3DPrinting

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Recommendations for teenager's first printer. (self.3dprinting)

submitted 1 week ago by Machinist to c/3dprinting

25 comments fedilink hide all child comments

My son is about ready for his first printer. His school is running Cetus MK3 printers, he has a class using them, and his teacher has recommended this printer. He also has an educational seat of Fusion 360.

I'm proficient with Mastercam and hand written/modified G-code. I can help him with CAD no problem. Alignment, assembly, adjustment, and backlash are second nature for me. Have a little better than layman's understanding of printers. (Lusted over the Markforged printer that could do continuous carbon fiber.)

Eventually, will be building my own shop and hope my son might work with me. Hope to include printing, especially in metal.

I've seen some of the flap about Bambu and them closing up the software tool chain. I would like to avoid that sort of thing, for now, openness is better.

Top of my budget is around $500, with $200 probably being better.

Usable prints for tooling/spacers/repairs would be a bonus as would being able to print UV resistant plastic.

My goal for him is to get gud at modelling and get a feel for computer controlled movement. Another goal, harder to describe, is him finding the joy in mechanical tinkering and producing an idea made physical.

Thank you much! What do?

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[–] [email protected] -3 points 6 days ago (4 children)

BambuLab A1 mini without AMS it is $200. Toss in a hardened steel nozzle ($10 or so) and they are good for Carbon fiber materials.

Construction is pretty similar to the mentioned Cetus MK3 with the difference that BambuLab nailed the usability.

Hope to include printing, especially in metal.

Won't happen. This requires a debinding oven which is a pretty nasty process involving acids/bases, high pressure and temperature.

There are products like (BASF) Forward AM 316L which can be mailed in for the debinding and sintering process.

I’ve seen some of the flap about Bambu and them closing up the software tool chain. I would like to avoid that sort of thing, for now, openness is better.

You don't need to update as they are fine. with the current firmware, it is a non-issue.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

BambuLab is not to be trusted, they are anti-consumer and remove features after purchase

You don't need to update

If I have to careful to defend something I bought against the manufacturer remotely bricking it, then maybe it's not a product I'd recommend

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I still use them and the only reason why I haven't updated it for a while: don't fix it if itsn't broken and nothing in the change logs read like I should update.

Even if you update: there is or will be (didn't follow it that closely) the debugging mode or how they call it. Not even sure if the A1 even has this DRM sofar or only the X1 series.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

I see nothing wrong with using it if you already have it.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 days ago

I've heard bambulab is beginning to do vendor lockin stuff

[–] Machinist 1 points 5 days ago

Metal printing and such would be in the context of building a CNC shop and him being proficient at modeling and such after playing with an FDM printer for a few years. We're talking a pro grade printer and sintering oven. If he has the interest, my son could handle printing and I would handle CNC. That's the dream. Requires tens of thousands of dollars. Baby steps first to see if he has the drive. Bambu is almost certainly not on the list unless I trip up on an incredible deal.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago

Only if he can get one with the current firmware. Depending on when he buys it might come with the new one - and a downgrade then is less then sure, according to a Bambu customer service statement towards me.