3d printer or Resin printer (1 Viewer)

[Grimace]

I’ve wanted to try a 3d printer since they came out and haven’t taken the leap. Now there are resin printers to make the choice harder if I take the leap. Can you print racks and dealer button holders with a resin printer? Do they use the same files to create projects? I’m not opposed to spending the next several months reading up on how to use either.
@BearMetal @Al Azouri @mugenpowr any direction is greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[BearMetal]

I’ve wanted to try a 3d printer since they came out and haven’t taken the leap. Now there are resin printers to make the choice harder if I take the leap. Can you print racks and dealer button holders with a resin printer? Do they use the same files to create projects? I’m not opposed to spending the next several months reading up on how to use either.
@BearMetal @Al Azouri @mugenpowr any direction is greatly appreciated. Thanks

They are completely different. Resin printers also require a lot of ventilation and special handling of the materials. I would definitely not recommend starting with a resin printer.

 

[mugenpowr]

They are completely different. Resin printers also require a lot of ventilation and special handling of the materials. I would definitely not recommend starting with a resin printer.

Yes to start out I would just buy an Ender 3

 

[Al Azouri]

I’m still new at this, but from everything I’ve read, I agree with the above.

Also, be aware that this is a hobby. Don’t expect it to work like a paper printer. You will devote a ton of time to it and have many failed prints along the way.

That being said don’t let that discourage you. It really is a lot of fun and opens up a new world of possibilities.

 

[BearMetal]

Also, be aware that this is a hobby. Don’t expect it to work like a paper printer. You will devote a ton of time to it and have many failed prints along the way.

Absolutely! I have had one printer meltdown and catch fire, my second printer has been upgraded up the wazoo (which takes a lot of time and trial and error), and my third printer is just there for fun, but has consistently pissed me off and required lots and lots of finesse.

 

[mugenpowr]

Absolutely! I have had one printer meltdown and catch fire, my second printer has been upgraded up the wazoo (which takes a lot of time and trial and error), and my third printer is just there for fun, but has consistently pissed me off and required lots and lots of finesse.

Talking about catching fire, printing with wood filaments actually creates a “wood burning” smell.

 

[BearMetal]

Talking about catching fire, printing with wood filaments actually creates a “wood burning” smell.

The different temperatures you print at actually change the color of the final product, right? Hotter means lighter?

 

[mugenpowr]

Hotter means darker since you’re burning the wood fibers faster.

 

[BearMetal]

Hotter means darker since you’re burning the wood fibers faster.

Duh, yes, that's what I meant

 

[Colquhoun]

Wait, since it can catch fire, you have to babysit those prints that can take 24+ hours to print?
I’d be afraid to leave the house…

 

[mugenpowr]

Wait, since it can catch fire, you have to babysit those prints that can take 24+ hours to print?
I’d be afraid to leave the house…

They do sell fire proof enclosures for this or you can monitor the print via a camera.

 

[Nymor]

I have an Ender 3 V2, with a few mods, and it's been really well behaved - although I've only printed with PLA and not any of the fancier filaments.

Take the time to set it up correctly - there are a wealth of uTubes to help out with that. You need a bit of patience sometimes but level the bed, print a bed level test print or two, print a temperature tower for each filament and keep everything clean and well maintained and you're 95% there. Get to know your slicer - I use Cura - and then other software when needed - FreeCad, Meshmixer etc.

If my main use was to print miniatures for desktop gaming - Hero Forge type stuff - I'd probably go for a resin printer. I've printed some miniatures off for a friend and that was a challenge with PLA. Resin printers come with a whole new set of problems though and not something I'm ever going to get into.

 

[BearMetal]

Wait, since it can catch fire, you have to babysit those prints that can take 24+ hours to print?
I’d be afraid to leave the house…

Yes. People wonder why it takes so long for me to make things, and it's because I need to make sure that I'm here while the prints are running.

I do have cameras set up to watch the prints if I need to step out.

They do sell fire proof enclosures for this or you can monitor the print via a camera.

Yep, I use and enclosure. In addition to being fireproof, it stabilizes the temperatures and prevents warping. But I still would never leave it unattended.

 

[Al Azouri]

Yes to start out I would just buy an Ender 3

Yeah, that’s what I have, an Ender 3 Pro. If seen them drop as low as $99 at Micro Center. I got mine for about twice that amount.

 

[BearMetal]

Yeah, that’s what I have, an Ender 3 Pro. If seen them drop as low as $99 at Micro Center. I got mine for about twice that amount.

I've had my 3 v2 for a couple of years now. I think I spent about $230 on it, and then put about another $150 into it for various upgrades like dual z-axis, auto bed leveling, all metal extruder, etc.

