Indigo Domotics

Looking for recommendations on printers and (MacOS X) software to use.

I think I want a printer that can do 200mm x 200mm or so. I think the 150mm ones will be a little smaller than I want.

TIA!

I had the same thought today myself! Seen a recommendation for this https://www.creality3d.shop/products/creality3d-ender-3-pro-high-precision-3d-printer?variant=13448139702338. Don't know much about it or other options and will be interested in other peoples experiences.

I’m using the Creality Ender 3 from Amazon.

Creality Ender 3 3D Printer with Tempered Glass Plate and Five Nozzles Build Volume 220x220x250mm https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DYL9B2S/re ... cEbG7GCZ6R

For 3D design I use Blender on my Mac.

For slicing I use Acura on my Mac.

I’m satisfied with all of it.

Cheers

John



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I've been doing 3D printing for a while now and have tried several, starting with an el cheapo on Amazon and steadily moving up in quality (and price). From experience, you really do get what you pay for in the FDM printer market.

My favorite, and current, printer is the Prusa i3 MKS3 + MMU2S printer. Many of the cheaper models are based on the Prusa firmware and design (both are open source), but the quality of materials is night and day. Printing is as much of an art as a science, but I've very rarely had a print failure due to hardware on this device... on the cheaper brands I would have more failures due to inferior components (heater blocks, bed heaters failing, adhesion problems, etc.)

I've recently started doing design in Fusion 360, and I do my slicing on Prusa's software on the Mac.

Adam

I knew 3D printing existed but didn’t realise it was “so” common in-home that four people immediately replied. I don’t often break a plastic cog or battery-door off a household object and wish I had a 3D printer lying around to fix it with.

Would anyone make a separate thread of “Show me your... 3D printed things?” for us to realise what we’re missing?


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I also would like to get going in 3D printing as well as cnc cutting/ drawing work
Any suggestions for cnc devices

Karl.


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I also have a PRUSA I3 MK3S + MMU 2S printer and so far it has been flawless.

I built mine from a kit.

Its print volume is 250 x 210 x 210 (H x W x D).

I looked at a number of cheaper printers and YouTube a lot before I decided to spend more on the PRUSA. It seems to be well supported.

I have used it to print 3D prints downloaded from thingiverse.com.

I am also using Fusion360 to create my own designs for items that need fixing round the house. I first tried Freecad as I hadn't appreciated that Fusion360 was free for non-commercial and hobbyist use. Fusion360 has been easier to get my head around although I am still learning how to use its full capabilities.

The Creality3D Ender-3 pro is on sale right now for $215US. I couldn't pass that up. Won't be shipping in the US until the 9th. I guess the warehouse is out.

https://www.creality3d.shop/products/cr ... 3d-printer

What is your budget for the printer - also, what type of materials do you want to print - both are items that matter (in addition to build size) when it comes to selecting a printer. - my two cents - look at units with flexible removable build plates and ones that can auto level.

For the design software, Fusion 360 is the best and you can use it for free as long as it is for non commercial purposes - lots of slicing programs too but you should pick your printer first.

PS. tough PLA rocks

PPS. Couch risers I just finished so my roomba can clean under my two couches...

Just a caution as you look for a 3D printer. I've had one for ~2 years now. But its been no-op for about the last 1.5 years. The print nozzle got clogged and I had to disassemble the print head to unclog it. A process that involved a lot of tiny screws and results in a lot of separate parts. Which seem to be nearly impossible to reassemble.

So, suggestion is to seek one that has easily serviced when that happens.

After much research, I asked my wife to surprise me with the Prusa mk3 or the Crealify CR10s-pro v2. The former is better, the latter has a big printing surface.

I think you got a good deal, excited to see how you tweak it!

I run the cheapo Ender 3 like a lot of others here. Sooo cheap, and surprisingly good. I love this thing. I use Fusion360 to design things if I want to design it myself. I was already used to Sketchup, but I really don't think it's that great for doing what I wanted to do. Fusion360 is much better for going back and say, moving those two holes another 6 mm further apart or whatever. Also tried FreeCad. Conceptually much more like Fusion360 than sketchup (parametric design, etc..) but honestly, just too unstable for me and not super intuitive. Performance was poorer than Fusion360 as well. I slice on Cura (free). Super easy workflow for me. Fusion360 exports directly into Cura without having to save an intermediate file as an STL or anything.

Also using OctoPrint on a raspberry pi to run the printer (Cura also integrates with Octoprint well). That's almost a no-brainer. Octoprint rules.

I also have a PRUSA I3 MK3S + MMU 2S printer and so far it has been flawless.
I built mine from a kit.

Same here, VERY happy I did mine from a kit because it really showed me how it was built -- helped when doing maintenance (like adding the multi-material upgrade).

I built an enclosure for mine based upon their blog here. I modified it some, but LOVE it. It can be used for other printers too (of similar size) if anyone else is interested. Not too expensive either in materials.

I've been thinking of building a small physical control panel to integrate into my desk for home automation control... would use some small/minor electronics for rotary encoders or buttons. Much easier when you can 3D print the enclosure, knobs, etc.

I knew 3D printing existed but didn’t realise it was “so” common in-home that four people immediately replied.

I'd guess the DIY home automation market overlaps nicely with the 3D print market...

Adam

For anyone using Octoprint - the MQTT plugin works a treat with the MQTT Connector plugin. I haven't tried to create an Indigo "device" to represent the printer, but I can trigger on the progress messages.

I don't have a 3D printer, but I hope to add one to the shop when I get my new house built. Fortunately, an EXTREMELY generous Indigoer was gracious enough to print a "Pi Rack" for me. I'm not going to name names, but that person knows who they are and how grateful I am!

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1606631