moab11
Well-known member
I've fought the same things with my S2, ordering the adapter plug, and going to look at different bases to print to see if anything will work for me, thanks!
The Everything 3D Printer Thread
- Thread starter BoilermakerFan
- Start date
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Happy to share the modified base file if it helps. I could delete the dovetails that I added, too
moab11
Well-known member
I'm not in a big rush on the base, but being able to back the dryer up against something will be a game changer. I also have the S4 and E2 dryers, so not exactly short on options hahaha
moab11
Well-known member
I honestly think the X2D is a great option right now, I have the X1C and it has been great, but the X2D improves on pretty much everything but bed size. Bambu Lab shipping in Canada has been great also, and their ecosystem makes running the printer easy. All you have to worry about is what you want to print, and let the printer handle the rest.
Grant Gunderson
Well-known member
I hadn’t used a cad program in 25+ years but found fusion 360 to be very intuitive . As with all cad programs you have to think of starting with a sketch then extruding. Then create a sketch on the next plane then extrude. That gets you the basics and I’ve been able to get both my 8 and 9 year old to start drawing in the last week.
My first printer was a H2C and between my projects and the kids it’s literally gone non stop since it arrived.
Pla is great for the kids and they like painting the models with different color filaments thus why I bought two AMS units.
I downloaded some R8 collet holders for the first test print. Worked very well.
And I’ve been designing all of my tooling holders for gridfinity using fusion.
All of these just took a few hours to design and I hadn’t touched a cad program in 25 years! Fusion is so much easier than Pro-E / Catia that I learned on back in college.
My only gripe is with PetG high flow requires drying and you can’t dry and print at the same time so I need an external dryer. Recommendations?
I’ve already decided whenever the H2C goes on sell again I’ll buy a 2nd. As most of my prints take 24 hours and I have 20+ tool cabinets to do gridfinity for.
stinkity stoink
Well-known member
I am a relative newbie with printing and bought a bambu p1s about 2 years ago. I go in spurts using it for a variety of things and am slowly getting better at fusion to create my own designs ( nothing extravagant). I think the machine has been great. I opened the box and was set up and printing in less than an hour from what I recall.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
You can replace the AMS lid with a sunlu drier (it's designed for ams1, but there are downloads on makerworld.com for the adapter needed).
I have the same apc UPS running all three of my P1S's. What does it show for power draw when the H2 is getting to temp?
moab11
Well-known member
I really like my Sunlu S4 (4 1KG spools at a time) and E2 (2 1KG spools, but higher temp possible). Depending how much you need to dry, either work really well.
Grant Gunderson
Well-known member
I’ll have to look at that. I thought I read bamboo was going to allow it in an update soon too.
I resisted getting one for years because it seemed that were more of a hobby vs a tool and now (or at least so far in my experience) it just works and is going to be a deep rabbit hole for both my work projects and the kids.
I’m also thinking ones the AMS HT I ordered arrives I’ll leave that on the left nozzle then have both AMS 2 on the RH but thinking a second AMSHT on the left makes since for filament swaps when a roll runs out mid print.
Grant Gunderson
Well-known member
It varies from 150-200 watts while running and says it’s got 30 min of backup time. Thats an old UPS. It used to be for my photo server and I should probably change the batteries in it again. Once we finish electrical at my new shop the printer will move there. It’s a bit noisy in the home office. Will probably move this UPS back to server backup and get a newer larger one for the printer. Now that I’m retired from photography it’s not critical that the photo server is 100 % up (was running dual UPS) on two identical rack servers.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
The most I have seen on mine is in the area of 500w when I sent prints to all three in rapid fire. I believe the h2's can pull >1kw, so I suspect you may need one for each to avoid an overload if you start both at the same time
cannuck, I gave my $0.02 regarding printers but not CAD. I would say SW is about as good as it gets. I don't think the other programs are easier to use, in fact I think SW is good for basic stuff. I am somewhat biased as I've been using the program more or less/on or off since SW97. However, I've never been a true ********* user. My issues with SW are more related to the forced upgrade cycles and the way the program seems to take a few service packs before a new release is stable. Basically picky stuff.
There is a decent training guide I found and have shared with others. SW did a university course training guide where you design/build an off road skate board.
