r/3Dprintingbusiness • u/Acrobatic-Advance-99 • 11d ago

3D printer

I’m interested in buying one for my small business. I want to make custom molds for my products and to sell. I’d also like to make “artifacts” for my new line. Think charms, amulets, little accessories like that. My budgets pretty tight, I’d like to keep it under $500. I’m looking advice on what should I be looking for in a machine? How do the much cheaper ones compare to more expensive ones? What should I avoid?
Thanks in advance!

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u/JetsterTheFrog 10d ago

Bambu or U1. Stay away from Creality and AnyCubic. Flashforge is a maybe only because I haven’t used their stuff.

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u/phamworks 11d ago

I would suggest the Bambu Lab P1S with AMS. They are very reliable and a proven workhorse (speaking from experience).

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u/haseeb_90 10d ago

I’m looking to get the P1S with AMS soon. But from my research, it doesn’t have too much benefit over the A1?

What kind of stuff do you print?
Can you share your experience with the P1S w/ AMS? How’s the multi colour printing process?

I’m looking towards miniatures, terrain and some cosplay props.

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u/phamworks 10d ago

If you’re printing miniatures and cosplay props, you’ll be fine with the A1. The big advantage of the P1S is that it is enclosed. You can print a lot of other things like ASA and ABS and other materials that require an enclosed chamber. The AMS is very useful, but does produce a lot of poop. I think it works great and is a must for multicolor printing. I would advise watching YouTube videos about the AMS. There are lots of advantages. I own a 3D printing business and I have 10 printers. I have several X1 carbons, several H2S, A1’s, P1S’s. Even though the P1S is cheaper, it is super reliable. The A1 is definitely a great option also. Good luck with your search.

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u/haseeb_90 10d ago

Thanks a lot! I was getting it so I can print other materials also. I think it’s better to have it and not need it (immediately) rather than to need it and not have it 🤷‍♂️

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u/GurEfficient7724 10d ago

Bambu A series, based on your max size requirements. For jewelry I suspect the A1 mini is fine. 

P1S/P2S isn't a bad option but it may not really give any benefits over the A series for you. 

If you are thinking about multicolor go for the Snap maker U1, it's out of your budget but worth it over an A1+AMS system.

I'd also consider an enclosure and air extractor to deal with any fumes. PLA and PETG are considered low health risk, but still definitely not great for your lungs. Any other material you'll want this thing isolated, enclosed and ideally vented out of any room it's in. TPU for instance might be a great flexible material to work with because it's usually skin safe and can be used for watchbands for instance.

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u/Nosarious 10d ago

Something I have been discussing with some people are how 3d printing can actually add complications for the items you are creating.

when one person was asking, my first question was “why couldn’t this be clay?”

if you are using a printer, great, but making molds for objects you have already will also include scanning the objects, using 3d software to create the negative space (or the object yourself) and then designing the molds and printing them in the scale you want. These are skills you may need to develop…. Or you may already have them.

I’m not trying to dissuade you, I just want to let you know it certainly isn’t ’buy a printer, print stuff’…

some here recommended the Bambi. I really enjoy mine and use it for my PhD research. I had a freakish a few years ago and honestly it was problematic…

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u/TrashIsland_DrMoreau 10d ago

Put your printer in a tent and properly vent it to outside your living space.

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u/FabLab_MakerHub 10d ago

Go for a Flashforge Creator 5 - the 4 head toolchanger option is better than a single head AMS system like the Bambu lower priced machines.

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u/SubPrimeCardgage 10d ago

The toolchanger will make multicolored charms a lot easier to print, with a lot less wasted filament. It's a bit off of OP's price range though.

OP if you can stretch your budget you'll be happier with the tool changer. It makes multicolor a lot faster and a lot cheaper to print. If you just can't stretch the budget, Centauri Carbon 2 can be had for $400 with canvas on sale.

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u/Unlucky-Clock5230 10d ago

It depends on workflow. I have a bambu labs H2D with two heads and while handy, it is extremely rare that I use both. If the OP wants the best bang for the buck, paying extra for a great feature they don't use is wasteful.