3D Printing.. where you guys at!!!

[BLaaR]

Always, always open the file in either 3D Builder (win10 store) or Netfabb first to check for errors. You would be surprised as to the tiniest errors that can just throw the whole print.

I agree on bed levelling. What I do is level too close and then use my slicer to offset the nozzle by 0.05mm steps. Sometimes down to 0.02 to be sure. That way I have now gotten the perfect first layer every time. Also, remember to level your bed when the nozzle and bed are hot due to expansion and contraction. Never touch BuildTak with the nozzle. Will ruin it.

In terms of bed adhesives, I have tried it all. Hairspray, ABS juice, BuildTak, sanded glass, kapton tape, masking tape, blue painters tape; but none compare to what I'm currently using. Two tablespoons of wood glue to a cup of water. Mix it up really good, use a paintbrush and when your bed is cold; paint it on.

I've done maybe 100h of printing on this one layer and I'm still getting perfect adhesion every single time with absolutely 0 warping whatsoever. Put the mix into a sealed jar and you're good to go. The benefits of this mix is that it's water soluble which means that when you take your prints off the bed, you wipe them down with water and the bottom will have a mirror finish if you've leveled correctly. Also, unlike abs juice, you can very easily get it off your bed when it starts building up by simply slapping your build plate in the dishwasher or some hot soapy water. Comes off like a charm.

In terms of using ABS to print, I don't completely avoid it because there are times when it's needed for certain things. For example, I print primarily in PETG (thanks @Mister Wobbles) and PLA however PLA doesn't withstand high temps and PETG has a lot of flex for thinner parts so in that case I might use ABS as a last resort. I don't like it but it does work. There's a reason that it's been the second most popular filament for years.

Just kind of letting my brain ooze here so I'm sorry for rambling.

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Thanks for the wood glue tip.

Been using masking tape and Pritt. Problem is the print sticks so well, I usually end up destroying the tape. So after each print I usually end up replacing the tape.

Will try the wood glue solution. Are you using Ponal ? Guessing you wait for the slush to dry first before printing ?

@OP, as for first layer adhesion, laying down the first layer slower helps a lot.

 

[noa]

Keep your filament in airtight containers with silica gel.

Uh oh.

 

[Shampoo1014]

Agreed. My first layers are often at like 20% speeds for PETG. 50 for PLA. I print at 60mm/s on average.

@BLaaR , yes I put it on when my bed is cool and then I hear it up right away. In a case where I just need a touchup then I'll put it on when it's hot. You can do either; I've just found that putting it on while the bed is cool allows you to have a much more even and smoother surface co.pared to a hot bed where it dries a lot quicker. Plus it steams when you put it on a hot bed and I always panic, thinking that my printer is smoking xD And yes,I am using Ponal but any PVA-based glue should work. That is the key part here.

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[Lu22X]

Uh oh.

Haha it's not the end of the world, but you'd be surprised how quickly filament absorbs moisture from the air.

 

[Shampoo1014]

Uh oh.

Yeah I've given up on that. Even my ABS isn't in containers and I haven't had a single issue with moisture. Which is strange.

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[AAAH NUUU BRU]

Been printing for about 5 years now, good fun. I have a bunch of printers, even built my own one from scratch. Really good hobby to have.

Big learning curve at the beginning and a lot will go wrong, just dont give up, once you work everything out it becomes super easy.

 

[_Blake_]

Checking in!
Seriously a cool hobby! time consuming for sure but well worth it!
bought my first printer 3 years ago. blew the main board then decided to build my own from scratch.
Now i have 2 printer, both with heated beds (my favorite upgrade of all time)
My Scratch built printer has a volcano block with 0.8mm Nozzle (see attached pics). these prints are massive and print super fast but the layer lines are a lot more visible, however i dont mind it at all.
Second printer has a 0.4mm Nozzle for the quality prints.

Welcome to the 3D printing though.

 

[Shampoo1014]

Yeah I've given up on that. Even my ABS isn't in containers and I haven't had a single issue with moisture. Which is strange.

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Murphey is a real bastard. On PLA as well! Wtf! Welcome to 3D printing xD

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[BLaaR]

Murphey is a real bastard. On PLA as well! Wtf! Welcome to 3D printing xD

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You still have your CR10 ?

 

[Shampoo1014]

You still have your CR10 ?

Yep. Love this beast.

 

[BLaaR]

Yep. Love this beast.

Real workhorse..........would be interesting if one could track printing hours for 3D printers. You must be well over 1000hours already. No breakdowns ?

 

[kenny'sgh05t]

WOW.. Thank for all the tips Guys @Shampoo1014 ill pass the woodglue tip on as will.. my cousin has been using allot of thing over the past year and he now pays R550 for a bottle of something.. not sure what.

