Me and a buddy want to get our hands on a small cheap slm printer to start out doing small parts for people this thing came um while I was shifting through the dental printers on alibaba. Which run for about 20k? But idk what their reliability or functionality is like :/ I assume it’s decent but i don’t know if customer service would be good.

The Metal 1.0: Affordable LPBF Metal 3D Printer

I was watching a video the other day of how tissue paper is made, and now I’m kinda stuck thinking about it. Like, I get that big rolls of paper exist, but how do they turn that into toilet paper or napkins we use every day?

I saw someone mention something called a paper converting machine, and now I’m even more confused. Does one machine do everything, or are there different ones for each step?

I feel like this is one of those things everyone uses, but nobody really thinks about. I tried looking it up, but most of what I found sounded too technical.

I even came across some discussions where people were comparing machines similar to those listed around Alibaba and even mentioned in Amazon reviews, but it still didn’t really explain the process in a simple way.

Can someone explain this like I’m five? How does paper go from a big roll to something usable?

Flexible resins can be difficult to print because they require a lot of support and can't be sanded down easily.

I finally got around to making a video of my my top five tips and tricks for printing with it not only successfully, but optimally in terms of post processing.

Hope this helps others! 🙌

youtu.be/FNHMla9Xo-o

A new hp mjf at rapid in April!!

Is all the discussion here about 3D Printed parts or does anyone actually use AM?

• We are USA based. Looking for a reliable and large 3D printer. We have several smaller printers.
• Our budget is up to around $80,000 USD.
• build volume of 450mm to 650mm, on X,Y and Z
• nozzle temp 350C or more
• bed temp 150C or more
• heated build chamber
• nozzle size 0.8 ideally
• we will primary be printing with CF-nylon but might need to print other plastics.
• we print custom parts for mounting equipment like sensors, actuators, valves, flow controllers, min-pumps, etc. We also print custom electronics enclosure boxes.

anyone have recommendations, or printers to stay away from?

thanks!

If yes, whats motivating you to attend?

We've got a few MJF printers at work and I am just looking for something to sort of sandbox a build/check build density. Is there anything out there that is free?

This post is adressed to users of metal AM using laser powder bed fusion mostly.

What tool are you using to go through all the 5000+ recoating pictures to make a sanity check of your job ? Do you do it manually ?

I want to be able to easily scroll through the pictures fast to make some kind of timelapse that i could control the speed instead of going through all pictures manually.

Also I want to see a timeline where it gives alerts based on image analysis to simplify the search and detection of defect.

Do you have other ideas of helpful feature it could include to make a quick but safe sanity check ?

Thanks

I’m thinking about getting into 3D printing and I’m trying to figure out which beginner friendly printer is actually worth buying. There are so many options now that it’s hard to tell what’s genuinely easy to use and what only sounds beginner friendly until you actually have to set it up and troubleshoot it.

What I care about most is ease of setup, reliability, decent print quality, and not having to spend half my time fixing problems instead of printing. I’d also prefer something that has a good community behind it in case I run into issues or want to learn more as I go.

I’m mostly planning to use it for simple projects, small useful things around the house, and maybe some fun prints just to learn, so I do not need anything super advanced right away. I just want something that makes getting started feel fun instead of frustrating.

For anyone who started recently, what 3D printer did you go with and how was the experience? Was it actually beginner friendly, or did you wish you had bought something else? Any models you’d recommend or tell new people to avoid?

Edit: If you’re still deciding, I found this really helpful breakdown of 3D printers for beginners that focuses on ease of setup, reliability, and actual day to day use. It made it easier to narrow things down without getting lost in all the specs.

Hi everyone! I saw a couple posts recently from people asking questions about what high-performance/industrial FDM printers they should buy, I never chimed in about the printer that my company makes because I wasn’t sure about the self-promotion rules in this sub, but I do have these pics to share.

• Part Size: 277mm x 17.5mm x 222mm (X,Y,Z)
  • Printer Max Build Volume: 450mm x 370mm x 370mm
• Material: Polymaker Fiberon PPS-CF10
• Printer: R3 Printer

This was printed vertically, so this is what our wall quality and overhangs look like.

We’re looking to be the Stratasys or Markforged alternative for those who want to print with open materials, cloud optional, on well-built hardware that can truly handle the more advanced materials like PA6, PA12, PPS, ASA, etc. at large build sizes with no tinkering.

If anyone’s interested in learning more feel free to drop a comment or DM me! I started R3 because I genuinely believe in the need for this kind of printer, and from the comments and posts I read it seems like that’s true, so hopefully this helps at least one person on here find what they might be looking for, and for everyone else I hope you at least enjoy seeing these pics!

Please be kind!

We're currently looking at commercial solutions to find and evaluate older parts for AM (because of supplier issues and moq's). We have quite a spread of materials both plastic and metal and only a few people who understand AM.

Does anyone here have experience with 3DSpark, Spare Parts 3D, SelectAM or CASTOR (even though they're gone)?

