3DPrinting

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3DPrinting is a place where makers of all skill levels and walks of life can learn about and discuss 3D printing and development of 3D printed parts and devices.

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Best options for entry level 3D printing available these days? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) by [email protected] to c/3dprinting

51 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I've had access to a roommate's 3D printer, but they'll be moving away soon :(

Wondering if people have takes on machines that are considered entry level today but may have evolved handy features since, well, when you were an entry level user.

If this isn't the right place for this please be nice I'm sorry

EDIT: okay I left out way too much detail for this to be answerable.

I've been printing for a year, so im not absolute beginner tier, and can benefit from some of the fancy gizmos like auto leveling, multi filament, etc. but i dont really venture beyond PETG and PLA. I mostly use 3D printing in other maker/diy projects; creating custom fixtures, quick tools and jigs, attachments for sewing machines, table saws, tool organization etc. You get the idea. Im not a mechanical engineer or prototyping medical equipment. I just really enjoy the power of being able to model something i need, print it, and immediate use it to complete a project. I dont do any figurines.

My budget is a maximum of 300 canadian dollars, including filaments, replacement parts, and add-ons. I am impartial to any brands or companies, i actually would perfer something that doesnt have proprietary bullshit, but the printers my roommate have are a (GEETECH) Ender 3 Clone and a TwoTree SP-5. The two tree is really awesome, but also over kill for what i need personally.

Other considerations are that It should be relatively compact, not mini/micro or anything, I would rather print twice or rearrange the models on the print bed some times and have more space than the other way around.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago (3 children)

Hey I'm not OP but I was wondering too, budget is 1K and would mostly want it to make tabletop figures.

[–] RegalPotoo 9 points 7 months ago (1 children)

For minis and other things where you want lots of small details you want a resin/SLA printer.

Keep in mind that as well as the printer itself, you also need equipment to wash and cure the resin after it comes out of the printer
Resin is extremely toxic, accumulates in the body (ie, lots of small exposures over time is just as bad as one big exposure), and you can develop immune sensitivities to it where your body freaks out with even small amounts leading blisters, burns and breathing difficulties. Do not screw around with resin. Use proper PPE. Dispose of waste resin properly

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

thanks! Haven't looked into it at all just a passing fancy and toxic things sound less fun. Is there anything that would do this with wood, some CNC machine? Much more experience carving stuff but I'm still curious.

[–] RegalPotoo 2 points 7 months ago

Didn't mean to put you off if it's something you are interested in, just be aware with what you are dealing with going into it.

Small desktop CNCs are relatively affordable, but only cut in 2 dimensions. Laser cutters fill a similar niche, are a bit more limited in the types of materials they can cut and how thick the material can be, are a bit more forgiving than a CNC (no risk of breaking milling bits if you screw up), but have safety issues to be aware of. I'm not aware of any hobby-grade muli-axis CNC machines, but there might be ones out there

[–] Centipede 3 points 7 months ago

I'd recommend the Elegoo Mars 4 Ultra, along with the Mercury XS wash and cure station. You can get that off Amazon for under $400. You'd still need resin and ppe, and other consumables, but you'd be well under 1k and the quality is amazing.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

You probably want resin printer for figures, but I cant recommmend any