Having just sold all my fishing gear, which will free up a lot of spare time I am thinking of getting into the 3D printing especially now there is some plug and play printers and a lot faster too, but something in the back of my mind is holding me back ( will I really use it or is it the novelty which will soon wear off) How do you guys find it? are files easy to find? how much will it all cost?
Brian,
I'm just a year into 3D printing - it's a fairly steep learning curve - ' plug & play' isn't always that simple. Of the two types of printer, the SLA, or resin has the best detail potential, but has a downside in toxic resin, fumes & a need for post processing & curing - you really need access to a non domestic workspace!
FDM, or filament printing, the type I use, doesn't need any special area - my printer(s) sit in my living room on computer desks. No fumes, and the little noise still allows me to watch TV! It's not as detailed as SLA, and slower, but the prints dont need curing.
Cost wise - it depends on how deep your pockets are! I initially bought a self assembly FDM printer & got started for about the £100 mark - useful, as it taught me how the printer worked. 300m reels of filament cost about £15
Resin printers run about the same price, but you'll also need a wash & curing station. Resin can be expensive, from £20-30 a litre.
You'll need a reasonably up to date computer to run the software anything under 2 years old should cope. You do have to have a bit of technical savvy, and patience is essential, failed prints are part of the learning curve.
Models on the internet?
Free models
https://www.thingiverse.com/
another useful site is
https://cults3d.com/en - which is a mix of free & paid for models. There are loads of other sites, specialising in a particular genre ( ie dungeons & dragons ). There are any number of 'how to' videos on YouTube, they can be confusing to a beginner!
- fast printing is relative - a complicated print can take many hours - one of my last prints took 24 hours - a fast printer would
only take around 8 hours!
Commercial 3d printing has been around for many years, it's only in the last few years that home printers have become viable, and are still developing
Dave