3d printing

[magallonbuckinbulls]

It isn't just that. It is the first post. "How do I get the templates" is the problem. If you think you just click print and away you go to making stuff and money you are dead wrong. I have over 100,000 sales of 3D Printed items. It doesn't take as long now to get a good print as it did even 5 years ago. Especially with a Bambu. But it still doesn't happen overnight.

If you give me dims and a description i can help you out generating 3D files.

What are some parts you are looking to print.

 

[Reefer Matt]

I also have the A1, and highly recommend it with the AMS Lite. After you get aquatinted with printing, making your own designs is also part of the fun. I use Tinkercad which is available online for free. The slicer for Bambu Lab also has basic design software built in, and has many files available for a lot of reefing things and more. I suggest reading up on printing techniques and settings, and maybe watching some yt vids as well. Welcome to the addiction!

 

[jose hernandez]

ive done so much research but its so much out there to try and learn im aware its not a overnight process just figure id asked out here as i know alot of members here do 3d printng for most of there reef equipment figure i would do the same as all the stuff i need would cost almost near what a 3d printer would cost me so might as well do it myself and at the same time make a little extra $$$ and help fellow reefeers like myself thnks evryone for the feed back gotta go back to the drawing board

 

[jayfrindt]

so im looking into making my own 3d print accessories for my tank as well as for fellow reefers at a discount how would i go about getting the templates im looking to purchase the bambu lab a1 3d printer

I am not sure you will have the best results with an open printer. You won’t want to use PLA. PETG is much easier to print on the enclosed P1S or X1. Whereas the X1 will make filament calibration much easier (and faster).

I own a maker space near Cleveland, Ohio and we run all 3 models. The A1 is great for PLA trinkets, but I primarily use the X1 or P1S for aquarium supplies.

You can get tons of free models on Thingiverse, Thangs, and cults3d.

I’m not saying the A1 won’t work, it will. But you may be happier overall with an enclosed printer.

 

[KStatefan]

ive done so much research but its so much out there to try and learn im aware its not a overnight process just figure id asked out here as i know alot of members here do 3d printng for most of there reef equipment figure i would do the same as all the stuff i need would cost almost near what a 3d printer would cost me so might as well do it myself and at the same time make a little extra $$$ and help fellow reefeers like myself thnks evryone for the feed back gotta go back to the drawing board

The easy part is buying a printer and printing. The hard part is designing a product that someone would want to purchase. Buy the printer for you first then look into selling things.

 

[jose hernandez]

thnks

 

[AmateurAlchemist]

ive done so much research but its so much out there to try and learn im aware its not a overnight process just figure id asked out here as i know alot of members here do 3d printng for most of there reef equipment figure i would do the same as all the stuff i need would cost almost near what a 3d printer would cost me so might as well do it myself and at the same time make a little extra $$$ and help fellow reefeers like myself thnks evryone for the feed back gotta go back to the drawing board

If making money is your primary goal I'd strongly recommend you reconsider. Look at Etsy, eBay etc- there are so, so many talented people selling all manner of things. It's a very crowded market.

Most good models are licensed such that you can't just download, hit print and then sell.

I have an X1C and intermediate CAD skills; and for the cost of even a lesser printer, filament, electricity, my time and postage, I'd struggle to make anything more than beer tokens.

3D printers are great for making little brackets, holders and trinkets that you can't find in just the right size but you'd be hard pushed to turn it into a viable business without some original ideas and a lot more experience, IMO.

 

[jose hernandez]

not looking at it as a real buisness i own a buisness already that makes me $$$ im looking to make things for myself for my reef tank

 

[TruckerTami]

Not sure which is better enclosed or opened was looking at the a1 and ps1

The A1 is a powerhouse, rock solid printer. Super quiet, fast, and just reliable. I print PLA/PETG/ABS/PLA blends etc on it with no issues.

The P1S is amazing, I love it too and print everything on it as well. The only thing I recommend, is get the upgrade parts for the hardened steel extruder and nozzles, they last much longer.

The AMS is a great addition no matter which Bambu printer you go for. The new H2D is an awesome product as well, but the new AMS Pro will work out of the box right now with a P1S, the heating part won't work till closer to summer with a firmware update. The AMS Pro will work with the A1 series in Quarter 3 of this year in another firmware update.

Pic for tax, my current setup, adding another printer Sunday.

 

[jose hernandez]

which would you recommend just wanna print out things for my aquarium set up and for others that i know

 

[TruckerTami]

which would you recommend just wanna print out things for my aquarium set up and for others that i know

If you want to use ABS, get the P1S, if you are only going to use PETG/PLA, get the A1. The A1 is about the easiest thing to take apart to clean and repair, and I literally knew nothing about these machines 4 months ago. I would keep an eye out in the next short while, I think there may be a sale coming soon. Also, FYI, the spools the Bambu filament comes on are reusable, and eSun brand refills on amazon fit perfectly on them and they ship fast and are cheaper unless you do a bulk buy from Bambu. There are also a few other brands popping up on Amazon and you will see they look just like the Bambu refills, those work too as they are the off brand Bambu filament.

