3-D Print General - Feeding Printers Filament

[Just Some Other Guy]

Is there any potential for a rookie to get into 3D printing something remotely profitable? I've been trying to come up with some additional $.

Probably if you find a niche or if your local area isn't packed with printing services already.

 

[Blasterisk]

What is the Windows 10 dependency for Bambu Labs autofix function? I have gotten so far in my search as to learn there is some kind of Windows installment requirement, but Bambu Labs has such abhorrent documentation that I can't find what it is. I have installed the 3D Maker from Microsoft and fixed a model with it, but even after a clean reinstall Bambu Labs refuses to even attempt to fix errors.

It was working great until I broke it. Please help.


edit: Fixed. I reinstalled it, but it automatically installed itself in compatibility mode with Windows 7 (???!!!???). After disabling that it works fine.

 

[Yandex Captcha Solver]

If anyone is looking for a cheap 3D printer and luck enough to live next to a Microcenter. You can pickup an Ender 3 V2 3D for $100 with a coupon for 'new customers'. Pretty good deal. Still rocking the original Ender 3 from 2019 as it just werks (though with a mainboard upgrade). If you want a plug and play solution, this probably isn't for you, but if you have some patience, it isn't bad at all. Just follow one of many assembly guides and learn how to level a bed and your off to the races.

 

[Orange Rhymer]

Anyone use the Creality SonicPad ? I'm pretty curious. Looks like a cool plug-n-play Klipper.

Also, how do you use Klipper, if you changed your hotend and extruder?

 

[Yandex Captcha Solver]

Also, how do you use Klipper, if you changed your hotend and extruder?

You update the printer.cfg file for the changes and restart Kipper, versus flashing with Marlin. Modify the x and y offset for your hotend, redo z-offsets, modify abl coordinates if you are using a new toolhead, then calibrate your extruder per usual, I get close with the cfg file, then finish the last bit on the slicer as each filament will be different. I've been a big fan of it since switching and don't plan on ever going back.

 

[Orange Rhymer]

You update the printer.cfg file for the changes and restart Kipper, versus flashing with Marlin. Modify the x and y offset for your hotend, redo z-offsets, modify abl coordinates if you are using a new toolhead, then calibrate your extruder per usual, I get close with the cfg file, then finish the last bit on the slicer as each filament will be different. I've been a big fan of it since switching and don't plan on ever going back.

I'm pretty nervous going full Klipper, but I seem to be getting Z-offset errors (like the printer literally 'forgets' the offset, and head-crashes).
When I am running extended sessions - like 40hrs straight of printer - printer loses it's fucking mind on the next print.
Z-Offset is wrong, BL Touch in constant error, extruder drooling out of control, and shitty prints.

90% sure that heat builds up on the motherboard, and it loses it's mind.

I think I need to firmware-flash, replace motherboard, or just go Klipper.

 

[Yandex Captcha Solver]

When I am running extended sessions - like 40hrs straight of printer - printer loses it's fucking mind on the next print.
Z-Offset is wrong

Are you being aggressive when removing prints? If you are rocking a glass bed, just let PLA prints sit for a while and they'll pop off. If you are being aggressive it's probably messing with your level. Are you saving you Z offset? Need to do that between reboots, should be under the options, don't have a marlin printer atm so couldn't tell you.

BL Touch in constant error

If it is only messing up on the second print, but works fine on the initial. I'd wager that you aren't saving your z-offset, or if you are and it's messing up, could be some type of flash storage issue.

I think I need to firmware-flash, replace motherboard, or just go Klipper.

I went with a BigTreeTech SKR Mini years ago, the 1.2 model and would highly suggest it over a Creality board. They are the largest 3rd party board manufacturer for the entire market, not just Enders. The 3.0 board doesn't works with the original Ender 3 display panel though on the V2 can just get a new display cable, the Ender V1 you can just buy the 2.0 Model. You probably don't need a board, unless you are saving your settings after saving z-offset and it isn't keeping. If you decide to go Klipper though, just grab the 3.0 and skip the display. Rarely use the display other than to set initial z-offset, but you can just do that from a phone or laptop and sit next to it.

