I've watched a couple of videos regarding my 'Ender disabling the overheating feature' comment and how to turn it on. I'm a EE, and I don't even feel like bothering with loading new firmware, looks like a royal pain.

I have a love/hate relationship with Thingiverse. Often times the sit me is so slow it is unusable. Now with the new redesign you can’t scroll to reveal more search results without first resizing your window so that it only displayed two columns of results, then refresh the browser, then resize the browser to as large as you want, and then scrolling reveals more results. Also, their search rankings seem to make no sense.

With all that said, it is still the best source of all the sites I use for sharing and finding models. Therefore, I find myself coming back to it time and time again.

I just did this about 2 weeks ago. I didn't have an Arduino Nano, so I had to use a Mega, which does NOT work the same way. Took me 2 days of searching an unrelated tutorial to figure out how to do it. Now I've got Marlin 2.0.5 running, with the heat software

You can now just buy an upgraded motherboard for about $30 (maybe it's 35) that allows you to directly update from USB. Only the earlier boards (version 1.2 and 1.3 I think?) needed an Arduino.

Well, I'm happy to say that all my bitching on this thread forced me to take another look at the printer. Ok, I'm not happy about that part. BUT I took the bed completely off, made sure to tighten the wheels up underneath, and re-leveled (and leveled, and leveled, and leveled...) the bed. I am now printing a second "thing" today. So that's going pretty well! Looks like it's underextruding a bit, so I am checking my settings, but so far so good! Thanks for the encouragement dudes.

Thanks RD. Mine's only a few months old (had a Pursa clone for years prior). There is a USB port, I'll look into the board version. It supposedly is the latest version of the 3 (not the Pro).

Apologies to the OP for a slight thread derail.

What IS your preference? It's not a Prusa, but you don't mention any particular others.

I have only owned two different printers, a Monoprice Maker Select and a Prusa MK3S. The Prusa cost me more than double, and it really doesn't produce any nicer prints. I still find it worth the extra cost. Loading filament is much easier, I love the flex bed, and I haven't had to adjust the bed height in over a year.

On the downside, I've had to fix the wires to the heater element twice because the constant motion has broken them.

I know we all have different experiences, but this is the printer that almost led to me giving up 3D printing. Was just a pain to operate consistently. Good price, but not near the features and ease of use compared to the Prusa IMO.

Nah. Just as long as you are OK with the occasional thread derails, but it's still good info. I almost commented that it was still useful despite the sidebar. Lots of good choices for not much more than $200. Get your feet wet, then upgrade when you feel the need for better prints. You'll have a lot more experience then which is invaluable.

There's so many variables involved to get a good print that aren't related to the printer, good to try on something inexpensive.

One important thing to base your selection on is community support. i.e. Are there a lot of users that can help or are mods (upgrades) available to improve printing? Ender 3 and Pursa are likely at the top of the heap.

TWO PRINTS?!! You definitely didn't give it enough of a chance. Were you using Simplify3D to slice? I have Simplify3D, Cura, and Prusaslicer and I HATE the slices Simplify makes for the Prusa. That was a waste of money for me. I went back to Prusaslicer and it's been the go-to ever since. I wish the support handling was nicer like Simplify3D, but I just can't deal with S3D's slicing for Prusa.

I started with an Ender 3, and it's okay to get your feet wet, but I would never go back. WAY too noisy and too fiddly to keep prints looking good. Sold it when I got the second MK3S.

Never heard of that brand. Best advice is to buy something popular. Others can chime in, but that brand could be fine.

Hi Yelobird

What printers are you guys using.

Thx

Just google them or look at youtube videos for reviews. Just keep in mind these are beginners printers. Fine for what I do tho...

As I said Everyone has different needs and uses for the equipment they use. I have had good results with the Flashforge units (Pro and Guider 2) but in the end we ended up with the Raise3D Pro2 units. Yes, Not cheap but they are also by far the most accurate, most reliable, most dependable system we have ever used. As some are bothered by my lack of love for the Prusa its not personal. After you use a fully automatic bulletproof system printing in the .05 range that Never needs leveling or fiddling you start to judge the long term values of the self build machines. Those DO have a place but just not for me. Printing 24/7 at just over 75,000 hours I like less hassle. Its set up for ANY material at any temperature and with 8 machines running I don't have to worry about air born toxins. Just what I see as value but my needs are different. We also use the for more then pinball if that matters. Its a fun hobby to create. Most however fall away because they have to work to hard to create which is never fun.

pro (resized).png

We use Raise3D at work- they are nice!

I feared that would be taken Literally. lol When I say 2 prints I mean two Job prints which was several hundred parts per run. Again, this is not an Apple vs Android thing. Any printer you enjoy is Great as long as You like it!! For me, the Prusa was a plastic toy. With the amazing machines in its price range with part displays, auto heating, enclosures, simple head rebuilds, this just seemed Very expensive for what it was. That in No way means its not a great option for others. Just got spoiled using maybe 6 different brands over the years and that one just didn't match up to its price by comparison. Will say it still makes me laugh that installing the Prusa rails and guide bearings was done with zip ties???? lol Thats some precision there!

