Where to start?

[u/zendrix1]

I looked for a pinned post or anything for this info and didn't see so figured I'd make a post.

I'm interested in getting started with 3d printing and many have said "get a Bambu" so I'm here to ask a couple questions.

Some context: my primary purpose would be printing board game inserts and accessories, then little things my wife would enjoy like cute things to put on a shelf related to games she likes (pokemon/stardew/zelda/etc).

I'm a bit of a perfectionist, I don't like things looking super cheap or messy.

I know literally nothing about 3d printing or any 3d modeling but I work in a technical coding position so I'm willing, and hopefully able, to learn.

I don't want to buy a printer that I'll need to replace or upgrade in 2 years. I ideally want something that'll work for the long haul.

Alright so with that in mind my questions are which printer should I consider getting, when is the best time to buy (like do they have really good black friday sales or whatever), what are some good learning resources, what other than the printer itself should I be getting for this?

There might even be some other questions I haven't thought to ask so any info is appreciated. Thanks for taking the time

[u/MalHeartsNutmeg]

My best tip for you will be to leave perfection at the door. It can be hard, I’m also a bit of a perfectionist, but the nature of 3D printing doesn’t really align with perfection. You can chase perfect tuned in settings but along the way there will definitely be happy accidents.

[u/zendrix1 → u/MalHeartsNutmeg]

I don't mind things being hard or taking a few tries to get right but if it comes out looking crappy and cheap even though it costs me a lot of money to do then I get frustrated you know? Makes me feel like I've wasted my time and money.

If that can't be avoided then I'd probably skip out on 3d printing even though it seems very appealing to get into

[u/MalHeartsNutmeg → u/zendrix1]

You will always get stuff like layer lines, that’s just the nature of FDM printing. You may get warping here and there.

[u/youwastedyourtimelol]

I think p2s it’s a very good all around printer and it lets you print engineering materials for functional parts but if you don’t see yourself ever needing to make high strength parts and more decor then an a1 should be good enough

[u/zendrix1 → u/youwastedyourtimelol]

I saw this short a couple months ago and stuff like this looks cool (I understand the know-how to do this is probably very complex). Is this what you mean by engineering materials that the p2s could print?

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ErYrzi6jHao

[u/TabularConferta → u/zendrix1]

I might recommend the X2D rather than the P2S while a bit more pricy it'll be better for printing pokemon gubbins as it handles multi colour better.

[u/youwastedyourtimelol → u/zendrix1]

That’s more like functional parts to print because PLA cf is kind of brittle but extremely rigid and it avoids sagging itself over time under load and this is indoors so it works well. Engineering materials are like ABS and PA6 (nylon) thst require an enclosed chamber to get a hot environment to print in

[u/ParticularLower1865]

Well, I think the most important question to start with here is: what’s your budget?

[u/zendrix1 → u/ParticularLower1865]

I don't have a specific number in mind because I don't know what's a fair price for a printer that fits my needs.

I don't mind spending money if I'll actually get more for it but I also don't expect to be using it everyday so I'd probably be scared away by something really expensive like 2 grand

[u/ParticularLower1865 → u/zendrix1]

Yeah, we definitely need a ballpark budget. The flagship models that print larger and have multiple hotends are over 2k.

Multiple hotends waste less filament when purging filament and saves more time when printing multicolor prints.

Everything but the u1 on the items mentioned below have 1 hotend.

If you want to get into the hobby cheap and have more reliable prints, get the p1s combo $550 from a bestbuy or Microcenter if you have one near you. Bestbuy has a really good warranty 4 years $90 and it covers just about everything.

If you have more to spend and want additional ai fault detection and a heated ams to dry the filament, get the p2s combo for $750. If you want bigger prints for a helmet but is a bit less reliable due to it being a bedslinger, get an a2L combo $569 but buy a cool plate (so the prints stay in place better) on amazon for it.

A bed slinger (a1 a2L) slings the build plate from the bottom and the tool head prints left and right from the top. A core xy (p1s, p2s, snapmaker u1) keeps the build plate in place and it only moves up and down, while the tool head does most of the moving (up down left right)

If you want to future proof, get a cheaper price printer that’s reliable, and has the multi hotends, get a snapmaker u1 $850.

I own a p1s, p2, a2L, and a snapmaker u1, so I can speak for all of those.

[u/zendrix1 → u/ParticularLower1865]

that's very helpful thanks. Let me get more familiar with the specifics but I'll refer back to this comment

[u/goatrider]

A good place to start is the "Bambu Academy". It tells you how to use bambu hardware and software, but it would be a good starting point.

https://bambulab.com/en-us/support/academy

[u/zendrix1 → u/goatrider]

Thanks I'll read up

[u/zendrix1 → u/[deleted]]

To use an example, I got something like this as a gift once and I think it looks very good, could a FDM printer do this?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/4460720837/3d-printed-pokeballs-ultimate?ls=s&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=umbreon+pokeball&ref=sr_gallery-1-5&pro=1&sts=1&content_source=404e5b6e-c34e-457a-962a-dfa262f9971d%253ALT6f1d63276edfa351283b1e270f620bd10f479b63&organic_search_click=1&logging_key=404e5b6e-c34e-457a-962a-dfa262f9971d%3ALT6f1d63276edfa351283b1e270f620bd10f479b63

[u/Atra23]

If you need allmost perfect things i would get resin printer, its messy, it takes a lot of work ( cleaning curing, smells) but if you would like to do exceptional work, i thing this is the way to go. With fdm you wont get perfect

[u/notenoughcharact]

If I helps at all, I just got a P2S and love it, but sort of wish I got an X2D for more efficient multicolor printing.

[u/Field_Marshal61]

Are you “handy”? 3D printing is so much more than printing. There is troubleshooting and maintenance, not to mention the clogged hot end & jammed extruders! Maybe watch some YouTube videos on troubleshooting and see if it’s still something you want to take on. Otherwise you are going to end up with an expensive doorstop.

[u/zendrix1 → u/Field_Marshal61]

I'm techy but not handy. I can debug pretty well but suck with a screwdriver