 

[Just Some Other Guy]

If anyone is looking for a cheap 3D printer and luck enough to live next to a Microcenter. You can pickup an Ender 3 V2 3D for $100 with a coupon for 'new customers'. Pretty good deal. Still rocking the original Ender 3 from 2019 as it just werks (though with a mainboard upgrade). If you want a plug and play solution, this probably isn't for you, but if you have some patience, it isn't bad at all. Just follow one of many assembly guides and learn how to level a bed and your off to the races.

I'll be honest, $100 is too much for an ender 3 v2. For like $50 or so more on a sale you can get the V3 SE that trashes it.

The recently released models have changed the game. Even the S1 gets beat by the SE.

 

[Tele Block]

I was getting ready to pull the trigger on a Bambu Lab 1S1 ($699), I looks like great hardware at this price point, but the software is so gay that it seems that you cannot set it up unless you connect it to their servers via the "cloud". Honestly as soon as I heard that word being used I knew it wasn't for me. Looking at the Creality K1, or maybe a comparable Pursa. I wouldn't mind a printer I dont have to fuck with as much. It would be my first 3d printer, I would get one of the cheaper ones but I really just want decently high quality functional parts.

Anyone have any experience with the K1, or something comparable in the <600usd price range?

 

[Orange Rhymer]

I was getting ready to pull the trigger on a Bambu Lab 1S1 ($699), I looks like great hardware at this price point, but the software is so gay that it seems that you cannot set it up unless you connect it to their servers via the "cloud". Honestly as soon as I heard that word being used I knew it wasn't for me. Looking at the Creality K1, or maybe a comparable Pursa. I wouldn't mind a printer I dont have to fuck with as much. It would be my first 3d printer, I would get one of the cheaper ones but I really just want decently high quality functional parts.

Anyone have any experience with the K1, or something comparable in the <600usd price range?

I got an Ender6. I got it for < $300 with advanced sourcing and coupon skills. Lasted >18 months with HEAVY use. Still works good, but I need to tune it and fix/upgrade some stuff.
It's shit, but it's CoreXY design. No cloud, some assembly required, Chinglish firmware and documentation.
I made over 2x my money back on it by selling print time. (Note: don't do that, puts HEAVY wear on your printer).
I'm a little split on my experience. Most days I wish I had a >$3000 printer. Due to print accuracy, setup, and general fuckery that I have to work with. Then I realize how LITTLE I PAID and how much I learned - due to the fuckery.

I think a car analogy is the best. Buy a BMW- it will get you through heavy use and wear like a champion. But when shit goes south, you will pay thousands and it will never be the same again. Plus you have all the monthly cloud fuckery fees.
Buy a shitbox Ford - and it might die on the highway or in your parking lot. But, the more it dies, the more experience you get pulling out of the mouth of Hell. Pretty soon you have the skills to fucking rebuild a car, and if you don't want to - upgrading to a new shitbox or repairing isn't that expensive.

When you spend more money, the best case scenario is getting what you paid for. Most of the time you just get fucked.

Spoiler: More info

I was given an (old) Stratasys Fortus last year. I inspected the equipment, and saw how goofy (and scammy) the cartridge system worked. I saw how much the technicians cost ($200 per hour plus dispatch fee and parts) and gave it right back. All these costs for a final product that is no better than a $200 printer today - with less build volume. Fixing the print head professionally was a $2400 estimate with no warranty. Hell - you even have to pay for the disposable print platforms. I can see a print costing $10 to print.

