Considering dipping toe into 3d printing so what do you think of this one?
- Thread starter Sachakins
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ScaredyCat
Established Member
As far as I'm concerned Creativity are a no go, cutting costs to deliver poorer quality versions.
Are you looking at printing in ABS/ASA? PLA doesn't require an enclosure but ABS/ASA will.
There's also Bambu Lab P1S @ £639 is you don't add the AMS (TBH I'd buy with it) if you need enclosed.
I picked up a Neptune 4 and it's been perfect, though not enclosed, at a fraction of the price of either of the other 2. I use it to print mounts, hose adaptors and even a flexible hose for my pillar drill.
Excellent tool for any workshop, it can chunter away in the background while you do other things.
Are you looking at printing in ABS/ASA? PLA doesn't require an enclosure but ABS/ASA will.
There's also Bambu Lab P1S @ £639 is you don't add the AMS (TBH I'd buy with it) if you need enclosed.
I picked up a Neptune 4 and it's been perfect, though not enclosed, at a fraction of the price of either of the other 2. I use it to print mounts, hose adaptors and even a flexible hose for my pillar drill.
Excellent tool for any workshop, it can chunter away in the background while you do other things.
I am with @ScaredyCat and would also avoid anything from Creality unless you are more into 3D printers than 3D printing.
Are you sure you need the K1 bed size? A smaller bed size means smaller prints in one go, but modern slicers allow you to cut bigger models into parts and join them quite conveniently.
In my humble opinion, for beginners, the best 3D printer by far is the Bambu A1 mini. No other brands come close at the moment.
They dropped the price recently to £229.00.
If you wait 6 months or so, there will undoubtedly be better models available, but as of today, the A1 mini wins hands down.
Purchasing a 3D printer seldom ends with the first model you get your hands on. You could start with the A1 mini, use it for a while to understand the process and your needs, and then pass it down to a younger generation when you purchase a bigger and better model 6 to 12 months later.
Are you sure you need the K1 bed size? A smaller bed size means smaller prints in one go, but modern slicers allow you to cut bigger models into parts and join them quite conveniently.
In my humble opinion, for beginners, the best 3D printer by far is the Bambu A1 mini. No other brands come close at the moment.
They dropped the price recently to £229.00.
If you wait 6 months or so, there will undoubtedly be better models available, but as of today, the A1 mini wins hands down.
Purchasing a 3D printer seldom ends with the first model you get your hands on. You could start with the A1 mini, use it for a while to understand the process and your needs, and then pass it down to a younger generation when you purchase a bigger and better model 6 to 12 months later.
Bamboo, Qidi and FlashForge have some decent printers. Bamboo lab are probably the better quality.
I have 2 of the FlashForge Adventurer 5M pros which I am happy with.
I have 2 of the FlashForge Adventurer 5M pros which I am happy with.
Sachakins
The most wasted of days is one without woodwork
Thanks for your info.
I'm into cnc router and laser and have both, so do you think that will give me a head start?
As for passing down to younger member, don't have them, never wanted them, don't like them either
I'm the perverbial evil uncle and that's fine with me
I'm into cnc router and laser and have both, so do you think that will give me a head start?
As for passing down to younger member, don't have them, never wanted them, don't like them either
I'm the perverbial evil uncle and that's fine with me If you use any sort of CAD then it will definitely help you In terms of creating your own models for 3D printing.
Biggest change from laser/CNC is going to be getting used to filament/temperature/flow/support/speed/bed-leveling, etc settings and their relation to failed prints. This is where Bambu printers shine - there is a lot of thought given to automation and usability - which makes them almost a "plug and play" appliance.
Excellent. So when you decide to upgrade and give away your first 3D printer, you will become the evil uncle bearing gifts.As for passing down to younger member, don't have them, never wanted them, don't like them either
Sachakins
The most wasted of days is one without woodwork
Mike Fletcher
Established Member
I bought a FlashForge 3 Pro a few years ago. It is enclosed and it can print PLA and ABS. Build dimensions are 150mm in all directions. Very good printer if you don't need to go beyond 150mm. It is wireless so CAD models can be loaded without wires. I use Tinkercad for the basic stuff and FreeCad 21 for the more complex items. Between the two I can make any dust ports that I need.
spiritburner
Established Member
If your budget extends to, I would go for a entry-level Prusa printer. They are by far the best engineered 3-D printers on the market, despite the newer bambu printers that operation have come on the market late last year in early this year which are very good but if you want to do any type of tinkering then the bambu is a no go printer really and you will be better off having the Prusea or the one that you've chosen.
