3d Printers South Africa

AfricanTech said:
Yes, that’s where my A1 is - no problem in meetings - also Teams these days is really good at cutting out ambient noise.

Do you have AC in the room? PLA and PETG like a nice 21-23 degrees for printing. Also, pro tip - use gloves (the ones used by people doing light electrical work eg Uvex) - since I started using gloves when handling anything to do with the printer (loading filament, changing plates, removing prints, removing support, etc) I have zero issues with finger oil contamination affecting adhesion, etc.

Also, a filament dryer is absolutely worth it - I have a Sunlu 4 spool that I’ve rigged to feed the AMS lite.
Click to expand...
No AC but the room is relatively warm since my Inverter is there as well :D
Thanks for the suggestion on the gloves. Think I've sold this idea to the wife as well lol
 
Pho3nix said:
No AC but the room is relatively warm since my Inverter is there as well :D
Thanks for the suggestion on the gloves. Think I've sold this idea to the wife as well lol
Click to expand...
😃

Just remember you don’t want the room to be too warm since the printer itself will add to the heat - you’ll have to work in shorts!

Since you’re planning to do lairs if practical stuff you’ll need to learn how to do 3D modelling - if you’ve never used 3D modelling before, learn to use Fusion 360 from the start - I started with Tinkercad (easy to learn, works like my brain does but not as powerful or flexible) - now I’m stuck with it cos the paradigm is so different that my brain refuses to adapt 😂 and I’m too impatient these days to force myself to retrain - I will one day when I have something that I just cannot do with Tinkercad.
 
ronz91 said:
ah I like the solid wood table and dresser you placed them on. Even though my A1 mini is on a slightly unsteady table its never been an issue , but I think print quality would improve with a steadier table.
Click to expand...
In the time since I took that pic I also added TPU feet to the A1 to absorb vibration
 
O
AfricanTech said:
😃

Just remember you don’t want the room to be too warm since the printer itself will add to the heat - you’ll have to work in shorts!

Since you’re planning to do lairs if practical stuff you’ll need to learn how to do 3D modelling - if you’ve never used 3D modelling before, learn to use Fusion 360 from the start - I started with Tinkercad (easy to learn, works like my brain does but not as powerful or flexible) - now I’m stuck with it cos the paradigm is so different that my brain refuses to adapt 😂 and I’m too impatient these days to force myself to retrain - I will one day when I have something that I just cannot do with Tinkercad.
Click to expand...
I would suggest FreeCad.
Free & opensource
Learn it & own it forever
 
ronz91 said:
I thought as much seeing it, still a beautiful print
Click to expand...
It's almost indistinguishable from a molded part. Super strong as well.... actually struggled to break that part and that's printed at 0.1. Can still go down to 0.05 or 0.025 with certain materials.
 
saor said:
It's almost indistinguishable from a molded part. Super strong as well.... actually struggled to break that part and that's printed at 0.1. Can still go down to 0.05 or 0.025 with certain materials.
Click to expand...
do supports work like an FDM or are there cases that are exclusive of FDM vs SLS
 
ronz91 said:
do supports work like an FDM or are there cases that are exclusive of FDM vs SLS
Click to expand...
It's a bit different to fdm as you don't need to support the entire surface - see the middle pic where there's only 4 points supporting the horizontal screwhead. Have a bit more flexibility with the orientation.

supp.png
 
This texturing tool looks handy.


bumpmesh.com

BumpMesh by CNC Kitchen

Add displacement textures to STL, OBJ, and 3MF models directly in your browser. Preview, mask, bake, and export printable textured meshes locally.
bumpmesh.com bumpmesh.com
 
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Reactions: B-1
I feel like the time has come.
I want a 3D printer but I don't want to spend my days tinkering for the sake of the tech itself, I just want things to work, therefore I am only going to stick to Bambu Labs as default (I know about the closed off controversy with the but I couldn't care less)

Would it be blasphemy to get a Bambu Lab P2S combo as your first printer instead of starting out with something more "reasonable" like the A1?

I almost pulled the trigger on an A1 on Carbonite this weekend but there's a little voice in my head that keeps holding me back from doing so.

