Question - First 3D printer?

Anyone have a suggestion on a good 3D printer for printing nosecones, details, etc? Your help would be appreciated. I'm in the beginning stages.

https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/3d-printer-plunge.146985/
thread on 3d printers. Have a Prusa, though just starting to use it.

ToneDeafJunior said:

Anyone have a suggestion on a good 3D printer for printing nosecones, details, etc? Your help would be appreciated. I'm in the beginning stages.

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no matter what you choose, expect to take time with it to understand it and learn how it works. The control software and slicer you use on a PC will make a big difference. Simplfy3D is a $150 package that probably works well, but I wasn't willing to spend the money for it. Cura is probably the best known free package. I have tried it and another one called MatterControl that is also free. I actually settled on MatterControl and I use it with both a Anycubic Linear Plus delta printer and a Wanhao 4S cartesian printer. My preference is actually the delta printer style. It has a bigger print area and can handle taller prints. The delta printer is just easier to repair also. Your mileage may very...

A couple of friends purchased this one. I think it was down to about $480AUD at the time. Probably cheaper now. Very happy with the results.
https://www.lightinthebox.com/creal...n-coffee-and-black_p6344041.html?prm=1.1.92.0

They did end up building enclosures to keep the temperature more constant.

OverTheTop said:

A couple of friends purchased this one. I think it was down to about $480AUD at the time. Probably cheaper now. Very happy with the results.
https://www.lightinthebox.com/creal...n-coffee-and-black_p6344041.html?prm=1.1.92.0

They did end up building enclosures to keep the temperature more constant.

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In order to print ABS, they definitely would have had to build an enclosure. PLA and PETG wouldn't require it. The only thing missing was a heated bed which would also be needed with ABS. I use a heated bed for the PETG printing I do. I have have heard good things about Creality in general.

I use a heated bed for PLA.. I find these guys give a good review.. (But then again, reviews are subjective..) I maintain a Fusion3 360 and a Makergear M2, all PLA..

https://www.3dhubs.com/best-3d-printer-guide

If you're handy, this is a pretty solid DIY option: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2254103
There is a very active Facebook group supporting this printer. It's really not much more difficult than building a kit. All of the metal parts are ordered cut to length, so it's just bolt together. You need someone to supply the printed parts but the Facebook group helps there. The electronics are mostly plug & play (you might have to strip a few wires, maybe crimp a connector or add some heat-shrink).

You probably won't save any money, but you'll likely have a better printer for the money and repairs/upgrades will be easy.

I have PRUSA pending.

vcp said:

If you're handy, this is a pretty solid DIY option: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2254103
There is a very active Facebook group supporting this printer. It's really not much more difficult than building a kit. All of the metal parts are ordered cut to length, so it's just bolt together. You need someone to supply the printed parts but the Facebook group helps there. The electronics are mostly plug & play (you might have to strip a few wires, maybe crimp a connector or add some heat-shrink).

You probably won't save any money, but you'll likely have a better printer for the money and repairs/upgrades will be easy.

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Hypercube looks great as long as you do the better z - axis arrangement which is of course is the more costly direction...

SteveThatcher said:

Hypercube looks great as long as you do the better z - axis arrangement which is of course is the more costly direction...

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Nice thing is, there are lots of options offered by other builders on the Facebook page and remixes on Thingiverse for almost any price range. That includes 2 and 3 z-screw belt driven arrangements, linear rails instead of rods, a bunch of extruder choices and any upgrade imaginable.

I've got quite a few of the parts here that are eventually going to make their way into some version of a Hypercube.

vcp said:

Nice thing is, there are lots of options offered by other builders on the Facebook page and remixes on Thingiverse for almost any price range. That includes 2 and 3 z-screw belt driven arrangements, linear rails instead of rods, a bunch of extruder choices and any upgrade imaginable.

I've got quite a few of the parts here that are eventually going to make their way into some version of a Hypercube.

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all you need is time... I am afraid for me that is a rare commodity...

If you have friends locally who have one, a good idea is to get the same one they have so you can share expertise.

I bought my Prusa largely for that reason.

JohnCoker said:

If you have friends locally who have one, a good idea is to get the same one they have so you can share expertise.

I bought my Prusa largely for that reason.

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John, when I read your post (and I agree with you), my first thought was that I don't have any friends, then I realized I have a few, but none of them have printers...

