I had three of the anycubic i3's (same spooky has). I found the touchscreen response to be terrible (I smashed one of my screens out of frustration). There's something to be said about the simplicity of a knob with a push button. Also though direct drive is less likely to string, there's no reason a bowden tube setup should string if your retraction setting is dialed in correctly. Putting the extruder on the carriage only adds weight, which slows down printing (otherwise you get ghosting from the sudden acceleration of changing direction).

I recently downloaded a simplify3d profile and it's helped really improve my prints
https://www.thingiverse.com/groups/creality-ender-5/forums/general/topic:39360

I’m using the anycubic vyper. It’s been great for me.

Anyone that uses Raise3D printers. We are struggling with one at work.
Admitting I am not an expert nor am I the one messing with it.

But looking for some advice....on running Black PLA material. What would typical Nozzle temp and typical Bed temp be? Approximately.
thx.

Never used a Raise3d (though I am considering spec’ing one for the new campus Makerspace). But in general PLA runs 200-210c nozzle and 60-70c bed temp. Different blends may mean tweaking those numbers, in general those work. You could print a temp. tower to check for likely good temps on the nozzle. But what issues are you seeing?

I think what might be beneficial to the gurus on the thread to help out, are the basic settings you're currently running. Bed temp, nozzle temp, print speed, build plate type, slicer, filament vendor, what exactly the issue is...probably a lot more than I can list. Maybe a picture of the problem? Did it ever print OK and now there's a problem?

There's some big hitters w/respect to what can cause a problem, but there's a lot of minor settings that if screwed up, can messed up any print. Sorry for all the questions, but there's just so many variables - but some more basic info is a good starting point for others to help.

FWIW, depending on the slicer you use the settings that mbwalker mentioned may be listed at the beginning the gcode files. That would be the easiest way to grab them (and many more useful settings) to get help.

I’ll have to see how it goes. It was way out of wack before I started

Can somebody point me to a good site to download some good STL files? I’m looking for Kaiju (eg Godzilla and Gappa from EHOH) and Star Wars stuff. I’m not finding what I’m looking for on Thingiverse. I’m willing to pay within reason, just not sure where to look. Thanks!

https://www.printables.com

https://cults3d.com

https://www.myminifactory.com

Damn, did not know about Printables, forgot about the other 2. Thanks!

Cgtrader as well.

I appreciate the links. Man! You have to be super careful what you’re looking for - I see a LOT of models on these pay sites which are already free on thingiverse. Still have yet to find a Gappa model (one of the special modes in EHOH). There are vinyl figures but they are super expensive since the movie has mostly fallen into obscurity

yeggi.com is a 3D site that links to many of the other 3D model sites (both free and paid models). So I tend to use that as a 'one stop shopping' place to search. You can adjust the search for just the free models.

Does anyone have any experience using a glow forge? It’s more of a CNC machine than a 3-D printer but I think my family would get more use out of it. I do want to be able to replace plastic parts which it seems good for but also maybe make a ramp or two for a Pinball prototype.

Anyone use one of these?

(Also worry of the fact that it’s proprietary software but we are an all Apple house and have passed the Rubicon already)

I have zero experience with this stuff, but take a look at a CNC-3018. Desktop CNC but they often come with a laser option. Pretty sure Mr. Tant has one. Under $300 for the most part (last time I checked). Open source, so a lot of versions out there.

Here's a random search w/a laser option: https://www.amazon.com/3018pro-M-Engravering-Engraving-Controller-Extension/dp/B08312MSK2

I've often thought of getting one to play around with just for the heck of it. Not sure what you really need with respect to the laser option (power, color).

Wanted to try getting a glowforge but a little pricey atm.

When getting budget cnc machines (especially laser), they can't go through clear acrylic. Found out the hard way when I got a desktop laser cutter. Ended up using it to cut templates out of particle board, then sending the design to somewhere local to cut it for me in clear acrylic.

What was your laser issue? Was it the material simply being clear? Or did you need more power, different color of laser (I'm assuming the color makes a difference)?

I mentioned the CNC-3018 when replying to @jtoeps, and if I bought one, it would mostly be for the CNC, not the laser option. But I'm still curious tho, might make me rethink things.

