Finally made the jump to 3D-Printing.......

brino said:
Sometimes it's just about the journey..........not the destination. ;)
-brino
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Agree wholeheartedly. It appears your 3-D printing journey could be a long, interesting one. Something like this machining hobby. Soooooooo much to learn.

Enjoy the journey.
 
HBilly1022 said:
When I got my first lathe I told my wife it was a hobby and laughed about the fact that I spent thousands of $ so I could make a part that could be purchased for pennies. Then I bought a mill / drill to expand my ability to make parts cheaply, lol.

But you, Brino, have got me beat. You even bought a 3-D printer to make parts that can be bought cheaply (or the entire part can be replaced for a nominal amount). I must tell my wife that I am not alone in this journey to find ways to save money :laughing: by making things ourselves and there are people that are even more committed to saving than me. :)

Seriously though, I think this is very cool. I didn't know this technology existed (been out of touch since retirement). I hope this doesn't lead to another new hobby for me. I don't have enough time for all the ones I have now.
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It's a slippery slope. After the 3D printer comes vacuum forming. After that comes injection molding. Trust me, tools and learning are an addiction that runs deep.
 
I've had a 3D printer for a couple years now. I think it's great when you need a plastic "thingy" or part. The nearest hardware store or box store to me is a 30 mile round trip. About half the time, they don't have what I need and its back home to order online and then wait days to get it. When you break something like the window screen frame plastic corner or keyboard leg, or need custom piece, to be able to make one without leaving home is pretty cool. Who cares what it costs... it's fun!
 
I purchased a Prusa I3 Mk2S about a month ago. Absolutely love it, especially the mesh bed leveling feature. They just came out with the I3 Mk3 which adds some awesome features. Mine has the PEI bed on it, but the new Mk3 has the PEI as a powder coated metal bed that is attached to the "Y" axis with magnets. So, when you want the part to come off, just remove the metal sheet with the part on it and flex it slightly, which pops the part off.

I use Fusion 360 almost exclusively. I just joined the EAA however, which allows you to download the maker edition of Solidworks, which is the same as the regular version except for a few analysis functionalities and a "Student" watermark that ends up on the file I believe. Just started learning Solidworks and crikey, it seems a lot harder than Fusion 360.

A link to the Prusa printer. Prusa I3 Mk3
 
7milesup said:
I use Fusion 360 almost exclusively. I just joined the EAA however, which allows you to download the maker edition of Solidworks, which is the same as the regular version except for a few analysis functionalities and a "Student" watermark that ends up on the file I believe. Just started learning Solidworks and crikey, it seems a lot harder than Fusion 360.
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Every transition to a new CAD system has been difficult for me. I have had Fusion 360 on my computer for over two years now and have yet to use it for anything meaningful. IMO, it takes total immersion for a week or two to really get the feel for a new CAD package. I keep promising myself that I will do that but it hasn't happened yet. My problem is that I have a totally functional SolidWorks 2012 seat that is my go-to whenever I need to design a part and I always take the easy path.

When I made the transition from AutoCAD to SolidWorks, I bought a reference called "SolidWorks 2003 Bible". After that, I bought a current edition with every version update. The last that I bought was 2010. I found it to be a handy reference that explained how to accomplish a particular task that I instinctively knew was possible but couldn't figure out how to do. I haven't found a similar reference for Fusion 360 and maybe never will because of the way in which Fusion updates but if it exists, it would go a long way towards my understanding the software.
 
I have been wondering for some time about using my Tormach CNC as a platform for various non-traditional uses. I have already set up a laser head for cutting things like gaskets and a microscope that will permit use as an optical comparator. Addition of a touch probe would permit 3D scanning of parts fairly easily. I use the mill to make printed circuit boards via conventional milling and can see using the laser to " burn" printed circuit board resist for subsequent chemical etching. (The laser isn't powerful enough to directly etch the copper trace).

The question that I have is has anyone used a CNC mill for 3D printing? It would seem that it would be a logical platform for this application and cut the cost of this application substantially.
 
7milesup said:
Just started learning Solidworks and crikey, it seems a lot harder than Fusion 360.
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That's interesting. I learned on Solidworks and I find it very intuitive to use. Once you grasp a few basic concepts it falls together pretty quickly. I have Fusion 360 but it drives me nuts since it is almost a polar opposite to how Solidworks works.
 
brino said:
Alright guys, I was trying to be humble and not a braggart about the machine and price tag, but this write-up wouldn't be complete without that kinda info.

The machine that I found that best fit my wish list above was the LulzBot Taz 6....

-brino
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Hey Brino, I just got a TAZ 6 yesterday. Will be putting it together later today (after clearing the snow we got last night). I picked it for some of the reasons you did- wanted to make stuff, but I didn't want to add 3D printer building as a hobby in itself. Life is way, way too short for everything.

I was going to get the Mini, but almost every review of the Mini ended up by saying the reviewer was going to move up to the TAZ when possible. So I waited a bit longer and went directly there.

I'm glad to see you are positive about your choice and experience so far!

-Ed
 
ebolton said:
I'm glad to see you are positive about your choice and experience so far!
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Yep and I still am! I am still using it more and more, and finally starting to get comfortable with Fusion-360.

Congrats on your leap into 3D printing too!

Please keep posting with your progress or any questions (not that I'll necessarily have the answers, but there's a wise and numerous group here that have helped me immeasurably)

-brino
 
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