3d Printers South Africa

[Park@82]

Time to play a bit.

It sucks that I was born too early. If I was in my early teens today I'd lose my s**t with stuff you can do with the "Dummy 13" range.
Also, yesterday was the first time I tried printing anything other than PLA. I got some SA Filament Speed PETG in, and judging by how it's going this might be my new favorite and go-to filament for almost everything.

The stuff prints insanely well and I've stopped getting on-and-off print failures on tiny complicated models that used to give me trouble with (SA Filament & Creality Ender) PLA due to collisions and bed adhesion. It might also be 'cause it's high speed filament so works great with the A1.

The stringing is the only "issue" but that doesn't bother me (if it's kept in check of course), I've always wanted to get a proper cordless heat gun anyway.

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Happy Friday everyone, get those printers warmed up.

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I also printed some of those a couple of months back. Was a bit of a pain to get the parts clipped into each other. I heard that it helps to scale the amour up 2-3% for easier assembly.

 

[nulkoel]

I also printed some of those a couple of months back. Was a bit of a pain to get the parts clipped into each other. I heard that it helps to scale the amour up 2-3% for easier assembly.

They're a lot of fun! This model is the reason why I bought PETG for the first time (as well as a filament dryer...) and we had to reprint 1 or 2 armor pieces several times, but their articulation makes them so great.

 

[Crowley]

Printed a 15cm Pokeball with a stand for one of my son's friends this week.

 

[ronz91]

I have ordered a new nozzle for the K1 Max at work but I see the nozzle has play.
Does something just need tightening or could it be more serious?

 

[Crowley]

I have ordered a new nozzle for the K1 Max at work but I see the nozzle has play.
Does something just need tightening or could it be more serious?

Did you warm up the heating block before you installed the nozzle?

 

[ronz91]

Did you warm up the heating block before you installed the nozzle?

this is the old nozzle, new 1 is still on the way

i would rather order any other needed spares one time if needed

 

[B-1]

Last weekends project. A MoOde streamer/player.

 

[RaptorSA]

The forum thread post notifications have been letting me down.
I thought nothing was going on here.

Anyway, it's the same ol' me so you know what's coming....
The Trike is a big b*tch.... it's yet again something you cannot appreciate until you hold a version of it in your hands.

40+ years of living in Africa and none of the large mammals we have come close to being an analogue as to WTF this thing must have been like.

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Looks how awesome this view is:
"Barrel chested" doesn't even come close... it just makes you wonder how complex that digestive system could have been.

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Also, unless you're a real dino-dork you won't understand how satisfying it is to finally have an accurate set of Triceratops feet where it's actually walking on its toes, instead of some elephantine foot looking k@k.

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Sigh, why do I do this to myself.
Paid actual money for my next project model, so the heat is on this time.
We'll start with a Jurassic herbivore, then maybe do an Allosaurus to go with it in future..

The problem is, this model was made for resin printing so it's going to be fun to somehow get this working.
I was kind of hoping the model would include the resin supports since are some blender community tools out there that allow you to convert miniatures with resin supports into stronger/bigger resin supports that'll work with FDM, but alas, the model has no pre-baked supports in sight.

Gonna aim for a +-1 meter 70-80cm long print, so will likely need to slice the hell out of it.



My poor little MiniPC is already k@kking itself....
More triangles than I have brain cells, definitely can't complain about model detail, the .stl's were one GB.



The model details is nuts:




Wish me luck.
And apologies if I use up all the country's PLA due to all the coming attempts.

(I'm also tempted to do this using my SA filament PETG given how much success I've had with it, it that probably opens me up to a lot of issues when the day comes that I have to paint it)

 

[RaptorSA]

Sigh, why do I do this to myself.
Paid actual money for my next project model, so the heat is on this time.
We'll start with a Jurassic herbivore, then maybe do an Allosaurus to go with it in future..

The problem is, this model was made for resin printing so it's going to be fun to somehow get this working.
I was kind of hoping the model would include the resin supports since are some blender community tools out there that allow you to convert miniatures with resin supports into stronger/bigger resin supports that'll work with FDM, but alas, the model has no pre-baked supports in sight.

