Looking at 3D printers...

[RCHeliguy]

I think I've finally gotten to the point where I have some projects and things that I would build if I had a 3D printer handy.

It seems that the Prusa i3 MK3S is the go to printer based on most of the reviews I've seen.

Original Prusa i3 MK3S+ - Prusa3D - 3D Printers from Josef Průša

www.prusa3d.com

I was curious if anyone had any special thoughts about this.

They have a power coated and smooth pop off print surface. Has anyone had experience with both?

I'm thinking of using it to build more organically shaped button boxes with more tactile queues to find buttons while in VR even easier, as well as other things that I can bolt on to my 8020 chassis.

 

[cteters]

The 'best bang for the buck' is still the original Ender 3 to my understanding. It doesn't make the best prints available, but does the job. Perfect for anyone that values functionality over aesthetics. At the price range of the mentioned model, I would also be considering SLA printers.

 

[RCHeliguy]

I would like something with a self calibrating heated bed and the PRUSA has a nice flexible removable print surface that you can just pop prints off of rather than needing to scrape prints off.

SLA looks messy and I suspect the materials it uses are quite a bit more expensive. The powder and liquid based 3D printers have a few draw backs that I'm not interested in dealing with. Most resins have a short time frame to use them. You can only make so many prints in the same resin so you have to optimize and jam pack your print area for each print or you have to toss a bunch of resin out frequently. Clean up is messy. The finished pieces need to washed in toxic chemicals. The fumes are nasty so I couldn't print in my office. It would have to be in my garage.

I agree that the resolution of SLA is fantastic, but I'm not interested in making figurines. I'll be making structural pieces that I build things with.

I want something nice that works well with a minimum of futzing.

I also want something that isn't wasteful with materials or that go bad if they isn't used soon after opening. That's one reason the filament based systems appeal to me.

 

[cteters]

All good points. I guess my budget didn't require the same depth of research. I just maintain a plan of going to the local college or local library if ever the day comes that I need a print of higher quality than what I've normally cranked out.

 

[maelstrom]

The other thing to consider is that. although a lot more expensive, the Prusa supports many more print materials which could be useful for different projects. The i3 MK3S is definitely what I would buy if I could only think of enough uses for it to justify the spend!

 

[RCHeliguy]

I've been on the fence about this for a couple years just not feeling like I had enough reason to justify one but that it would be something I should do eventually. I think I finally got to the point where I have enough ideas that I would like to print and I think that once I have one the flood gates will open and I'll find additional things to use it for.

 

[karoliens]

I've been using Ender 3 for quite a while now. For the price I don't think there's anything better. Out of the box perhaps not the best printer because it lacks some features (e.g. ABL).
But for me who's tinkerer it's perfect after installing BL Touch, glass bed and SKR mini e3 board).
By the way you could get same magnetic bed for Ender 3 that Prusa is using as well if desired.

 

[Kek700]

Could not get steering wheel side QR for simcube2
So printed one on my Ender 3, including wheel mounts for my three wheels. Maybe not the prettiest but so far holding up ok. Probably saved me a lot, a SC2 pro may be a bridge too far though.

 

[RCHeliguy]

Could not get steering wheel side QR for simcube2
So printed one on my Ender 3, including wheel mounts for my three wheels. Maybe not the prettiest but so far holding up ok. Probably saved me a lot, a SC2 pro may be a bridge too far though.

Did you try this one?

Simucube 2 QR mount by Uros76

This is my first 3D print design. I couldn't find such mount out there so I created one. If you have a steering wheel with Simucube 2 SQR system this is a mount design for your simracing rig. I was feed up leaving wheels around the room. With this mount you can simply hook the wheel on the rig...

www.thingiverse.com

 

[RCHeliguy]

I'm considering an order now.

Prusa i3 MK3S kit

Prusa PLA

• 2kg Black
• 1kg Galaxy black
• 1kg Silver
• 1kg Opal Green
• 1kg Vanilla White

Nozzles ( comes with 0.4mm )

• 0.25
• 0.6mm

Glue and lubricant

 

[Kek700]

Did you try this one?

Simucube 2 QR mount by Uros76

This is my first 3D print design. I couldn't find such mount out there so I created one. If you have a steering wheel with Simucube 2 SQR system this is a mount design for your simracing rig. I was feed up leaving wheels around the room. With this mount you can simply hook the wheel on the rig...

www.thingiverse.com

yes I did that's what I use to hang the steering wheels on.
On that site there is a wheel side adaptor QR for the SC2, cannot find it at the moment.
printed two of them, look strong, no problem so far with my sport sc2.

