3D printed builds - lets inspire others

[dantimdad]

There is a website that sells 3d printed stuff for aquariums. I emailed him about using PLA. He said it's all he uses and has some stuff in his tank for 5 years with no degradation or ill effects that tests show.

 

[aarbutina]

Actually, someone just gave me the idea of incorporating a mount for a low-ato level float switch. I think that’s just what it needs to make it take off!! Will add it to my model and introduce it to the market to see demand

Hey @TheHarold, like I said during our chat on Facebook, I am definitely interested in picking one of these up from you once you do your redesign to incorporate your float switch. Heck I would even buyone of the ones you have now with out the float switch incorporated. This is a great solution to what I consider to be a design flaw on the pump itself.

 

[saintsreturn]

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3390236

;)

Hahaha finally!

 

[dantimdad]

Hahaha finally!

Now if I could find those heater holders....

 

[saintsreturn]

In the efforts of full transparency, I still fully believe in PLA. That said, "we" made the heater mounts out of PLA and in less than three months the bottom position mount has gotten soft and lost its shape. The top part is still solid and nothing dissolved, just softened and gave up it's hold.

So I would recommend not PLA for anything holding heat. Kinda sounds obvious but I wanted to test it lol.

 

[dantimdad]

Makes sense. Glad you warned us

 

[TheHarold]

Hey @TheHarold, like I said during our chat on Facebook, I am definitely interested in picking one of these up from you once you do your redesign to incorporate your float switch. Heck I would even buyone of the ones you have now with out the float switch incorporated. This is a great solution to what I consider to be a design flaw on the pump itself.

Hey- not sure which person on FB you are lol. But yeah I’m redesigning it so it holds the optical sensor horizontally, at a level slightly above the “minimum” before the pump draws air. I have a prototype printed but need to test the water levels using my apex— it will be black PETG

 

[aarbutina]

Hey- not sure which person on FB you are lol. But yeah I’m redesigning it so it holds the optical sensor horizontally, at a level slightly above the “minimum” before the pump draws air. I have a prototype printed but need to test the water levels using my apex— it will be black PETG

LOL no worries. We chatted a little bit on Thursday after you posted a picture of your holder without the level sensor to the Apex Group, before you pulled it down. You may recall I suggested added on rubber feet to minimize vibration. If you don't remember it isn't a big deal.

Either way, I can say you have at least one sold when you start producing them for real. Guess I better order an optical sensor now.

 

[Rick Cavanaugh]

3d printed ATS with lights on. I run on reverse schedule. Uses 2 cheap Banggood LED grow lights

 

[ajhudson15]

I have 3d printed pod hotels in PLA that have been in a tank for over 2 years. No signs of degradation. No issues with anything.

PETG is a better choice as it is not as brittle. PLA printed small parts can get a bit brittle in water and if you have poor layer adhesion the parts will fall apart. The whole PLA is going to poison your tank is a myth.

Can you tell me where to get the pod hotel file

 

[Rick Cavanaugh]

Can you tell me where to get the pod hotel file

make a cube in any software. Slice with no top, bottom or side surfaces. Use 10% fill. Instant pod hotel

 

[TheHarold]

Can you tell me where to get the pod hotel file

It’s literally a cube with no top or bottom and 10-15% infill. If you can’t model a cube...go to YouTube.

Edit: whoops someone already responded. Yeah guess it doesn’t need sides either with a connecting infill

 

[Rick Cavanaugh]

Play with the infill and you can get interesting products. This one is Gyroid infill

 

[ChronicReefH2o]

I love the idea of a 3d printed product, but what is the life of these items on a daily use? Is this even cost effective with risk or better to just add a few dollars and have some mass product?

 

[dantimdad]

In all honesty, it's not worth doing unless it's something you can't order.

But, even if you can and you enjoy it as a hobby then go for it.

I myself have had so many problems with printing that I doubt I will ever feel like it was worth it but, I am in for a dime, in for a dollar at this point.

 

[Rick Cavanaugh]

If you can buy something cheaply, it most likely is not worth printing. However, you can print many things that you can not buy. That is where the real value is. Once you learn 3d design you can print almost anything you need.

One thing I highly recommend for all first-time printers is to buy a decent brand that is NOT a DIY model. There is a significant learning curve in operating a 3d printer for the first time. My first printer was a Chinese clone of a Prusa I3. Yes, it printed, but it took a while to learn how to calibrate and make it print well.

