How many of you have 3d printers?

@etinkerer

Prusa i3 MK2 clone - If i was to upscale to the next level after attempting to build one from DVD drives this I think might be a next step. Build a 3d printer using a 3d printer.

I built my 3D printer by following this set of videos.  It worked out really well and was tremendously satisfying to do.  I learned a lot about 3D printers before I even printed my first part.  I upgraded a few of the parts from his list like the extruder and the bed.  Some of the parts have to be 3D printed and since I didn't have a 3D printer (catch 22 situation) I had to get these done on 3DHubs.  For anyone who likes building stuff  (which I assume is most people on this forum) then I highly recommend this approach.  It turns out to be at least half the price of the Prusa i3 MK2 kit.

I have question about leaving your 3d printer unattended while printing.  What is the longest time anyone has needed to print something? Did you leave it unattended if it was an extended length of time? Should this be a concern?

For some reason I can't upload pictures today.  I keep getting a "Bad Gateway Error"

Anyway, I just came down from the attic.   Today I brought down 2 old Commadore 64 computers, 2 matching Floppy Drives, and 3 Old Commodore printers.

How about making a 3D printer using parts from the 3 old Commodore Printers?   They should all have the necessary carriage rods and stepper motors to drive them.  That should be enough to make a 3-axis printer with about 10" of travel for each axis.

Not sure if I want a 3D printer, or maybe a 3D router/milling machine?  These old printers appear to have some pretty hefty carriage mounts for the heads.  It would be a shame to toss these in the trash if they could be put to good use.

For some reason I can't upload pictures today.  I keep getting a "Bad Gateway Error"

Anyway, I just came down from the attic.   Today I brought down 2 old Commadore 64 computers, 2 matching Floppy Drives, and 3 Old Commodore printers.

How about making a 3D printer using parts from the 3 old Commodore Printers?   They should all have the necessary carriage rods and stepper motors to drive them.  That should be enough to make a 3-axis printer with about 10" of travel for each axis.

Not sure if I want a 3D printer, or maybe a 3D router/milling machine?  These old printers appear to have some pretty hefty carriage mounts for the heads.  It would be a shame to toss these in the trash if they could be put to good use.

Could you build a 3d printer with another 3d printer ?

Sure. But why would you ? There is a printer out now called the Ulio 3D which is 3d printed, made for the classroom to introduce kids to 3d printing, but, you're still buying it. I saw a video some months ago about a guy who tried to print a 3d printer, and, while it technically worked, the frame and the other long parts turned out to be the weak points. Not that they broke or anything, it's just that they lacked the structural integrity to stay stiff enough for a long enough period of time to successfully conduct a print. Any bit of wobble will cause the print to either fail completely, or just come out poorly enough that you might as well just go ahead and call it a fail

If I were going to make a printer from scratch, this is the one I would build...

Enough of it can be 3d printed that you could say that you printed it, and the important parts of the frame could be bought from your local hardware store where the finished product would be reliable enough to actually use on a daily basis, and the electronics you'd have to buy anyway, cuz you can't reliably print a stepper motor or motor controller

If you're interested enough to try it, the blueprints can be found here...

https://all3dp.com/1/3d-printer-plans-diy-reprap-prusa/

The thing about this project is that I wouldn't even think of it until I'd had some experience first with one of the cheapo kits because it's not the kind of thing that you really wanna tackle unless you know what to expect as an end result

Posted by: @etinkerer

I have question about leaving your 3d printer unattended while printing.  What is the longest time anyone has needed to print something? Did you leave it unattended if it was an extended length of time? Should this be a concern?

When I first got a printer, my main "hobby" was watching it print! 🙂

I think Brooke Drumm said it best "3d printing is hard" 

In the beginning, I used to have a @50-60pct success rate. I now have an @80pct success. Now, most of these are not full prints, just the first layer usually. If I see an issue, I'll stop it before the next layer. This is usually a bed level issue or extrusion (not as much) There are times that you leave a print and come back to a bozo the clown wig.  This issue can be caused by a lot of issues, like bad adhesion, bad model, extruder or filament issues.  I have had a few of those over the years, but not many, maybe 4 or 5.

The longest prints I have done were for my telescope tube sections for a truss reflector. In total it took 150hrs, with the longest run 45. I have had one 60hour print for a statue I did for my brother.  With all of these prints, I was away from home, at work or in another room and not constantly watching it. 

Scott

@robo-pi

I have gotten that error as well, and several others.  Thought it might be browser related, but having tried three different browsers, Chrome, FireFox, & Edge, the errors seem to come and go in any of the three from time to time.

