3D Printer Recommendations

[BillyBobSenna]

I am interested in getting into 3D printing. Ultimately, I would like to print objects like a sim wheel.

Does anyone have any recommendations for printers?

 

[NeoGrotesk]

I am interested in getting into 3D printing. Ultimately, I would like to print objects like a sim wheel.

Does anyone have any recommendations for printers?

I'm using a Prusa mk3s, which @RCHeliguy uses and he seemed happy with it so I figured I'd go for it too. I don't regret it in the slightest. It's more expensive than other 3D printers, but I've had no issues with it and the prints come out really nicely. Building it was a bit tricky in places, but generally pretty straight-forward with really clear instructions, and it was definitely rewarding seeing it work for the first time. If you're not interested in putting it together yourself you can get it shipped pre-built for a higher cost.

PrusaSlicer is the software that you use for it, and it's both simple but also really in-depth. So you can just fire it up and get good prints out of the box, or you can fiddle with the settings for ages to try and perfect things. Just depends if you're the sort of person that likes to tweak settings, etc. That said PrusaSlicer is open source so you can use it for any 3D printer.

 

[BillyBobSenna]

I'm using a Prusa mk3s, which @RCHeliguy uses and he seemed happy with it so I figured I'd go for it too. I don't regret it in the slightest. It's more expensive than other 3D printers, but I've had no issues with it and the prints come out really nicely. Building it was a bit tricky in places, but generally pretty straight-forward with really clear instructions, and it was definitely rewarding seeing it work for the first time. If you're not interested in putting it together yourself you can get it shipped pre-built for a higher cost.

PrusaSlicer is the software that you use for it, and it's both simple but also really in-depth. So you can just fire it up and get good prints out of the box, or you can fiddle with the settings for ages to try and perfect things. Just depends if you're the sort of person that likes to tweak settings, etc. That said PrusaSlicer is open source so you can use it for any 3D printer.

Thank you for the response. I queued up some YourTube videos on the printer for workout later today. Looks like it is ~$750 as a kit.

 

[RCHeliguy]

Thank you for the response. I queued up some YourTube videos on the printer for workout later today. Looks like it is ~$750 as a kit.

The Prusa kit comes with excellent instructions and the i3 mk3S+ is even easier to assemble than the mk3S was. I'm still blown away by the very consistent high quality prints it makes and in the last 15 months I've had mine, I've spent all my time designing and printing rather than futzing with the printer or it's settings.

This is one of my recent prints that I designed to hold a round USB hub and a head that holds my VR headset.

 

[Lesthegringo]

I'll give a big shout out for the Anycubic Mono X as a great resin printer. I have a Lulzbot mini as a 'traditional' 3D printer and while I like it, I can't recommend it because of the maximum size of the prints being limited to a six inch (150mm) cube, but do rate the quality of the prints.

The Mono X has a big (for a resin printer) buildplate and the fantastic detail printing it is capable of has transformed my A-10C flight sim cockpit. You can even put carbon fibre effect surface pattern on the parts, although it's not easy to do in the software. However this printer will allow you to do knurled parts (check out my .stl files on GrabCad) plus raised or embossed writing. Ok, no big or structural parts, but to complement a good FDM printer it's fantastic.

Hope this helps

Les

 

[R8pilot]

I have a Prusa Mini at home, and access to a Prusa MK3s elsewhere.

Once dialed in, they are both so reliable and trustworthy that these days I just start a new file and walk away. I particularly like the coated spring-steel sheets, which are a distinct improvement over the usual glass beds, etc. If you do get a Prusa, definitely get the optional extra sheets (coated smooth, rough and now I think an intermediate roughness is available too). The different roughness suits different materials.

I like the mini and am glad I picked it. It is smaller, obviously (180mm print volume), but there has only been one project of mine so far that was cramped enough by it to require a redesign. Printing is so painfully slow that you may feel discouraged from attempting very large prints anyway (it's discovering that you made a small design error after that super-long print finally finishes that really hurts!). I also like that the display shows a graphical image of the part you are about to print. It's about as quiet as any 3D printer out there. I do also like the straight-forward nature of Prusa Slicer. It's open-source and can be used with a variety of non-Prusa machines and filaments.