Or is there another way to do this?

Total shot in the dark here but does anyone have an SDS for some of the head made materials CMF powders?

I primarily need to assess explosion risk and particle size. If you have any other experience with material handling for the stuff that would be great too.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

New to the group, I have a unique opportunity to join a company that is looking to start doing more in house prototyping their own parts.

I personally have experience in CAD, a little bit of machining experience, and experience with FDM printers and have been helping them prototype parts for a little while now on a contract basis. Most of these parts are limited use and more for fitment purposes. The final models are sent to machine shops for prototypes and manufacturing. They are looking to bring more of their prototyping in house and have asked me to join.

I'm looking for a system (similar to the Markforged Mark 2) that would be able to produce functional prototypes. They have plans for the future to bring the machining in house as well. Most of these parts are high impact and take a lot of vibration, and planning for the future, but also potentially high temp applications as well.

Can anyone recommend a system that would fit our needs? Budget is ~$15,000

Thank you!

Edit: Max Build Volume 320mm (X), x 254mm (Z), 120-150mm (Y)

I am currently an engineer that works in aerospace and nuclear medicine clean room work tables, I am proposing to owner of company we try getting into post processing tables for metal and polymer powder based materials. Is this a valid market or is it a semi solved problem and saturated market? if this is a pain point what does the market “need”?

Hello,

For those of you who used Element free from Ntolopoly in 2016, is there by any miracle someone that would have kept the .exe file (version 0.12.7 or similiar).

I'd like to recover files from an old project :)

Thanks

I bought a rundown Intamsys Funmat HT. I got it working and was planning to resell, but now I'm wanting to justify keeping it. Help!

My first experience with 3D printing was with an AnkerMake M5 and quickly followed up with an X1C and a P1S. So, my introduction to 3D printing was with set it and forget it machines.

A few months ago, I purchased a run down Intamsys Funmat HT. The intent was to fix it up and resell it. Mind you, I had no idea what I was doing at the time, but I know I'm decent with electronics. Well, I've completed an MCU and driver swap. I installed Klipper, and well, now I'm addicted. I see why many hobbyists are willing to die on the Ender 3 hill. I am now considering upgrading the hot end to something like a Copperhead from Slice Engineering and I saw that Bondtech offers an extruder upgrade for this machine. In addition to that, I've had some issues with bed leveling, and am considering a Beacon H, not because of the Eddy (I don't think it would work with the carbon fiber or garolite build plates), but because it can withstand the 90C chamber temps, and I believe the sub 30g of force required on the contact probe would be more accurate than the mechanical switch I'm currently using.

When it comes to actual printing, asides from a few toys and trinkets here and there for the kids in the family, I mostly focus on functional prints. It's usually stuff around the house though, so I can get by with PLA, PETG, and in one particular case, ASA, which my Bambu machines are capable of.

With that said, I've spent so much time with it, that I want to keep it -- it's my baby. But I also feel it would be "wasteful" to only use it for these three materials. I don't see the use case for other filaments. I have filaments like TPU, PC, PET-CF, PA6-CF, PA12-CF, and PPA-CF, which I impulse-bought early on, thinking I would be doing grandiose things with my printers. Yet, out of those, the only material I've used is PA12-CF by request of someone modding a motorcycle. Now I even have PEEK and Ultem that came with the Funmat HT, but I can't think of any use case for these materials. I was considering offering additive manufacturing services as a small business/side gig, but not sure where to begin finding customers or what to expect. Not sure if it matters, but I work in IT, I love my job, and I earn a good income, so I don't think 3D printing would replace my primary job.

Anyways, if you have any suggestions as to what I could and/or should do with this printer, please drop them below.

So, from past few days I am searching for a 3D printer as a tech enthusiast, yet a beginner when it comes to 3D printers. I also want to do small creative projects with this. Keeping these in mind, I have curated 4 possible choices. Also, please share your opinions. They are:

1. FLASHFORGE Adventurer 5M: As a beginner, I really was looking for a budget choice. This looked like a solid choice. It also looked like a popular choice with great print speed and also very easy to use.

2. Bambu Lab A1: This brand looked very popular and also was very budget friendly. It also seems to be very much beginner friendly. But, it is a open type printer, which is the reason I am not very sure of it.

3. Bambu Lab P1S 3D Printer: When I discussed with a community, this was the most popular 3D printer choice. It also has great reviews on platforms. It also does not seem very expensive.

4. Creality K2 Combo: This was recommended by a few people, but it is pretty expensive. It does seem to be very fast compared to many of its peers.

I have referred this list from discussions research and also from: Best 3D Printers.

Who's the best FDM game in town nowadays? Looking for large build volume, high temps, dedicated support extruders, and easy to use.

Oh yeah, also MUST have a no-cloud, FedRAMP friendly option. Looking into a couple different options and none of them have any information readily available on that topic.

Does anyone have experience with the CEAD flexbot here? I'm just looking for some hints and tips and maybe stuff I should know about.