The Raise3D machine does look very impressive. Unfortunately, I don't print enough to make one worth it for me.

When you say "With the amazing machines in its price range with part displays, auto heating, enclosures, simple head rebuilds, this just seemed Very expensive for what it was.", what would you suggest? It seems that you have much more experience than I do, and I'd really like to hear what you think is a better printer for the money.

Another vote for Prusa here. I had a Maker Select for 3 years and thought I was getting good results. I was due to upgrade, and I bought an MK3. The build was straight forward, and it works. In the 1.5 years I have had it, I can count the number of failed prints on one hand. Owning it has moved me from making cute little toys, to just about any tool or thing I need. Replacement knob for the Crock-Pot, done in 30 minutes. Pieces for my vintage RC cars, 2 hours. Phone case for kids new cell phone, 6 hours later it is done. Kick off a print, head to bed, wake up and your item is done. As someone else said, I have lost track in the number of spools of plastic I have gone through. It has to be closer to 15 at this point.

The difference in prints between the Maker Select and the Prusa is night and day. I am honestly embarrassed to look at a print I thought was good from the Maker Select now. Prusa is building, tweaking, and innovating. The features he comes up with will be incorporated into everyone else's printers in a few years. I didn't want to wait, and I wanted to support the company. It certainly was expensive, but I regret nothing. One of the best purchases I have made in years.

First off, LOVE every product you make so if you ever need anything just let me know. Have you OCD on almost every machine just did BBB and Wow is all I can say. Your awesome! There are many variables to consider, dual head, multi color, size of parts or run, primary material type. If you only want to do PLA pretty much most any printer can do it. ABS, nylon, rubber, carbon fiber, etc have special system requirements. Best bang for the buck out there for a starter in my opinion is the Flashforge Creater Pro. Enclosed, built like a tank, does most any material safely other then soft, even has dual heads which is nice having two setups to minimize change over. That unit was (May still be) the majority leader out there for many years. Has a low price point and parts are common in the US. That was our first machine that we only retired at 15000 hours as we opted for a bigger machine. Good luck and keep making those Awesome products!

C03D2B12-E27D-4C29-A314-458465C375B8 (resized).jpeg

Me too. That’s why I created a part mod for it and posted on Thingiverse for others.

I guess maybe I use it more than I thought.

20200425_060822 (resized).jpg

Somehow I managed to be browsing amazon while there were a couple Elgoo Mars Pro's in stock. So one of them should be here next week, first foray into resin printing. A lot of things that I've wanted to make aren't FDM friendly.

-Hans

wow that is not too expensive! I only paid a little less for my ender 3. I may look into this

Resin printing is fun and the end result is beautiful we have 3 resin units. Working with the masks, gloves, etc is what trips some people up. It is a Really messy process with toxic material and cleaning/processing but if you get a system down they are rather fun to use.

Yep, that's my concern as well. I've seen some water-cleanable resins advertised which reduces the problem with exposure to isopropyl. I worry that people will think it's ok to wash in the sink, which is definitely not the case. I'll probably stick with isopropyl for now since it evaporates so fast, as I don't want to deal with setting up a waste evaporator or something like that.

-Hans

The concern isn't so much the alcohol wash its people being Careful using the resin. You can Not get resin anywhere on your skin, contaminate areas around the machine, or leave any uncured on the product. Really nasty stuff. Plus I strongly suggest a ventilation system when using any resin indoors or at least make sure the unit has a Quality air filtration system as breathing this stuff is bad news.

I've been doing a lot of reading up on the handling, and it does seem pretty similar to the handling requirements for the coatings and liquids we use at work, so shouldn't be too bad once I get a system all set up. That's the two things I need to get sorted out which are the ventilation and waste disposal. The Mars Pro does claim to have a filter system but I'm going to work under the assumption it is not sufficient for the task. I'm also going to put a big spill pan under the thing 'just in case'.

I'm also rapidly running out of bench space, so I have a feeling it will be a big re-organization coming up for me in the near future.

At the moment I'm just dabbling, eventually I'd like to get something more robust to use for production work alongside my Prusa's.

-Hans

Thank you all for this post, I have been thinking about getting a printer for a few years now and just finally bit the bullet!

https://www.creality3d.shop/collections/ender-series-3d-printer/products/creality3d-ender-3-pro-high-precision-3d-printer

Enjoy it! Some very cool stuff out there to make.

