Prusa mk4

[Janger]

Plug it in, load some consumables, select the file I want to print, press print, and go get my 3D print an hour or 2 later.

I'd much rather spend my free time chasing other rabbits than 3D printing. I can't do everything anymore so I'm just choosing my battles. I firmly believe that true plug and play 3D Printing is coming. I had just hoped it was already here. I was prolly mistaken.

No that time is here John. I print all the time and generally get excellent or very good results just going with the default settings. When I'm impatient is when I get poorer results. I'm partial to the Prusa machines, which are cadillacs, because I want to make stuff not work on the printer. If I was trying to figure out where to start you can dip in a toe for $500ish with their mini. https://www.prusa3d.com/category/original-prusa-mini/

But there are lots of other good choices.

 

[David]

No that time is here John. I print all the time and generally get excellent or very good results just going with the default settings. When I'm impatient is when I get poorer results. I'm partial to the Prusa machines, which are cadillacs, because I want to make stuff not work on the printer. If I was trying to figure out where to start you can dip in a toe for $500ish with their mini. https://www.prusa3d.com/category/original-prusa-mini/

But there are lots of other good choices.

I’m in the same camp. I want my printer to just work out of the box.
I have spent hours tweaking my Ender and it’s hit and miss.
A Sovol SV06 is on its way to me.

 

[jcdammeyer]

When I got my SOVOL I changed to the SOVOL program and the CURA slicer that came with that software. I wasn't always happy with the results but overall it came out well. Wait till the bed temperature drops to 32C and the part just lifts off. Otherwise sticks well.

However the fill was strange. They had a GYROID fill pattern that was the default.

I didn't think much of it but it seemed to work although at 30% I thought it was a bit sparse. Here's an example:


Then I needed to do something that needed way more than what is in the above picture. To my surprise 80% looks like the 30%. Trying other fill patterns didn't change with larger infill. My Repetier SLIC3R software didn't have GYROID fill but did well with other patterns.

I asked my friend Joe M. who suggested this printer. He hadn't had the problem but noted that his SLOVOL software was a few versions older. So we upgraded.

As usual the new version changed the user interface to "enhance my user experience" and the display of slicing levels has now been colourized. But here's 20% infill. Huge difference.



Same with all the other patterns.
The point here is like all computer stuff, 3D printing is constantly evolving and sometimes with bugs. Knowing something isn't right is part of the learning curve.

 

[jcdammeyer]

What's cool about the latest SLOVOL is that as you look at the different slicing layers changes colours depending on whether it's the side walls or the bottom or the fill etc. That is a cool idea.

 

[David]

What's cool about the latest SLOVOL is that as you look at the different slicing layers changes colours depending on whether it's the side walls or the bottom or the fill etc. That is a cool idea.

Is that not a Cura feature?

 

[jcdammeyer]

Is that not a Cura feature?

No idea. The older SLOVAL software that came with the printer this summer didn't do that but that might also be a feature you turn on. The newer one does and you can set 3 walls instead of 2 and reslice so see them inbetween. I do like that feature.

 

[Perry]

Sitting around on a -35C night and decided a 3D printer upgrade sounds like a good way to spend money. So I find this thread in my research......

I was thinking to myself do I need the multi material feature..... as Janger stated above..... "I want to print practical stuff". Do I need multiple colors?

I find that frequently I want to print something which does not exist or other peoples versions of it don't quite work for me. So my modelling and CAD skills are essential to be able to effectively use the printer. I don't want to print marvel characters or other doo dads and knick knacks. I want to print practical useful stuff usually as part of some other project. You've seen many of them on the forum.

This thread had a couple good comments I never thought of.

1) Water soluble support material.
2)Being able to print larger prints with out running out of filament. Can the printer automatically switch over to the next spool when it detects the present spools is empty?

Any other ideas that support purchasing a system that can handle multiple materials?


I'm thinking most of the guys on this forum are probably using a 3D printer in the same way I would. I'm not printing colorful dragons. 😉

 

[jcdammeyer]

The reason I bought my Delta Printer was the dual extrusion capability. Turned out it was $500 wasted for a POS but I have learned a lot. I also wanted to use water soluble filament for support.
A guy I knew built, from scratch, a printer that fetches the extruder from the equivalent of a tool tray. Like CNC changing tools. IIRC it had 4 extruders. Haven't actually seen it run since. He may have had issues with it. But it was a cool idea and likely the way I'd go. The bed went up and down.
I'll see if I can find a video I made of it.

 

[Janger]

Sitting around on a -35C night and decided a 3D printer upgrade sounds like a good way to spend money. So I find this thread in my research......