Teachers guide: https://www.solidworks.com/sw/docs/mountainboard_instructor_wb_2011_eng.pdf
Student pdf: https://www.solidworks.com/sw/docs/mountainboard_student_wb_2011_eng.pdf
This project is supposed to be provided with some CAD files. I had to find them via grab cad and don't have a direct link. You can skip doing the provided files and just practice the parts they ask you to model.
There is a decent training guide I found and have shared with others. SW did a university course training guide where you design/build an off road skate board.
Teachers guide: https://www.solidworks.com/sw/docs/mountainboard_instructor_wb_2011_eng.pdf
Student pdf: https://www.solidworks.com/sw/docs/mountainboard_student_wb_2011_eng.pdf
This project is supposed to be provided with some CAD files. I had to find them via grab cad and don't have a direct link. You can skip doing the provided files and just practice the parts they ask you to model.
Expect to spend around $1k and want enclosed cabinet for structural filament.
Cruzan80
Well-known member
For just under 1k budget, X2D with AMS. You could save a bit going with the P2S, but it gives up a second nozzle (nice for printing support filament without waste).
I think I am going Bambu Labs as the additive machine guys at tech school last year spoke very highly of them.
I am pretty much committed to SW as that is what my PEng buddy set up so we can exchange files over distance as he will do finite element analysis with the SW software he keeps (and is also on my work station).
grandson uses the autodesk giveaway from HS (he has not been taught it yet but can do a fair bit on his own) so we are probably coming at it from 2 directions.
I would like to move a bit upmarket by shopping used, but know so little not sure I can make a smart buy (unless a formal resale shop)
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mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I can't imagine buying a p2s with the x2d on the market now
moab11
Well-known member
the X2D that we are recommending just came out, so won't be anything used available. You may be able to find an H2D used, but hard to say.
could you please explain....as I think this is my target range
Cruzan80
Well-known member
The difference in price is $100 between the two, but gives up the second nozzle. The build volume is the same with both, but the X2D also has better heating in the chamber, which helps for the engineering-geared filaments (ABS/ASA and others). My guess is that Mike (and lots of others) would say that the extra nozzle (even occasionally) is worth the bit of money.
Quick search that lays out the difference led me to this: https://makers101.com/bambu-lab-p2s-vs-x2d/#bambu-lab-x-2-d-limitations-what-to-know-before-you-buy
Quick search that lays out the difference led me to this: https://makers101.com/bambu-lab-p2s-vs-x2d/#bambu-lab-x-2-d-limitations-what-to-know-before-you-buy
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I did a search for used 3d printers in Edmonton (much larger market than here) and while there were a fair number of 3d printers only 1 Bambu mini. I am going on the assumption they are working for buyer whereas Ender(?) fills the used sale pages. I would love to go H2 but looks like to stay in budget it will be a new X2D.
So what's the story with hot plates and cold plates?
Cruzan80
Well-known member
I would stick with the textured plate primarily, and use the smooth (hot) plate when you are about the finish on that side. The smooth side needs "glue" a bit more often, the textured side 99% of the time doesn't need it (maybe as high as 20-25% for smooth). Official Bambu plates have a QR code, others need you to "skip" an error when starting.
Around $1k Bambu options look good. You also might consider the Creality K2 Plus. Bambu is more likely to be right out of the box. However, do consider size and what you might make. Most of the Bambu printers are ~250x250 build area. Is that a good size for your needs? The next step up is printers in the 300-350mm per side build plate. A specific project need is why I replaced my FF 5M with a Creality K1 max (220x220 vs 300x300). One of my sibs was making a fiberglass mold plug. It took about a week's worth of printing section after section. The 320x320 build plate seemed small for that job. He kind of regretted not getting the 400x400 model.
Anyway, the K2 Plus is 350x350. Bambu also has printers in that class (H2D, H2C, others?)
In that $1k range you can start trading off things like dual nozzle for size etc.
Firebrick43
Well-known member
Any one try the BIQU Panda Breath chamber heater yet? I have been dragging my feet finalizing a design for a chamber heater for my railcore and then get an add for one and it looks like it will fit in the enclosure with no issue.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Also H2S for a single nozzle large format
kaymccampbell
Well-known member
I've got FreeCAD and Tinkercad for CAD engines. If you're looking for a first CAD, I've been able to do some good stuff with Tinkercad. It's been impressive, even for remixes. And it's free.