Gonna aim for a +-1 meter 70-80cm long print, so will likely need to slice the hell out of it.

View attachment 1915801

My poor little MiniPC is already k@kking itself....
More triangles than I have brain cells, definitely can't complain about model detail, the .stl's were one GB.

View attachment 1915803View attachment 1915807

The model details is nuts:

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Wish me luck.
And apologies if I use up all the country's PLA due to all the coming attempts.

(I'm also tempted to do this using my SA filament PETG given how much success I've had with it, it that probably opens me up to a lot of issues when the day comes that I have to paint it)

4 Days of model tweaking and almost nonstop printing and I can finally get to assembly.
Not bad, I'm definitely getting better at this.

This thing looks in incredible in person... it's a huuuge b*tch... I'm rapidly running out of space in my home, I'm considering doing a cash-in-transit robbery so I can buy a warehouse in the area and retire in peace and printing.







EDIT:

 

[Superjakes]

And I am once again fashionably late to this party. I have lived 46.5 years without a 3d printer, but have now developed an itch for one. According to Google Gemini, the Creality Ender3 V3 KE is the correct fit for me in terms of budget, stupid-friendly and quality. Incredible Corruption has it for R5500. Why should I buy it or why should I not. I do not have R5500 lying around looking for purpose, but will be able to squeeze to make it work if needed. Additional context, I have a grade 2 pupil in my home who seems to think that it will be a cool addition to the surroundings.

 

[ronz91]

And I am once again fashionably late to this party. I have lived 46.5 years without a 3d printer, but have now developed an itch for one. According to Google Gemini, the Creality Ender3 V3 KE is the correct fit for me in terms of budget, stupid-friendly and quality. Incredible Corruption has it for R5500. Why should I buy it or why should I not. I do not have R5500 lying around looking for purpose, but will be able to squeeze to make it work if needed. Additional context, I have a grade 2 pupil in my home who seems to think that it will be a cool addition to the surroundings.

its a nice to have definitely in your case i believe
V3 KE will do the job fine
but just make sure you will make use of it

 

[Superjakes]

its a nice to have definitely in your case i believe
V3 KE will do the job fine
but just make sure you will make use of it

It is most definitely a nice to have. I will not be dependent on it by a long stretch. We envision printing a ton of little thingies to sell at the school's entrepreneurs day; but there is no sane way that it will justify the purchase and ongoing cost.

 

[ronz91]

It is most definitely a nice to have. I will not be dependent on it by a long stretch. We envision printing a ton of little thingies to sell at the school's entrepreneurs day; but there is no sane way that it will justify the purchase and ongoing cost.

okay as long as you have your eyes wide open
good opportunity to learn cad as well to maximise usefulness

 

[RaptorSA]

It is most definitely a nice to have. I will not be dependent on it by a long stretch. We envision printing a ton of little thingies to sell at the school's entrepreneurs day; but there is no sane way that it will justify the purchase and ongoing cost.

The A1 Mini could also be a great option that aligns with your budget.
Knowing what I know now, the smaller build plate is not really an issue. I rarely need the larger size and when I can't fit something the slicer makes it super easy to chop parts up.

Bambu Lab A1 Mini 3D Printer - Compact- High-Precision- and Fast Printing with 180x180x180mm Build Volume

Compact Design: 180x180x180mm build volume ideal for small-scale projects. High-Precision Printing: Delivers detailed and accurate prints. Fast Printing Speed: Efficient and quick production times. User-Friendly Interface: Easy-to-navigate controls and setup. Reliable Performance: Designed for...

www.geewiz.co.za

 

[warrenpridgeon]

I'm busy organising my kak. lol. I have resistors and all manner of components lying around... so I'm organising some storage. This modular system is pretty cool and the "frames" dovetail into each other, they are also more "frames" than some of the others that are like a solid box, they use less material and print a bit faster than the "box" style. There are covers that go around the outside.

https://makerworld.com/en/models/1314537-modular-drawers-locking-low-material-use?from=search#profileId-1349367

For anyone interested ^

 

[Superjakes]

The A1 Mini could also be a great option that aligns with your budget.
Knowing what I know now, the smaller build plate is not really an issue. I rarely need the larger size and when I can't fit something the slicer makes it super easy to chop parts up.