I was thinking to myself do I need the multi material feature..... as Janger stated above..... "I want to print practical stuff". Do I need multiple colors?



This thread had a couple good comments I never thought of.

1) Water soluble support material.
2)Being able to print larger prints with out running out of filament. Can the printer automatically switch over to the next spool when it detects the present spools is empty?

Any other ideas that support purchasing a system that can handle multiple materials?


I'm thinking most of the guys on this forum are probably using a 3D printer in the same way I would. I'm not printing colorful dragons. 😉

I bought a bambu A1 Mini with the AMS changing filament system. I've had it 24 hours so just a few prints so far? The textured bed seems more sensitive to having a very clean surface for adhesion. I've had a number of failed prints till I really read the instructions closely, clean it with PLA and use a non-woven cloth. I'm doing that now with better results. The price is quite shocking, that is low, $600CAD with AMS.

One question above is will a multi filament system switch filaments automatically when one spool runs out. Yes, it does that. You could put 4 spools on all the same in theory. It would let you use the last 5m or 25m of a spool of which I usually have several.

 

[VicHobbyGuy]

this is a bit off the Prusa topic; sorry. (EDIT: I'm going to start a fresh discussion on the Bambu, and I'll copy this post there. I'll leave it here to avoid confusion...I've been caught by deleted posts in the past :"Wherediditgo? I swear I saw it..."🙂 ) I bought a Bambu A1+AMS Lite; it arrived a couple of weeks ago and has been printing most of the time since then. In another discussion I ranted a bit about the initial software setup. After I got that settled (a few hours) the machine has been performing flawlessly. So far I'm just using any PLA filament I get my hands on, with the Bambu PLA default settings and everything has printed perfectly. I use glue stick on the print bed - not because I have to, but because I'm still a bit 'belt and suspenders' about this thing. AMS Lite works perfectly. So a strong 'Recommend' on the Bambu A1 from me. BTW- overnight last night I had the A1 print an 'Eiffel tower' model which I downloaded from the Printables (Prusa) file site. The reports from other folks using a variety of printers were full of stories of tweaking temperature settings, fails, etc etc. I just told the A1 to print it using the defaults (no supports) and it came out fine. The level of precision in those machines is really amazing. Printing a gear for a 7x printer is absolutely no challenge for them, and that's the sort of thing my very rudimentary CAD skills can manage - with the right plug-in. 🙂

 

[VicHobbyGuy]

One question above is will a multi filament system switch filaments automatically when one spool runs out. Yes, it does that. You could put 4 spools on all the same in theory. It would let you use the last 5m or 25m of a spool of which I usually have several.

BTW - unless you are using Bambu filament which has RFID tags on the spools, the filament doesn't have to be the same for the AMS Lite to switch when filament on one spool runs out. As long as the printer 'thinks' that another spool is identical it will switch to that one, automatically. You can specify the filament type/colour on easch hub for the AMS via the printer touch screen, or on the computer in Bambu Studio, and you don't have to tell the truth! 🙂

 

[Perry]

I bought a bambu A1 Mini with the AMS changing filament system. I've had it 24 hours so just a few prints so far? The textured bed seems more sensitive to having a very clean surface for adhesion. I've had a number of failed prints till I really read the instructions closely, clean it with PLA and use a non-woven cloth. I'm doing that now with better results. The price is quite shocking, that is low, $600CAD with AMS.

One question above is will a multi filament system switch filaments automatically when one spool runs out. Yes, it does that. You could put 4 spools on all the same in theory. It would let you use the last 5m or 25m of a spool of which I usually have several.

John, if I understand correctly you have one of each ? Prusa and a Bambu? I know it is early for you on the Bambu but any preference over the two?

"I really read the instructions closely, clean it with PLA and use a non-woven cloth." Clean it with PLA? Typo?

@Janger @VicHobbyGuy
Did you purchase the Bambu locally or direct from the Bambu website?


Thank you guys.

 

[VicHobbyGuy]

@Perry - I bought my A1 combo direct from Bambu. I think @Janger may have meant isopropyl alcohol (IPA)? It's recommended by some folks online, for cleaning the PEI textured bedplate.

 

[Perry]

@Perry - I bought my A1 combo direct from Bambu. I think @Janger may have meant isopropyl alcohol (IPA)? It's recommended by some folks online, for cleaning the PEI textured bedplate.

@VicHobbyGuy

Ok, IPA does make sense. I thought there might be a trick I was missing.

I'm looking at the P1S but I see it is showing a delayed shipping date. Jan30th. I was thinking if I replaced the extruder gears and nozzle I would have a poor mans X1 Carbon. I would like to be able to print he PA (nylon) if I ever need to.

