Learning about 3D printers and looking for input

[kdtop]

First print turned out great!

Enough goofy stuff, onto useful things!

Awesome!

It's a great print. I see many cool things to come for you.

 

[DavidR8]

Awesome!

It's a great print. I see many cool things to come for you.

Thanks mate!
First up is a set of AXA toolholder holders so they stop sliding around in the drawer!

 

[Aaron_W]

I managed to get the printer assembled today. Might even get a test print tonight

How were the instructions?

I got my Prusa back in September, but only just found the time to start putting it together last night. I'm very impressed with the assembly instructions and use book that it came with. Some of the best instructions I've run across it a long time.

I haven't seen instruction quality mentioned before, but these are what instructions should be like but rarely are.

First print turned out great!

Enough goofy stuff, onto useful things!

You might want to check, but I think there is a law that you have to print a baby yoda.

 

[DavidR8]

How were the instructions?

I got my Prusa back in September, but only just found the time to start putting it together last night. I'm very impressed with the assembly instructions and use book that it came with. Some of the best instructions I've run across it a long time.

I haven't seen instruction quality mentioned before, but these are what instructions should be like but rarely are.



You might want to check, but I think there is a law that you have to print a baby yoda.

The instructions weren't too bad. The type is tiny but the pictures have the detail necessary to do the trick. Aside form the extrusions the parts are well labelled. If a person had little or no mechanical aptitude then it would be a bit of a struggle I think.

I was sorely tempted by the Prusa but it's a cool $1000 CDN plus tax vs $350 for the Ender. With my vast 3D printing experience (Bahahaha) I'm pretty happy.
My end goal is to print the pieces for a PrintNC CNC router. https://threedesign.store/

 

[Aaron_W]

The instructions weren't too bad. The type is tiny but the pictures have the detail necessary to do the trick. Aside form the extrusions the parts are well labelled. If a person had little or no mechanical aptitude then it would be a bit of a struggle I think.

I was sorely tempted by the Prusa but it's a cool $1000 CDN plus tax vs $350 for the Ender. With my vast 3D printing experience (Bahahaha) I'm pretty happy.
My end goal is to print the pieces for a PrintNC CNC router. https://threedesign.store/

Yeah I figure most people here could figure it out, I was just curious since 3D printers are developing a market even with less technical people.

That CNC router is a pretty neat project.

 

[Technical Ted]

Just got a shipping notice for my Prusa Mk3S+ Not bad... they stated a 4 week lead time when I ordered and it was actually less than 3.

Now, to see how long it takes to get here via FedEx.

Ted

 

[RandyWilson]

How were the instructions?

I got my Prusa back in September, but only just found the time to start putting it together last night. I'm very impressed with the assembly instructions and use book that it came with. Some of the best instructions I've run across it a long time.

I haven't seen instruction quality mentioned before, but these are what instructions should be like but rarely are.

I can't speak directly for David's Ender 3. I read the Prusa manual when shopping. I ended up with an Ender 5, and can tell you assembly is nothing like a Prusa. The Ender is not really a kit. It's as pre-assembled as it can be and still ship in a flat box. Literally, the parts identification and assembly instructions are silkscreened right on top of the power supply. Bottom plane. Top plane (X and Y) back plane (Z axis), four vertical struts, and the few external doodads. All motors, belts, switches and whatnot are preinstalled. Assembly time was around 10 minutes. You spend more time leveling the bed first time than actually putting the thing together. No gummy bears needed.

 

[DavidR8]

The Ender 3 is more kit-like.
The base is prebuilt. Z-axis and X-axis have to be assembled and lead screw and belt installed. The extruder part is pre-assembled.
All in it took about an hour. I could have done it in less had I not misread the tiny pictures.

 

[Aaron_W]

The Ender 3 is more kit-like.
The base is prebuilt. Z-axis and X-axis have to be assembled and lead screw and belt installed. The extruder part is pre-assembled.
All in it took about an hour. I could have done it in less had I not misread the tiny pictures.

This is a big difference I've not seen mentioned before. People mention having to assemble their printer, but what you and Randy describe is considerably less than needs to be done with the Prusa kit. You can order the Prusa printers as a kit or preassembled, with a significant cost savings by ordering the kit. The kit is not only cheaper, but also just under the limit for US customs taxes.

The Prusa kit is a real kit, it comes as pieces not assembled components. if I had realized the differences before I started I would have taken some pictures along the way. Not difficult if you are used to building things, but definitely more complex than insert tab A into slot B. Almost nothing is assembled for you other than the motors. A person used to complex Lego kits would do fine but it could be a problem for somebody that struggles with prefab furniture. It took a couple hours for me to assemble mine working at a careful and leisurely pace.

 

[RandyWilson]

Agreed, the Prusa is well within the capabilities of anyone that would be hanging out here. The Ender 5 is something most anyone can put together. After I was done, I went after the assembly with a machinist square, and found nothing needed tweaking. The belt tensions and guide rollers were all adjusted well enough. It's a good recommendation to someone with two left thumbs.

The Prusa you learn how it works as you put it together. The Ender you learn how it works when you start with the inevitable mods and upgrades.