You're a bad man. I got an E2 to see what the fuss was about. The only points so far where it fails in comparison to the PRUSA i3MK3S is filament loading (why no auto-loading sensor?) and nozzle options (MK3S can go to 0.15, Raise3D only goes to 0.2). It also has some other stupid things like a HEPA filter where you can see daylight through from the back grill at the corners of the enclosure (will be fixed eventually with a gasket) and a really noisy enclosure fan that's SUPER CHEAP (will be fixed with a noctua fan). The instructions on-screen and in the guides are very Chinglish, too. BUT the ability to print ABS and PETG without stinking up the room is really nice. It also prints ABS more consistently due to the enclosure. Multi-color prints are a bonus. I'm sure I'll find other things to love or hate about it as I convert more items over from the PRUSAs to it.

The MK3s has built in ability to do multi-color prints with in-print filament change. However, this methodology supports a single color per layer. Are you saying that the E2 will pause and allow multiple filament colors in the same layer (similar to adding the multi material upgrade which does auto filament switching)? If so, I can't imagine what a pain it would be to manually change filament dozens of times during a single simple print.

Not sure I understand the bad man comment?? I don't own the school version E2 I suggested the Pro version. As for the nozzle comparison I see little value in a .15 vs .2 when the Prusa can't print a high enough resolution to see a value. The Raise prints to .01 layer thickness while the Prusa is .05? Again, ANY printer is awesome depending on what you do with it. Never suggested you couldn't like your system. We love ours just didn't love the Prusa as much as it was hyped to be after using other printers. Just me...

I think he's more comparing you to that evil evil evil person that taunts you with those BBQ ribs that are unhealthy but sooooooooooooooooo yummy.

-Hans

(dammit, now I'm hungry)

This is why text is an imprecise medium.

Bad man, as in bad influence to get me to buy new toys. It was joking.

I went back and forth with Raise about the Pro2 vs the E2 because the "education" focus in their E2 promo materials threw me, too. If you'll notice, they're promoting it as an industrial printer in their more recent stuff because they didn't realize that pushing the educational angle would make it seem less than a Pro2 when it's designed as the more flexible successor. At least that's what they told me. That plus the fact that the extruders are independent on the E2 so you can print 2x as much is why I ended up going with the E2 over the Pro2.

Totally cool was hoping I didn’t misguide you as that was not my intention. Totally agree on the E2 as I know the owner fairly well now (happens when you buy 6 machines lol) out of the gate they were trying to break into a lower price market with the E2 and grab some of the school budgets where the Pro units were Way outside that mark. It looks like a good machine. After test driving one at the trade show I personally didn’t like what they did (as you pointed out with the sensors and more so making the table light duty. No joke with the monster dual ball screws on the Pro I could put a hundred pound block on that table and it wouldn’t move. Have never leveled it since unboxing over 10k hours now. Agreed also, they cheaper out on the E2 enclosure and fans to shave price. Ours (pro) are dead silent. I do like the E2 dual independent heads just not the trade offs they made. The dual indexing heads on ours coupled with our Pallette 2 we can print 5 colors on the fly which works for us. Wish you luck, congrats.

There's only a $500 difference between the E2 and the Pro2 (the bigger Pro2Plus is a lot more). That's like 15%. I can't imagine it would move decision making that much.

But yeah, like Stern, I have no idea where their head is at with the fan thing. Literally less than a dollar difference at the manufacturing level to use much quieter fans.

What’s the story with the smell and all that? I have my filament printer in my office but it doesn’t sound like that would be an option for one of these. And how well do the prints hold up ?

Talking to the owner the School price on the E2 is 1800 so much cheaper and hence the budget cutting lol.

Wow, I should have started a school first. That's almost half off list.

Won’t fear you into the resin chemical issue can only suggest doing some reading on the safety of it. Really nasty stuff but as long as your careful and heed all safety you should be fine. Definitely Not the same as filament printing! The print quality is Incredible in my opinion. Yes, you can buy specific more durable resins but in general the parts will be Much more brittle then filament based parts. Other minor drawback consideration is the cost of resin (along with gloves, cleaning supplies, disposal, curing stations, etc as well as the time per part. These are Not fast printers. Amazing quality but with the cost of material and time.

Lol. I want to make my house a church for taxes but my wife is not in agreement lol.

That’s consistent with what I’ve been reading

I’ve been thinking about getting one myself, thanks for the post, gonna order one up!

I am with you on Stern fan.
However, this is not their power supply/fan. This is a high volume power supply used in many other applications. My guess if Stern asked for custom fan - MeanWell would manufacturer a custom power supply (call it that even though 1 part different) & charge a bunch more.

Back to this thread. I was thinking of getting Raise3D - any advice on which model and options?

I talked to Meanwell engineering and they said they would change it if Stern asked. I'm sure there's some price difference, but it can't be much. The fact Stern hasn't changed the fan pretty much says it all.

Yelobird probably has more Raise3D insight than I do. So far pretty happy with the E2. Multicolor printing and duplicate printing (printing two of the same model at once) the E2 does are probably top of my list so far. The camera in the E2 blows, but I may be able to dial that in or replace it for better image quality.

Who makes the E2?

Nevermind, I found it. Holy CRAP that is expensive! The feature set looks huge