I'm looking to get into 3D printing, as I believe it would help in terms of Arduino (EG being able to model and print a somewhat complex container, as opposed to crudely fashioning one using cardboard, and generally anything else remotely applicable).
The issue is, I don't exactly know where I should start in terms of both software and hardware. There are many 3D modeling software out there, like Blender or Solidworks, but I don't know which would be the best for me, likewise with my hardware; what kind of printer would work the best for me?
So, I was wondering if anyone here would have any suggestions for what type of printer I should get (Ideally >~£200/$270) and what kind of software I should use.
If you don't know, how do expect strangers to know? Get SOMETHING and try it. The most involved will be the CAD drawing necessary to begin something, unless you want to spend all your time copying something someone else has done.
Hello yakh
I´m using Fusion360 for designing and a Flashforge for printing.
It takes a lot of time to get into this business. But it is worth it if you want to build your own Arduino cases.
Take view here to get some ideas.
Have a nice day and enjoy coding in C++.
I’d hang around some 3D forums and google for reviews .
As a cheap start you can get into designing stuff with the software , there are plenty of places ( on line ) that will print for you and you can see if it’s for you ( looks bit hard IMO).
I use Solidworks, which is cost prohibitive for hobby level, but Fusion 360 is free, I believe, for hobbyists, and appears to be so good I may cancel Solidworks . The printer I use and really like is the affordable Anycubic Photon Resin printer at around $150USD. It includes slicing software - so all up with resin, and a small $20, spinning UV curing setup, and lots of paper towels and gloves, you can be creating parts for around $200USD
With Fusion 360 I estimate a newbee bring-up and learning curve of four hours (to the point were you can model a very simple hollow box shape for your Arduino, save it to a file the printer software can understand. )Then another 2 hours to learn and bring-up the printer and its software. It may also be that a 3rd party has created slicer functionality for Fusion 360; that would be cool, and make Fusion 360 a very attractive option.
The resin printers are a little fussy, take longer and require clean up and liquid handling, but the fine detail is absolutely unbelievable - and you can even use some models of resin printers to print PCBs, as an added bonus.
BTW many of the resin 3D printing how-to videos on youtube are very informative, to the point and well produced.
Your response was very informative and gave me a good amount to consider. Thank you for informing me on the versatility of resin printers too. I did a little research on 3D printers just after I posted this question and I landed on the Creality Ender 3 V2, but now I'm reconsidering due to the added possibility of printing out PCBs. My only worry is that I may somehow mess up a resin printer because of their fussiness and due to the general ineptitude that comes with my young age. What do you think?
Different kind of printing. You are correct, this PCB printing I have mentioned is not an additive printing process requiring input materials. I am referring to subtractive traditional PCB making with the twist of using a 3D printer for a key part of the process. Blank PCB's can be bought pre-prepared with a layer of photo-resist. The 3D resin printer projects a high resolution image of the circuitry onto the PCB, thus exposing the photo-resist, which is then etched off. Sorry for any confusion.
That's a tough question. You are unlikely to destroy the printer once you know the common ways to damage them (mainly parts dislodging and getting crunched into the LCD screen.) However, the resin is a concern. My kids are sloppy scientists, they forget safety a lot. Apparently the resin is not friendly to bio-organisms, such as kids. There is a need to keep the resin off your skin, out of your eyes, and lungs etc... Unfortunately, I do not know what the health effects are, I simply adhere to the recommendations I've seen everywhere. Clean up and handling of parts and apparatus dripping with resin requires many gloves, alcohol, towels etc... it is the price you pay for stunning parts. Filament printers, which lack detail, have none of that cleanup headache.
Thank you for your contributions, I've decided to with a filament printer as I don't need the level of detail that resin printers offer, nor the need to clean up after a resin print. I may look into getting one in the future, but, as it stands, I'm mostly interested in having bigger prints vs better precision prints.
If you want big print capacity and easy use, try the Creality CR 6 SE. it has a larger table than the Ender 3 and has a self leveling bed. My mom and dad got this as their first 3D printer and love it. Micro Center has these too. Hope this helps.
Many have already said about Creality Ender 3, I will join them. However, I will add a little more of my own. I've been using the Ender 3 Pro for a year now and I'm absolutely happy with it. It performs the functions for which I bought it. I use different programs, but most often SolidWorks (I work there the longest and got used to this program more).
Just like you, before buying my 3D printer, I studied many sources and talked to a lot of people on the forums. Here is a source where there is a comparison of several popular inexpensive 3D printers. This is one of the sites that I relied on when choosing the Ender 3 Pro.
