3D Printing

This is a consolidated list of resources and experiences in doing 3D printing and will be in draft status until I am satisfied with the layout and the content. This is another extension of my public facing notebook.

As of June 2020, I have a 3D printer that is rather low end and I will add information about my journey with it here.

3D Printer

I have an Ender3 printer that I am mostly happy with. I have made many modifications to this printer, starting with the Ikea Lack Table Printer Enclosure.

STL files that can be converted into Gcode for printing

Ender3 Ikea Lack Table Printer Enclosure

I also added OctoPrint to the printer using a RaspberryPi 3

Raspberry Pi OctoPrint Powered by Ender3 3D Printer

There have been some modifications I have made to the OctoPrint settings to make it more functional

OctoPrint Pause and Resume Settings for the Ender3

The printer isn’t perfect and I do have some trouble with it as of late. I probably need to look into a more advanced mainboard to correct this, ultimately.

Ender3 Stuck at Heating Extruder

Slicer Software

This is the application that takes a STL (stereolithographic) file and converts it into Gcode that is compatible with the particular printer.

I have used several slicers, originally starting with Ultimaker Cura as it has just worked real well but mostly because I started my 3D Printing journey on Ultimaker. I download the AppImage from the Ultimaker site

https://ultimaker.com/software/ultimaker-cura

I have later used the PrusaSlicer and OrcaSlicer. I do think those deserve a more detailed write up as well.

Printing

FDM printing seems to be as much art as it is science. More on this as I collect the information. I will be gathering tips and tricks for heated and non-heated beds to put here.

3D Modeling Software

My current application of choice for complex models is Fusion 360. I have also had great success with FreeCAD. I work mostly in parametric modeling. It really is best for doing any kind of engineered component. If your interests lie in more free-form, organic or artistic modeling. Blender might be more to your liking.

For a good free-to-use 3D modeler that keeps parametric references and doesn’t require an afternoon of setup, check out OnShape. I will eventually write up an article on this.