A 3D printer that I might be interested in

[Leevibe]

Curious if those of you who already own 3D printers think this machine would be a practical, useful tool. This video suggests that it is. I kind of want one

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=ispolAHB4jA

[culturejam]

I have that exact printer, actually. The QC on the first batch was hit-n-miss, but they seemed to have gotten most of the kinks worked out. Mine (from the first batch) has been flawless up until last week. And there's nothing really wrong other than a big clog that required me to pull the hot-end apart and clean some things out. This is a typical and routine sort of maintenance task, so no big deal. I'm actually surprised it went that long without an issue.

I've posted a few threads in the Miscellaneous DIY area here about this printer, so check those out.

The main limitation of this printer is the max print size. It's pretty small, and frankly it's generally not all that accurate at the max dimensions. The reason is that the print bed is very thin aluminum, and it's difficult to get it perfectly level out at the edges AND also in the middle at the same time. It's a heated bed, so there is some flexion going on as temps change. But if you don't try to print the biggest possible size, it's mostly quite accurate.

The second biggest limitation, at least on my machine, is speed. I can't get it to make good prints at the higher speeds, mostly because the extruder gear just doesn't have enough torque to push the filament consistently at higher feeds. But if you print medium to slowish, the prints look very good.

For the price, it's impossible to match.

There is a very active Facebook group for this printer, as well as a Reddit sub, and there is also a very good wiki. There are many mods already, including increasing the print area size and swapping to fancier hot-end. So there is already a strong community, which makes everything easier (and more fun).

Honestly, I think if I had to do it over again, I'd get the older bigger Maker Select V2. It's not as compact and cute, but it has a much larger print area and a crazy-big community with an outlandish array of modifications.

I'm happy to answer any questions you might have.

[Leevibe]

Wow. Cool. I was wondering which one you had. I'll check out your stuff in DIY. I've kind of stayed away from these with the thought that they're probably in their infancy and it may be worth it to wait until they get a bit more mainstream. I'm not too concerned about the size. I think the video appealed to me because I have the same concern that it would be a fun novelty for printing a bunch of stuff I don't need but I might not come up with anything useful to print on it. Seeing the few practical things he was able to make has me wondering.

I have the feeling that when 3D printing goes mainstream, it will happen fast and there will be lots of competition. I know a guy who works for HP and they are working on a product that he says is pretty amazing. I'm sure they're not the only ones. But, at only $200(ish) this is cheap enough to get my feet wet. Knowing that it's fairly robust is pretty encouraging. I'm sure I'll have a ton of questions for you if I dive in.

[Leevibe]

I have that exact printer, actually. The QC on the first batch was hit-n-miss, but they seemed to have gotten most of the kinks worked out. Mine (from the first batch) has been flawless up until last week. And there's nothing really wrong other than a big clog that required me to pull the hot-end apart and clean some things out. This is a typical and routine sort of maintenance task, so no big deal. I'm actually surprised it went that long without an issue.

I've posted a few threads in the Miscellaneous DIY area here about this printer, so check those out.

The main limitation of this printer is the max print size. It's pretty small, and frankly it's generally not all that accurate at the max dimensions. The reason is that the print bed is very thin aluminum, and it's difficult to get it perfectly level out at the edges AND also in the middle at the same time. It's a heated bed, so there is some flexion going on as temps change. But if you don't try to print the biggest possible size, it's mostly quite accurate.

The second biggest limitation, at least on my machine, is speed. I can't get it to make good prints at the higher speeds, mostly because the extruder gear just doesn't have enough torque to push the filament consistently at higher feeds. But if you print medium to slowish, the prints look very good.

For the price, it's impossible to match.

There is a very active Facebook group for this printer, as well as a Reddit sub, and there is also a very good wiki. There are many mods already, including increasing the print area size and swapping to fancier hot-end. So there is already a strong community, which makes everything easier (and more fun).

Honestly, I think if I had to do it over again, I'd get the older bigger Maker Select V2. It's not as compact and cute, but it has a much larger print area and a crazy-big community with an outlandish array of modifications.

I'm happy to answer any questions you might have.

I pretty much spent all day yesterday learning about 3D printing and researching what model I might want to get if I got into it. Part of me is convinced that it would almost be dumb not to just get the select mini and just mod it as I go along. I'm also pretty intrigued by the Tevo Tarantula. I kind of like the DIY aspect and the bigger print volume. Any thoughts on that model?

I'm also wondering about what kind of luck you've had with ABS. I could see myself printing things like little brackets, clips, PCB holders etc. more than figurines and such. I would just want to know that anything I put inside a pedal would last, even if left in the trunk of a hot car or something. It seems like PLA gives the best prints but might not be robust enough. Or am I overthinking that?

[culturejam]

ABS is definitely very strong. But it takes a more powerful hotend to deal with (higher temps for extruding and higher temp on the build plate).

I would say you should split the different and check out PETG. It's the same stuff soda bottles are made from. It's stronger than PLA, but prints at a lower temp than ABS. I've used it some and quite like it. The Mini can handle it just fine.

I don't know much about the other printer you mentioned. There are so many out there now! I would just suggest that you base your decision in great part based on how strong the user community is. There are a solid 8-10 great option with huge communities. I'd say it would be hard to go wrong with any of the popular ones.

[Leevibe]

ABS is definitely very strong. But it takes a more powerful hotend to deal with (higher temps for extruding and higher temp on the build plate).

I would say you should split the different and check out PETG. It's the same stuff soda bottles are made from. It's stronger than PLA, but prints at a lower temp than ABS. I've used it some and quite like it. The Mini can handle it just fine.

I don't know much about the other printer you mentioned. There are so many out there now! I would just suggest that you base your decision in great part based on how strong the user community is. There are a solid 8-10 great option with huge communities. I'd say it would be hard to go wrong with any of the popular ones.

Thanks Forrest. I'll check out the PETG. That sounds like it might be just what I need.

I did go back through your threads in DIY. I had pretty much already seen all of those but forgot. Haha. That lamp is just amazing by the way. I'm going to want those files and settings if I take the plunge.

[culturejam]

The one major plus to ABS is that you can use acetone vapor to "glass-up" the finish. But it's kind of a pain in the ass, and obviously not something you should be doing indoors in the winter.  I've attached a pic of one of the figures I did with acetone.

PLA is great for most things, and since it's non-toxic and more or less "food grade", you can make things for kids and pets. PETG is also chemically inert. My daughter has a small tea set made from PETG.

There are also flexible filaments. So you can make parts or things that can flex as needed. It's pretty cool stuff, although I've not yet tested in any of those.

Honestly, it's expensive (relatively), but I bought Simplify3D software to do slicing and machine control, and it's AMAZING. Makes the experience so much better. It's infinitely tweakable like not other software I've seen. The slicer is so fast.