Dipping my toes in to 3D printing

Diddums said:
Well, it turned up today. Massive box, but rather well packed. Haven't set it up yet but might have a go tomorrow. The filament only arrives tomorrow anyway.

And the "free gift" is a little wind-up outboard motor to go on the back of one of those little tugboat things that everyone prints :p

Edit: this - https://uk.store.bambulab.com/produ...wNjnLr__-dxbOhNOAZktpWiZpXq6RiBuxHTsDzJDp0wZ_
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Ahh sweet. The motor isn't for a benchy though, just for the 2 models they suggest there that are a fair bit larger than a standard benchy!
 
Well here it is then, having set it up and put it through the calibration procedure I learned very quickly that this table isn't suitable, the thing wobbles and vibrates like mad :D

I'm going to have to come up with a more permanent solution.

f5HfyYW.png


The first two prints are going to be the popo bucket:

makerworld.com

A1 simple Poop Bucket by laumerphilipp

Bambu Lab A1 Poop Bucket Just a simple but effective Poop Bucket for the new A1. If you have any suggestions for improvement just write in the comments. Best regardsPhilipp
makerworld.com makerworld.com

And the carousel:

makerworld.com

Swatch Display Holder & Carousel for Bambu Lab Filament Swatches Remixed by proto_boy

Check out this nifty display stand designed to neatly showcase all those vibrant filament swatch samples that come with your A1, purchased separately from the Bambu site, or even your own handpicked collection of top-notch filaments. This print is a breeze - no need for support or brim. This...
makerworld.com makerworld.com

2024-01-13_f10c0777add18.gif


And my first "custom" print is going to be a see through lid for the carousel which will both test the see through filament, and make something useful.

I'm like a kid at Christmas :D
 
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So I'd like to start my first print tonight, but I have a question or two. Firstly, I see people mentioning glue all over the place, I don't need to glue anything do I? Just feed it filament and a design and let it crack on?

Just don't wanna get caught out later with stuff I need but don't have.

Also need to remember to lubricate the axii as the printer told me to yesterday :D
 
Generally speaking no, no need for glue if you are printing with the textured PEI plate and PLA/PETG.

I have used glue twice with my P1S. First time I used pritstick type glue as I think I was having corners lift during printing, in the end I determined the issue was the auxillary fan being completely unhelpful in the enclosed P1S (so not an issue you would face with the A1).

Second time is actually right now as I am using the Smooth PEI plate, which advises glue to be used to avoid pulling up the coating of the plate.

Would say feed it and crack on!
 
Thanks @IanAG.

Well, so far I've printed a Benchy, a scraping tool (the Bambu comes with a blade for one), the carousel (just need to order a bearing for it), and my wife's now obsessed with it too so it's currently printing a modular shoe rack thingy.

I can't believe how little filament it uses, I'm genuinely impressed!

This is more addictive than crack :D
 
Diddums said:
@Raymond Lin you've really gotta get yourself one of these. Find space, make space, sell something, it'll be the best thing you ever buy!
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I would need a reason first....I don't have anything to print atm. I worry I would use it a few times then it will just gather dust. Then I would have paid hundreds of pounds for things that I could have paid a website to do for £30.

Also, the technology is moving so fast that in between me using it, it would be out of date and I could have got a much better one for less money between prints.
 
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Any good tool is one that you are able to find new uses for only after having it.

Glad you're enjoying yourself @Diddums

As well as Bambu's own model sharing site, check out things like printables.com (owned by Prusa), thingiverse (now owned by Ultimaker) as well as thangs.com. Some have competitions for designs and while you may have no interest in competing, some of the stuff people are able to come up with is great.

Naturally of course check out the other threads here, reddit etc.

Actually, it surprises me how little activity there is on here for 3D printing.
 
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Raymond Lin said:
I would need a reason first....I don't have anything to print atm. I worry I would use it a few times then it will just gather dust. Then I would have paid hundreds of pounds for things that I could have paid a website to do for £30.

Also, the technology is moving so fast that in between me using it, it would be out of date and I could have got a much better one for less money between prints.
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Its useful for hobbyists brother is printing stuff constantly.

For myself it'll be things like USB port covers, fan size adapters etc.
 
DBT85 said:
Actually, it surprises me how little activity there is on here for 3D printing.
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I suspect it's largely down to perception, when the hobby was still in its infancy these things required more attention than a speed-addicted toddler. How times have changed, we've printed about at least a dozen bits and bobs and the thing has just got on with it, it's less demanding than an inkjet printer, lol.

My wife is hilariously obsessed with it, she's printed about ten times more than I have and is constantly looking for more stuff to print :D
 
Diddums said:
Hello folks, I've always been curious about 3D printing and now I've also had a few ideas that could actually give me stuff to print.

A few questions if I may please:

Is it worth me designing something first and getting someone else to print it, in case I suck at it / it doesn't grab me?

