[Sticky] 3D Printer Corner

Posted by: @zander

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I don't see rubber belts as being very strong but that is just my experience.

Most belts either have fiberglass or Kevlar strands.  Even the high-end stuff uses belts.  I have some that use fine stranded stainless steel cables.  I'd imagine yours will have some reinforcement of some sort.  I've never heard of any issues with Creality belts.  I've never adjusted or replaced the ones on my high-mileage Prusa.

Posted by: @zander

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@inq I found that and downloaded it, but it's not a file; it's 24! It looks like there are several tests or something. I see one file that is just called 3DBenchy.stl, but the preview has the boat on its side, so I am not sure if that is the one. I will try it tomorrow and see how it goes IF I can get the cleaning swipe off the bed.

EDIT I sliced it and at normal quality it will take almost an hour.

That's probably it.  There are a lot of STL files on Thingiverse that are on their side like that.  I have no idea why they do that.  Maybe there is some kind of printer that has some cockeyed coordinate system.  You'll get the hang of it... bring it into Cura (if that is what you decided on) and you can always rotate it and put it so it makes sense.  Just use common sense, and you'll be fine!  

@inq You know what, I should have known that because the belts used on really big Motor Generator sets I use to keep watch over looked like they were rubber, but inside, they were steel. I can't believe I forgot that until now.

@inq Cura is half the speed of the CrealityPrint program. It is the only one with my printer spec and my Creality filament spec (a special PLA rated to 200mm/s) Some say it's a Cura clone, but I checked the About box and it is NOT open source. Strangely on Dave's Windows box, it doesn't work but on my Apple, it's a champ.

@zander...

Issue at hand... any of them can rotate the model.   

I'm getting dangerously low (< 5Kg) on ABS plastic filament 1.75mm.  I haven't bought in a while and the last time I got 10 rolls for $99.  I routinely check Amazon and it seems the going price is around $17.  eBay and anything in China is rarely significantly cheaper.  Has anyone seen any deals?  It used to be far cheaper than PLA and now the tide seems to have reversed... seeing deals on PLA for around $10/Kg.

Thanks!

@inq Noob here, so take it with copious salt. I only buy from CR since I figure they have a vested interest in selling me good filament to show off their machines. I see PLA for $33 plus shipping for a 2x1Kg deal but it's currently out of stock. I have no intention to use ABS, too dangerous for my lungs, but the next best is PETG and it's $27 plus shipping. I watched a video yesterday about an American company that will produce $10 high-quality PLA by either this DEC or next Dec, then they will do the same for either ABS or PETG.

Here is the video

Re: ABS

Hi Inq,

   Having an open printer in the house,  I am leaving ABS well alone for now, but maybe China is worth a look ...

not a recommendation, just reading an advert .. and this was only the 1st advert that came up, though the same name is appearing quite a lot at the moment ... it might be mouldy spaghetti for all I know

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004985226261.html

In terms of prices, I think there is a lot of 'cheap introductory' offers around, so keep your wits about you .. tricks like red colour £7, every other colour £15, and shipping can exceed the cost of stuff on the reel.

I am sure they like to sell near $20/reel, but think they can sell at much less when forced to. Whether that affects the quality I have no idea, but fair chance it all comes of the same line. 

Plus if you are willing to risk 5-10 reels (say), then that is a different question from 1 at a time.

Maybe Clint Eastwood could phrase the questoin for you ... "you've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, Inq?” ... 🤔 

Good luck, Dave

@davee That's about $11 CDN, but they don't ship to Canada. Maybe the border police have their number? I already decided that risking failed prints to save a couple bucks is so not worth it. Of course, YMMV.

Hi Ron @zander,

   As I said, I don't know about product quality or avaliability/price in other locations. It was only an observation.

  I quite understand why many people will prefer to pay more for a 'branded' product.  I do it myself in many purchases I make.

Best wishes, Dave

@davee This may be of interest to everyone using a 3D printer

Hi Ron @zander,

   Sorry I need to do something else for a while, but so far I have only seen a few snippets, but is it really anything more than an advert for a company that currently makes for their own production, trying to get into the filament market? $10 in 2025 (in US?) ?

If it is that, I wish them luck, but my guess is that it will be long time before they ship to UK or other non-Canada/USA addresses at a competitive price.

If it works for you, then great! If you see an offer  delivered to me (at my UK address), including 20% VAT (tax), for £10, let me know, please!

Take care, Dave

@davee He struck me as a techie, not a marketing type. When you watch the entire video, I think you will have a better understanding. They make it in-house, it is not a re-packaging operation. Just a bunch of the new breed of young tech entrepreneurs.

OUCH, I didn't know you paid an extra 20%, I thought we were bad at 13%, but also, our dollar is currently very bad at about a 14% premium. That means even with postal shipping I expect the $10 will be more like $13 plus shipping which could be $6, so almost double the total. Still better than I pay now and all in all not really a big item in my hobby spending.

I didn't mean to aim the article at you, it was meant to be a 3D corner post for the general population.

Hi Ron @zander,

  Looked rather like the style a lot of crowd funders use to me, but I wish him no bad will. I note that you meant to show it to all forum members, and I understand it might be interesting to those geographically close to the company.

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Realistically, as an individual in UK, it is expensive to buy anything directly from North America, even via Amazon US. And a twist that catches most potential exporters outside of Amazon, arises from payment of VAT. It is not so much the rate (20%), but the process that can be expensive.  UK companies registered for VAT have a payment mechanism, but for the rest of us it is a bit of a nightmare.

Orders under £135 including delivery, can either be collected the seller or on delivery. But if it is on delivery, then it means using delivery companies like DHL, which means delivery contribution for a small order is likely to be (say)£20-£40-ish ... I have never paid for this, so this is based on adverts & observations. Most sellers are not registered with UK to collect VAT, so that route is closed.

So for buying small parts, etc., the 'cost effective' choices for small orders are usually either what Amazon UK, or Banggood, AliExpress and eBay who manage the VAT payment with the order.  Similarly I have only found 1 Chinese PCB house that mentions an ability to handle the VAT with the order.

Best wishes, Dave

@davee Ouch! We have similar problems in Canada. When I was buying my batteries, delivery was free if I was located in the lower 48, but come 1 ft across the US/Canada border and delivery costs $100's of dollars. I lucked out and found a Canadian seller who drove a medium-sized truck to the US and picked up a few hundred at a time. The cost was extremely good going that route, even the exchange rate was better due to timing.

No, they are not a start-up; they spin their own filament now; they need to buy more extruders and up the volumes to reduce the price. You should check to see if any local entrepreneurs have started a UK-based filament factory. Too bad Boris took you out of the EU, you would likely have had a local supply.

All the best,

Ron