There is a huge amount of snobbery over 3-D printers which to be honest i brutal, tough, very tight, woven, plastic wires not needed they are what they are and pretty much any printer under €1000 is going to give mixed results. Y
You can improve the results by tweaking the printer to the 8th° and learning how to use your slicing software properly, but you will never come out with an injection moulded type product you will always have lines and glitches and so on.
3-D printers are here to stay an in reality ary well-known make will do, despite what people on here say you can buy one of the cheapest Creality's now for about €99 and it will get you on the ladder for printing in 3-D . You can tweak that printer and you can come up with some excellent results and the new models coming onto the market now are far better than the old Enders from 3 or 4 years ago
It really depends what you want to print. Most people print with PLA hardly anybody I know prints with nylon some print with ABS but most print with PLA and in fact, PLA is actually stronger than ABS, It's just the ABS will give you a nice shiny finish if you dip it in acetone afterwards or put it in a acetone vapour bath you cannot do that with PLA, although there are some newer PLA coming onto the market that are far better and you areabletosmooth them. I always feel anything you print for the 3-D printer that is based is only the first part of a finished model and it will require some form of work be for cosplay or just looking at a shelf. You cannot expect it to be perfect because of the way it is made printed with lines and CNC machine going backwards and forwards and up-and-down. There will always be lines. What matters is how you make those lines, smaller and thinner and prettier and that comes with a very good quality machine, but incredible work with your slicing software and the original design of the product it all matters including down to keeping your filament dry. Actions
If you don't want to tinker with the machine and have no interest in that and only want the end result then I would go for the bambu A1 with AMS that will give you a four colour printer and you'll be able to print pretty much anything with that very fast and with high-quality, they bought out a small one which is called the mini A1 and they have the standard A1. If budget allows go for that one but make sure you get the AMS. It does create a lot of waste but you can once you know how to use the software use a lot of that waste in infill until you do so, you will end up with a box of rubbish at the end of each print that you basically just put in your plastic recycling.
I've seen some exceptional results from that printer and having used 3-D printers for the last eight years. I haven't found another printer in that price range that can print anything like the bambu models apart from a Prusa in good hands, but that really is a high end printer for people who are happy to tinker and spend a lot more time on getting their settings right and the quality of a Prusa is 2nd to none which is why they are expensive for what they are.
The other thing maybe to think about is, do you actually want a FDM printer or would you prefer a resin printer I use both and they both have a place. In fact I prefer the resin printer. The only issue with that is the size of the bed which is a lot smaller, but I make lots of parts for CNC machines that I build for clients and I print these using the resin printer and they come out almost as good as injection moulded parts to be quite frank, it's always amazing seeing how these damn resin printers work because it literally grows from nothing like Excalibur coming out of the Lake.
Personally, I would not be without a printer in my house now I regularly print items at least 3 to 4 times a week minimum, although most of that is for my CNC's that I build , but if my wife asked me do I have such and such or can I fix that or I need to do this and can you think of a way of doing it easier normally it involves me grabbing my 3-D software and probably printing a template or something and I would not like to go back to not having the machine, especially being a woodworker and CNC machine builder be it a laser plasma or mill I build them all. I find them so valuable in my daily work and personal life now. They always seem to be doing something
I have one resin printer, and three FDM ( 1 Prusa) short printers of which one is a IDEX ( dual extruder) and are used for replicating parts very easily.
