3d Printers South Africa

[AfricanTech]

I'm using Creality Slicer (built on Cura, I think?).
I've been using SA Filament brand PLA all the way through - haven't even tried the sample PLA that came with the printer.

The first part of the print pushes a line out on one side of the bed before moving to the main print - that seems to work most of the time. Then the main print is just a tangly mess

I used this guide to get me started -
https://www.crealityexperts.com/creality-ender-3-s1-assembly-guide

I also took some tips from here:
https://the3dprinterbee.com/ender-3-s1-cura-settings-profile/


PS: Friend of mine with a 3D printer did warn me that while it's mostly 'plug and play' there is a fair amount of fiddling and tweaking that you still have to do which is why it is still firmly 'hobbyist' and not mainstream.

 

[Gnome]

@Gnome Where did you get the Voron kit I have been looking for one localy but have not been able to find a source for the kit.I think this printer is the shiz

I self sourced, and pretty much ordered from everywhere

 

[AfricanTech]

Built a Voron 2.4 and finally did my first ABS print last night (excuse the mess, a lot of tools and stuff was needed building this, I need to clean up today)

View attachment 1314490

Busy doing quad gantry leveling
View attachment 1314492

Jisse, that thing looks stunning. That enclosure

One day.

 

[AfricanTech]

The S1 comes with a flexible magnetic base with a rough texture, so I don't think you should put hairspray on it. I have not had any issues with printing the bit of PLA that comes with the printer, or the 1kg spool of PETG I have printed already.

I did notice the sample PLA is not very good quality, you can hear it popping the whole time. Have you tried another brand of PLA?

If it is just creating a clump of material around the hot end the nozzle is maybe not clean? Or as Tinuva said the initial height is out. Try replacing the nozzle with the spare and then level again.

Which program are you using to slice? I use Cura.

Where did you buy your PETG from and why did you choose it over PLA?

 

[furpile]

Where did you buy your PETG from and why did you choose it over PLA?

From DIY Electronics with the printer. I am printing something that needs to be semi structural, and PETG is a bit tougher and more heat resistant than PLA (I think). The print is a very blocky shape so it prints ok, but the PETG is definitely not as nice to print with as PLA. For normal stuff I will just use PLA. I had a friend print some spacers for the boat a few years back and they basically just collapsed from being in the sun with the heat. So I want to reprint them in PETG as well to see how that holds up.

 

[Tinuva]

From DIY Electronics with the printer. I am printing something that needs to be semi structural, and PETG is a bit tougher and more heat resistant than PLA (I think). The print is a very blocky shape so it prints ok, but the PETG is definitely not as nice to print with as PLA. For normal stuff I will just use PLA. I had a friend print some spacers for the boat a few years back and they basically just collapsed from being in the sun with the heat. So I want to reprint them in PETG as well to see how that holds up.

From all the reviews of different filament types on youtube, PETG is only slightly better than PLA. As in, it won't last.

If you want something out in the sun that will last, go ABS or ASA. You will need an enclosure to print. Enjoy the stink unless your enclosure have a filter of some sorts to get rid of both the stinky smell and the harmful stuff.

 

[saor]

From DIY Electronics with the printer. I am printing something that needs to be semi structural, and PETG is a bit tougher and more heat resistant than PLA (I think). The print is a very blocky shape so it prints ok, but the PETG is definitely not as nice to print with as PLA. For normal stuff I will just use PLA. I had a friend print some spacers for the boat a few years back and they basically just collapsed from being in the sun with the heat. So I want to reprint them in PETG as well to see how that holds up.

Else ABS?

 

[furpile]

From all the reviews of different filament types on youtube, PETG is only slightly better than PLA. As in, it won't last.

If you want something out in the sun that will last, go ABS or ASA. You will need an enclosure to print. Enjoy the stink unless your enclosure have a filter of some sorts to get rid of both the stinky smell and the harmful stuff.

Else ABS?

Thanks, I thought PETG is a bit better at higher temperature?

Edit:
While PLA has a glass transition temperature of 60 degrees Celsius on average, this value is 85 degrees for PETG, making PETG the more heat-resistant choice. As the heat resistance of PLA is way too low for most applications, PETG is usually the more suitable choice between the two.

Will try ABS if the PETG doesn't work for the boat. But the parts I am printing at the moment are for indoor use, just don't want it to sag from heat.

 

[Tinuva]

Thanks, I thought PETG is a bit better at higher temperature?

I highly recommend 1 or 2 videos on youtube where they test these out in the sun. The one guy literally tested 5 or 6 different types and my takeaway was, petg is not for the sun. It might have another reason you want it, but if you outside in the sun, its ABS. ASA is like a newer better ABS, which is why I say, if you can find that, prefer that over ABS. ABS is go to for outside in sun, car parts, etc. or anything that will need to hand high sun temperatures over 30 degrees.

 

[furpile]

I highly recommend 1 or 2 videos on youtube where they test these out in the sun. The one guy literally tested 5 or 6 different types and my takeaway was, petg is not for the sun. It might have another reason you want it, but if you outside in the sun, its ABS. ASA is like a newer better ABS, which is why I say, if you can find that, prefer that over ABS. ABS is go to for outside in sun, car parts, etc. or anything that will need to hand high sun temperatures over 30 degrees.

Thanks, will look for those to print the outdoors parts then. For now I am printing for indoor use so I hope the PETG holds up.

