this post was submitted on 25 Apr 2024
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3DPrinting

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Best options for entry level 3D printing available these days? (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) by pico@sh.itjust.works to c/3dprinting@lemmy.world
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I've had access to a roommate's 3D printer, but they'll be moving away soon :(

Wondering if people have takes on machines that are considered entry level today but may have evolved handy features since, well, when you were an entry level user.

If this isn't the right place for this please be nice I'm sorry

EDIT: okay I left out way too much detail for this to be answerable.

I've been printing for a year, so im not absolute beginner tier, and can benefit from some of the fancy gizmos like auto leveling, multi filament, etc. but i dont really venture beyond PETG and PLA. I mostly use 3D printing in other maker/diy projects; creating custom fixtures, quick tools and jigs, attachments for sewing machines, table saws, tool organization etc. You get the idea. Im not a mechanical engineer or prototyping medical equipment. I just really enjoy the power of being able to model something i need, print it, and immediate use it to complete a project. I dont do any figurines.

My budget is a maximum of 300 canadian dollars, including filaments, replacement parts, and add-ons. I am impartial to any brands or companies, i actually would perfer something that doesnt have proprietary bullshit, but the printers my roommate have are a (GEETECH) Ender 3 Clone and a TwoTree SP-5. The two tree is really awesome, but also over kill for what i need personally.

Other considerations are that It should be relatively compact, not mini/micro or anything, I would rather print twice or rearrange the models on the print bed some times and have more space than the other way around.

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[–] TootSweet@lemmy.world 12 points 6 months ago (7 children)

I'm a huge fan of Creality printers. If I were starting over today and didn't have my eye on any specific bell or whistle, I'd probably get a Creality Ender 3 V3 or Ender 3 V3 SE. The Ender 3 Pro and Ender 3 V2 Neo I have now are great. Very reliable and easy to maintain.

One bell/whistle I'd 100% pay extra for is autoleveling. (A z probe rather than a z endstop.) My Ender 3 Pro came with an endstop rather than a probe. As soon as I got the V2 Neo that does have a z-probe I immediately decided to upgrade my Ender 3 Pro with a z-probe. With just the endstop, I had constant issues getting the first layer to adhere, especially if I was printing something that used a significant portion of the bed.

[–] pico@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Hey! Thanks for the reply! Auto-leveling is something my roommate has never had so i've never experienced what youre describing, but I do see how that would get rid of lots of faff.

I, like others have mentioned, would love to know how "locked down" a company/brand makes they products. I know there are a lot of Ender 3 clones, and I wonder if going with something like that would keep it really diy while also being based on a tried and tested product.

[–] TootSweet@lemmy.world 1 points 6 months ago

Yeah, good call. I'd definitely say Creality is good about being open. I've flashed the firmware on one of my two Creality printers. And upgraded it a couple of times, though admittedly only with official Creality parts.

I have a friend who had a printer that I believe didn't have an SD card slot and the Wifi died on it, so it became roughly-speaking useless. I like to lean toward fewer moving parts even if it makes for some inconveniences like having to actually load it onto an SD card and put it in the machine.

If I did really care about wifi connectivity, I'd probably still buy a machine without Wifi built-in and attach a Raspberry Pi running Octoprint to the side.

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