this post was submitted on 17 Nov 2023
32 points (100.0% liked)

3DPrinting

15657 readers
123 users here now

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.

The r/functionalprint community is now located at: !functionalprint@kbin.social or !functionalprint@fedia.io

There are CAD communities available at: !cad@lemmy.world or !freecad@lemmy.ml

Rules

If you need an easy way to host pictures, https://catbox.moe/ may be an option. Be ethical about what you post and donate if you are able or use this a lot. It is just an individual hosting content, not a company. The image embedding syntax for Lemmy is ![](URL)

Moderation policy: Light, mostly invisible

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

I have never 3d printed anything before. These days I'm working on a small home automation project, and I will require some enclosures. So I thought why not buy a 3d printer ? That way I can also learn about 3d printing when I get some time.

Also please suggest an affordable 3d printer.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] rug_burn@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

Literally all this. I own a ender 3 v2 and know a couple other people with them. I got mostly lucky with mine, the extruder broke a little earlier than most, however. I went down the upgrade hole a d realized I could have bought a better printer. But don't let that dissuade you from trying one, like others have said, their QA is all over the place. You may get a gem or a lemon, it's a crapshoot. From scouring the internet, the ones I see that get the most love in the more budget friendly space are the Prusa Mini and the Sovol SV06. I jumped in a little deeper and got a Bambulabs P1P and couldn't be happier for $600 out the door @microcenter.

My advice is, watch a bunch of reviews, but instead of buying into what they're saying about the printer itself, note the features each printer has and see what ones interest you the most, then look for the printer that has those features.

More advice? You got it, buddy. Don't do what I see a lot of people suggest and go out and buy an Ender 3x vx and also buy a metric ass ton of upgrades because someone had them in a review or suggested it on the internet. Set it up and print some calibration cubes, 1st layer tests, temp towers and the like to see how that printer actually works. Once you get more experience under your belt, then maybe look at upgrading. You'll know what feature it is you want/need, or you'll have a problem in need of solving that only time and currency can fix.

Learn the basics. Learning how to tram (level) your print bed is critical for success. Being new and relying on a self leveling unit (without learning how to tram) isn't a great idea, because they're not foolproof. Think of a feature upgrade like a CR or BL touch for an Ender as a "tool" and not a "fix" and you're light years ahead already. 3d printing is a great hobby but like any other hobby you're going to fail few times before uou get it right. Learn how to verify your chassis and all axis are square. Learn how to calibrate your particular unit.