 

[commod0re]

ive done so much research but its so much out there to try and learn im aware its not a overnight process just figure id asked out here as i know alot of members here do 3d printng for most of there reef equipment figure i would do the same as all the stuff i need would cost almost near what a 3d printer would cost me so might as well do it myself and at the same time make a little extra $$$ and help fellow reefeers like myself thnks evryone for the feed back gotta go back to the drawing board

Just be ready to spend a few weeks to a couple months getting used to working with the printer. They’re not super difficult, and they’re a lot more newbie friendly than they used to be, but they are tools, so there are skills involved, so practice first basically

Don’t expect to actually make any money on it though unless you get serious about making it a business - there are many at-cost/free avenues available, and unless you are planning to buy several printers you won’t be able to produce very many things in sufficient volume to make even something like etsy, where you pay per listing to list your products, even break even over time. I highly suggest treating it purely as a hobby/DIY tool that can only ever cost money, unless you are planning to get that serious about it basically

 

[commod0re]

As for enclosed vs open, for PLA I suggest open (PLA is good for prototypes and practice) - enclosed printers can have more weird issues with it because more parts of the printer can heat up to the glass transition point of PLA and that sometimes creates issues but it depends on some things

PETG can go either way and is reef safe especially if you print natural clear

Polycarbonate and PC blends tend to do better enclosed in my experience

ABS is much easier to print enclosed, and some versions of it may be required. ASA an enclosure or enclosed printer is practically required

 

[commod0re]

Lots of people love the bambus, they seem fine, probably one of the better Chinese 3D printer brands, but I am more of a Prusa guy. I have an i3 MK2.5S Full Bear (soon to be retired for a Core One) and an XL 5T. I also have a project printer, a heavily modified Anycubic Predator, and one resin printer that I don’t use very often, an Elegoo Mars 2 Pro

 

[jose hernandez]

not looking to make money have a buissnes already just wanna make things for my reef tank rather than have it made from someone else and pay for it

 

[jose hernandez]

from my research bambu labs is the #1

 

[commod0re]

They and their very excited fans would love everyone to believe that but it aint true. They are fine, but they aren’t “#1”, especially if you need customer service. I also have found the bambu labs user base to generally be more toxic than the general printing community at large because of this tendency to insist that they are the best

I’m not saying they’re bad, they are fine, they can do the job, but one of the reasons there are so many printer companies is because different users have different requirements and budgets and what’s best for me, my projects, and my budget may not be even close to what’s best for you, your projects, and your budget. The field of options is extremely wide, and basically every printer, even the very cheapest ones, can print super high quality models and parts if you just tweak the settings to print slowly enough

Anyway I wouldn’t stress too much about having the “#1” because eventually you will realize there is no such thing — you should choose a printer that meets your needs and fits your budget and desired level of tinkering/maintenance. The best printers in the long run, truly, are the ones that have good thermal runaway safeties and are easy to maintain and keep running safely, both in terms of labor needs, and parts availability, not necessarily the ones with the longest list of features or most impressive looking paper specifications. Remember, a 3D printer is essentially just an angry robotic hot glue gun, and if the safety features fail they can absolutely start a fire. It’s not super common, so not something to have great fears about, but it can happen and it does influence some of my purchasing decisions, especially for my project printer

 

[jose hernandez]

Just want one thats gonna do what I want and need but not looking to break the bank as well as this is only to print my tanks needs and help down of my buddies

 

[commod0re]

There are a lot of great printers that can meet those needs, depending on your budget. My impression is that the bambu labs printers are among the most reliable of the chinese printer manufacturers, but, that’s not a terribly high bar. Creality and Anycubic make some inexpensive models that work very well for a while but they tend to need a lot more maintenance to keep them running.

I am a little biased but imo the Prusa i3 MK4S can do anything that the Bambu X1C can do, but for less money, with less maintenance (both less work and less frequent), way better customer support (Prusa’s CS is truly the gold standard), way better documentation/manuals, a larger and friendlier community of fellow users, and they have a history of offering upgrade kits so you can upgrade to newer models over time instead of needing to always only buy an entirely new printer, or modify it yourself, to gain improvements and new features. These are why Prusa usually wins for me, at least

The Prusa Mini is a budget friendly option that also receives upgrades, but it’s max print volime is a little small and that can be restrictive at times

That said I think the bambu A1 or P1P can be a solid choice for a beginner as well. Notably, bambu’s QC on these machines has given some users issues, and they aren’t as easy to get good support out of when things go wrong or break. Print volume wise they are comparable to the i3 though the wider bed on the i3 makes it a bit more versatile imo. You could save a couple hundred bucks with the A1 or P1P but you will end up paying for the dollar savings in more tinkering with your print settings and increased frequency of maintenance.

IMO the sweet spot for price to performance/reliability seems to be anything around $750-1000 USD - less than that and you start having to fix it frequently; much more than that and you might be overspending unless you have particular requirements

 

[firechild]

IMO the sweet spot for price to performance/reliability seems to be anything around $750-1000 USD - less than that and you start having to fix it frequently; much more than that and you might be overspending unless you have particular requirements

IME this is rubbish. I have an old ender 3 and this was true for that unit. I now have an ender 3 s1 plus that I literally do nothing other than replace filament on. It's been working without issue for about 2 years and many, many prints.