Yeah, its the color/type of laser the desktop budget machines use. Goes straight through. It'll cut through black acrylic just fine =)

And from what I understood (been a few months since last looked at specs), was that the laser cant just be swapped. Theres other constraints. Think the cheapest I found that could cut clear acrylic was 500 bucks, but even those looked to be cumbersome since its a whole other beast with the enclosure/etc. Specifically, its a CO2 laser that can cut acrylic.

Something like this, but with it needing liquid cooling, exhaust, and other stuff decided to pass till I have a better workshop later.

https://www.amazon.com/Engraver-Engraving-Controls-Woodwork-DF0812-40RW/dp/B01EJDH1BO/ref=asc_df_B01EJDH1BO/

I do have a small CNC that I used for milling plastics, but I've since given that up for a multitude of reasons and now outsource them to be laser cut (FYI, the lasers that come with the CNC machines are not powerful enough to do much besides some shallow etching or cutting of soft thin woods or thin colored acrylics). As others have stated, you cannot cut clear materials with these low wattage diode lasers.

To have the versatility to cut clear materials, thicker materials, and harder materials, you need a CO2 laser. Glowforge is nothing but a 40W CO2 laser cutter at an exorbitant price. A OMTech 40W CO2 laster will cost you less than $500 vs. $3500 for the base model of the Glowforge. Sure it doesn't come with a swanky online subscription to make it work or the online repository, but who cares. Also, you need to read in detail about these serious pieces of machinery. The commercials have one sitting in the middle of a nice office, but what they don't tell is they require active ventilation to the outside and water cooling, so don't expect to just set one up in your home office or even shop without venting it to the outdoors. If I had room in my garage and a way to vent it I would certainly own one, but unfortunately I just don't have the proper space to put it in.

Also, don't get me started about how they call the Glowforge a "laser printer" (it is a CNC laser cutter/engraver). Words mean things, and this machine is anything but a laser printer. With a laser printer a laser is used to apply a negative charge to a photoconductive drum or belt which toner adheres to. The toner is then transferred to paper or other medium, and is cured via a combination of heat and pressure. Also, I won't bore you with details about PDL languages (e.g. PDL, PostScript, etc.) that laser printers utilize verses the g-code language of various types of CNC machines. Heck, I could use the same logic as Glowforge and call the laser sight on my Glock is a laser printer (I point a laser at something, pull the trigger, and it prints a nice hole in whatever I'm aiming at).

Maybe I don’t know what I’m doing, but I’ve had no trouble at all cutting through both thick (roughly 1/4”) and thin (1/8”) acrylic on my Glowforge. I hail Mary’d on the thick stuff. That cut brilliantly - both full cuts and some etching. The thin stuff required a much lower power and I had to look up settings on Facebook but it worked great too.

This thing even etched a former bathroom (tempered) glass shelf into a beautiful Star Wars sign for my kegerator. The glowforge has saved quite a few things from the trash head these past few weeks.

That said, I’m impressed but just can’t recommend a new one due to the price. I got mine for crazy cheap used, but don’t use it nearly as often as I expected.

I was referencing budget lasers, not glowforge. In case someone had the thought of buying a sub 400 desktop machine. Glowforge works, just the price, ventilation, cooling, etc, fall in a separate category.

I'll probably try the omtech one later. Might redo the garage and add an ac unit. Need a space for my resin printers as well. About to get a fourth one... Maybe.

In other news, decided to get a magnetic plate for my ender 3. Boy did that make a world of difference. Most of my issue was getting past the first couple of layers and using the glue or hairspray approach gets obnoxious removing prints. Trying out the fulament brand. Worth the money reducing headaches.

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The OMTech also does not come with all of the appropriate safety interlocks. While I won’t defend the Glowforge marketing or price, as someone who runs a Makerspace there are reasons to consider it (I still didn’t choose it though).

The cheaper laser cutters (sub-$500) are usually laser diodes, they can struggle with materials past 1/8” (3mm). Pricier CO2 lasers usually can handle organic materials up to 1/4” (6mm). Even more Expensive fiber lasers can etch or cut metal.