I made a list of reasons why I think spending almost twice the money on the P2S combo as a first 3D printer might be worth it vs. the A1 combo, you guys in the know can tell me if this list sounds reasonable or if it's just someone attempting to justify new shiny things by getting dragged into hype over something that might be overkill for a beginner:

- The P2S is only ~6 months old, if you buy one and end up realizing you're not really into printing or you don't use it to it's full capability, selling it off in a year or two means it's stilly pretty new. The A1 is now over 2 years old and while Bambu is excellent at long term support etc. it won't last forever.

- The AMS 2 Pro on the P2S can apparently dry filament too, so storage, switching filament etc. becomes less of a pain or something "to be solved" like with the A1. The more I learn about 3D printing from watching and reading the more I learn not to underestimate how important that is.

- The touchscreen and responsiveness of it on the P2S initially seemed to be like an unnecessary upgrade, however the more videos I see of people commenting how nice it is for filament loading/switching etc. the more it looks like less of a gimmick and an actual upgrade.

- The enclosed nature of the P2S does seem to result in less issues with printing overall, no need to be too concerned about colder highveld winters etc. screwing up prints due to bed adhesion problems, especially on taller prints.

- The AI spaghetti detection and remote monitoring on the P2S seem to work like charm based on reviews, even though I work at home and can monitor prints, it still seems really nice to have.

- The A1 standing in open air in my spare room is likely to get dusty over time etc. I'm assuming it has more maintenance as a result, I also like that with the P2S what you see is what you get in terms of the footprint space needed.

- I have a cat and might get another one, not having to worry about Mr. Squirrels deciding to "play" with an extruder or hot end 8 hours into a print would be nice.

- Obviously PLA printing will be where it's at, but the issue is I am more than likely going to want to move onto printing materials for use outdoors, that means UV resistant parts and materials like ABS. I know the P2S doesn't have a heated enclosure so ABS printing for instance is still tricky, but on the A1 that would probably be a no-go from the start.

- The higher speed of the P2S over the A1 is not likely to make a big difference, but I could be wrong about that so it's a nice to have.

- I have no idea if the hotbed recall issue with the A1 affects local printers, but it'll be one less thing to remember to check especially if you buy 2nd hand, also, if the P2S reliability is anything like the P1S then there are entire 3D print farms with data related to reliability etc. and it looks like the thing is an absolute workhorse (not that the A1 isn't, of course)
 
Last edited:
RaptorSA said:
I feel like the time has come.
I want a 3D printer but I don't want to spend my days tinkering for the sake of the tech itself, I just want things to work, therefore I am only going to stick to Bambu Labs as default (I know about the closed off controversy with the but I couldn't care less)

Would it be complete blasphemy to get a Bambu Lab P2S combo as your first printer instead of starting out with something more "reasonable" like the A1?

I almost pulled the trigger on an A1 on Carbonite this weekend but there's a little voice in my head that keeps holding me back from doing so.

I made a list of reasons why I think spending almost twice the money on the P2S combo as a first 3D printer might be worth it vs. the A1 combo, you guys in the know can tell me if this list sounds reasonable or if it's just someone attempting to justify new shiny things by getting dragged into hype over something that might be overkill for a beginner:

- The P2S is only ~6 months old, if you buy one and end up realizing you're not really into printing or you don't use it to it's full capability, selling it off in a year or two means it's stilly pretty new. The A1 is now over 2 years old and while Bambu is excellent at long term support etc. it won't last forever.

- The AMS 2 Pro on the P2S can apparently dry filament too, so storage, switching filament etc. becomes less of a pain or something "to be solved" like with the A1. The more I learn about 3D printing from watching and reading the more I learn not to underestimate how important that is.

- The enclosed nature of the P2S does seem to result in less issues with printing overall, no need to be too concerned about colder highveld winters etc. screwing up prints.

- The AI spaghetti detection and remote monitoring on the P2S seem to work like charm based on reviews, even though I work at home and can monitor prints, it still seems really nice to have.

- The A1 standing in open air in my spare room is likely to get dusty over time etc. I'm assuming it has more maintenance as a result, I also like that with the P2S what you see is what you get in terms of the footprint space needed.

- I have a cat and might get another one, not having to worry about Mr. Squirrels deciding to "play" with an extruder or hot end 8 hours into a print would be nice.

- Obviously PLA printing will be where it's at, but the issue is I am more than likely going to want to move onto printing materials for use outdoors, that means UV resistant parts and materials like ABS. I know the P2S doesn't have a heated enclosure so ABS printing for instance is still tricky, but on the A1 that would probably be a no-go from the start.

- The higher speed of the P2S over the A1 is not likely to make a big difference, but I could be wrong about that so it's a nice to have.

- I have no idea if the hotbed recall issue with the A1 affects local printers, but it'll be one less thing to remember to check especially if you buy 2nd hand, also, if the P2S reliability is anything like the P1S then there are entire 3D print farms with data related to reliability etc. and it looks like the thing is an absolute workhorse (not that the A1 isn't, of course)
Click to expand...
If you're going to be printing STL trinkets off the Internet...get the cheaper one. If you have an interest in designing your own things and printing functional parts...get the more capable printer.
 
RaptorSA said:
I feel like the time has come.
I want a 3D printer but I don't want to spend my days tinkering for the sake of the tech itself, I just want things to work, therefore I am only going to stick to Bambu Labs as default (I know about the closed off controversy with the but I couldn't care less)

Would it be blasphemy to get a Bambu Lab P2S combo as your first printer instead of starting out with something more "reasonable" like the A1?

I almost pulled the trigger on an A1 on Carbonite this weekend but there's a little voice in my head that keeps holding me back from doing so.

I made a list of reasons why I think spending almost twice the money on the P2S combo as a first 3D printer might be worth it vs. the A1 combo, you guys in the know can tell me if this list sounds reasonable or if it's just someone attempting to justify new shiny things by getting dragged into hype over something that might be overkill for a beginner:

- The P2S is only ~6 months old, if you buy one and end up realizing you're not really into printing or you don't use it to it's full capability, selling it off in a year or two means it's stilly pretty new. The A1 is now over 2 years old and while Bambu is excellent at long term support etc. it won't last forever.

- The AMS 2 Pro on the P2S can apparently dry filament too, so storage, switching filament etc. becomes less of a pain or something "to be solved" like with the A1. The more I learn about 3D printing from watching and reading the more I learn not to underestimate how important that is.

- The touchscreen and responsiveness of it on the P2S initially seemed to be like an unnecessary upgrade, however the more videos I see of people commenting how nice it is for filament loading/switching etc. the more it looks like less of a gimmick and an actual upgrade.

- The enclosed nature of the P2S does seem to result in less issues with printing overall, no need to be too concerned about colder highveld winters etc. screwing up prints.

- The AI spaghetti detection and remote monitoring on the P2S seem to work like charm based on reviews, even though I work at home and can monitor prints, it still seems really nice to have.

- The A1 standing in open air in my spare room is likely to get dusty over time etc. I'm assuming it has more maintenance as a result, I also like that with the P2S what you see is what you get in terms of the footprint space needed.

- I have a cat and might get another one, not having to worry about Mr. Squirrels deciding to "play" with an extruder or hot end 8 hours into a print would be nice.

- Obviously PLA printing will be where it's at, but the issue is I am more than likely going to want to move onto printing materials for use outdoors, that means UV resistant parts and materials like ABS. I know the P2S doesn't have a heated enclosure so ABS printing for instance is still tricky, but on the A1 that would probably be a no-go from the start.

- The higher speed of the P2S over the A1 is not likely to make a big difference, but I could be wrong about that so it's a nice to have.

- I have no idea if the hotbed recall issue with the A1 affects local printers, but it'll be one less thing to remember to check especially if you buy 2nd hand, also, if the P2S reliability is anything like the P1S then there are entire 3D print farms with data related to reliability etc. and it looks like the thing is an absolute workhorse (not that the A1 isn't, of course)
Click to expand...
if you are sure you will print in ABS etc in future get the P2S, esp if its in budget

my A1 mini has been great to me, I just didnt wanna spend to get an enclosed printer
 
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