The Mk3 is the de-facto standard size, with many clones and imitators that can be vastly cheaper. What you don't get with a clone are some details such as the spring-steel sheet as mentioned above, but the price difference between a Mk3 and say an Ender 3 is crazy ($750-1000 vs. $200!). You pay a lot more for a "Genuine Prusa."

The Mk3 might be a touch faster to print than the Mini, but not by a lot. I do NOT like its much slower, less helpful and more clunky interface, though. It uses an ancient 8-bit processor and has no graphics, and it lags at odd moments (you might not notice unless you move from a more responsive machine, though). On the plus side, it's been around so long that the bugs have been worked out.

Another down-side of Prusa machines is the lack of built-in WiFi. This is a ridiculous lack that wouldn't be tolerated in the paper-printing world. Sure, you can hack-together a Raspberry Pi and install Octoprint, but why should you have to!? It's a surprisingly-annoying pain to fuss around with USB sticks or SD cards between your computer and the printer every single time.

Other than these legacy pain-points, if you have the money, you can't go wrong with a Prusa, but do consider the many, many clones and alternatives, especially if you are less certain of your use cases or of the time you are willing to invest.

A few other comments: It's not clear to me that printing a whole wheel, as you mentioned, would be an especially practical or suitable application for a printer. The stiffness and strength of steel and aluminum still has a place, and a steering wheel is one of them.

Another decision point is what kind of filament you would like to use. Almost every machine can handle lower-temperature plastics like PLA and PETG, but most higher-temperature plastics pretty much require an enclosure. Others, like flex materials, do worse with Bowden-tube machines like the mini. I use PETG for most structural prints, as it's a good compromise between print quality, ease of printing, strength and durability (I reserve PLA for non-structural prints where print quality is paramount).

About resin printing: This is a whole different world that I would strongly discourage a beginner from getting into unless your use case can only be achieved with one. They use very nasty chemicals that require care in handling and ventilation, they produce a lot of waste, the prints must be stabilized, etc. On the other hand, they can produce much finer cosmetic print quality. Seriously, unless that's almost your one and only concern, stick with filament printers.

In conclusion: 3D printing is practical and can be very useful, but there's a learning curve that includes both handling the machine and, more importantly, the 3D CAD tools necessary to take advantage of it. I suspect a lot of people buy a machine because it sounds cool and useful, print a benchy and a figurine or two, and then never use it again. To really take advantage of it requires foreseeing significant applications as well as having a willingness to invest many dozens of hours learning new skills.

 

[RCHeliguy]

Fusion 360 is my friend

I've found having a 3D printer invaluable. Here are some of the designs I've made and shared.

RCHeliGuy's Thingiverse Profile

Having a lot of fun after assembling my first 3D printer in September 2020. Loving Fusion 360 that I've been learning since then as well. I think my designs are interesting, but I am very new to 3D printing and just using default settings from PrusaSlicer. I also know my STL files are...

www.thingiverse.com

I have had a number of projects where I just barely fit the print volume on the bed. But that is entirely a YMMV situation.

Personally I have stayed away from resin printers, mostly because of the mess, washing and then UV hardening process. With filament you pop a print off the bed and start the printer on your next project I also like printing labels etc where the last few layers are a contrasting color.

On the plus side they have come out with some less stinky resins, but most people recommend putting resin printers in a well ventilated room.

Resin does have its place especially with very small detailed figurines. I have not found a good use personally for a resin printer, yet. I completely reserve the right to change my mind about that at some point.

 

[Clover11]

I'm another Prusa Mk3S+ owner. I bought and built the kit earlier this year and have a great time with the build. I feel like I learned how everything works and goes together during the build and that I now know a lot more about it. I've printed multiple things for my simrig but not a wheel yet. I have run into two builds where the size was a factor and I wish I had a bigger option. The upcoming Prudsa XL is going to be $2K which I think it too rich for my blood and how often I need the larger size.

PrusaSlicer is great and was super easy to learn. Never tried and alternative like Cura, but have not had a reason to either.

I will say that 3D printing is not push a button and go, even with nicer printers. I probably have about as many failed prints as successful ones. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get it right. Bit of a learning and adjusting process. You might enjoy that or it may keep you from using the printer. Depends on the person and the time they have to put into it but wanted to keep it honest. Still, feels cool to make things yourself.