Feel free to shout if you need any more advice, if your not familiar with CAD then use Tinkercad to start with as its Fusion 360's little brother , For slicing use Prusa slicer, Simplfi3D, Cura or Bambu's own if you go that route. Apex
There is a huge amount of snobbery over 3-D printers which to be honest i brutal, tough, very tight, woven, plastic wires not needed they are what they are and pretty much any printer under €1000 is going to give mixed results. Y
You can improve the results by tweaking the printer to the 8th° and learning how to use your slicing software properly, but you will never come out with an injection moulded type product you will always have lines and glitches and so on.
3-D printers are here to stay an in reality ary well-known make will do, despite what people on here say you can buy one of the cheapest Creality's now for about €99 and it will get you on the ladder for printing in 3-D . You can tweak that printer and you can come up with some excellent results and the new models coming onto the market now are far better than the old Enders from 3 or 4 years ago
It really depends what you want to print. Most people print with PLA hardly anybody I know prints with nylon some print with ABS but most print with PLA and in fact, PLA is actually stronger than ABS, It's just the ABS will give you a nice shiny finish if you dip it in acetone afterwards or put it in a acetone vapour bath you cannot do that with PLA, although there are some newer PLA coming onto the market that are far better and you areabletosmooth them. I always feel anything you print for the 3-D printer that is based is only the first part of a finished model and it will require some form of work be for cosplay or just looking at a shelf. You cannot expect it to be perfect because of the way it is made printed with lines and CNC machine going backwards and forwards and up-and-down. There will always be lines. What matters is how you make those lines, smaller and thinner and prettier and that comes with a very good quality machine, but incredible work with your slicing software and the original design of the product it all matters including down to keeping your filament dry. Actions
If you don't want to tinker with the machine and have no interest in that and only want the end result then I would go for the bambu A1 with AMS that will give you a four colour printer and you'll be able to print pretty much anything with that very fast and with high-quality, they bought out a small one which is called the mini A1 and they have the standard A1. If budget allows go for that one but make sure you get the AMS. It does create a lot of waste but you can once you know how to use the software use a lot of that waste in infill until you do so, you will end up with a box of rubbish at the end of each print that you basically just put in your plastic recycling.
I've seen some exceptional results from that printer and having used 3-D printers for the last eight years. I haven't found another printer in that price range that can print anything like the bambu models apart from a Prusa in good hands, but that really is a high end printer for people who are happy to tinker and spend a lot more time on getting their settings right and the quality of a Prusa is 2nd to none which is why they are expensive for what they are.
The other thing maybe to think about is, do you actually want a FDM printer or would you prefer a resin printer I use both and they both have a place. In fact I prefer the resin printer. The only issue with that is the size of the bed which is a lot smaller, but I make lots of parts for CNC machines that I build for clients and I print these using the resin printer and they come out almost as good as injection moulded parts to be quite frank, it's always amazing seeing how these damn resin printers work because it literally grows from nothing like Excalibur coming out of the Lake.
Personally, I would not be without a printer in my house now I regularly print items at least 3 to 4 times a week minimum, although most of that is for my CNC's that I build , but if my wife asked me do I have such and such or can I fix that or I need to do this and can you think of a way of doing it easier normally it involves me grabbing my 3-D software and probably printing a template or something and I would not like to go back to not having the machine, especially being a woodworker and CNC machine builder be it a laser plasma or mill I build them all. I find them so valuable in my daily work and personal life now. They always seem to be doing something
I have one resin printer, and three FDM ( 1 Prusa) short printers of which one is a IDEX ( dual extruder) and are used for replicating parts very easily.
Feel free to shout if you need any more advice, if your not familiar with CAD then use Tinkercad to start with as its Fusion 360's little brother , For slicing use Prusa slicer, Simplfi3D, Cura or Bambu's own if you go that route. Apex
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Rhossydd
Established Member
As someone who has spent the last few years looking into this and finally clicked ‘BUY’ before Easter, here’s my thoughts having had a Creality CR10SE delivered yesterday and spent the last 24hrs printing like mad;
There’s broadly three issues with 3D printing/CNC.
1 Design: Unless you’re just going to download other people’s work you’ll need to learn 3D CAD. That’s the hard bit and needs a lot of effort, but there are some great tutorials on YouTube to help.