 

[Just Some Other Guy]

I was getting ready to pull the trigger on a Bambu Lab 1S1 ($699), I looks like great hardware at this price point, but the software is so gay that it seems that you cannot set it up unless you connect it to their servers via the "cloud". Honestly as soon as I heard that word being used I knew it wasn't for me. Looking at the Creality K1, or maybe a comparable Pursa. I wouldn't mind a printer I dont have to fuck with as much. It would be my first 3d printer, I would get one of the cheaper ones but I really just want decently high quality functional parts.

Anyone have any experience with the K1, or something comparable in the <600usd price range?

K1s seem to work fine now. They apparently had teething issues but from what I hear they've been resolved. For $300-$400 you won't be finding anything better that's corexy and also comes enclosed.

 

[Lord of the Large Pants]

Anybody have a recommendation for a Linux program that can do 3D printable designs? I'm a total noob, I just want to screw around with some stupid ideas.

 

[DavidS877]

Anybody have a recommendation for a Linux program that can do 3D printable designs? I'm a total noob, I just want to screw around with some stupid ideas.

If you program: OpenSCAD
Blender(which I think has a huge learning curve)
FreeCAD
TinkerCAD (Web/Cloud)

Personally I like OpenSCAD, but I mostly do things like: make a box with holes in it, and I'm used to programming.

 

[Orange Rhymer]

If you program: OpenSCAD
Blender(which I think has a huge learning curve)
FreeCAD
TinkerCAD (Web/Cloud)

Personally I like OpenSCAD, but I mostly do things like: make a box with holes in it, and I'm used to programming.

I agree with OpenSCAD. You can do amazing things with it - not a bad learning curve...

@Lord of the Large Pants - Have you just tried screwing around in PrusaSlicer? I have managed to alter designs dramatically and make new ones - with very little effort. No need to model when the slicer will do it.

My 3dprinting News:

My Ender6 hotend finally got swapped. Here's why:
I recently switched to PETG. I'm running low on PLA (only 4kg left!) - with only Black and 'Redguard Skin' colors left.
After 3kg of PETG - I had crazy inconsistent flow. Everything I made looked like it came out of a 2004 era RepRap. Starved filament that was .05mm off from nozzle position. Also, some REALLY SEVERE clogs that cleared with a lot of effort. I finally had enough. I went to do a complete hot-end teardown, noticed at least 10ml of ooze everywhere - in the sock, all the way to the hotend. While cleaning I reckoned "May as well change the PTFE liner".
*Poof* it was gone. I never have heated above 240, but I suspect my thermo was damaged, and cranking the temp into the 250+
In the previous 3 kg of filament - the wild temperatures must have melted and extruded the PTFE liner. I remember some weird , burnt stringing that I never saw before.
I also remember my Bowden being a little burnt. That's how hot it was getting - hot enough to scorch the Bowden.
So I bought a Biqu Direct Drive H2V2s. I regret not getting the Revo package - (but I think everyone is still on the fence with those).

Swapping it was NOT easy. The Ender6 has a daughterboard called the 'Spray Board'. Creality forum users call it the Shit Board. It acts like a breakout board for the motherboard, but it is unstable AT BEST. The most notable problem is the dramatic voltage drop on the BL Touch pinout. 5volts on the motherboard drops to 3v on the Spray Board. Also Creality has a complete lack of info regarding pin and wiring identification.
After a solid afternoon - Mission Accomplished.

Printing on the H2V2s is dreamy compared to Crality's stock hardware. I have almost 3 times the wattage for heating and perfect prints. A bimetallic liner means no more PTFE surprises in my print and no Bowden means my 8mm of retraction becomes < 1mm (saves print time and higher quality).

As a company, I think BIQU is a Chinese third world shitshow. Zero customer support (literally - my order was a month late, rejected at customs). BIQU has conflicting information on their website (leading you to buy the wrong shit) and the included documentation is just a brag-sheet and an exploded view drawing.
The price was _low_.. Literally 1/4 the cost of a micro-swiss with more included (and higher rated).
The engineering and product is quite solid.
I have had 2 leaks - 1 major. You need to CRANK on the block and nozzle when everything is hot, otherwise you risk leaks.

