently. At some point in the distant future, I will have both, but trying to decide which to get first is tough.

What's the software learning curve like? Have fixit parts you've made held up in the long term, like the part for the toilet or any other replacement pieces?

How's the "fuel efficiency"? I guess what I'm wondering is how fast do you go through, what I'm assuming are spools, of material?

I have a $250 XYZPrinting davinci 0.9 from Barnes and Noble. It's fine for dipping your toe in and playing around but it's not great for making practical things. It won't print ABS (you need a heated bed for that) and the PLA (PolyLactic Acid) plastics become soft at very low temperatures. I printed a little phone holster that clips onto the dash vents of my car. It warped and fell of about 10 minutes after I turned the heat on.

mtn wrote: What are some of the things that you've made with it that have helped you in general life? LIke this toilet part...

Here's a few of the things I've printed that I have pictures of.
A light switch cover for my Star Wars loving son (get it, light side, dark side....)

and painted

I printed a bracelet for my daughter. She LOVED it. She's outgrown it now.

This is one of those useful things that didn't exist, until I designed it. In our bedroom we have a remote for the light and the space-heater. But didn't really have any place convenient to put the remotes so we could both get to them. There's an outlet just above our mattress so I designed an outlet cover with a groove and a two-compartment remove holder that slid into that groove. Thing a dove-tail joint that runs the entire height of the outlet cover. Sorry, crappy pic that doesn't really tell the story

I printed a T-Rex head as a door-pull for my other sons closet door (bi-fold door). It's a mounted head, like a deer hunting trophy.

Dang! photobucket isn't loading right now, I'll try to back-fill pictures later.

I don't even have pics of the toilet part I printed, but I've also printed a few other things that weren't necessary, but helpful.
Everything I've printed is still in use, except the bracelet my daughter outgrew. They've all held up well.

RevRico wrote: What's the software learning curve like? Have fixit parts you've made held up in the long term, like the part for the toilet or any other replacement pieces?

While I have had failed prints, nothing that I have pressed into service has failed. When I print something like the light switch cover I'm not concerned with making it terribly strong. I will use a 10% infil. Something like the outlet cover/remote caddy, I used more infill for added strength. I usually set it for 2mm thick walls, so the top, bottom, and sides are 2mm thick.

RevRico wrote: How's the "fuel efficiency"? I guess what I'm wondering is how fast do you go through, what I'm assuming are spools, of material?

Yes, they are spools. $15 buys 1 kg (2.2 lbs) and that lasts a long time. Start going around your house and picking up plastic stuff and weighing it. 2 lbs lasts a long time. I think my first spool lasted almost a year.

What's the resolution like on them? +-.01 or so?

The company I used to work for had a giant one we'd print prototype parts for the airplanes with. Generally the fit was pretty good right off the bed. Just wondering if the home ones have come a bit further than when I looked at them last.

mfennell wrote: I have a $250 XYZPrinting davinci 0.9 from Barnes and Noble. It's fine for dipping your toe in and playing around but it's not great for making practical things. It won't print ABS (you need a heated bed for that) and the PLA (PolyLactic Acid) plastics become soft at very low temperatures. I printed a little phone holster that clips onto the dash vents of my car. It warped and fell of about 10 minutes after I turned the heat on.

A guy at work is considering a XYZ for the same reason, dipping his toe in the waters. Back when I was shopping, it cost $400 - $500 just to get into a 4"X4" or 6"X6" printer. The price has come down a lot just in 2 years!
I can print anything, I've only printed PLA up to this point, but I'm going to buy some ABS in a wile, and I have a sample pack of about 30 different fillaments, from flexible, to wood, to metal, to glow-in-the-dark, to transparent, etc. Can't wait to play with that stuff.

The0retical wrote: What's the resolution like on them? +-.01 or so? The company I used to work for had a giant one we'd print prototype parts for the airplanes with. Generally the fit was pretty good right off the bed. Just wondering if the home ones have come a bit further than when I looked at them last.

I've printed with 0.06mm resolution. I don't know how fine it can go to be honest. At that resolution, I can't hardly detect the layers.

Been interested in 3D printer for a while, and really honestly looked into towards the end of last year. 3D printing technology is right at the point where its matured well and would be a good time to get in. The new Prusa i3 Mark II is THE printer to go with, about as plug and play and dependable as you can get with excellent print quality. I'd love to get one, but they are a 2 month minimum wait due to high demand and currently won't have the funds anyway for it for another few months anyways... so probably mid year before I can get it.

Prusa i3 Mark II.

One guy i've seen on Youtube that is great for 3D printing related content is Thomas Sanladerer, like the tests he does on all the different filiments. One of his newest videos below:

Prusa i3 Clone build, Part 1

If I have any questions when starting out I guess this thread could also be a resource. Thanks DrBoost!

Vracer111: if you have any questions ask away. Before you pull the trigger on that, check out makerfarm. You won't be disappointed

In reply to DrBoost:

I think you are right about the makerfarm machine. Those are very clean prints.

At the maker space we have a Maker Bot, and it's rather old- so our better prints look like your failed ones above. It's very easy to use though.

Also in service is a new Wanhao. I haven't figured it out yet though.

I hear we have a working Kossel now too. I'll report back on that later.

Please do report back on the wanhao and kossel. I've heard good things about them both.