2 Preparation: You’ll need to understand how to prepare a 3D CAD file for printing/CNC. Slicing/driving software has a huge range of options, many of which can make massive differences in the success of outcomes. The implications of some won’t be clear until you’ve used them (and got it wrong).
3. Using/configuring the actual hardware and firmware.
Most of the sub £1k kit is built down to a price and you’ll have to get involved with making it work and sorting out problems with hardware and software. Nothing too crazy, but you will need some mechanical sympathy and the ability to work through software issues.
Do you research and find out what might go wrong with any kit you’re considering, if the manufacturer is helpful solving issues and where you might get peer support.
I spent time learning Tinkercad and Fusion 360, so I have some basic CAD skills now.
I downloaded all the slicer software in advance and dug into all the options of each possible package to have an idea of what I was up against.
I bought a Creality printer. Yes, their quality control isn’t perfect, but there’s a huge community of help and tutorials available.
On delivery I had a list of items to check before powering up and had read and watched all the ‘how to build it’ videos. Yes, a connector needed re-seating after the first hour of use, but all’s been well after that.
Still a lot to learn, but I doubt you’d see much difference in a print from a printer three times the price from the prints I made today.
There’s broadly three issues with 3D printing/CNC.
1 Design: Unless you’re just going to download other people’s work you’ll need to learn 3D CAD. That’s the hard bit and needs a lot of effort, but there are some great tutorials on YouTube to help.
2 Preparation: You’ll need to understand how to prepare a 3D CAD file for printing/CNC. Slicing/driving software has a huge range of options, many of which can make massive differences in the success of outcomes. The implications of some won’t be clear until you’ve used them (and got it wrong).
3. Using/configuring the actual hardware and firmware.
Most of the sub £1k kit is built down to a price and you’ll have to get involved with making it work and sorting out problems with hardware and software. Nothing too crazy, but you will need some mechanical sympathy and the ability to work through software issues.
Do you research and find out what might go wrong with any kit you’re considering, if the manufacturer is helpful solving issues and where you might get peer support.
I spent time learning Tinkercad and Fusion 360, so I have some basic CAD skills now.
I downloaded all the slicer software in advance and dug into all the options of each possible package to have an idea of what I was up against.
I bought a Creality printer. Yes, their quality control isn’t perfect, but there’s a huge community of help and tutorials available.
On delivery I had a list of items to check before powering up and had read and watched all the ‘how to build it’ videos. Yes, a connector needed re-seating after the first hour of use, but all’s been well after that.
Still a lot to learn, but I doubt you’d see much difference in a print from a printer three times the price from the prints I made today.
Rhossydd
Established Member
I'll add to my post above, now with two months experience of owning the CR10SE.
Whilst I have managed to make some very good parts with the printer, I've also wasted a huge amount of time trying to define and resolve faults with the machine.
Whilst it seemed there was a lot of help and support, Creality haven't been much use at all, not helped by being in China and any parts needed taking weeks to arrive plus the inevitable language misunderstandings. Community support is in reality very patchy, ask one question and get lots of wildly different answers some dreadfully wrong. More so than any other bit of tech I've owned.
I'd now have to agree with the earlier posts here to avoid Creality kit :-(
Whilst I have managed to make some very good parts with the printer, I've also wasted a huge amount of time trying to define and resolve faults with the machine.
Whilst it seemed there was a lot of help and support, Creality haven't been much use at all, not helped by being in China and any parts needed taking weeks to arrive plus the inevitable language misunderstandings. Community support is in reality very patchy, ask one question and get lots of wildly different answers some dreadfully wrong. More so than any other bit of tech I've owned.
I'd now have to agree with the earlier posts here to avoid Creality kit :-(
Crazy Dave
Retired Genius now nursing dementia.
I'm a little late to the chat here but my 2 pence worth might be worth considering.
I went down the Bambu Lab route and currently use 2 P1S's, one has an AMS.
They both work perfectly right out of the box, literally.
Things to consider when choosing a 3D printer.
Environment as in humidity where you intend to use them. Humidity is your enemy here.