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger.

Posted by: @etinkerer

I have question about leaving your 3d printer unattended while printing.  What is the longest time anyone has needed to print something? Did you leave it unattended if it was an extended length of time? Should this be a concern?

The longest time I've had was about 14 hours.  They can get a lot longer.  A normal electric enclosure box takes 3 or 4 hours. Yes they are left unattended and a  concern is when a filament reel is getting low there may not be enough filament left to finish the job.  Depending on the printer, and the length of time before a new reel of filament is loaded once it runs out, this may not even be a problem and printing can resume where it left off.   However there are a number of things that can happen on a long print run that can ruin your day (and your print) but this has not happened to me (as yet ? )

You're all making me jealous, I have wanted a 3D printer for the workshop for a long time.  I probably should wait until I get a new NAS first, as my current HP MediaVault is over a decade old and is living on borrowed time. And without the NAS, there is no DroneBot Workshop - it's central to everything I do!

Nonetheless, it hasn't stopped me from spending far too much time today researching 3D printers. Amazon has a "lightning deal" on an ANYCUBIC Enclosed 3D Printer 4 MAX PRO for the next two hours.  I'm tempted, but really shouldn't.  So I'm going to go solder something until the urge to spend money goes away!

?

@codecage and @robo-pi , let's start a new topic on the errors you're getting uploading images. I want to resolve the errors but I don't want to "hijack" the 3D printing thread. A lot of great information here.

Now I'm going away so that I don't succumb to the urge to buy a new toy. Curse that "one-click ordering" and free 1-day shipping!

?

Bill

Posted by: @dronebot-workshop

Now I'm going away so that I don't succumb to the urge to buy a new toy. Curse that "one-click ordering" and free 1-day shipping!

You sound just like me Bill.  I get interested in everything.   And these forums cause me to think about things that I otherwise wouldn't be thinking of.

Today I just happened to be clearing out my attic which needs to be done anyway.  And I ran across 3 pretty nice looking old dox matrix printers.   I immediately thought of this thread and the question of building a 3-d printer from scratch.  I need a 3D printer like I need a hole in my head.  I already have sufficient fabrication equipment to make just about anything I want the old-fashioned way. ? 

I have a full woodshop, and a metal lathe/mill.   What do I need a 3D printer for when I already have this:

Opps!   Pictures still aren't uploading!  Darn it!

Picture a really nice 17" swing Lathe/Mill here in your imagination. ? 

Oh wait! Maybe I can find one like it on Google Images,...

Oh WOW!  What luck!  This is exactly what I have.  They have the milling head turned toward the back so you can't see it, but that's it!

In fact, I was just working on my lathe a few moments ago.  I had to turn down a shaft to just fit in the pilot bearing hole of my Ford Truck so I can push the bearing out of the crankshaft using grease.

Now I got to go back outside and push that bearing out.

Posted by: @dronebot-workshop

You're all making me jealous, I have wanted a 3D printer for the workshop for a long time.

See the Swiss Accent fellow's youtube:

After watching that further resistance will be futile. (well it was for me anyway). Go make space in your lab now ?

Bill's in trouble now
the forum's on the prow
he'll spend his cash on 3D trash
and be as broke as a sacred cow

He'll be printing 3D cases
to fill the empty spaces
his robot's heart a plastic part
with polystyrene laces

No metal to be found
no wood to warm the soul
only spools of plastic
printed out to make the whole

Posted by: @spyder

If I were going to make a printer from scratch, this is the one I would build...

Enough of it can be 3d printed that you could say that you printed it, and the important parts of the frame could be bought from your local hardware store where the finished product would be reliable enough to actually use on a daily basis, and the electronics you'd have to buy anyway, cuz you can't reliably print a stepper motor or motor controller

If you're interested enough to try it, the blueprints can be found here...

https://all3dp.com/1/3d-printer-plans-diy-reprap-prusa/

Yep. That's one of the results I found when doing my google search. Looks like another good option to build from (somewhat) scratch.

@spyder

Interesting how things happen!  I spent the whole day looking at YouTube videos about all kinds of 3D Printers and drooling over them on Amazon.

None of us fell to far from the tree did we?

@codecage

I didn't quite go that far.  Probably because I know I can't afford to buy even the cheapest one.

Plus if I don't get my wood boiler rebuilt before winter I'm going to be SORRY!  So I better stay on course.

I don't want to be freezing next winter wishing I had fixed the wood boiler.  And I have a suspicion that a 3D printer isn't going to help with the boiler rebuild job.