 

[furpile]

I highly recommend 1 or 2 videos on youtube where they test these out in the sun. The one guy literally tested 5 or 6 different types and my takeaway was, petg is not for the sun. It might have another reason you want it, but if you outside in the sun, its ABS. ASA is like a newer better ABS, which is why I say, if you can find that, prefer that over ABS. ABS is go to for outside in sun, car parts, etc. or anything that will need to hand high sun temperatures over 30 degrees.

ASA looks pretty cool. I see it also needs an enclosure to print with. Do you also need to extract the fumes outside? Might be easier to just put the whole printer and enclosure outside on the porch while printing.

 

[Tinuva]

ASA looks pretty cool. I see it also needs an enclosure to print with. Do you also need to extract the fumes outside? Might be easier to just put the whole printer and enclosure outside on the porch while printing.

Yeah its mostly, 95% the same as ABS, minor differences.

As for extracting, if you get a filter then you can keep it indoor. If you only vent it out, then I'd recommend a room with open door/window to the outside. You will know you have a problem if you start getting a headache after the smell. Basically, dont keep it in a closed room. In our summers this is easy, its our winters where we keep houses closed that is a problem. You won't die smelling it once, but its still bad for you.

 

[hellfire]

If the first line print's ok but the print not, then it's a levelling issue or line height issue.

Does the 'skirt' outline around the print, print ok?

Nope - skirt doesn't print

 

[chickenbeef]

Nope - skirt doesn't print

Level your bed

 

[eye_suc]

Yeah its mostly, 95% the same as ABS, minor differences.

As for extracting, if you get a filter then you can keep it indoor. If you only vent it out, then I'd recommend a room with open door/window to the outside. You will know you have a problem if you start getting a headache after the smell. Basically, dont keep it in a closed room. In our summers this is easy, its our winters where we keep houses closed that is a problem. You won't die smelling it once, but its still bad for you.

You don't NEED to vent or filter fumes. My enclosure is in the garage though, so the fumes kind of dissipate with time. I just use the creality tent and that works great for me.

This is the smaller tent:

Creality 3D Printer Enclosure | Fits the Ender Series

The Creality Ender Series Enclosure allows you to print more advanced filaments like ABS & Polycarbonate on your trusty Ender Series 3D Printer.

www.diyelectronics.co.za

 

[Tinuva]

You don't NEED to vent or filter fumes. My enclosure is in the garage though, so the fumes kind of dissipate with time. I just use the creality tent and that works great for me.

This is the smaller tent:

Creality 3D Printer Enclosure | Fits the Ender Series

The Creality Ender Series Enclosure allows you to print more advanced filaments like ABS & Polycarbonate on your trusty Ender Series 3D Printer.

www.diyelectronics.co.za

Yeah I am just trying to cover for someone running the printer inside the house

 

[eye_suc]

Yeah I am just trying to cover for someone running the printer inside the house

Oh of course. Yeah if you are going to be in the same room as your printer you might get some splitting headaches using ABS/ASA.

I got some really nasty ABS headaches.

 

[AfricanTech]

Nope - skirt doesn't print

ok. then you need to read the first link I sent you closely especially the initial setup and levelling portions - follow the instructions precisely.

There is a setting when you do the 'base' template in Cura where you specify 'skirt', 'rim', 'raft' or 'none' for the beginning of the print.

It's worth spending the time watching a few youtube videos on 'getting started with cura' - will save you many a headache.

See links below videos I found worthwhile

 

[Werfetter]

I self sourced, and pretty much ordered from everywhere

Any idea what your total costs were?

Did you use the voron design configurator and sourcing guide or how did you go about it?

 

[Gnome]

Any idea what your total costs were?

No idea at this point, but way too much, it is really expensive. Mostly because of shipping but also because of things like PTFE wire which is just really hard to get and really expensive (like R1000 for the wiring of my printer, cable chain only, the rest use silicone wire).

Did you use the voron design configurator and sourcing guide or how did you go about it?

Both. I specifically ordered the components they recommended. Some people order locally but IMO it isn't worth it because if anything is off-spec you'll get a worse product and spend a lot of time trying to figure out what is wrong.

In addition to what they recommended I'm using
Pheatus Dragon HF but I recommend you get Revo Voron instead or if sourcing that is a problem Pheatus Rapido
I bought my Acrylic panels locally, cut by Maizey's (R800 for everything)

I spent nearly a month just searching for everything because some of the shipping options in the build guide were just too expensive.
Thus ended up getting most of it from Amazon.com

The things I didn't get from Amazon were:
Frame, Bed heater, Bed and Linear rails (Robotdigg as per build guide for that, do not skip on the rails, you are f#cking yourself if you do that and you cannot trust Amazon listings, they are 3rd party sellers and they sell junk)
The frame I got from Misumi, the bed and heater Magicpheonix.xyz
You need PTFE wire which is insanely expensive and that I got from TME.eu (including the connectors for Micro-fit)

Self sourcing doesn't save you any money, in fact it works out far more expensive. If you want to have a known budget and save yourself time, get it from Magicpheonix.xyz and then buy the acrylic locally (acrylic from magicpheonix is insanely overpriced). Btw. the fact that self sourcing costs more is a well known fact. During all this you should join the Voron discord because you likely will need during some steps.

EDIT: Honestly this was not a joke to source. Unless you are really good at that (I am because I buy online and I buy really obscure things all the time), you should really go with a kit. Also I'm very experienced with electronics so I was perfectly comfortable crimping my own wires (and already had quality tools for that). Again if you haven't crimped wires before, I sort of think you should think about buying a loom. (Linneo harness)