 

[Insert Coin]

I'm very happy with my Creality Ender 3 Pro. The Ender 3 Pro V2 is considered to be even better. Cheap but good. Do check which print bed size you need for the things you want to print before buying a 3D printer.

 

[BrightCandle]

I am not happy with my Ender 3 V2. I have had a few breaks already and have considerable difficulty making it print reliably. Creality's quality control is all over the place and these machines are a fire hazard too unless you redo all the wiring. They are cheap and they can produce great results but you there is definitely an element of luck involved with the machine and a lot more calibration and re-calibration than something better.

 

[RCHeliguy]

I will say that 3D printing is not push a button and go, even with nicer printers. I probably have about as many failed prints as successful ones. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get it right. Bit of a learning and adjusting process.

I've had a much higher success rate. I think I've only had 3 failed prints in 15 months and I kept my printer VERY busy for the first 9 months of its life. Otherwise it was all up to me and how well I designed the piece to be printed. I have printed PLA at the 0.15mm layer height quality setting the vast majority of the time.

The only thing I have found I need to do is periodically wash a build plate off with soapy water to get rid of any oil off my fingers. For PETG I used the textured plate with stick glue and would wash that off frequently.

Getting back to the design aspect. I taught AutoCAD in college and Fusion 360 felt natural to me from the beginning. In addition I learned early how to design primarily with zero supports. The vast majority of my designs have no supports at all.

I agree that the Prusa XL looks great, but I wouldn't bother with it unless I purchased at least 2 print heads for it, bringing it up to $2500. I haven't seen a need for many colors, but 2 colors could be useful. Possibly a 3rd head if you wanted to print with 2 colors and use water dissolving supports. I also have trouble justifying that price when my 3mkS is doing such a great job. Another factor is that now that I have metal working facilities at my disposal, I'm branching out in that direction as well.

 

[R8pilot]

Wow, they finally announced the XL (I've been out of touch I guess), and it does indeed look great. Quite pricey, but reasonably in line with a good Voron build, especially considering that even the base config includes some novel and useful advances.

About that load-cell sensor: I assume you would have to keep the nozzle quite clean for it to work appropriately? Not sure how it handles the drooling that typically occurs, e.g. between changing colors.

Too bad that it will probably take a year or two to get one, assuming I could justify the expense (eh, I can't). There is a hint that some of the technology will wind up in new versions of their smaller printers (e.g. a Mk4, which I presume is a long way away).

Nice, though!

 

[broodro0ster]

Prusa MK3S here. Very happy with it.
Once you know the machine and dialed in Live Z, it works perfectly and very reliable. I have a Raspberry Pi with Octoprint connected to it and my stats show a 99% succes rate.
In the beginning you have some failures ofcourse, since you need to learn to understand the slicing process and print process. But once you have a good grasp on it, your in for a treat with this machine. I even start my prints remotely or before bedtime without watching the first layer go down.

And Ender3 is very cheap, but you'll spend more time upgrading and fixing the printer than with a Prusa. My friend has one and is eager to upgrade to a Prusa after seeing how well it works for me.

 

[BillyBobSenna]

Thanks for all the feedback and comments. I have been watching a lot of 3D printing Youtube videos and still have not settled on the direction I am going to go. I think the message is very clear that 3D printing is not a no-brainer and takes experience and skill to get the most out of it. I think my goal for the year will be to get a nice printer and learn the basics.

I do have some experience and awareness of 3D printing. I use 3D printed parts for aero-acoustic wind tunnel testing. We have a group in our organization that can scan, or design parts followed by printing. Most of the parts I have used are things like outside rear-view mirrors.

 

[R8pilot]

Well, due to its announcement being pointed out to me in this thread, I just pre-ordered a Prusa XL with 2 print heads.

Not that I have an identified need for one that big, but my Prusa Mini has become a staple tool for my various hobbies, and I was waiting for a large version to attract my interest. I wasn't sold on the MK3 due to its old/slow/clunky (though eminently reliable) interface. The XL looks pretty good. Now to settle in for the year or longer wait.

Meanwhile, as an aside, I'm still trying to decide on a CNC mill, preferably with ball-screws. Now that can be seriously pricey!