I've been through the Monoprice and Creality bed shakers, which were dandy, but slow. I'm on the Flashforge 5M now, I printed the factory/DIY enclosure to take it from a cage type to a hot box. It was a good experience. It was about $230. And it's fast, 9-10x faster than my bed shakers.
I printed PLA pretty much exclusively for the first several years, but had a need for more enduring plastics, so I've got into PETG. The bed shakers printed it ok, but the 5M makes near flawless and precise objects. And the enclosure improves the products.
I'd recommend investing in a filament dryer. I have a Sunlu S2. It's a single spool dryer that I've connected to the FF 5M. Easy to load, easy to use.
I think Tinkercad is what my grandson uses. He designed and I had a friend print off his first parts last week (pocket and stand for sloping our bed).
I am married to Solidworks as we have over 40 grand worth of CFD and FEA software and we are about to receive a mess of drawings for a line of products we will manufacture here instead of shipping from EU, so need to step up to the big boy (and girl) stuff. Plus I need to move my trailer axle and suspension designs forward.
Think I will start with the 256mm cube print size, as can't imagine all of the things I will do. Would really like to do sand printing to get back into casting aluminum parts, but one step at a time.
kaymccampbell
Well-known member
I've been doing lost PLA casting of aluminum with plaster molds. Amazing fidelity, with layer lines showing in the final products.
do you burn out the PLA or dissolve it? Are you designing sprues and vents or do you have casting software?
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Firebrick43
Well-known member
You cant drop that kind of bomb and not show pictures or share details on type of plaster or other tips!
kaymccampbell
Well-known member
I burn out the PLA in two steps. One in the powder coat oven to get rid of most of the plastic, and a second on top of the forge while the ingots are melting. I don't have casting software, I just make my own designs by rule of thumb.
Sure I can, but since you whined so nicely.
The plaster I use is just the junk you buy at Orange Hell. It works for my purposes. Lessee. Tips.
Old school hard drives are a great source of aluminum.
If you're melting scrap, make it into ingots first.
Keep the ingots small, so you don't need to melt a ton of metal for a small pour. Easier to add more ingots than to fight with an overfull crucible.
You'll get a faster melt by melting one ingot totally, than adding more afterwards.
The cleaner the source material, the happier you'll be.
I use muffin tins for ingot molds.
Powdered chlorine wrapped in Reynolds wrap does a great job degassing the melt. It purges the hydrogen that the aluminum pulls from my NG forge. You push it to the bottom of the crucible in the last seconds before your pour, and wait for the bubbles to stop.
Wear unlaced boots, like slip-ons. It's amazing how well laces and tongues can redirect accidental splashes into bone cooking burns. Make sure all your **** is clean, organized.
Scrambling for necessary tools can cause gruesome mistakes.
Work over dirt or gravel. Molten metal can ruin man-made surfaces.
Aluminum shrinks 7-11% during casting. Note the difference in size from the sample original to the PLA model. Note that there is a slight taper to the model, as I wanted it to look like the original which was extracted from a sand mold, then drop forged. That taper is about 3°. I print 1 wall minimal fill. No sense having to cook out a real part
That's some of the muffin tin ingots. I forget how many hundred hard drives we melted down in total. We filled a medium Roughneck rectangular tub with ingots.
Yes, it looks like your kitchen oven, but it's my powder coat oven, bitched to life from a dead range. That's one of the plinth molds going in for it's first melt out. If you're doing it this way make sure the mold is raised and there's a catch pan.
This is the NG forge. Made from a propane bottle, lined with homemade refractory. It's about 25 years old and still going strong. The chamber can be rotated so it can be used to heat crucibles or put metal in horizontally for hammer forging. I've done up to 1x3 steel several feet long, as well as all the metal work on the front stairs. The reason the burner is so long is that the boost fan is plastic salvaged from a dishwasher. The gas orifice is .375". The burner is my own self relighting design. You'll note the mold, inverted, in its tin can retainer/support doing final burnout while the melt is being heated. The PLA makes for some pretty dragon's breath.