ToneDeafJunior said:

Anyone have a suggestion on a good 3D printer for printing nosecones, details, etc? Your help would be appreciated. I'm in the beginning stages.

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First questions that need to be asked:

1. How much do you want to spend?
2. How large are the largest items you want to print?
3. Do you want to save maybe $100 by buying a kit? (not recommended)

Buy one with tons of user support because it's so popular. There are many Prusa-like clones. Creality CR-10 printers are extremely popular:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=creality+cr-10s

So are these, the first one being the one I own. NOT a kit, but with some simple major component assembly required to fit in a smaller box (same required for CR-10). Well packed. Free shipping for any of these (or at least it was when I bought one). Shipped from the US instead of from China like the Creality CR-10:

Monoprice Maker Select 3D Printer v2 - $279.99

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=13860

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Monoprice+Maker+Select+3D+Printer+v2

Monoprice MP Select Mini 3D Printer V2 - $189.99

https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=107&cp_id=10724&cs_id=1072403&p_id=21711

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Monoprice+MP+Select+Mini+3D+Printer+V2

Monoprice Maker Select Plus 3D Printer - $389.99

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=15711

By the way, definitely go to Monoprice.com for any audio/video/computer (and some RF) cable requirements. They're cheap and of good to great quality.

I have been looking at the JGAurora A5 as a possible entry into my first 3D printer. It sticks in the back of my mind that the A5 is always compared to the Creality CR-10S...

The JGAurora A5 sounds great. I am not sure what semi-intelligent auto-leveling is. It is either auto or it is not. There is no semi.

I really like the Folgertech FT-5
https://folgertech.com/products/folger-tech-ft-5-large-scale-3d-printer-kit
For the money, it is one of the best kits around. Some advantages over something like the CR-10. The FT-5 does not have a moving bed in the x axis. It only moves in the Z axis.
I did a cost-comparison between the Prusa Mk 2(Back when I was purchasing) For the money, You get more build volume for much less money. Plus, with the money saved, you can immediately upgrade to an e3d hotend/titan extruder combo. It does make a difference, although, I used the stock extruder/hotend for about a year with good results. I have an R1, the R2 is significantly better right out of the box. There is a good active facebook group that helps many people answer questions. There is also a dedicated folgertech forum that is helpful too. I would definitely buy another one.
Two must-do and cheap upgrades.
Purchase some 12x12 mirror tiles, and some adhesive backed PEI sheet. Attach the PEI sheet to the glass, easy and one of the best print beds out there, no need for painters tape or hair spray and glue stick. Works for ABS, PETG, PLA.

cwbullet said:

The JGAurora A5 sounds great. I am not sure what semi-intelligent auto-leveling is. It is either auto or it is not. There is no semi.

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I agree with you. I bet all that it means is that the software has a menu item that will help you by moving the head to the corners and center, so you can adjust the table manually over and over again... I call that marketing speakeasy...

I would concur.

on the topic of 3d printers. I have been looking for a small printer that I could actually take on the road with me and make a few parts here and there. In my quest to meet that end, a requirement was that I have it to be able to print with a heated bed to 70 degrees C and off a SD card.

If anyone is considering the Monoprice mini delta, don't unless they fix a very specific issue. They advertise printing by usb, wifi, and sd card to make parts. They also advertise the ABS capability which requires a heated bed around 100 degrees C. What they don't tell you is that the bed temperature when printing with a SD card is limited to 60 degrees C and you can't even override it by changing the bed temperature gcode in the file on the sd card (it will ignore it). Unfortunately, Monoprice has not publicized the limitation, so it makes me wonder about all of their products and what isn't being said.

And on another note, I started looking for a good deal on something else that was portable and looked at daVinci. They make quite an array of printers and a local Fry's has them in stock. daVinci's claim to fame is that if you use filament not supplied by them, it can void the warranty if they believe the 3rd party filament caused the printer to fail (their filament I understand is quite expensive).

Just a few thoughts from the trenches...

I have had the Monoprice Mini Select V2 for about a year. I had to return the first one I ordered because it just did not work right. The reason I purchased it was because of the price and to see if I liked 3D printing. They quickly sent me a new on it has performed extremely well. I print with this thing all the time. I've run maybe 7kilos of filament through it. I have printed models with the best one being a Star Wars ATAT that took about 80 hours of print time and it maxed out the bed size. Plus a bunch of useful parts and mock-ups that I draw in Fusion 360. Overall it works with very few problems. I had to fix the heated bed wiring which is a typical problem but an easy fix if you know how to solder. And that is about it. Print quality is good. Some things print better than others but I also think that it depends on how the original drawing was created. It successfully met my needs and I really like 3d printing and creating objects to print.