You will need some form of container for the filament, I used cereal containers (see photo) and this is why you need to be sure before you buy because the Bambu A1 or A1 mini with an AMS has no protection from humidity so you would need an enclosure for the whole AMS.
PLA is easier for getting started and is quite versatile but not suitable for use outside as it's apparently affected by UV so has limited life expectancy.
PET-G is the go to filament for outdoor use and I mostly use this myself but it will suck moisture out of the air so again you will need an enclosure with the ability to actually dry the filament before you can print with it, even when you open a new vacuum packed spool you will still need to dry it for around 6 to 8 hours before printing with it. I use 2 Creality dryers (see photo)
What to print.
There are various websites that have .STL files available for download and printing but Bambu Lab again scores well here as they have Maker World and Bambu Handy app which will allow you to search and send the item straight to the printer.
Any questions feel free to contact me and I hope you have great success with your new venture.
Don't forget to check out FB community for the Bambu Lab users.
Edit:
I forgot to mention that Bambu Lab filament can be purchased with or without a spool (as a refill) and in either case they come with an RFID tag which tells the printer (with an AMS) what type of filament you are using including the colour and configures the printer temperature etc for you.
I went down the Bambu Lab route and currently use 2 P1S's, one has an AMS.
They both work perfectly right out of the box, literally.
Things to consider when choosing a 3D printer.
Environment as in humidity where you intend to use them. Humidity is your enemy here.
You will need some form of container for the filament, I used cereal containers (see photo) and this is why you need to be sure before you buy because the Bambu A1 or A1 mini with an AMS has no protection from humidity so you would need an enclosure for the whole AMS.
PLA is easier for getting started and is quite versatile but not suitable for use outside as it's apparently affected by UV so has limited life expectancy.
PET-G is the go to filament for outdoor use and I mostly use this myself but it will suck moisture out of the air so again you will need an enclosure with the ability to actually dry the filament before you can print with it, even when you open a new vacuum packed spool you will still need to dry it for around 6 to 8 hours before printing with it. I use 2 Creality dryers (see photo)
What to print.
There are various websites that have .STL files available for download and printing but Bambu Lab again scores well here as they have Maker World and Bambu Handy app which will allow you to search and send the item straight to the printer.
Any questions feel free to contact me and I hope you have great success with your new venture.
Don't forget to check out FB community for the Bambu Lab users.
Edit:
I forgot to mention that Bambu Lab filament can be purchased with or without a spool (as a refill) and in either case they come with an RFID tag which tells the printer (with an AMS) what type of filament you are using including the colour and configures the printer temperature etc for you.
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Si465
Established Member
In case it helps anyone Bambu have a sale on now, the A1 mini is £169 instead of £229
I've just ordered after reading the above, hope i find time to use it!
I've just ordered after reading the above, hope i find time to use it!
benjamino613
Established Member
+1 for the Bambu, my business partner has one in our office and it seems to do really well. I am not into the 3d printing so can't say firsthand, but he was a complete novice and it seems to be a good machine for that range
I have had a Creality K1 for a few months and it is superb, this is my third 3D printer and by far the best and far cheaper than the competition.
Did you order the AMS too?
Si465
Established Member
No just the bare printer, so far no regrets. I'm only really interested in functional prints, so the only use I might get from an AMS is to enable the use of PETG as a support material when printing in PLA.
I'm still a beginner though!
I replaced my old Anycubic with the Flashforge 5M Pro a few months ago. Cannot fault it. At first glance, the specs looked similar to the Creality but reading through I see that the Creality does not have a camera built-in, no HEPA exhaust filter and the big difference for me is no quick-change print head. For a similar-priced printer I think the Flashforge would be the better choice between the two but not necessarily between some of the others mentioned above here. I would have to go through each to compare them.
I can second this, my 2 have been great. Even when I had a minor issue Flash Forge where fantastic and sent out replacement part quick sharpish
Do you own a bicycle ? very important if you intend to get into 3D printing.
Heres a good first project.
https://www.yeggi.com/q/trotify/
Gives any bicycle the horsey clip-clop sound
Heres a good first project.
https://www.yeggi.com/q/trotify/
Gives any bicycle the horsey clip-clop sound
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