3D Printers....

[ibanezfoo]

Having read this thread, and two of my sons having Ender3 S1 printers, is there something better at the $400 price point? I'm actually looking to get something with a bit bigger print volume so a followon question would be is the Enders S1 Plus worth $550 or again is there a better value?

The Creality C10 in various versions are bigger printers. They make expansion kits for the Ender 3 and other printers as well. One of my buddies expanded his Ender out to 400mm. No issues with it.

https://enderextender.com/

I havent used the S1 so I can't say if its worth it or not. The Ender3 basic with a few mods does everything I need. I use Octoprint so I don't really care about the onboard panel so I can't say whats better or worse about the various models.

[cleonard]

Been curious about them, what they can do and how much must one spend to get a decent one. Are there any places on the web that you would recommend to checkout.

One of the problems I see is that most people seem to make trinkets or War Hammer characters with their 3D printers. Would like too see some interesting parts made that are actually useful if your NOT interested in the above.

Is the tech still too new to be really usefully for making stout, resilient, parts that can withstand heat and direct sunlight?

TIA

I had been watching 3D printers for a few years, and bought one when I found an actual use where it would pay for itself.

The sharkfin antenna cover on my car fell off. It was going to cost $1k to replace as only the entire antenna was available and it required redoing the headliner to replace it. I coughed up a couple hundred for a Ender 3 Pro. I printed it with PETG, and painted it for a bit more UV protection. It's been on the car for almost three years now.

The hardest part was the 3D CAD needed to print the part. The learning curve is a bit steep. I used Fusion 360.

I usually break it out every few months to print up something. The last thing I made was a hanger for USB and other computer cables.

It's a learning experience and if you are not into tinkering with stuff to get it to work, a low end 3D printer might not be for you.

As far as stout and temperature resistant, the basic printers don't do too well. Most low end 3D printers feed the filament through a teflon tube that goes all the way to the heated extruder. This limits your max temperature to about 255C. This directly translates to the resulting heat resistance.

The most common plastic to use is called PLA. It's only good to about 55C so it can start to deform if it is in your car on a hot summer day. I used PETG on my antenna cover and it's has held up to the inland SoCal heat. There is another plastic called ASA that is supposed to be really good for sun exposure.

One common upgrade is what is called an all metal hotend. That removes the teflon from the part that melts the plastic and will allow most printer to reach about 300C. This allows printing Nylon and some other plastics.

To print "engineering" plastics like polycarbonate, PEI (aka Ultem), and other expensive exotics you really need a heated enclosure as they will warp right off the build plate on an open heated bed printer.

[mshill]

After some research and many discussion with my son (has an Ender 3 S1 Pro) I found a really good deal on an Artillery Sidewinder X2 for $300. It arrives next week and I have already ordered the upgrades for about $50 (bipmetal heat brake, copper lined heater block, metal idler arm and hardened steel nozzles). The first couple things I will print will be for the printer itself (side mounted spool holder and z-axis brace/support). The bed is 300x300 so it is not a large printer but bigger than the E3 and a few features the E3 does not have but a bit less expensive.