3D Printing 3DP General Discussion

Discussion in 'DIY' started by Philimon, Nov 1, 2022.

  1. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    (I searched and couldn't find a dedicated 3DP thread so starting now. Please correct if Im mistaken.)

    As per thread title this thread is for any general discussion related to 3DPrinting.
     
  2. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    I am working on building a mrspeakers T50RP Open Alpha. My first time using a 3D printer so dont want to clog that other thread with my newb general 3DP posts.

    Turns out my wife's University library lends out nice printers with PLA for free. Unfortunately PLA is not recommended for a headphone as the melting point is too low. However, a next level up filament called PETG is cheap (~$20) for a 1kg spool which should be enough to print at least 3 x Open Alpha enclosures (cups, baffles, and pad rings).

    A nice (expensive) printer fwir helps a lot with reducing learning curve and time setting up. So far my experience has been without a hitch. The LulzBot Mini v2 does a lot of the work for you by auto leveling and self-cleaning etc. The software (Cura ) is simplified, can auto set parameters by inputting your chosen filament, and can easily devise and add supports to any designs. Supports are used to hold up shapes and for adhering to print bed.

    [​IMG]
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  3. randytsuch

    randytsuch Friend

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    Nice.
    I was recently looking at getting a cheaper 3d printer, amazing what you can get these days for not much money, but decided to hold off for now.
     
  4. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    Yes, very cheap like $100 for something from Monoprice. But from quick research, at minimum for a reliable, suitably capable for headphones, simple setup, and future proof printer you would want something like the Prusa Mini which is about ~$400-500. Im sure there are exceptions but Prusa is popular with good support.
     
    Last edited: Nov 1, 2022
  5. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    What Im learning is printing is slow. Expecting 11hours to print one cup. So if youre renting then you better be on top of schedule.

    See cup wall infill and support.:
    [​IMG]
     
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  6. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    Some advisement from @Ivandrago on how to reduce print times.
     
  7. randytsuch

    randytsuch Friend

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    Someone I know recommended a Creality Ender3 pro.
    It had good reviews, seems like it was worth a few extra bucks over the monoprice ones.
     
  8. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    Ya. Creality Ender Pro 3 is a popular option too for less. I was most drawn to the Prusa because the company seemed cool and the orange color of the printer.

    ———

    First Open Alpha cup took 3hours to print.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Nov 1, 2022
  9. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    This particular file contained only the "Left-side" cup. To print the right side you would mirror the image in whatever program you're using then print. I guess somehow with this tool in Cura.
     
  10. Beefy

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    I do a lot of 3d printing. Ultimaker S3 in the lab, Creality Ender 3 Pro and LD-002H at home. Although I haven't used the home printers in ages, due to a busted thermistor for the Ender, and the fact that I don't particularly enjoy resin.

    It's a neat hobby and a useful tool. But man, the learning curve can be steep if you have gremlins.

    My 3d printing superpower is looking at other people's prints and being a total jackass about how their settings sucked and I could have done it better. I'll try and avoid doing that here....
     
  11. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    Critique away! Ill take the help. Im still learning the quick start guide.
     
    Last edited: Nov 1, 2022
  12. Vansen

    Vansen Gear Master (retiring)

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    3D printing has come a long way. I do a bunch of stuff in FDM with various materials, but am very impressed with some of the newer technologies out there. Here's an example of something I made recently that didn't use FDM. I redrew this part in Fusion 360 and printed FDM samples until I was happy from its injection molded counterpart. From there, I printed it with Laser Sintering using a material known as PA2200. The PA2200 comes off the machine as rough white product and goes through a post processing finish and dye step. Then the heat insets go in. This would normally be an injection molded part, but needed it faster than injection molding could do. This took me three days of prototyping from scratch to a finished PA2200 product.

    pa2200_1.jpg

    pa2200_2.jpg
     
  13. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    The small table I had the printer on was a tiny bit wobbly under the harder movements of the 3DP. So this morning I moved the printer to the cement floor of the garage and the new print looks much smoother and cleaner than the last. I think Ill redo the last cup so the pair match better.
     
  14. Vansen

    Vansen Gear Master (retiring)

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    While I probably wouldn’t print ear cups in PLA, I wouldn’t be concerned about the melting point as the deciding factor. I’d be more concerned with long term durability. But if the PLA was free, I might go for it. ABS would be my preference for this with traditional materials, but ABS can be tricky on some printers.

    PETG is a good choice and would probably be my recommendation here. It’s easy to print and is a decent material for this. One call out I have with PETG is that it is very hydroscopic. It likes to absorb water from the air, which can affect the quality of the print. When not in use, you should put the PETG in a sealed container with a desiccant. If you get your own printer and use PETG, it’s worth modifying a Tupperware container to house the PETG and a desiccant while printing with it.

    Is it safe to assume that green material is PETG and the purple is PLA based on the photos?

    Also, be careful with the default Cura filament settings. They are great with Ultimaker brand stuff, but other printers and filaments may require adjusting from the recommended values.
     
  15. tommytakis

    tommytakis MOT: E.T.A Headphones

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    Oh wow, you have an SLS printer? Very impressive (and jelly) Do you use Sinterit Lisa Pro? My daytime job has one but no one ever uses it because of all the post-processing work it comes with.
     
  16. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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  17. Philimon

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    [​IMG]
    Thanks for the tips. The green is PETG and purple is PLA. Luckily the Cura filament settings has one established for the brand of PETG I'm using.

    --------------------------

    I learned to change a print quality setting. The standard print rate is set as ".28mm" and for higher detail I switched to ".2mm". Takes longer but the quality is discernible visually and when trimming away supports it snaps off easier.

    Left is 0.28, and Right is 0.2. Click the link for more comparison photos and higher resolution.:
    [​IMG]IMG_6572 by philimonmon, on Flickr
     
  18. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    I learned that using a “raft” allows for much neater prints. A raft basically is a buffer between the object and print bed. It removes oddities if your print bed is not so smooth (with PETG I have to use glue which can be seen in printed object’s bottom surface), and it makes it much easier to remove prints. The drawback is you get a 3DP textured surface on the bottom edge of your print which imo is preferable to the imperfect bumpy surface you might get from not using a raft. The Alpha Primes I printed for people the first time I borrowed a 3DPrinter all ended up being a little rough around the edges. A raft wouldve made them print nicer and the whole production process smoother.

    Bottom edge of 3DP object with textured surface due to raft.:
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Bottom:
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  19. Beefy

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    I think you are under-extruding. Lots of gaps in the top layer of the pup. Perhaps nudge your temperatures by 5-10°C, see if that's enough to gets things flowing.
     
  20. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    Thanks @Beefy
    That print was actually done in PLA (comes free with a library loaner printer). Cura didnt have presets for that particular brand so ya makes sense needs adjustment like you described. Ill try reprinting but with PETG from a brand that Cura does have presets for.

    Right now Im printing for the first time with a translucent filament (PETG). Very cool but how will I know its done printing when its invisible?
     

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