Buying a 3D Printer

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olivernz

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#310641 8-Nov-2023 14:57

Hey all,

Hope you can help me with suggestions. And I know this is a huge topic but....

I'm looking at buying a 1st 3d Printer for my son (13) to learn. I do want something descent so that he doesn't loose interest right off the bat and doesn't break it the second time he uses it. Preferably I'd like to buy in NZ with support but that isn't a KO criteria. Budget should be reasonable so nothing in the multi thousands but happy to spend a bit more for quality and features that make sense. I am also at a loss as to how much filament and of what type to get.

What I have looked at so far are:

Ender 3
Anycubic Kobra 2 Pro
Bamboo P1P

Hope someone can guide me a bit here.

Cheers Oliver

mdf

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#3157289 8-Nov-2023 15:25

If I was shopping today, I would absolutely be getting a Bambu from Mindkits. I actually want a Bambu from Mindkits, but can't quite justify upgrading from my current Creality.

Creality is a much lower price point, but absolutely requires a lot of tinkering to get the most out of it. Bambu will let you tinker, but you don't have to to get awesome fast prints out of it.

olivernz

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#3157335 8-Nov-2023 17:09

Thanks for that. A1 Mini or P1P/S. How restrictive is 180x180x180? And I see that colour uses a LOT more filament. The A1 has an attractive price but the P1P does seem like a more usable product long term.

frankv

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#3157344 8-Nov-2023 17:29

What do you expect your son to make with it?

I have a Creality Halot One resin printer, and a small cheap CNC machine, and also a couple of filament printers that I've done a lot of printing on, but are in the corner unused.

Resin printers create objects with beautiful detail, but are a bit messier and smellier to use, and smaller for the same price. You also need a wash and cure station. Filament printers are cheaper and print with less detail, and in my experience tend to wear/twist/stretch over time so that the bed is no longer level and the nozzle clogs and filament breaks. This can get very frustrating.

Resin costs quite a bit more than PLA filament.

You can mix whatever colour (and also the flexibility/rigidity/brittleness, although I haven't yet experimented with this) resin you want... that's really not feasible with a filament printer unless you get one with a mixing nozzle.

Resin printing time depends solely on the height of the product, whereas with filament it depends roughly on complexity of the model. For filament printers, 24+ hours printing is not unheard of, especially if you're trying for something large and detailed.

There's probably more/better software support for filament printers.

You might also want to think about a CNC machine... think of it as the inverse of 3D printing... you can machine away material to get the object you want. Cheap ones are designed for soft materials like foam or mdf [heh!], but would probably manage aluminium or similar. You can also swap the head out to give yourself a laser etcher/cutter and/or a vinyl cutter.

Reanalyse

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#3157407 8-Nov-2023 18:47

Whatever you get, if a filament printer, get one that auto-levels the heated bed, that makes life so much easier. The main bugbear, and frustration, I have with my Ender 3 having prints that do not properly adhere to the glass bed.

olivernz

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#3157442 8-Nov-2023 22:26

@frankv: Thank for that. I just watched some reviews on Filament vs Resin and agree to exactly that. Seeing he is a responsible 13yo I would trust him with a resin printer but cleaning up is not his forte and he said for a start he wants filament. And I tend to agree with that. Also he has a -not so responsible- 10yo brother :-D.

CNC would be interesting. Haven't yet looked at that at all. Any link you would suggest for a good start on that? That'd be more for me.

@Ranalyse: Yeah auto-level is a must criteria.

frankv

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#3157486 9-Nov-2023 08:12

A CNC is more or less a 3D printer mechanism, but more sturdy and typically with a smaller Z-axis. In place of the nozzle, you have a toolhead which may be a motor spinning a cutting tool. You can replace the motor with a laser module for laser-cutting, or a knife-holder to cut vinyl.

https://makerspace.co.nz/

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mdf

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#3157501 9-Nov-2023 09:00

Resin versus filament probably depends a little bit on what you want to do with it. If you're just downloading existing files to print models and figurines, resin is probably best. If you're looking to design your own stuff, filament is probably more flexible and adaptable. Most of my prints are things like jigs, adapters and parts to make other things I've designed, and filament works really well for that.

You can add a version of auto bed levelling to a Creality Ender. I've done that with a BL touch. It doesn't "level" the bed, rather compensates for any wonkiness by adjusting the z height on the fly. I'd say good rather than great.

From all the reviews I've read/seen, the Bambu P1P would be an awesome printer that will work out of the box but will grow with your skill. That said, if I had the money burning a hole in my pocket, I would almost certainly be splurging on a Carbon X1 with the AMS. Do I need it? Absolutely not. Do I want it? Absolutely yes.

johno1234

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#3157510 9-Nov-2023 09:32

What kind of CNC are we talking here? A 3D mill?

olivernz

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#3157644 9-Nov-2023 15:02

"Do I need it? Absolutely not. Do I want it? Absolutely yes." <-- There's my issue 🤣

jonherries

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#3157717 9-Nov-2023 16:52

Have an ender 3 v3 neo, bought from Jaycar. Works well using for all sorts of odds and ends, is very accesible to start (14yo does end to end process himself) but there is a learning curve and glad I started with filament as resin is a bit trickier again.

Jon

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#3157930 10-Nov-2023 09:50

johno1234:

What kind of CNC are we talking here? A 3D mill?

Yes. The cheap ones e.g. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001097302113.html are a mill with 3DOF with about A4 size bed and under 50mm Z axis movement.

I believe that you can get 3D printers that also allow a machine head to replace the nozzles, but I wouldn't recommend that. They'll be too heavy (i.e. slow) for 3D printing and/or not sturdy enough for milling.

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olivernz

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#3159083 13-Nov-2023 14:03

Ok. Think I am going with a Bamboo P1S with AMS. Crazy but YOLO