For PLA, I actually think it performs better than the s1 Pro. The only thing that I really use the s1 Pro for is PETG and higher temperature plastics that require a direct drive instead of a boden tube.

 

[Nymor]

I have had one printer meltdown and catch fire

Can you expand on that a bit - printer model, cause of meltdown etc? I leave my printer unattended a fair amount, over night or when I'm not there, and am now worried that I'm being cavalier in doing so.

 

[BearMetal]

Can you expand on that a bit - printer model, cause of meltdown etc? I leave my printer unattended a fair amount, over night or when I'm not there, and am now worried that I'm being cavalier in doing so.

My very first printer was my daughter's - it was a Monoprice Cadet that was a great introduction to the hobby. Although it wasn't a hobby-grade printer (like the Enders) and didn't include replaceable/upgradable parts, it showed me the parts of a printer that are most valuable when considering my next one (stuff like heated beds, auto bed levellng, etc). Unfortunately, one day while printing, I just happened to check in on it using my camera and saw smoke/flame whisps coming out of it. I ran down, unplugged it, and fire-extinguished it. It looks like something happened to the thermal couple and it just melted the whole extruder cage/wiring.

Now, I had been running this thing like 16 hours a day for over a year; that's a LOT to ask of a $99 printer. So that dropped me down to 1 printer; my current Ender 3 v2. My v2 is considerably safer since it includes a few more firmware-based protections. Unfortunately, I have had one issue with it about 8 months ago where thermal runaway happened on the nozzle but it did NOT SHUT DOWN like it was supposed to. Luckily, Octopi (the software I run my printers on) notified me, and I had to run down and shut that sucker off ASAP. I replaced the entire extruder at this point, and haven't had any issues since.

I personally NEVER run these when I am not home. And I NEVER run them when I am sleeping. I only run them when I am around and can actively intercede if I see them having a problem or if my smoke alarms were to go off. I'm lucky because I work from home, so I can pretty much run them 16 hours a day to get through the massive amount of requests that I have.

 

[Al Azouri]

My very first printer was my daughter's - it was a Monoprice Cadet that was a great introduction to the hobby. Although it wasn't a hobby-grade printer (like the Enders) and didn't include replaceable/upgradable parts, it showed me the parts of a printer that are most valuable when considering my next one (stuff like heated beds, auto bed levellng, etc). Unfortunately, one day while printing, I just happened to check in on it using my camera and saw smoke/flame whisps coming out of it. I ran down, unplugged it, and fire-extinguished it. It looks like something happened to the thermal couple and it just melted the whole extruder cage/wiring.

Now, I had been running this thing like 16 hours a day for over a year; that's a LOT to ask of a $99 printer. So that dropped me down to 1 printer; my current Ender 3 v2. My v2 is considerably safer since it includes a few more firmware-based protections. Unfortunately, I have had one issue with it about 8 months ago where thermal runaway happened on the nozzle but it did NOT SHUT DOWN like it was supposed to. Luckily, Octopi (the software I run my printers on) notified me, and I had to run down and shut that sucker off ASAP. I replaced the entire extruder at this point, and haven't had any issues since.

I personally NEVER run these when I am not home. And I NEVER run them when I am sleeping. I only run them when I am around and can actively intercede if I see them having a problem or if my smoke alarms were to go off. I'm lucky because I work from home, so I can pretty much run them 16 hours a day to get through the massive amount of requests that I have.

After hearing this it sounds like I need to move mine outdoors and put it in its own tent.

 

[BearMetal]

After hearing this it sounds like I need to move mine outdoors and put it in its own tent.

Even something as simple as a failed thermister can cause a fire. A few simple rules that I follow:

• Always be home and awake when running a 3D printer.
• Have a camera monitoring the print which is hooked up to software to notify you of a problem and send the terminate signal to the printer automatically
• Have a fire extinguisher ready
• Print in a fire-proof enclosure
• Inspect the bowden tube, thermister, hot end, extruder, steppers, fans, etc, every 50 hours or so, and perform regular maintenance on these parts.

 

[theT1NM4N]

My mindset is:

Do you want to build figures and semi detailed pieces? Go resin.

Do you want to make parts and things that don't need extreme precision detail? Go extrusion printer like the ender 3v2.

Both will provide a solid start to the hobby and get you some skills. Its a ton of fun!

 

[dkellerd]

My friend just got a 3d printer and I’d like him to print some poker related stuff. Does anyone have some cool files they could share? I may start a new thread for just that purpose if it makes sense. Thinking about 3d printed Oreo cookie DBs, shuffle stack holders, etc.