 

[Kek700]

Simucube 2 Quick release wheel side

Simucube 2 Quick release wheel side by Trigen

Made a simucube 2 wheel side QR to use with my rally wheel and other low NM games (it can take a beating as its quite oversized and been tested at 20NM until i couldnt move the wheel due to fatigue with high fidelity ) or cars. Its 50mm tall 70mm pattern. Its about 85mm wide on the pattern side...

www.thingiverse.com

look in thingiverse for the SC2 wheel side quick release.

 

[RCHeliguy]

Saw a few Sim button boxes.
To my mind they are all huge missed opportunities at least for the front panels which are all flat and could be done much faster and easier and stronger with a sheet of plywood, plastic, or aluminum and a drill press.

Sim Racing Button Box by LeecarL

Another button box for people to use if they wish.Uses a clamp mech, or you can design your own using the mounting pattern on the main box.As always .step files are included, Mod as you wish!

www.thingiverse.com

What I want to do is create a nicely contoured front plate that comes to hand easily and that helps you to find buttons. I think I got off to a good start with my existing button box, but I have a lot of ideas.

 

[Bjarne Hansen]

Been thinking about 3D printing for the last couple of years.
Tried Blender to make projects in but find it a very steep learning curve so have only modified some projects.
So what modelling software are you using?
Would get the Ender V3 kit if I got my own 3D printer, mainly due to price.

 

[Kek700]

That’s what I found, I would like a software package with a very simplistic start, so designing can be quick and simple, from start to finish, then as your ability grows the programme expands into that.
I down load a 3D software only to be faced with an initial mammoth task of learning it before I can even start. With that I soon give up.
After all it’s not a job, just a hobby. Yes I know I am somewhat lazy.
I like my Ender 3 for just that reason, initially easy to use.

 

[Zipdrive]

Fusion 360 is a good 3D modeling software. It's free for personal/hobby use and students.

Then there's the online only TinkerCAD. A simple but pretty good starter program.

 

[RCHeliguy]

I was planning to use PrusaSlicer 2.1.1 since it has out of the box presets for the Prusa Printers and it appears to do well against Cura, Simplify3D and many of the other packages out there. PrusaSlicer and Cura are among the very large number of free packages out there.

Here is a very cursory review only a month old covering a large number of 3D printer programs but not in very much detail.

2021 Best 3D Printer Slicer Software | All3DP

Want to get the best results from your 3D printer? Check out our guide to the best 3D printer slicer software. Even better, most of them are free.

all3dp.com

I used to teach AutoCad in a computer lab and I have been using a free version of Sketchup for my wood working for a couple years.

I'm expecting a bit of a learning curve, so I'm still trying to decide when to take the jump. I'm starting into two large projects shortly and I'm not sure if I'll have the spare time I would like to dig into 3D printing in the short term.

I went ahead and downloaded a copy of PrusaSlicer 2.1.1 to play with. I should have a little time this week before things get crazy.

 

[RCHeliguy]

I see for creating an STL file from scratch.

7 Free STL Editors: How to Edit & Repair STL Files | All3DP

How to edit and repair an STL file with 7 free STL editors: FreeCAD, Tinkercad, Blender, Meshmixer, Meshlab, 3D Slash, and SculptGL.

all3dp.com

Since I have some familiarity with AutoCad products, I'm going to try their free product MeshMixer.

http://www.meshmixer.com/download.html

StetchUp appears limited in this capacity.

I think I could get the hang of this.

 

[RCHeliguy]

Interesting a completely web based tool. He says this is crazy easy to use and was designed for kids, but is very easy. Also by AutoDesk. ( yes I know already mentioned above )

Tinkercad - https://www.tinkercad.com

So it looks like Fusion 360 is the go to software for mechanical things, but the free license is only good for 3 years. Blender is supposed to be better for organic modeling. Hmm... According to this video it's not a hard to learn as it once was.

Installed MeshMixer, Blender and setup a TinkerCad account. Fusion 360 looks good, but I'm going to wait off and see how far I can get with Blender and TinkerCad.

Tinkercad does look like it would work for many things that I'm looking at doing. Fusion 360 looks like what I would be the most comfortable with. <sigh>

 

[RCHeliguy]

BTW with regard to printers. What I've read on the Ender 3 is that what you get is luck of the draw. They have some serious quality control issues.

Some people get printers with bad bearings, warped beds, etc.. etc.. Some people are willing to take the gamble because it is such a good deal, but it appears that there is no telling what you will actually receive if you order one.