On the ABS thing.. From what I've heard it can be a Pain.. but from what I've seen it turns out great results. so it sounds like spend the time and get AB print setting perfect and you'll have epic results

@kyle_blake Thanks Bud, Cant wait for my Printer to arrive!
@AAAH NUUU BRU Looks like I'll have a huge support group.. so wouldn't be giving up easily(Also Me = Feeler : Creality Ender 3 3D printer )

 

[kenny'sgh05t]

Ill need to get a roll of Filament on my way home..

What should i get for my first prints? PLA? PETG? ABS?

 

[_Blake_]

Ill need to get a roll of Filament on my way home..

What should i get for my first prints? PLA? PETG? ABS?

I've had awesome results with CCtree PLA. the Grey has slight speckles in it which make the prints look amazing!

 

[AAAH NUUU BRU]

Ill need to get a roll of Filament on my way home..

What should i get for my first prints? PLA? PETG? ABS?

PLA is the easiest to print with by far so i would say start out with that. Where will you be buying from ?

 

[Shampoo1014]

Ill need to get a roll of Filament on my way home..

What should i get for my first prints? PLA? PETG? ABS?

PLA without a doubt. Dont go ABS/PETG or anything else until you have mastered PLA. Fairly simple but PLA is the best. What slicing software are you looking to use?

 

[kenny'sgh05t]

PLA is the easiest to print with by far so i would say start out with that. Where will you be buying from ?

Ill pop by AMS or maybe 3Dprinting store.

 

[Mister Wobbles]

PLA is definitely the way to start, it is by far the easiest thing to print.

As for build surfaces, I have a spring steel removable plate coated with PEI and it's perfect for everything. Builtak is good but definitely a consumable. The Anycubic ultrabase is meant to be fantastic but I have no personal experience with it.
I've tried painters tape, the crappy surface that came with my old Wanhao, ABS juice, wood glue, hairspray on glass and mirrors as well as roughed up bare aluminium and the spring steel on my Prusa is miles ahead of any of it. As a second option PEI on glass is good but not suitable for PETG.

 

[kenny'sgh05t]

PLA without a doubt. Dont go ABS/PETG or anything else until you have mastered PLA. Fairly simple but PLA is the best. What slicing software are you looking to use?

Cura?

 

[AAAH NUUU BRU]

Ill pop by AMS or maybe 3Dprinting store.

Both great stores, the guys at 3dprintstore are really awesome so i use them a lot

 

[kenny'sgh05t]

@AAAH NUUU BRU Im think 3Dprinting store...

@Shampoo1014 Did you replace the PTFE tube and Couplings on your CR10?

 

[Shampoo1014]

@AAAH NUUU BRU Im think 3Dprinting store...

@Shampoo1014 Did you replace the PTFE tube and Couplings on your CR10?

I didn't replace the couplings but I did replace the PTFE tube with a High-temp, low-friction Capricorn tube that I brought in from the UK.

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[BLaaR]

High-temp, low-friction Capricorn tube

Kink soos iets wat @Off-The-Chart gebruik.

 

[kenny'sgh05t]

Im thinking of also getting a Capricorn tube... but..... Waiting for it!!!

 

[kenny'sgh05t]

Kink soos iets wat @Off-The-Chart gebruik.

 

[Arphaxad_23]

I'm quite the electronics hobbyist, love all things CNC!

Bought my prusa i3 style printer back in 2014 from DIYElectronics (shout out to them!) and been loving every moment! Best upgrade I made was getting a genuine E3D hotend, those things are beasts...not a days issue since.
What I enjoy the most is the ability to measure anything, creating the 3d model in fusion and then printing the object...awesome to see the end result.

Interesting to see all the bed adhesion solutions. I simply use generic hairspray

I'm now busy building a second printer from scratch, but a corexy machine (HyperCube Evo). Larger build volume, 230V heatbed (cant stand waiting around for the 12V platform to heat), 32bit micro (but I might end up using a Pi and the Klipper firmware, apparently very good for fast printing). Only thing I won't have is dual extruding capabilities.

So ja, welcome to the 3d printing life @kenny'sgh05t
Very lekker hobby.

 

[BLaaR]

So, whats going to be first on the build plate @kenny'sgh05t ?

 

[kenny'sgh05t]

So, whats going to be first on the build plate @kenny'sgh05t ?

I have a few Mods for the printer I want.. then i need a cover for my Car keyfob

 

[kenny'sgh05t]

Printer Build and First test print was done..

Far from perfect. but it works!!!

 

[BLaaR]

How about we get a sticky for 3D printed models and then we post our makes in there ?

Finally finished my biggest print yet. Robocop Auto 9 scale 1:1