The X1 Carbon has a better shipping date....and a higher cost.

Did your unit have a delayed shipping date? How was their Estimated Time of Departure? Accurate?

 

[VicHobbyGuy]

Did your unit have a delayed shipping date? How was their Estimated Time of Departure? Accurate?

My A1 Combo didn't have a delayed shipping date; the A1 (without the AMS Lite) did have a delayed date showing on the website. That's one of the things that encouraged me to go for the Combo. (I'm glad I did, the AMS is more useful than I thought it would be.)
I ordered on Dec 18 and it was about a week before I got a 'Shipped' notification. It arrived on Dec 28. Some filament and nozzles I ordered with the Combo were shipped separately and arrived a couple of days later. So, pretty good considering it was the Christmas holiday period.

 

[VicHobbyGuy]

@Perry - I didn't do a lot of research on the closed box printers, but I think- maybe I'm 'mis-remembering'- that I've read predictions that the P1 is 'at the end of life cycle'. So there may be something better coming down the road pretty soon.
Do you have a 3D printer already?

 

[Perry]

@Perry - I didn't do a lot of research on the closed box printers, but I think- maybe I'm 'mis-remembering'- that I've read predictions that the P1 is 'at the end of life cycle'. So there may be something better coming down the road pretty soon.
Do you have a 3D printer already?

I do you have a printer. An Anet A8. I believe everyone should start with something like this. A bit of a learning curve, but I'm sure the lessons will pay off even in the new fangled machines.

I use it a fair bit. Get some pretty good results in PLA. These just came off the bed. 🙂

 

[VicHobbyGuy]

I do you have a printer. An Anet A8. I believe everyone should start with something like this. A bit of a learning curve, but I'm sure the lessons will pay off even in the new fangled machines.

Learning the slicer software and a few halting steps with CAD are plenty of learning curve for me. 🙂
I'm glad I got the Bambu A1, which has (so far) been 'plug and play' with absolutely no tweaking required- no learning curve at all, yet! There were a few hiccups for the first few hours, getting it set up and communicating properly, Q-codes that didn't work etc.. But that only lasted a few hours. Hopefully some of your hard-won knowledge gained with your current printer won't be needed if you get a newer Bambu machine.

 

[Janger]

@Perry yes I meant clean with IPA. no wait a second. I'm sure that's a brew... yes that's it. Clean bed with beer then wipe with woven cloth. 😀🙄 no no no...
My take so far on the Prusa vs Bambu. but i've only had the bambu for a few days.

Bambu
+ inexpensive and has shipping AMS options. fast with their settings and PLA. PETG performance is similar to existing printers (slower).
+ Great software for starting/controlling/monitoring prints. Slice, and in the slicer hit print. Job runs. Easy easy & convenient. Phone can monitor. Phone beeps when done. onboard camera works on web and phone to keep an eye on it.
+shipping - Printer showed up before they said it would.
- slicer software seems fussier to me, and is not as powerful as Prusa Slicer. Text control is better on prusa and other features.
- AMS wastes a lot of filament and takes a while to switch.
- prints take a while or forever to start printing - it's not as fast they claim due to the preprocessing. depends on settings you choose too.

Prusa
+... long term printer reliability is proven and good.
+ Slicer is generally better.
+ great prints. all the time unless there are operator errors. poor cleaning. wet filament. incorrect settings, calibration, the details. my fault in other words.
+ AMS implementation seems like it will be better, faster, less wasteful, but I haven't seen it.
- Ordered a AMS in ... June? long time back. no ETA keeps getting delayed.
- work flow to get a file out, uploaded to the printer, and actually get it printing is about a 15 separate little steps. It's aggravating especially with one or 2 click go on the bambu.
+ software releases make the printer better and better. the work flow to get a file over wifi was unusable, then they made it usable. It could be a lot more convenient and I'm sure they will address it. eventually.
- pricey
+ supporting manufacturing outside of, well you know, where everything is made.

 

[PaulL]

Hah! I lasted ~40 hours of printing on my Prusa MK3S+ (too many variants!) before the blob of doom just cost me the day getting it back together.
I'd made a bone-headed mistake: Not enough first layer to adhere well and somewhere in the second or third layer of a whole-platen print *pop* went a piece. The resulting blob wrapped around the entire lower hot end, including the heater and thermocouple wires.
That led to a complete tear-down and rebuild of the extruder. The south end of the extruder printed pieces are looking a little worse for wear after this. Assuming it passes calibration (still ongoing...), first job is to print all-new extruder head parts to have on standby.
I *really* like the open-source aspect to Prusa's setup.