You are correct on your points, but I would still contend for a DIYer you can get into a CO2 laser cutter for well under $1000 all-in that has equal or better cutting/engraving capabilities than GF. With that stated, there are those who are willing to spend more for better packaged product with a streamlined experience, or as in your case need to operated by a multitude of people so simplicity and safety are key decision making components. My intent was not to disparage anyone. Rather, to point out to those considering purchasing a laser cutter that there are more economical options.

The marketing part was just a personal rant.

FYI: https://omtechlaser.com/collections/machines?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=omtech-brand-us&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwujG1Iyb9wIV5WxvBB30cQzcEAAYASAAEgLKX_D_BwE

One note when when researching laser cutters like 3D printers is the size of the cutting area. You need to make sure it is large enough for the types of objects you want to cut/engrave.

I believe you misread something. We’ve all been saying that you must have a CO2 laser like Glowforge to do this type of cutting, as the low powered DIY CNC machine diode lasers aren’t powerful enough to do the job.

I absolutely did. Thanks for pointing that out -

I picked up my GF for $1500 a few months ago, and even at that super low price I’ve had some issues with it. The ease of use is unbeatable - it’s basically “set and forget” but I would never recommend anyone go into it for the full price, it is just insanely overpriced. In addition, there’s no open source version of the software, and the company cripples the interface unless you pay $50/month MORE to add basic things like -a square- to your cuts. Can’t express how pissed I was when I found that out.

anyway, sorry for the thread derail.

I couldn't speak to this firsthand, but this is a common complaint. GF locks you into their ecosystem and there is a reoccurring fee for doing so.

You can still get by just fine without their pound of flesh, by just doing a little extra work in Illustrator or Inkscape, but it’s an annoyance, especially when something that should take 10 seconds takes an additional 5/10 minutes, and is RIGHT THERE in the UI. But it’s manageable - I do just wish there was software similar to CURA or Slic3r for this machine.

I believe that LightBurn is one of the leading applications for laser cutter control. However, the equipment must be configured with the compatible hardware, which I assume GF is not. However, I think you could design in LightBurn, export files, and import into the GF cloud for "printing". That's another thing, does the GF have to be connected to their cloud to even operate?

IF using their cutting / loading system, yes it must be connected via wifi to their cloud “slicing” software. It’s a joke, though - the cuts are far less complex than a 3D print, although there is the additional work of interpreting an SVG into cutting instructions - but give me a break. It’s calculating depth of cut via power levels and speed, which are hardly complex calculations.

I think it has a USB port as well, I’ll check that out.

I’m bitching about their setup, but overall I’ve made some really nice stuff with this thing - I’m still a novice about assembling things in layers, which is what I really want to do - this takes planning outside the cutting software and mostly requires understanding of the design software. I’m ok with Gimp and Photoshop, but vector graphics are all new to me

Just to put this to bed: looks like the GF environment is 100% proprietary, and though some work has been done to reverse engineer their stuff, I think this may go the way of the WPC95 A/V boards and just be a paperweight eventually. Lightburn does not support the device because Glowforge hasn’t released their drivers basically.

I’ll keep working with it for a while and probably upgrade eventually, then just sell it to someone else who’s willing to put up with the limitations.

Now back to my printer: I have a Gappa model to print for EHOH!

So what kind of edge is left when you laser cut plastic? Does it need to post work or is it nice and crisp from the get-go?

If cutting acrylic the edge is perfect (think of it as built in flame polishing as a result of cutting with a laser). However, your vector file lines must be perfect and have no jaggedness to them. This can be easily accomplished using Illustrator's pen tool to create the paths and holes for the plastics (how I do it). Not at home right now to photo an edge close up, but here is a recent set I did for a customer. Zoom in and see how crystal clear the edges are without any post processing whatsoever.

e1dc7e1565ea4f43cac2f44f50224b7e47396aa9 (resized).jpg

Soo much info in this thread!! Love it. You guys are getting some very nice prints from your FDM printers. My E5+ still hasn't been able to produce all that great of prints (after many many months of tweaking) so was thinking about a E3/Prusa or something smaller form factor. Didn't know about that anycubic Kobra printer

While GF pro is expensive it's pretty damn amazing IMO (pass through slot is nice to have as well). The biggest pitfall as other have mentioned if you have no internet connectivity.. forget it. My in-laws have several epilog lasers, but we couldn't justify the price so, GF it was for my wife's home business.

