3 ms·

> a good recommendation to go “from zero to hero” Below is pretty much how I did it: Step 1: Buy an Ender 3. It's cheap and there are tons of upgrades out th

> a good recommendation to go “from zero to hero” Below is pretty much how I did it: Step 1: Buy an Ender 3. It's cheap and there are tons of upgrades out there. Start printing stuff from Printables/Thingiverse in order to understand how slicing and printing works. Learn the jargon by researching issues you run into (don't just ask on forums, search for yourself). Step 2: Find some upgrades for the printer through Youtube, Reddit and the likes. Buy (or print) them and upgrade your printer. Run into issues, fix them and start understanding how the entire thing works. Step 3: Print this [0] model and watch this [1] video on how it was designed. It shows really well what constraints you're working with when designing for 3D printing and how to work around them. Then, start designing your own prints in whatever CAD software you want to learn. I started with Fusion 360, but anything is fine, probably. 0: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2064269 https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2064269 1: https://youtu.be/mziT7KV-fRI https://youtu.be/mziT7KV-fRI

Casteil 4y ago
To add a few things: - Start your journey with PLA, and small prints. PLA is the easiest/least fussy material to print because it doesn't tend to string, or warp/shrink/lift off the bed like PETG/ABS. Nothing's worse than having a large print fail (usually boils down to slicer settings, hence the need to get familiar with your printer via smaller prints first). - PrusaSlicer is, IMO, one of the best slicer options out there... works for virtually all printers and it's free/open source: https://github.com/prusa3d/PrusaSlicer/releases https://github.com/prusa3d/PrusaSlicer/releases - TPU filament is AMAZING to have for functional 3d prints... but you need a direct drive extruder to be able to print it reliably. If you can afford it, shoot for an Ender with a direct drive extruder e.g. the S1 or S1 Pro. - Other stuff: Use Mainsail on a Raspberry Pi or similar for remote control/monitoring from any browser or phone (alternative: Creality Sonic Pad), Klipper firmware for GOING FAST (pressure advance setting), print mods/upgrades for your own printer (e.g. webcam mount, tool holders, parts cooling fan ducts, etc)
- donkeyd 4y ago
  Is Mainsail better than Octoprint? I haven't heard of it before.
  - Casteil 4y ago
    IMO, yes. I used octoprint for 3+ years before switching to Mainsail a month or two ago. Seems more polished, and haven't had as many problems with updates/slow updates as I did with OctoPrint. Probably won't go back.

Casteil 4y ago

To add a few things: - Start your journey with PLA, and small prints. PLA is the easiest/least fussy material to print because it doesn't tend to string, or warp/shrink/lift off the bed like PETG/ABS. Nothing's worse than having a large print fail (usually boils down to slicer settings, hence the need to get familiar with your printer via smaller prints first). - PrusaSlicer is, IMO, one of the best slicer options out there... works for virtually all printers and it's free/open source: https://github.com/prusa3d/PrusaSlicer/releases https://github.com/prusa3d/PrusaSlicer/releases - TPU filament is AMAZING to have for functional 3d prints... but you need a direct drive extruder to be able to print it reliably. If you can afford it, shoot for an Ender with a direct drive extruder e.g. the S1 or S1 Pro. - Other stuff: Use Mainsail on a Raspberry Pi or similar for remote control/monitoring from any browser or phone (alternative: Creality Sonic Pad), Klipper firmware for GOING FAST (pressure advance setting), print mods/upgrades for your own printer (e.g. webcam mount, tool holders, parts cooling fan ducts, etc)

donkeyd 4y ago
Is Mainsail better than Octoprint? I haven't heard of it before.
- Casteil 4y ago
  IMO, yes. I used octoprint for 3+ years before switching to Mainsail a month or two ago. Seems more polished, and haven't had as many problems with updates/slow updates as I did with OctoPrint. Probably won't go back.