I want to get a 3D printer and am look at an Anycubic brand just not sure which one to get. I build modern armor and just want to be able to do odds and ends and i also have no experience using them and am hoping to not have to use cad. I want to buy the files and run the prints. Any and all advice is greatly welcomed.
In general, Anycubic, Phrozen, and Elegoo all make similar specc’d and capable printers. I haven’t used Phrozen, Elegoo or the rest at all; only Anycubic.
It all depends on your needs. Do you need a huge build volume? Do you only have a small workspace to put it in? Do you need extremely high resolution? Does high resolution not matter too much?
With Anycubic, I’d recommend from their Mono line, the Mono 4k, Mono X, or Mono X 6k. From their M3 line, the M3, M3 Plus, or M3 Premium. I wouldn’t recommend their Photon Ultra or D2. Too expensive for what it is and they offer less-than-2k resolution.
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my needs are I want to print for myself to start and maybe in the future for a little side hustle, I have a flexibility in my workspace. now when it comes to resolution, I would like to be able to print at the level of a good set of resin tires with identifiable tires that you can order from any of the resin companies.
Before investing, do yourself a favor and review some of the many videos on the subject. Whether you print your own designs ( which I do) or print designs by others, 3D printing is not model building as we know it. It is an entirely new and alien technology. The more you can tach yourself before buying, the sooner you’ll be successful when you have the machine.
Most of the 3rd generation machines are capable of very fine work. And print problems are less the fault of the machine than something we do. If the build plate and machines are level, and plate’s surface is sufficiently clean and slightly roughed up, the machine will print exactly what you tell it to do.
The steep learning curve is knowing how to analyze the part to correctly situate it on the machine so it can print completely. The art of placing parts and supports therefore should the focus of your research.
Remember too that you need more than a printer. Parts must be washed in isopropyl alcohol to remove the coating of uncured resin. I use two baths for this (dirty and less-dirty), and ultrasonic cleaning for 15 minutes. Then the parts need post curing in UV light to harden the parts to usable consistency. I made my own hardening chamber out of a foil-lined box and Amazon UV light array. The ultrasonic cleaner is also from Amazon for less than $100USD.
There are cleaning stations available from the printer makers that combine alcohol wash and UV curing, but omit the ultrasonic. I can’t attest to their performance, but I believe how I do it is more thorough and less capital intensive.
I have two technical papers I wrote on the subject that I can send you off line, if you’re interested.
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Great information there is a lot too this I’m just starting to think that spending all of my money on others prints. I think i have spent a prints worth of money on upgrade/conversion kits. I just want to be able to look at a kit and say to myself I don’t like those tires find a file throw it in the printer and have it done.
Michael,
I highly recommend Elegoo Mars 3 Pro (~$230 on eBay). It’s affordable and easy to set up. I use Mars 3 for my prints, and they have turned out very nicely. If you want a bigger volume and better details, Elegoo’s Saturn 8K is way to go. PM me if you want more tips and tricks.
Kind regards,
James
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James thank you for the help I’m, looking into the company now.
with the elegoo brand and what i want to print how big of a print surface do you think i need to look at
Mike,
Here’s the dimension of Mars 3 Pro: 143.43×89.6×175mm³ /5.647×3.52×6.8 in³.
I find mine sufficient for printing wheels, tires, and accessories for 1/35 scale kits. Of course you can always go bigger.
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no I’m good I just want to do parts not full kits.
More about Elegoo. I have the Mars 3 Pro also. It does beautiful work with a pretty decent sized platen. Elegoo’s a good company to work with. After doing an upgrade to the firmware, I did something funny and suddenly the printer died. It gave three loud beeps and then went black. After a number of eMails back and forth they decided to send me a new motherboard and LCD touch screen. I did all the installation based on videos they linked to me. It now works great! But, the real story is that they sent me these two components free of charge and I was 4 months out of warranty. No argument. They just did it.
Another point: The Mars 3 is the biggest machine that my ultrasonic cleaner can handle. It’s also the biggest I can handle with my two (Tupperware) alcohol wash basins. So if you go to the Saturn or Jupiter size, all the support equipment needs to be larger too. They consume more wash alcohol and resin too. Pick a size that does what you need and don’t go bigger until you know what you’re doing.
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