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About 3D Printing

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3D printing is without a doubt a great addition to the DIY hobby, you can do so much more with a printer and it goes great with DIY electronics, home improvement, and minor repairs. 

Before purchasing a 3D printer, I spent months researching this area so that I would be well-prepared to make a decision. I looked into which printer is the most reliable and easy to use, which is the quietest (a very important factor for me since the printer is in my living room), which filaments (plastics) are of good quality and don't cost too much, which accessories I will need (for example, a dry-box, since it will be needed for almost all types of plastic except PLA to get the best print quality).

Weighing all the pros and cons, my choice is the Bambu Lab A1 with AMS lite system for multicolor printing.

 

In this section, I have collected and regularly added new information related to 3D printing. Here is the quintessence of my preparatory research and experience gained while using the printer. Most of the recommendations are not only made on my behalf but are confirmed by people who have been 3D printing for many years.

I believe that the information below will be useful to all enthusiasts who want to get into 3D printing, which is a great addition to the DIY hobby and allows you to unleash your creativity.​

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3D printers

 

The days when 3D printing was complex, and required specialized knowledge to operate 3D printers are gone. 3D printing has never been as widely available as it is now. You can easily get acceptable results without much effort, although you will still need to spend some time learning the field to get the highest quality results and work with plastics other than PLA.

There are many 3D printer manufacturers on the market, but after studying many reviews with pros and cons, I would like to highlight two of them that produce very high-quality printers that are beginner-friendly as they work out of the box and have user-friendly and advanced software:

  • Prusa - It's a European 3D printer manufacturer known for its exceptional quality and endurance, it's the gold standard of 3D printing. But with quality comes price, Prusa printers are not cheap. Prusa printers have an open architecture and are easy to upgrade and modify (Prusa also sells parts to upgrade older versions of their printers, so you can keep your printer up to date for years to come). Prusa printers are justifiably called the best DIY 3D printers also because they sell a disassembled printer kit that you can assemble yourself using detailed instructions. Buying such a kit will not only save you some budget (about 25%), but you will also know your printer down to the smallest detail.

  • Bambu Lab -  It is a rising star among 3D printer manufacturers. The printers are very easy to learn and the company has good customer support. Bambulab printers are considered the best for those who are just starting out in 3D printing. They have a very good product line, software applications (desktop and mobile), and video tutorials. These are very reliable printers and I haven't noticed any serious complaints about these printers among the 3D printing enthusiast community, including those who print 1-1.5 kg of filament daily on these super fast printers. There are 4 models of BambuLab printers worth highlighting:

    • A1 mini - is quiet, small (180*180mm bed size), and very affordable (200EUR), the best 3D printing start for everybody. Multicolor print is also available with AMS Lite system (4 colors)

    • A1 - also a very quiet printer, but it comes with a normal bed size - 256*256mm, it is as fast as P/X series printers, but due to its open frame nature can't print some types of engineering plastic which requires closed enclosure like ABS, ASA, PC etc. and very hot printing bed (>100C). It is compatible with AMS Lite multicolor system.

    • P1S - can print everything thanks to closed construction, and higher printing temperature (nozzle and bed). The printer is super fast and this is the best price/quality/functionality solution on the market. It is possible to buy AMS system to make color print (4 colors) and even combine a few AMS systems and print up to 16 colors.

    • X1C - top-notch product from BambuLab with almost the same capabilities as P1S, but more user-friendly as it has a big touch screen, better surveillance camera, processor, and algorithms allowing it to recognize issues while printing and stop it. 

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​​​Filament (plastic)

 

Generally, all filaments from 3D printer makers have a good and stable quality and will not disappoint you, however, these filaments are usually 1.5-2 times more expensive than 3D-party filaments. However, if you are going to print a lot, have different colors, and different types of plastic (there are tens of them with different capabilities like UV-endurance, flexibility, wear-resistance, brittleness, transparency, glossy, soft-touch, silk shine, carbon fiber, etc.) your hobby will going to be expensive, that is why it makes sense to turn your attention to other filament makers (mostly Chinese). Here are reliable filament makers which I use and recommended by the 3D printing community:​

Sunlu (AliExpress EU warehouse)

JAYO (Sunlu sub-brand) (AliExpress EU warehouse)

Kingroon (AliExpress EU warehouse)

Elegoo (official site)

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Web resources about filaments specifics and settings for them:

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3D printing quality troubleshooting:

In case you are not satisfied with the quality of 3D printing results or you want to improve performance, it makes sense to perform 3D printer calibration to your filament. This calibration will be valid for a specific type of filament of the specific brand. For example, you can calibrate to get the best result using Sunlu PETG. To perform the calibration, you need to install the open-source slicer OrcaSlicer and there are a set of calibrations. Please follow the official instructions on how to perform calibrations and which parameters should be changed in the filament preset.

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Below is more information on improving print quality:

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Dry boxes

 

Almost all filaments (PLA in less extent) need to be dried before use or even printed directly from a drybox as they are very water-absorbing and model defects can be unacceptable if the filament is not dried. Wet filament is the most common reason for bad 3D printing experience even if you have a good printer.

The humidity in your filament storage room should not be higher than 30% (except PLA). If that is an issue, then you should consider having a drybox or keeping your spools constantly in sealed bags and keep them open then only during printing.

Some filaments might require even 10-20% humidity.

Dry boxes can be passive (sealed box) or active with a heating chamber and sometimes with desiccant compartments.