 

[blekenbleu]

CNC mill

Consider DIY

• https://indystry.cc/indymill/

 

[Lesthegringo]

I'm in the process of converting my Chinese made X2 mill to CNC using the Heavy Metal conversion kit (from the Little Machine Shop) with a Planet CNC controller. My mill X2 is fifteen years old but is still pretty good for what you pay, but hopefully the CNC conversion gives it a new lease of life

Les

 

[Atak_Kat]

Just something I've been working on. Wasn't really worth another thread so thought I'd just put it here.

I still struggle with putting labels on wheel buttons. I tried the Fanatec button caps, and although they're good, I prefer something different. I quite like the ones that have the cone surrounding the button with text around it (I think some AMG GT3 wheel might have that?).

I designed these in Fusion 360 (bit of a learning curve, but YouTube tutorials are fantastic). Printed on Elegoo Mars 2 Pro. The resin I've used is just basic and relatively brittle, but this isn't a big deal for these. However, because the resin is a sort of clear/transparent yellowish colour, I had to paint them.

Things I like -
- the printed result is quite accurate to the design dimensions. (17mm diameter, with the centre hole 10mm). Went through some learning curve with various resin printing issues, but in the end I've learned a lot and am happy with the result (so far)
- The text is embossed (I think 0.2mm?) and personally I think it turned out far better than I thought it would. Embossing allows for the text colouring to easily be added and stand out nicely (considering the letter size I've done is about 2mm tall).
- Super impressed with Fusion 360, once you wrap your head around how it works.
- Although I painted them black, nothing to say you couldn't paint them any colour you want. Also the text fill, but for this the paint I use is limited to a few colours (white, black, yellow, red, and gold).
- printing is fast. About 20 min for the whole raft (each has different text)

Things to work on (but not for a while, this was more of a test and proof-of-concept... I'll use what I have, then figure out another day how to improve)
- I need to get some black resin. Or other colours. Better to avoid the need to paint. But still the lettering needs to be done.
- The dimensions after print seem quite accurate to the design. But I have not made them so tight to allow a press-fit. They currently sit on the surface, and I'll attach them with a dab of good-but-removable glue (likely B-7000). Will work on a tighter fit another time.
- The lettering is too small (for me), but I did it intentionally to see how precise I could get it.
- These ones fit on the Fanatec Formula V2 wheel buttons. Other Fanatec wheels have a slightly different button surround that will require a modified design.
- They are not simply print-and-install. They need to be painted (I just use basic spray paint) and the letters filled (but this is very fast and easy).
- I was rushing the process. Painted too quickly, rushing to get the final product. Need a bit more patience along the way.
- I will eventually make something similar for my toggle switches on button panels, etc. Rotary knobs as well (either entirely replacement knobs, or just a simple embossed label to put around the base.) Next is to try a brake-bias knob similar to what @RCHeliguy shared on Thingiverse (but I will likely emboss the lettering rather than have it raised). Lots of other ideas, but that will follow.

 

[RCHeliguy]

@Atak_Kat
I've seen another way to handle this based on my recent 3 axis tourbillon clock print.

It requires two prints, but it should be too bad.
Create the button, then cut the letters all the way through. Next cut a circle to hold the letters.
Then Create a new cylinder and subtract the button with the button holes from it.
Then remove a bit of the outer surface so they can fit together.

The results below came out very good.
You could print in Black resin and white resin and then snap the parts together without any paint.

I did with with filament and a 0.25mm nozzle, but with resin, the detail should be excellent.

 

[Atak_Kat]

@RCHeliguy
Thanks. I was wondering how you did that. Makes sense now. I will have to try that in Fusion 360 just as a learning exercise.

I’m not sure if it would work well on the cone shape though. Maybe. Not sure how it would work at that size for letters with an internal part (like an ‘e’ or ‘a’). I had the same challenge at small sizes with my vinyl cutter. Those letters would be so tiny and fragile I suspect some frustration. But it’s an idea to try though. Also a good way to fine tune and test the exposure settings.

The paint issue really is only the sprayed black and my impatience. Black resin will fix that. The white lettering is super easy and fast to do. I think with black resin (and some experimenting with the exposure times) I can get the edge detail much more crisp on the letters so that the fillin paint is super sharp. Even as they are, they are very good to the naked eye. With black resin the entire print and letter-white process together would be very fast.



It’s great when hobbies overlap. Or in this case a new hobby was discovered.

Great job on that clock. Looking forward to the result.

In case anyone is interested, this is a vid showing the same method I use for the letters.