That's a plinth mold, full of molten aluminum. You'll note it's in a tin can, with a hose clamp. I find that supporting the mold in metal prevents or ameliorates mold failure.
And the final result. Patience in demolding is key. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes after casting. I let them soak in a water bucket until the overcooked plaster just falls off.
Happy?
Firebrick43
Well-known member
Thank you.I burn out the PLA in two steps. One in the powder coat oven to get rid of most of the plastic, and a second on top of the forge while the ingots are melting. I don't have casting software, I just make my own designs by rule of thumb.
Sure I can, but since you whined so nicely.
The plaster I use is just the junk you buy at Orange Hell. It works for my purposes. Lessee. Tips.
Old school hard drives are a great source of aluminum.
If you're melting scrap, make it into ingots first.
Keep the ingots small, so you don't need to melt a ton of metal for a small pour. Easier to add more ingots than to fight with an overfull crucible.
You'll get a faster melt by melting one ingot totally, than adding more afterwards.
The cleaner the source material, the happier you'll be.
I use muffin tins for ingot molds.
Powdered chlorine wrapped in Reynolds wrap does a great job degassing the melt. It purges the hydrogen that the aluminum pulls from my NG forge. You push it to the bottom of the crucible in the last seconds before your pour, and wait for the bubbles to stop.
Wear unlaced boots, like slip-ons. It's amazing how well laces and tongues can redirect accidental splashes into bone cooking burns. Make sure all your **** is clean, organized.
Scrambling for necessary tools can cause gruesome mistakes.
Work over dirt or gravel. Molten metal can ruin man-made surfaces.
Aluminum shrinks 7-11% during casting. Note the difference in size from the sample original to the PLA model. Note that there is a slight taper to the model, as I wanted it to look like the original which was extracted from a sand mold, then drop forged. That taper is about 3°. I print 1 wall minimal fill. No sense having to cook out a real part
That's some of the muffin tin ingots. I forget how many hundred hard drives we melted down in total. We filled a medium Roughneck rectangular tub with ingots.
Yes, it looks like your kitchen oven, but it's my powder coat oven, bitched to life from a dead range. That's one of the plinth molds going in for it's first melt out. If you're doing it this way make sure the mold is raised and there's a catch pan.
This is the NG forge. Made from a propane bottle, lined with homemade refractory. It's about 25 years old and still going strong. The chamber can be rotated so it can be used to heat crucibles or put metal in horizontally for hammer forging. I've done up to 1x3 steel several feet long, as well as all the metal work on the front stairs. The reason the burner is so long is that the boost fan is plastic salvaged from a dishwasher. The gas orifice is .375". The burner is my own self relighting design. You'll note the mold, inverted, in its tin can retainer/support doing final burnout while the melt is being heated. The PLA makes for some pretty dragon's breath.
That's a plinth mold, full of molten aluminum. You'll note it's in a tin can, with a hose clamp. I find that supporting the mold in metal prevents or ameliorates mold failure.
And the final result. Patience in demolding is key. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes after casting. I let them soak in a water bucket until the overcooked plaster just falls off.
Happy?
My father had a large 500 lbs tilting aluminum smelter when I was growing up so on brutal cold winter days we put on our lightest clothes and kept the beast full and poured 25lbs ingots. I did a little bit of green sand casting before my parents split but I have been thinking about doing some again with my boys, but more on your scale. I didn't realize you could use just straight plaster and the flux tip is appreciated.
I built propane 4 burner horizontal forge with t rex burners 15 years ago or so for black smithing. Looks like I need to make a vertical version and swap the burners over. I don't know where I will get a propane tank however /s.
When we sand casted years ago we used diesel pistons or I broke up trans cases with a sledge for casting metal. Ironically just yesterday my middle boy was asking about the stack of old hard drives that I have pulled over the years when I take a computer to the recycling center. I don't have enough to do much however.
Since I have long ago pulled the part cooling fan out of my printer, I wonder if PETG will work as well as PLA?
kaymccampbell
Well-known member
You can't just tip your forge up onto some fire bricks and call it vertical?
I was lucky, in that I contracted to provide guaranteed destruction of hundreds of hard drives. It was fun smashing them all up.