Some people use food dehydrators as active dry boxes, but it's better to use specialized devices.

Here below 2 good examples of active filament dryers (dry boxes):

  • Sunlu S2 - reliable, well known in 3D printing world model. One of the key features - it is a quiet and compact model for 1 spool. There is also a dryer (Sunlu S4) for 4 spools.

  • Creality Space Pi 1 spool 145W dryer box(AliExpress) (Amazon) - also a popular device with a modern design, but noticeably louder than Sunlu S2, There is also a version for 2 spools exists.

There is also DIY active dryer built based on an IKEA container with Arduino control.

Here is the article about drying time and temperature for different filaments.

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Passive dry boxes.

The main feature of passive dry boxes - they should be well sealed and perfectly fit to filament spools. This characteristic are perfectly implemented in food containers.

The most popular and affordable examples of such containers that can be used as dry boxes for filament are: 

To keep the sealed environment dry, you need to put silica absorbent - desiccant into the container together with the filament.

In order to print directly from the passive drybox, you need to "upgrade it" by printing rollers and installing fittings.

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For keeping your open spools in perfect condition, despite whether you have drybox or not, I recommend using an Electric vacuum pump and sealed bags. (Amazon). It perfectly matches with an active filament dryer, as you can seal freshly dried spool and keep it that way preventing water absorption. 

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3D printing accessories

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Below you can find other accessories that will be handy in 3D printing:

  • You will need basic DIY tools like side cutters, files, screwdrivers, Dremel, and drills - I may suggest you have a look on my tools in this category.

  • PTFE tube for filament supply from dry box to printer (Amazon). PTFE tubes with an outer diameter of 4mm and an inner diameter of 2.5mm (OD4, ID2.5) or an inner diameter of 3mm are most commonly used for 3D printing. PTFE is a special very slippery material that significantly reduces friction, facilitating filament movement and extending the life of the tube.

  • ​Bed plates - improve model adhesion and add a nice texture to prints:

  • Glue stick (Amazon)- improves adhesion in some situations if other methods are not working. It is also useful for printing TPU plastic as it is very adhesive and can damage your bed plate, so the glue stick will protect your bed plate

  • ​Trimming knife (Amazon) - a very useful tool for after-printing model processing

  • Iron tip (TS100/TS101) for heat insert nut into plastic models

  • 608ZZ bearings - used often in DIY and Printer upgrades.

  • Magnets. it has an application for different boxes or storage systems which you may want to print. You may need different sizes, most popular are 4*2mm, 6*3mm, 8*3mm.

  • Blade for removing parts from the press table - incredibly handy for removing stuck parts such as brims, gauge strips. The blade is very thin, slides along the surface thanks to the vertical handle and does not damage it.

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3D printer lubrication

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You need to care about your 3D printer if you want to prolong its lifetime and have perfect 3d prints.

Bambulab printers periodically notify users about the necessity to lubricate. If you get a notification (does not matter which axis), perform the lubrication of all axis at once. It does not take much time but 3D printer will thank you.

Some people do not rely on notifications and perform lubrication of Y and X axis every 2 weeks and Z-axis every month if you are actively printing.

The tubes with lubrication grease and oil (especially) which you get together with the printer will be consumed very quickly, so you will need a replacement as well as some tools to perform cleaning and lubrication quickly and easily:

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Web resources where you can find models for 3D printing
 
Web sites with free (mostly) and paid 3D print models

 

Web sites with free (mostly) and paid 3D models (not only directly designed for 3D printing)

  • 3D Model Database - 3D models search which you may (or may not) use to slice and 3D print.

  • GrabCAD - 3D models database for popular CAD software that can be used for slicing and printing

  • Traceparts - 3D engineering models of mechanical components some of which can be useful for modifying and slicing for printing

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Get inspired by awesome selected models, collections, and contest awards winners

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CAD software

Someday you will want to create self-designed models because you can't find a good one for your needs or you need something unique and specific, or you want to repair some broken household staff. Some simple things you can do using slicing software, but it's very limited in terms of model design. To solve this need CAD software exists. There are many of them on the market including free versions for personal use. The most popular are:

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Printer upgrades, useful 3D models

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Bambu Lab A1 upgrades

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Printer enclosure for Bambu Lab A1 using IKEA furniture
 
​AMS Lite upgrades

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​​Filament swatches (samples)

  • Swatches - good swatches design with printable filament description and transparency section.

  • Swatch display(box) - convenient storage for swatches from the link above

 
​IKEA upgrades

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Dremel upgrades

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Models for DIY electronics:

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Other useful models

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Other useful information

  • 3D PrintArmy - International 3D printer owners volunteer community who want to help Ukrainian military forces defend their home from russian invasion by printing training, medical equipment, and (if a volunteer wants to) also military-related stuff. Join our community! You can also support me in buying plastic(filament) which will be used for printing in this project using one of these services:

  • Video instruction for Ukrainian citizens on how to order filament in China or Europe and bring it to Ukraine.

  • How much space do you need to place Bambu Lab A1 printer.

  • How to decrease plastic poop from AMS system: Video1, Video2

  • How to improve model strength? (walls and different infills test) (conclusion 3walls+20% infill the sweet spot. Walls are better than infill after 20%, 3D honeycomb is the strongest, Gyroid is the 2nd strong, but also has a higher weight/strength ratio)

  • How to glue 3D printer parts, and what is the best way to do. 

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3D PrintArmy, DrukArmy
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