Pla works great. I have not been able to get ABS to print, I could not get the bed hot enough. I print with a SD card. It's not a problem. I could not get it to connect vis USB or wireless but it is not an issue. I would recommend this printer if you are just testing the waters. It's fairly simple and you can print pretty much out of the box after you level the bed; something that you will have to do every now and then so you will get really good at the adjustment (it's not hard at all).

If you know you want to get into printing then I would move in to something else like the Prusa or one of the others that people have listed. If I had known that I would get so much use and enjoyment from this hobby then that's what I would have done.

For me my next step is the Prusa Kit...I like building stuff so it should be fun.

mkadams001 said:

Monoprice Mini Select V2

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glad you found something that has worked for you. I looked at the rest of the Monoprice printers, but they either didn't have a heated bed or something else I wanted. I have to say that you only being able to print by SD card, is another point against Monoprice. When a company advertises something should work and it doesn't, that would bother me (especially if it was something I expected to work...) The fact that you could not get the bed hot enough probably means that they have the same hard limit in the Mini Select as the Mini Delta that is now waiting to go back to Amazon...).

SteveThatcher said:

glad you found something that has worked for you. I looked at the rest of the Monoprice printers, but they either didn't have a heated bed or something else I wanted. I have to say that you only being able to print by SD card, is another point against Monoprice. When a company advertises something should work and it doesn't, that would bother me (especially if it was something I expected to work...) The fact that you could not get the bed hot enough probably means that they have the same hard limit in the Mini Select as the Mini Delta that is now waiting to go back to Amazon...).

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I already knew about the limitations before I purchased so it was no surprise that I would be using the SD card. I tried the ABS just to see if it would work. I definitely agree that we should research our purchases. Too bad the mini delta did not work out for you it looks like a fun little printer. I saw it at one of the maker fairs.

mkadams001 said:

I already knew about the limitations before I purchased so it was no surprise that I would be using the SD card. I tried the ABS just to see if it would work. I definitely agree that we should research our purchases. Too bad the mini delta did not work out for you it looks like a fun little printer. I saw it at one of the maker fairs.

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I can say that "no connectivity" is a limitation I could not live with... If I had time to burn, I would have kept it and customized a version of Marlin for it. I really do like the deltas. I did my research on it, but I didn't spend time on a bunch of forums to give me more info that what the manufacturer said. It is a highly rated printer for its cost. Go figure...

I actually settled on a i3 Mega from Anycubic (prusa style) and it shows up Monday. I already have parts for Anycubic printers (my delta is one of theirs) and I already checked to make sure I can download the latest marlin for it (which I also did on my delta). The stock Anycubic firmware is typically not great... (works but not up to date). Under $350 for a total metal frame printer with UltraBase heated bed. Prints a little under 8" x8" x8 " and handles PETG.

Related question; where is a trusted place to order your first printer?

granted I have been looking at the Chinese clones due to lower pricing vs larger build volume like the CR-10S and Tevo Tornado models. The online shops that come up with the best pricing seem rather shady: Light in the Box; Gearbest; Banggood; 3Dprintersonline; etc etc etc

Maybe shift my focus towards US built and sold printers?

I have had good results ordering from Banggood. I ordered 3 tablets and I love them.

I've been looking at these too, it's tough to find credible reviews for some of the cheap printers, a lot of the ones that I've seen look like trolls or shills. Typical Internet...

Asking around is you're best bet. Since the Creality CR-10S keeps coming up, sounds like a good bet. At least you know what you're getting.

I have never had a problem with banggood for smaller items I have ordered.

Well, I just found out today that my supervisor has been using a CR-10 to print all the cool "stuff" on his desk...who knew(?) He came in about mid-morning and sat down and talked nothing but good on his printer. It is pretty safe to say, I am going with the CR-10 now. Like Mr. Coker said above, get the same printer a friend is using to share experiences with.

I have an Anet A8 that I got about 2 years ago. I haven't used it for anything rocketry related yet, but it has paid for itself several times over in making props for films and theatrical productions. There are several facebook groups dedicated to support and mods.