How hard is it to design stuff?

Assuming I get to the point of wanting to make more stuff, what sort of budget would I be looking at?

I'd be making items that I'll sell, so the quality will need to be decent. Nothing big, mainly adapters, I'd say no bigger than 20cm cubed to start off with.

Any recommendations for any of the kit / filament?

Thanks all :)
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Me Too! I've very recently (last week) purchased an Elegoo Neptune 4 Plus. The driving forces behind the purchase are 1) Any DIY I've done recently have had to pause/stop due to me lacking some "doohicky" or somesuch, uusally a brace or bracket of a very particular size which I either have to drive to the hardware store and buy when its something I could now (in theory) print for myself at home in about an hour or less! and 2) I've promised the put together a Cosplay for my partner for next years Comicon and a good chunk of parts for it can be printed, including the helmet which is why I bought the Plus version.

Finally, it was either a 3D FDM printer OR a new gaming chair...but when compairing the prices I found the printer was cheaper and ... there you go. I now own and running an FDM printer!

Not used it that much but its been good so far. I'm currently prototyping a mitre tool that our plumbers need, but also found time to at least print a new bowl for one of the cats. lol.

I'm not sure about learning CAD but my son is a bit brainy so he should help.
 
Uncle Petey said:
You might to want to rethink that and get your cat a proper bowl :)
Printed objects are generally unsuitable for food use, as all the tiny layer gaps are prime bacteria growth channels.
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oh I'm going to sand and seal it before use as its a horizontal surface the finish isn't what I want for it anyway. That said, its something that needed pointing out :)
 
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Uncle Petey said:
You might to want to rethink that and get your cat a proper bowl :)
Printed objects are generally unsuitable for food use, as all the tiny layer gaps are prime bacteria growth channels.
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Print it in ABS and acetone smooth it. Works a treat for food items. People mostly refer to the gaps in layers (infill) for bacteria growth during washing etc. Printing solid walls also negates that issue.
 
Well my wife has completely taken over, the house is already full of plastic tubs, boxes, key hanger, coasters, tissue boxes, combs, and tons more. The thing hasn't stopped printing since her first print :D

I really need to pull my finger out and measure up what I need so I can start learning Fusion360.
 
varkanoid said:
Radiator Valve top for me. It can be addictive once you get going although I burnt myself out a bit doing my arcade cabinet as it was a long project and I've got a 2 player version on the back burner to do next but I've not touched the printer for about 3/4 months. Going to probably do some stuff for my Dad's railway for Christmas.

@Diddums I've had mine over a year and I was a complete novice. There seemed to be 2 types of printer, ones that just work out of the box like the Bambu ones or the Neptune ones and those that need upgrading/tinkering with before you can get anything decent eg Creality so do your homework first which you want. Bambu seem to be the one of choice, slightly more expensive than others but produce good results. Just a note about the A1 mini - the build plate is quite small and some regret buying it as it restricts the size of prints initially.

With regards to design/3D Cad I had a go with Fusion and it just blew my mind for a complete novice for me it is too complicated so I used Tinkercad to learn some basics and watch the odd video. I still use it now because I cant be bothered to learn anything else. For models check out Printables and Thingiverse website you will find 1000's of free models. Also I like to take someones design in something that I am interested in (eg an arcade cabinet) and look at how it can be improved and then use the existing files to create my version (called a "Remix") via TinkerCAD and then publish the model for others once I have built mine. So as an example the 2 Player arcade cabinet I want to do is too big for my printer so I am going to cut the parts down to fit my print bed plus I have improvements to simplify it. You do not necessarily have to do everything from scratch you can improve on other designs or change them for your needs and more than not its complete free to do so. Thats how I learned Tinkercard take a model and play about with it.
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Hiya mate - I’m just beginning this journey looking to get into tinkercad and remix projects into makerworld. Would you mind messaging me or us being in contact for any hints and tips on how you got on. Both with tinkercad and makerworld?
 
welshdragon said:
Hiya mate - I’m just beginning this journey looking to get into tinkercad and remix projects into makerworld. Would you mind messaging me or us being in contact for any hints and tips on how you got on. Both with tinkercad and makerworld?
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I started off by watching Youtube videos then just load up a few models and mess about, you soon get the hang of it once you realise how models are constructed. Its all shapes!
 
When designing a model from scratch, do you load into Bambulabs for example, slice it and it applies settings and then save the 3mf or are settings a very manual process for each new model?
 
welshdragon said:
When designing a model from scratch, do you load into Bambulabs for example, slice it and it applies settings and then save the 3mf or are settings a very manual process for each new model?
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I designed in Fusion, then exported the file as a 3MF. Then opened the file in Bambu, sliced it (very easy, a few clicks) and then uploaded it to my Bambu profile. Then sent the link to my wife who printed it.

It's very easy once you've done it and have the necessary accounts set up.
 
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