New to 3d printing and have alot of questions.
 
Notifications
Clear all

New to 3d printing and have alot of questions.  

  RSS
Peder Bonde
(@peder-bonde)
Active Member
New to 3d printing and have alot of questions.

So i ordered a prusa mk3 around new year.
Now i start to wonder if it was the wrong decision to go for a mk3. It seems like it will be delayed especielly now when some hardware issues been discovered ( PSU may be underdimensioned etc ). And i would really like to start experementing with diffrent filiments sooner rather than later.

If you didnt have any 3d printer already would you cancel the mk3 and go for a mk2s instead?

The biggest downside to mk2s is ( as i understand atleast ) that multifiliament will not be availeble to mk2. Is there any practical use to multifilament
Would i be able to print filament that requires diffrent tempratures or is it mostly to make prints more colorfull?

My intrest in 3d printing started when i realised it actually could build functional parts. Parts that could be used directly.
But i guess you will have to use the right filiament. What i want to make should not be to flexible put still not crack if it gets a sudden hit, it would not have to wistand long lasting pressures.
So the filament i think i want to use is NylonX, PETG CF, or Polycarbonate.

Do you think i should look into one more than another and does the small pieces of carbon fiber do any diffrence at all?

Also the filament i want to print requires quite high tempratures. Should i upgrade the PSU directly or do you think it is good enough as is?
If CF filaments are good and i want to print with it. Should i buy a Olsson nozzle?
Also the heater block seems quite important but i see little discussion around it. Is it something you want to mess around with. My guess is that a heater block that can store alot of heat would be faster to print with but harder to regulate? ( But to be honest im not 100% sure of its function )

I have also started to look into the reprap project and have found the merlin repo. Have anyone tried to port the code to use RP pins instead of arduino.
Its seems like many would like to use functions a real OS can provide and installs a RP anyway. Or do i miss something, is it something that arduino can provide that RP cant?

Sorry if i posted this in the wrong part of the forum, not much is related to MK3 but i wasnt sure where to post it. Also when i was writing i noticed that i havent use my english to express myself in a while so i hope my wall of text is understandeble at all.

Posted : 12/01/2018 10:53 pm
Neal
 Neal
(@neal)
Reputable Member
Re: New to 3d printing and have alot of questions.

Here's two things I am sure of:

1) Don't start with the exotics. Start with a few rolls of PLA. Lots cheaper-er and more forgiving when learning.

2) Don't start modifying your printer right out of the box. Learn something about it first. Bed leveling, first layer stickums, PID, flashing the firmware, extruder calibration, Find out what you DO like about the thing first and what you would like to change later.

Hope that helps,

Neal

Posted : 12/01/2018 11:05 pm
ben.c5
(@ben-c5)
Eminent Member
Re: New to 3d printing and have alot of questions.

every question you ask is either personal preference, or easy to look up on google. someone else may tackle it but in the mean time you might want to study up and decide some things for yourself, like if you want it in a week then nobody here can decide that for you, should you get a ruby nozzle, probably not to start unless you have money to burn. etc etc. without being you, none of us can really say

Posted : 12/01/2018 11:11 pm
Peder Bonde
(@peder-bonde)
Active Member
Topic starter answered:
Re: New to 3d printing and have alot of questions.

Ha ha yes you are probably right. I have to figure stuff out as i go. i guess im youst excited. Google is probably the issue. I have read to much.
I guess i have to wait a couple a months so i can test everything out for myself.

Atleast i have some time to read up on the source code.

Posted : 12/01/2018 11:36 pm
Okami 359
(@okami-359)
Trusted Member
Re: New to 3d printing and have alot of questions.

From the sounds of things if the biggest issue is the wait time I could suggest getting a 2nd lower end printer that will get to you sooner. Currently I would recommend the Ender 2 as it seems to have a pretty solid rep at the moment and a heated bed. As far as I know you should be able to do up to petg just fine without any upgrades. Use that machine for your experiments and when you figure out what works you do up full size or larger prints on the MK3 when it arrives.

As for cancelling the mk3 I haven't seen any solid reason to do so. I've been watching as some issues have come up and the discussions here on the forums but at the same time most people ,even with the issues, are happy with the prints and quality coming off the machine. If anything those of us that ordered after the initial time frame will probably have a better out of the box experience as some of the growing pains will have been solved by the time we get up and running.