PETG is only a few degrees hotter than PLA, so if you do the second burnout over the forge, then I would think that the easily 1000 degree heat from the forge would burnout the PETG. Remember, 1 wall only, Vasily.
Geez, Kay - now you've done it. THIS deserves its own thread as you will flush out the closet casting freaks into our impromptu backyard foundries. I will admit to hoarding cast aluminum wheels and parts for my steel mold work I used to introduce our girls to pouring metals - and my grandsons are hinting they want very much to experience as well.
let me throw this into the stream and see where it leads
let me throw this into the stream and see where it leads
Jehannum
Well-known member
Decided I'm going with these ESP32 boards for the final product on my Audi, so I figured it was time to get them mounted to the cluster cover:
The extension ribbon cable goes through a slot, and onto a landing board inside:
I'll probably remove the brass standoffs on the boards themselves, as I intend to stack them, and the standoffs are threaded. I've got a bunch of m2 hardware on hand, so if they're just soldered on there, I can pretty easily pull 'em out.
The extension ribbon cable goes through a slot, and onto a landing board inside:
I'll probably remove the brass standoffs on the boards themselves, as I intend to stack them, and the standoffs are threaded. I've got a bunch of m2 hardware on hand, so if they're just soldered on there, I can pretty easily pull 'em out.
I wanted a solution to keep my filament dry and ready for the next print. Here's my $7.82 solution, which I'm pitching as "my" solution despite the fact that I totally stole it from someone else.
Start off with a cheap sealed cereal container. The cheapest I could find was a six pack on Amazon working out to $4.72 per container.
Next up I printed some desiccant holders. Desiccant is surprisingly cheap and looks a lot like salmon eggs. That five pound jug set me back $20. Color changes to a blackish green when it's absorbed up. It's supposedly reusable... just heat it in a toaster oven or microwave and good as new or so they say. I would be hesitant to try the house oven, would likely use the powder coat oven in the garage.
This is the final assembly that gets dropped into the container. The hygrometer was $14 for a 12 pack. Add onto that $1.93 worth of filament between the various parts. Model files came from Maker World. There are a lot of similar ones, I hunted til I found one that matched the container and hygrometer dimensions.
Start off with a cheap sealed cereal container. The cheapest I could find was a six pack on Amazon working out to $4.72 per container.
Next up I printed some desiccant holders. Desiccant is surprisingly cheap and looks a lot like salmon eggs. That five pound jug set me back $20. Color changes to a blackish green when it's absorbed up. It's supposedly reusable... just heat it in a toaster oven or microwave and good as new or so they say. I would be hesitant to try the house oven, would likely use the powder coat oven in the garage.
This is the final assembly that gets dropped into the container. The hygrometer was $14 for a 12 pack. Add onto that $1.93 worth of filament between the various parts. Model files came from Maker World. There are a lot of similar ones, I hunted til I found one that matched the container and hygrometer dimensions.
That is a pretty slick solution. I actually use the same containers, but I just pour the beads into the bottom. Now I'm going to have to upgrade.I wanted a solution to keep my filament dry and ready for the next print. Here's my $7.82 solution, which I'm pitching as "my" solution despite the fact that I totally stole it from someone else.
Start off with a cheap sealed cereal container. The cheapest I could find was a six pack on Amazon working out to $4.72 per container.
Next up I printed some desiccant holders. Desiccant is surprisingly cheap and looks a lot like salmon eggs. That five pound jug set me back $20. Color changes to a blackish green when it's absorbed up. It's supposedly reusable... just heat it in a toaster oven or microwave and good as new or so they say. I would be hesitant to try the house oven, would likely use the powder coat oven in the garage.
This is the final assembly that gets dropped into the container. The hygrometer was $14 for a 12 pack. Add onto that $1.93 worth of filament between the various parts. Model files came from Maker World. There are a lot of similar ones, I hunted til I found one that matched the container and hygrometer dimensions.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I just use gallon freezer bags for about 10 cents each. I even vacuum them down if I'm feeling frisky.
pcrov
Well-known member
Same. Ziplocks and these https://makerworld.com/en/models/11...-desiccant-container-holder#profileId-1214551.