I think a 3D printer is my birthday present this year. I was thinking about buying a kit from reprapguru, but then I started looking at the actual original Prusa and started to think that for a few hundred dollars more it sounded like a better deal. I like the idea of the auto calibration and it seems like some of the components are better quality. I don't mind the 7-8 week wait time, but am a little nervous paying up front to some dude in Prague and then hoping that I get what I paid for a couple months later. I remembered this thread and dug it up and am now looking at makerfarm.

I am only looking at kits at this point since I want to put it together, but I want something that is a complete kit, not something that I have to spec out all the components myself.

I was just going to add to this thread this morning!

We got the Wanhao to do something last night. My TL/DR impression is it is a very capable machine for the price, but not a good choice for someone starting out.

The machine came with its own software which was counterintuitive and aggravating for me. We also tried to print a file via the USB port and a thumb drive with no joy. The setup we used last night that worked was Slic3r to generate the g-code, and Pronterface to run the machine.

With Pronterface you can control and customize every facet of the process, like temperatures, feed rates, extruder offset- even the g-code itself while it's printing. And this is the reason it would be a better fit for someone with more experience, as I could see a beginner (like me) spending frustrating days trying to make it work before seeing any success. Even with an expert level user at my disposal it took three prints before we got a usable part.

So take this for what it's worth. If you want a machine you can simply turn on and use, I would look at makerfarm or makerbot. If you don't mind tweaking and trial and error, the Wanhao is a good machine.

As an aside, the Kossel is still not working and it sounds like we will be adapting an older machine to print chocolate.

brian, you're printing chocolate? that sounds awesome!

DrBoost, what's that about metal and wood filaments? Can you expand a bit?

Hey DrBoost, as an FYI, if you need stronger versions of parts that youve printed in plastic, Id love to discuss using the parts as patterns to cast in aluminum. There are some caveats to casting, but its nothing that cant be overcome. I love the process of casting, I probably could be persuaded to do it for free

Also, i have a few designs Ive made in Tinkercad (I can only imagine how busy that machine would be if I owned one, and was versed in CAD). Id be willing to pay to have a few printed. If thats something youre open to, Id be very interested in having a conversation!

4cylndrfury wrote: Hey DrBoost, as an FYI, if you need stronger versions of parts that youve printed in plastic, Id love to discuss using the parts as patterns to cast in aluminum. There are some caveats to casting, but its nothing that cant be overcome. I love the process of casting, I probably could be persuaded to do it for free Also, i have a few designs Ive made in Tinkercad (I can only imagine how busy that machine would be if I owned one, and was versed in CAD). Id be willing to pay to have a few printed. If thats something youre open to, Id be very interested in having a conversation!

Shoot me an IM. We can talk, fo' sho'!

T.J. wrote: I think a 3D printer is my birthday present this year. I was thinking about buying a kit from reprapguru, but then I started looking at the actual original Prusa and started to think that for a few hundred dollars more it sounded like a better deal. I like the idea of the auto calibration and it seems like some of the components are better quality. I don't mind the 7-8 week wait time, but am a little nervous paying up front to some dude in Prague and then hoping that I get what I paid for a couple months later. I remembered this thread and dug it up and am now looking at makerfarm. I am only looking at kits at this point since I want to put it together, but I want something that is a complete kit, not something that I have to spec out all the components myself.

I will urge you to look at Maker Farm. This stuff is high quality, the components are made in the U.S.A. and he's in the U.S.A. His support is unparalleled and he sells kits. I didn't have to buy anything from anyone else, that's what I wanted. I know his stuff works together, so any issues I ran into was just me learning curve. He can fix that too.

paranoid_android74 wrote: I was just going to add to this thread this morning! We got the Wanhao to do something last night. My TL/DR impression is it is a very capable machine for the price, but not a good choice for someone starting out. The machine came with its own software which was counterintuitive and aggravating for me. We also tried to print a file via the USB port and a thumb drive with no joy. The setup we used last night that worked was Slic3r to generate the g-code, and Pronterface to run the machine. With Pronterface you can control and customize every facet of the process, like temperatures, feed rates, extruder offset- even the g-code itself while it's printing. And this is the reason it would be a better fit for someone with more experience, as I could see a beginner (like me) spending frustrating days trying to make it work before seeing any success. Even with an expert level user at my disposal it took three prints before we got a usable part. So take this for what it's worth. If you want a machine you can simply turn on and use, I would look at makerfarm or makerbot. If you don't mind tweaking and trial and error, the Wanhao is a good machine. As an aside, the Kossel is still not working and it sounds like we will be adapting an older machine to print chocolate.

This sounds like what everyone says about the Wanhao machines.
I urge people to stay away from machines that rely on proprietary software or one-off hardware. If the company folds, or moves on to something else, you have a paper weight.

bluej wrote: brian, you're printing chocolate? that sounds awesome! DrBoost, what's that about metal and wood filaments? Can you expand a bit?

There are filaments that are impregnated with wood fibers from various types of wood, metal (copper, iron, aluminum, etc.), carbon fiber, electrically conductive material, etc.
My wife's calling me to dinner. I'll post some more details in a few.....

Here's a link for some info on some of the exotic filaments
Linkey McStinkey

You made me a part for rc that was like 10 bucks if I bought it. This pleases me. As someone who is never pleased, I would consider your machine priceless.

bluej wrote: brian, you're printing chocolate? that sounds awesome! DrBoost, what's that about metal and wood filaments? Can you expand a bit?

Well, not quite yet. It is a project currently in motion.

This is the idea

joey48442 wrote: You made me a part for rc that was like 10 bucks if I bought it. This pleases me. As someone who is never pleased, I would consider your machine priceless.

Glad to help. Lemme know if you need another one, or something else.