If you spend a bit more and get an original Prusa MK3 or another reputable brand, you will have much better prints and even on the first day it is plugged in. Too many think a 3d printer is like an inkjet printer and they just work. The process of properly calibrated slicing software and properly calibrated printer is a skill that must be aquired

There is a big difference in the software and calibration of a $200 printer and an $800 printer. Yes, an experienced printer can make the $200 printer work pretty good. However, you will be far more satisfied with the Original Prusa MK3 or other good printer and you can spend your time learning how to 3d design.

 

[TheEngineer]

I have free, unlimited printing included in my maker space membership. So the cost is just my time. :)

I generally only print things I can’t buy or things that are custom to my needs.

 

[MaccaPopEye]

In all honesty, it's not worth doing unless it's something you can't order.

But, even if you can and you enjoy it as a hobby then go for it.

I myself have had so many problems with printing that I doubt I will ever feel like it was worth it but, I am in for a dime, in for a dollar at this point.

I think it can be worth it if you use it a lot as the more you use it, the more your savings add up.

But even though directly copying off the shelf products to print is often cheaper than buying the product, the real money saved is in custom items.

I've printed a lot of smaller things for a few cents that would usually cost a dollar or two each (such as cookie cutters for the wife) so over time those small things can save heaps of money. Then there are bigger custom things like my reef-pi power board which is a few hundred dollars cheaper than any other controlable power board I could buy (but at the same time it also required way more work than just printing a box). It is definitely more of a "hobby" item though than something you buy specifically to save money, IMO the money I've saved is just a bonus :)

If you can buy something cheaply, it most likely is not worth printing. However, you can print many things that you can not buy. That is where the real value is. Once you learn 3d design you can print almost anything you need.

One thing I highly recommend for all first-time printers is to buy a decent brand that is NOT a DIY model. There is a significant learning curve in operating a 3d printer for the first time. My first printer was a Chinese clone of a Prusa I3. Yes, it printed, but it took a while to learn how to calibrate and make it print well.

If you spend a bit more and get an original Prusa MK3 or another reputable brand, you will have much better prints and even on the first day it is plugged in. Too many think a 3d printer is like an inkjet printer and they just work. The process of properly calibrated slicing software and properly calibrated printer is a skill that must be aquired

There is a big difference in the software and calibration of a $200 printer and an $800 printer. Yes, an experienced printer can make the $200 printer work pretty good. However, you will be far more satisfied with the Original Prusa MK3 or other good printer and you can spend your time learning how to 3d design.

I look at it like the marine fish hobby, if you want to be successful you must consider 3 things.
1) cheap
2) quality (without tweaking)
3) easy / no need to invest time
But you can only pick 2 :p

IMO I've gotten my $200 printer (my first one) to have excellent results, but the prints weren't amazing quality straight away, lots of stuff broke along the way and it took a lot of time, testing and adjusting (fun in my eyes) to get right. Or I could have spent 5x as much and gotten the same results without investing the time.

I don't think first timers need to buy an expensive machine, but they do need to realise that its a whole hobby on its own with a steep learning curve, even with an expensive machine (although it is doable by everyone if they invest the time). I actually think there is a lot more benefit to buying a kit (even a moderately priced one) as even prusas break and knowing what went wrong and knowing how to fix them is invaluable.

But if you have the money then spend up big, I know I would :p (if you have the money and want to learn a prusa kit is probably the best option)

 

[muhteeus]

...if you have the money and want to learn a prusa kit is probably the best option

Agreed. Most printers on the market at the $300-$1000 range are Prusa knockoffs. I still love my monoprice, but I have put about $150 back into it.

 

[saintsreturn]

I love the idea of a 3d printed product, but what is the life of these items on a daily use? Is this even cost effective with risk or better to just add a few dollars and have some mass product?

This really comes down to the value of your time, your hobbies and your desire to tinker. If you have one, or access to one, you dont need to buy a lot of things that you dont even think about. A couple quick examples of simplistic everyday things for some people i talk to:

Remote organizer for the living room, console controller wall mounts, hat rack hooks, misc tools and helpers around the house and office.

Then you get into task specific items. This ranges heavily on their application. I found changing my skimmer from red to blue impossible, now insert solution. Cord organizers, led strip brackets, display screen clips, etc. Heck, eco tech wants $17 per power supply to mount them. I had them built and total cost was less than $1 with velcro and screws. I now have 8 different power supplies up and out of the way on various projects. That alone made it worth it for me to look into this more.

To be fair (letterkenny sound bit in my head there), there are ways around it for sure. But now that i have access to one, simple little things like my dog knocking remotes/controllers off the couch are a thing of the past with barely any money out of pocket. Wires and misc things laying around are organized and its done in a way that is taste specific versus stamped production.