Acrylic cuts like butter Made this placard for my virtual pin in no time (using tinkercad). No cleanup needed at all, just etch, cut, paint, peel, and mount

https://photos.app.goo.gl/pP7rVeJ63Mo6TN9A8

At that price the GF is a bargain! I’d deal with the vendor lock in if I could get one that cheap, mostly for the pass-through capability.

Edges in cast acrylic are essentially production quality. You’ve probably handled laser-cut acrylic at some point without realizing it. It’s a smooth, polished finish on the edges possibly with a slight angle (in thicker material). I’ve created butt-joints in 1/4” acrylic, that had an angle, but you can often correct for this by adjusting the laser focus. Extruded acrylic can sometimes have very minor striations in a cut, but lost people laser cutting for sales just stick to cast to avoid any issues.

The one thing to be aware of is that some plastic when cut with a laser may burn or release toxic/caustic gasses. In particular PVC releases chlorine gas (very bad for you *and* the laser optics), and IIRC polypropylene and/or polyethylene) chars badly.

Either it was my Stern Pirates or my GB (or both) I bought some plastic for that were laser cut - nice edge for sure, but wasn't 100% sure if there was any follow up work.

Vinyl gives off some noxious fumes as well

If anyone near southern WI is looking for a lightly used original ender 3 (or 2 or 3 of them), I have a few. I bought a bunch of amazon returns and pieced a few together. Fully tested and calibrated and ready to print with. Send me a PM if you have questions or are interested.

How do you buy Amazon returns? You can specifically search for and buy return products at discount?

Either go to the warehouse or when you find a product hit the button to see all buying options. I just bought a motherboard that was 169 new for 112 used. It said may be missing parts, but everything was in the box. It was clearly opened at some point, but looks great. I need to install it to make sure it works soon.

Good suggestion, I didn't know about this either...

In this case, I bought direct from the manufacturer. It was just a 10 or 50 lot deal. Whenever amazon gets one back, it forwards it to you. So its a total crap shoot of what you get back. The price is good so long as most of them are OK. I only ended up with 2 out of 10 needed as parts for the others. Now things like build plates and SD cards....nobody seems to send those back for whatever reason. The condition people send back in shocks me. I guess I am way better than the average amazon return person. Missing tons of pieces, random extra pieces, the whole gammut. In case you are wondering, I am asking $125 for one, discount for more.

I found the same 2 issues on every single one, which would have stopped the build from being successful. First is the Y carriage eccentric nuts were loose. So that left the build plate to move around. Cant level it like that.... Second thing was the 2 screws on the nut that the ballscrew goes through were cranked down. They should have some play in them so that nut can move a little bit. So, for people buying new Ender's, make sure you do those 2 things

I’m not sure if this coupon still works, but the page is still up. Micro center is selling Ender 3 Pros for $100. “New customers only” but it’s pretty easy to be a new customer.

https://www.microcenter.com/site/content/specialoffer3dprinter.aspx

The current coupon is good until at least April 28. It’s definitely still working, we purchased one last week. based on the stock levels at my local store, they had better run it again; they had at least 100 units left on Thursday.

Has anyone made an file for these? Would like to print them in different colors. Thanks

F3A2F05E-993A-4E17-83E9-A1EFD554A3FE (resized).jpeg

I would really question if those snaps would hold up.

Ditto^^ Perhaps the design could be modified to make it a little beefier and maybe print it horizontal. But even then, I'd likely just buy new and be done w/it.

Yeah I just wanted a different color. Without the snaps would be fine too, just a narrower portion to stick up through the plastic.

Not pinball related, but I printed title strip holders for my jukebox. I built a custom over-cabinet that holds additional song selections and needed the title strip holders. Used some clear filament and printed them at 100% infil. Installed them in the cabinet and backlit them to match the look of the jukebox.

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