 

[Just Some Other Guy]

As for printers I've been using an Ender V3 KE for a month or so now. It's everything the ender 3 should be. Also the creality slicer works pretty good with it along with 1 click LAN printing. I got one for about $190.

Orange Rhymer said:
Literally 1/4 the cost of a micro-swiss

Microswiss is incredibly overrated. Muh made in US and still can't have a bimetallic heatbreak. Bad case of a company really just coasting along on "made in US" without actually backing it up with top notch hardware.

 

[Orange Rhymer]

As for printers I've been using an Ender V3 KE for a month or so now. It's everything the ender 3 should be. Also the creality slicer works pretty good with it along with 1 click LAN printing. I got one for about $190.

Orange Rhymer said:
Literally 1/4 the cost of a micro-swiss

Microswiss is incredibly overrated. Muh made in US and still can't have a bimetallic heatbreak. Bad case of a company really just coasting along on "made in US" without actually backing it up with top notch hardware.

I've heard good things about the V3 KE. Ender 3's are SUPER MOD-ABLE.

I also went Klipper on my Ender 6 - bought the Creality Sonic Pad. Literally cheaper than an Rasp Pi, and Creality gives you a display.
I _highly_ recommend the Sonic Pad. It's the ONLY Creality product that I have been 100% satisfied with - mainly because it was engineered by an open-source community.

I truly despised the Ender 6 interface. Now, I never have to see flashes of Moon Runes again. (page refreshes on my Ender 6 would occasionally show Chinese characters).

I also bought the BIQU Microprobe and Hermit Crab. I wired up the Microprobe, just not using it yet. I may need to machine a backplate for the Hermit Crab, The site says it's compatible with the Ender6 - it is NOT.

 

[Zjierb]

I've been printing for a bit now and I've honestly had horrible luck with anything from Creality. The Ender 3 I got had a warped frame and leadscrew which caused hellish leveling problems, my Ender 3 S1 Pro seems to have a wiring issue since it keeps killing Sprite hotends, and my Sonic Pad crashes constantly. I got incredible frustrated with both of them so I've since gone the route of the "premium" printers and have had incredible luck with the Prusa Mk3s+. Since Prusa isn't selling them anymore the price will inevitably go down, but I'd recommend that in a heartbeat if you're looking for a good workhorse that you seldom have to maintain. That, or do what I recently did and build a Voron.

 

[Just Some Other Guy]

I've been printing for a bit now and I've honestly had horrible luck with anything from Creality. The Ender 3 I got had a warped frame and leadscrew which caused hellish leveling problems, my Ender 3 S1 Pro seems to have a wiring issue since it keeps killing Sprite hotends, and my Sonic Pad crashes constantly. I got incredible frustrated with both of them so I've since gone the route of the "premium" printers and have had incredible luck with the Prusa Mk3s+. Since Prusa isn't selling them anymore the price will inevitably go down, but I'd recommend that in a heartbeat if you're looking for a good workhorse that you seldom have to maintain. That, or do what I recently did and build a Voron.

Ew, Voron. All about the Vzbot nowadays.

(Only half joking, Vorons are still cool tho)

 

[Zjierb]

Ew, Voron. All about the Vzbot nowadays.

(Only half joking, Vorons are still cool tho)

I haven't really looked much into vzbot. I decided on Voron because I wanted a giant printer and a bit of a project. That said, I'm always down for some DIY stuff so if you've got printer recommendations (that aren't $50k) then let me know.

For my part, the Voron is super accurate, fast, and honestly nicer to use than my Prusas. I know a bit of a different animal, but it's just way more satisfying seeing my old pile of parts haul off and make greebles that'll sit on my desk until the heat death of the universe.

 

[Just Some Other Guy]

Yeah it's cool. I almost bought a voron kit because I have a bunch of AliExpress coins and could get a fystec down to like $300 or so.