this post was submitted on 27 Jul 2023
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Consumer 3D printing. I still canβt get over the fact that Iβm able to get a device for only a few hundred bucks that lets me manufacture almost any kind of simple widget on-demand in a matter of hours. It feels like Iβm living in the future.
I've been considering a 3D printer for quite some time. Do you recommend FDM or SLA?
What kind of things do you print? How often do you use it? Does it just collect dust? What kind of hobbies do you have and does a 3D printer support/enhance it?
After having both if you don't mind mess; SLA
I second SLA. Especially if you just want to print small things that look really good.
I am also looking at either getting an FDM or SLA printer, but I am more wondering about the cost of materials than the print quality (most of my projects are small but do not require much detail - they are mechanisms that do not need to be super precise, just printed well enough that components fit) and I have heard that the resin used for SLA is much more expensive than FDM filament. I was wondering to what extent that price difference is.
If you have a place like a shed or a garage I'd say SLA. I prefer FDM because of the materials just being more hardy then what SLA currently offers. But there's so little that can go wrong in SLA. As a consumer product it's so much more repeatible then FDM. But you do need a curing station to wash your prints with isopropyl and running a ultraviolet light on it as well. Also your additude towards cleanliness. If you are the kind of bean that never cleans the toilet or shower give FDM a try, it's still extremely rewarding and you'll likely have to learn how the printer works to be extremely good at it. If you have a spick and span bathroom/kitchen/bedroom check out SLA you'll get an extremely repeatable small prints with hight details like 4k that FDM may never get to.