Wendell's New Toy: The Prusa i3 MK3 3D Printer | Level One Techs

I’m surprised that the box dried it that much better in such sort time

I baked it in the boiler room where its always pretty balmy :smiley:

2 Likes

and you got a shoutout. but the mini pc video will probably be way funnier.

I have a few designs you can print!

2 Likes

Oh I’m so getting a 3D printer. Maybe five years from now when the Very Lazy People’s models have gotten a bit better. :wink:
Enclosed models appeal to me since I won’t have much space for one. Also there’s the chance for filtering the air at least a bit.

Concerning the filament routing to the printer:
Maybe you could put some guide rollers after the through panel mounts and then feed the fillament through some PVC pipe or hose like it is done on welders?

Kind of wish those shipped put together so I could order one to take it apart.

Fusion 360 is free for hobbyists.

1 Like

it says that but then you go to sign up and its like… why do they need all this crap? (yes, I am an idiot :wink:

1 Like

What CAD program will you be using @wendell ? I find most are crap and worse than TinkerCAD in basic functionality.

You can use fusion 360 for free, if it’s not for business or whatever, it should have a contact thing on there.

You could try OpenSCAD, it’s CAD through programming.
http://www.openscad.org/

Example Part in OpenSCAD
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2768626

I had an idea for amazing actually good CAD software that draws by coordinates/measurements and has automation features, but need to find some devs for it(LMK if ya know someone…) , someone did message me to say they were working on a secret program like what I suggested, so look out for that maybe.
https://forum.level1techs.com/t/any-idea-on-a-price-for-cad-fork-add-on-to-blender/136635

I would have suggested an i3 Mega, mostly because it comes fully assembled, same i3 platform I think. There’s also an i3 that comes with an enclosure, building an insulated box can be useful for larger prints.

Very sad there’s no 3D printing companies I can apply for in my area.

Also never use carbon fiber filament unless you want microscopic fibers everywhere

also make sure the 3D printer is in a well ventilated area, potential health hazards may apply from sharing the air with it.

1 Like

They offer pre-built ones, but they cost $250 more than a kit.

1 Like

There’s a whole lot of i3 printers that are like $300, what’s the difference?

1 Like

Branding, drivers, sensors, motherboards, extruders, print bed, fans?

:man_shrugging:

I watched the video.
You can dry filament in an oven at low temp.

https://rigid.ink/blogs/news/how-to-dry-your-filament

1 Like

Prusa is the original designer and does it the best

I haven’t had any issues with my $300 printer, unless it has a bigger print bed like a CR-10 I’m not sure I’d bother with higher priced i3s.

@Xetor
A small “disposable” toaster oven is going to be fine as well, or a food dehydrator.

Not sure I want to cook food in the same place I cook plastic.

1 Like

I guess you have to accept a modest amount of human centipeding in agreeing to use it for free. Nature of the beast these days. I have forgotten what I entered when I created an Autodesk account, or what I filled in to use the program. My use case is probably much easier than yours though. Does your lab work fall under the category of a hobbyist or start up?

If you need to make something very complex, It is handy to have tools to create countersunk drill holes or whatever. The full parametric design stuff is great. It takes a bit of getting used too.

@Streetguru is probably on the money, scad is quite powerful. A small learning curve, but once you get a good library of functions and stuff. By the nature of creating the script, it is very configurable. Plus thingiverse has pretty good interaction with scad files.
Only downside is it can get pretty slow when some intensive operations are being performed, like doing fillets by running spheres over surfaces and subtracting them etc.

1 Like

I find the fusion 360 covers my needs, fo functional parts, sometimes sketchup for simple block design items. mostly just pushing 3d models of any kind into cura and away we go. even on a lowly Ender 3.

Blender can also be used to build models for 3D printing but I tend to use OpenSCAD since I feel like I have more control.

I have been using a 3D printer at my place of work, a library, for teh past four years. We bought a Makerbot Replicator 5th ed in 2013. I dealt with all the teething issues that printer had, but it was working like a champ for the past four year.

I think the nex printer I will recommend for teh library is a Prusa, but I might wait until the Prusa makes a Mrk4. then again I might need one sooner and in that case I will get a Mrk 3 w/ Multi Material Upgrade 2.0. After over four years with a single extruder printer, even on like teh Makerbot 5th ed, which CAN start switch material mid-print, I see teh utility of the MMU 2.0.

I would DEFINITELY love to see more 3d printing content from Level One Tech! I watch the other 3d channels of course, but I think Wendle is amater for explaining tech and his procedure for ‘working issues’ on tech.