Learning about 3D printers and looking for input

Congrats! And welcome to 3d printing insanity.

I usually buy filament from Amazon. Hatchbox, Filacube, Paramount 3D (might be a little cheaper to buy direct from Paramount), Overture, Amazon Basics. You almost can't go wrong with PLA. TPU (flex) is where I've had some challenges, but I rarely use the stuff.

Paramount has sample packs too - you can get a whole bunch of colors to find what you're looking for. I had a few projects where I needed a good military green - and there's was the best I could find. Ended up using like 4-5 rolls of it.

Amazon Basics is a toss up. They rebrand filament from other companies. Last roll of Black PETG Amazon Basics I bought was Overature re-branded. Printed great - no issues. I've never had any issues with Amazon Basics filament (PLA and PETG), just know they don't make it themselves.

Prusament - Prusa's in house brand of filament is good stuff, but very expensive. You have to buy like $200 worth to get free shipping from Czech, and that doesn't get you a whole lot. So I stick to the brands mentioned above. You won't go wrong with Prusament, but you'll a premium for it.
 
Oh. PLA vs PETG...

PLA has a glass transition point of something like 80c. Where it starts to get soft / warp. PETG is much higher. I've had some R/C parts I printed warp in the car in the summer here. Switching those parts (reprinting) with PETG solved that issue. That said, I leave PLA printed stuff in the hot garage all summer without issue. So just be mindful of where the printed object will be used, and choose the material accordingly. ABS/ASA is ever higher hear resistance than PETG.
 
fursphere said:
Oh. PLA vs PETG...

PLA has a glass transition point of something like 80c. Where it starts to get soft / warp. PETG is much higher. I've had some R/C parts I printed warp in the car in the summer here. Switching those parts (reprinting) with PETG solved that issue. That said, I leave PLA printed stuff in the hot garage all summer without issue. So just be mindful of where the printed object will be used, and choose the material accordingly. ABS/ASA is ever higher hear resistance than PETG.
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Thanks for the info. What's your favorite go to material for items that you might use around your work shop? I know this might be a pretty "general" question and the answer is probably "it depends", but would like to hear any input you, or others, have.

Thanks!
Ted
 
Stick with PLA (easiest to print, no flex at all, low melting point) , PETG (very tough, slightly flexible), flexible filament (TPU/TPE). Save ABS (my favorite, needs full enclosure, acetone melts it) and nylon (lots of shrinkage/warping) for later.
 
For a quick example, these collet holders and 1-2-3 tray were printed in PLA, because its what I had on hand at the time. (on the Prusa)
 

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fursphere said:
For a quick example, these collet holders and 1-2-3 tray were printed in PLA, because its what I had on hand at the time. (on the Prusa)
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Nice! You said you made an enclosure for your Prusa. Would you care to share some pictures, diagrams, whatever? I know I'm going to be making one.

Thanks!
Ted
 
Technical Ted said:
What's your favorite go to material for items that you might use around your work shop?
Click to expand...

I tend to use PETG for almost everything but sometimes the higher modulus of PLA is a benefit. PETG prints without issue for me (Prusa mk2s). I imagine that one of the PLA+ variants would be quite good, as they are tolerant of higher temperatures than straight PLA.

Get some threaded inserts for plastic. While you can thread directly into the plastic, and for larger sizes can print the threads directly, threaded inserts make for a stronger and nicer joint. Like these: https://www.mcmaster.com/Threaded-Inserts/heat-set-inserts-for-plastic-7/

The flexible filaments like TPU are neat sometimes but are pretty tricky to print, IME.
 
Technical Ted said:
OK, a confession.... I couldn't take it anymore! I just pulled the trigger on the Prusa i3 Mk3S+ kit with textured plate for just under $800 shipped. 4 week lead time.

I was back and forth between this and the QIDI. I decided to go with the "rock". Fully open source, huge community, what appears to be great support, great reputation, etc..

Now, I'm interested in input on the different filament types and what brands of each users are having good luck with. But, I'll soon start a dedicated thread for that since it's a big topic change. I'm also interested in any suggested forum groups and internet sites for the Prusa printers and 3D printers in general. I've got a lot to learn! But, that's what makes things fun!

Thanks to all that replied!
Ted
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Stepson got one at Christmas and he's really rocking it. I keep forwarding tips and tricks to him.
He was having problems a couple of weeks ago, and he has it set up in a spare room of their house.
I mentioned that he should be sure that nothing was 'blowing' on it, such as HVAC, etc.
He figured out quickly that the ceiling fan was causing him difficulties.
 
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