Posted : 12/01/2018 11:44 pm
Peder Bonde
(@peder-bonde)
Active Member
Topic starter answered:
Re: New to 3d printing and have alot of questions.

Yes, youre right. Im not worried i will get a bad product with the mk3. If something isnt working as you expect it seems quite easy to fix yourself. The hardware seems modular and the firmware is opensource.

But the MK2S is in stock.

wow the ender was really cheap. thats maybe an idea. then you have something to play around with and if you break it is not that big of a deal.
Thanks

Posted : 13/01/2018 12:21 am
clif
 clif
(@clif)
Active Member
Re: New to 3d printing and have alot of questions.

I second getting the ender,

I got one waiting for the mk3, and used it to learn on.

Ordered it from a Hong Kong based ebay seller and DHL took 5 days to get it to me.

Posted : 13/01/2018 12:31 am
Ed
 Ed
(@ed-4)
Eminent Member
Re: New to 3d printing and have alot of questions.

I'm in the exact same situation.

My solution was to buy a Cetus 3D printer as a small, cheap PLA-only printer to try out while I waited, and see if a bigger, more powerful printer was worth the wait.

I'm thrilled with the Cetus (it's a *fantastic* little machine) and totally hooked on 3d printing, and I really want more than the Cetus can deliver. I stuck with the MK3, because ultimately it will have superior hardware and capabilities to the MK2S, once the growing pains are over. I should be getting mine some time next month, and I'm with you on hoping the PSU issues are resolved sooner than later. The possibility of a fire is maybe the one thing that would cause me to cancel my order.

Either way, I've got a lot of faith in the Prusa team to turn out a product that's worth the wait, and I think they'll do the right thing.

Posted : 13/01/2018 12:34 am
JoanTabb
(@joantabb)
Veteran Member Moderator
Re: New to 3d printing and have alot of questions.

another option is to look for a local hacker space or maker space and visit there. hopefully you can find a local expert to show you the ropes and help you with information...

I wonder how many people end up with more than one printer?

I seem to have ended up with 4

geetech prusa
mk2 original prusa
mk2 mmu original prusa and
mk3 original prusa.

geetech is my least favourite generally fragile and inconsistant, rubbish filament feed when loading,
followed by
mk2 mmu... lots of stringing to begin with... got help from one of the old hands on here and it's better than it was, but still a bit of a hand full

at the moment there is not much between the basic mk2 and the mk3.

the mk3 is quieter and easier to get prints off the bed.
both work well.
mk3 filament sensor is flakey at the moment... mk2 doesn't have one
i find filament change on the mk2 easier than the mk3, it seems as if there is a restriction in the area of the filament sensor on the mk3 that makes filament removal a bit of a struggle sometimes.
that may be partially that my grip is weakening, with age...

mk3 lost step detection seems to work although it's rare to need it... (i have seen it happen once, when the end of a print lifted a little

i have never bothered looking at the statistics...
so she looks out of interest...
i see one power fail, and six crash detected, so i am no better off having looked...

I caused one power fail, and a number of crashes in addition to the one natural event I saw, but I have had a load of filament issues, none of which have been recorded....

maybe the stats get flushed, if you turn off the filament sensor?

best wishes. Joan

I try to make safe suggestions,You should understand the context and ensure you are happy that they are safe before attempting to apply my suggestions, what you do, is YOUR responsibility. Location Halifax UK

Posted : 13/01/2018 1:35 am
MikiCab
(@mikicab)
Reputable Member
Re: New to 3d printing and have alot of questions.

Your thinking way too hard. MK3 is the best printer for the money right now. I have never owed a 3d Printer so MK3 is my first. I just got it before Christmas and am having a lot of fun. Instead of worrying about upgrades to the printer teach yourself CAD. Fusion 360 has a hobbyiest license and huge online community.
Figure out how to print PLA first. PETG is the next step. Easy to print and can handle outdoors and in the car. MakerGeeks has great stuff (Wait for sales).
The printer needs no upgrades to be great out of the box. I would concentrate on the owner because you will need to bring up your skill set to that of the printer.

Posted : 13/01/2018 4:44 am
Share: