Adventures in 3D printing

koenbro

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I am stepping into 3D printing and in this thread I will chronicle my learning about design, materials, and projects. I expect to make a lot of errors along the way, and that is both inevitable, and part of the fun. By way of background, I do have some experience with woodworking, and basic metal working. Have just finished converting a PM 728 VT mill to CNC, and documented it in another thread. Also have very basic familiarity with Fusion 360.

As I was deciding which 3D printer to buy, I was initially set on the Prusa filament, then the Prusa resin, then the Formlabs Form 3. I know nothing about 3D printing (or generally additive processes), but ultimately decided on a Makerbot MethodX printer, because of the wide range of materials it is capable of printing, including metal. More about this later.
 
I have a Prusa MK3S+ with the MMU2S multi-material unit and like it now that I have it working as it should. There was (still is) a learning curve to these things but tech support is really good. At work we have an older Makerbot that doesn't get used much any more and we have a FormLabs 2 (I believe). The FormLabs machines are fantastic and have very good resolution, but of course, the material selection is more limited. A buddy of mine has a Creality Ender 3 Pro and he's done a number of upgrades that rival my Prusa for a lot less overall cost.
You probably already found that there are a ton of things you can print to help your metalworking and other hobbies. Good luck!
 
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Here are a few photos as I set it up. Much to my surprise there is no filament provided with the machine (I should have asked, I know), so I couldn't fire it up beyond the basic setup (and firmware update). So have ordered some ABS and soluble support, and will wait.
 
I have a Prusa MK3S+ with the MMU2S multi-material unit and like it now that I have it working as it should. There was (still is) a learning curve to these things but tech support is really good. At work we have an older Makerbot that doesn't get used much any more and we have a FormLabs 2 (I believe). The FormLabs machines are fantastic and have very good resolution, but of course, the material selection is more limited. A buddy of mine has a Creality Ender 3 Pro and he's done a number of upgrades that rival my Prusa for a lot less overall cost.
You probably already found that there are a ton of things you can print to help your metalworking and other hobbies. Good luck!

I am curious if you realize that the OP's printer is $4800 or so... on sale.
 
I think printing metal is not quite ready for primetime. The BASF material needs to be scaled up 20% in axes x and y and 26% in the axis z. Then will be sent in for sintering. There are size limitations IIRC of 100mm in each direction. Not sure how easily machined the output part is.

Apart from that, the ability to print composites is very exciting.
 
I have received the first batch of filament and completed my first 3D print job ever. Have downloaded a TTS toolholder to attach to a DIN rail from Thingiverse, and set out to build it out of ABS-R and RapidRinse support. Leveling the plate and loading the material was easy, just following instructions on the screen.
The printer originally estimated it will take 9 hours for the job. This morning I woke up excited and the print completed without errors or drama. Then I rinsed it in a cup in the kitchen sink -- sorry, not best practices, but do not yet have a proper rinsing station -- and in a few minutes, the part was ready.
Dimensionally accurate to about 0.1-0.2mm by a quick caliper measurement. Very impressed. Will start exploring other filaments and build other tool supports.


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So by now I've printed out 16 of these toolholders, and have created my very first design, to mount the holders directly unto the 8020 profile, and skip the DIN rail.

Have also created an adapter to mount my festool dust extraction hose from the tool to the Oneida cycle without intermediaries:

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Works quite well. Will move next to cable organization. Needless to say, I am enjoying my new toy!
 
Love it!!
Awesome job. I have a bunch of 8020 laying around here which now gives me an idea for my mill and my lathe. Thank you!
 
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