Bambu Lab A1 Mini 3D Printer - Compact- High-Precision- and Fast Printing with 180x180x180mm Build Volume

Compact Design: 180x180x180mm build volume ideal for small-scale projects. High-Precision Printing: Delivers detailed and accurate prints. Fast Printing Speed: Efficient and quick production times. User-Friendly Interface: Easy-to-navigate controls and setup. Reliable Performance: Designed for...

www.geewiz.co.za

The argument against Bambu is that it is ecosystem locked like Apple, where the Creality is open to more software suites, etc. Have you found that to be an issue or is their software enough? This is what Gemini said, in any case.

 

[RaptorSA]

I'm busy organising my kak. lol. I have resistors and all manner of components lying around... so I'm organising some storage. This modular system is pretty cool and the "frames" dovetail into each other, they are also more "frames" than some of the others that are like a solid box, they use less material and print a bit faster than the "box" style. There are covers that go around the outside.

https://makerworld.com/en/models/1314537-modular-drawers-locking-low-material-use?from=search#profileId-1349367

For anyone interested ^
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You're much further along the process than I am.
I threw all my kark on the floor and am now in the process of deciding which storage system is best storage system.
The issue is deciding on whether the cost of nicer "customized" prints is worth just buying cheap moulded bins from a Chinese store.

 

[RaptorSA]

The argument against Bambu is that it is ecosystem locked like Apple, where the Creality is open to more software suites, etc. Have you found that to be an issue or is their software enough? This is what Gemini said, in any case.

Don't fall for it.
That's the internet and enthusiast community currently losing their minds over a software dispute regarding a plugin that someone wrote for a slicer (Orca Slicer) that allows cloud integration with Bambu's own own cloud back-end (to send files over the internet to your Bambu printer, that's all)... I think most people who complain about it don't even know what it's really about so the AI is scraping internet outrage and regurgitating this horsesh*t.

The "lockdown" argument is simply not true. You can just enable network mode on Bambu printers and use any slicer you want. I didn't even bother with that, I use Bambu Studio and their cloud integration since it makes life so much easier.

It's an ideological "issue" about the principle of open source and the risk of large companies like Bambu potentially locking down features built on open source principals, but it's been overhyped completely in my opinion (that's a good thing though, I'm sure the flack they're getting will at the very least make them think twice).

In all honestly, and nothing against Creality, I've looked at the Creality printers at Incredible Corruption in person and the quality of them doesn't come close to Bambu, at least on a surface level. But that's just my opinion. I'd only go for the Creality if it was cheaper by a bigger margin, but it's not.

 

[warrenpridgeon]

You're much further along the process than I am.
I threw all my kark on the floor and am now in the process of deciding which storage system is best storage system.
The issue is deciding on whether the cost of nicer "customized" prints is worth just buying cheap moulded bins from a Chinese store.

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Someone was like "how much is this gonna cost" ... and to be honest... I didn't even KNOW. I didn't consider it. But it seems it might still be a cheaper option. Even the TEMU plastic drawer things cost north of R1000. Cheap plastic ones of similar size to what I'm printing are around R500 to R600. I'm probably using around R200 to R400 worth of filament for what I have planned. But what I like is the flexibility to add/change the layouts.

 

[warrenpridgeon]

It's an ideological "issue" that's been overhyped completely.

Basically this.

Could it become "worse" over time? Potentially. Most likely not.

Are there OTHER issues to worry about? Yep... the USA is trying to legislate that every manufacturing device (additive - printers, subtractive - lathes, cncs) have a "remote cutoff switch" and a process that runs EVERYTHING they do through an AI model to determine if "yOu'Re TrYiNg tO pRiNt a gUn pArT" ... flip man. What a world we live in.

I have a Bambu P1S, it's great. It's VERY easy to use compared to the previous stuff. I have mine in LAN mode cos

LOL