Considering a 3D printer

I bought a Taz 6, and I have been very pleased with it. It’s not without a little tinkering, but it does a reliable job and prints very nicely. I probably should have gone with something less expensive, but I wanted to minimize the hassle and print bigly. :blush:

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One thing to be very careful with for all 3D printer kits, especially the clones, is to never leave them unattended and to always put a smoke detector in close proximity. While the makers of the clone units do well to keep the price down, that comes at a cost and all too often that cost comes out in less than optimal electronic components. When you get into the higher price ranges the printers are often protected against electronic failure, but even the best printers can have problems and you don’t want to have something at 250 degrees C have a problem without being around it stop it.

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My daughter mentioned that the Prusa states it can different filaments but noticed that it heated up too much unless you upgrade the mainboard. They can only safely use the abs. I’m wondering if they got the older model since the website states all new updated board…

edit she told me backwards…they can use the PLA easily but it heats up too much for the ABS which I now understand needs higher temps.

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That seems odd, since ABS needs more heat at the hot end and on the bed than most other filaments. (Although maybe they just run flat out, and switching on and off to modulate temp would be the problem.) PLA doesn’t even necessarily require a heated bed.

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What an awesome family!!!

And as @Jules recommended, try PLA Pro

Also I’ve read that for better results ABS must be printed in an enclosed area.

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I actually thought about making a plexiglass enclosure around the printer if I keep it at the house as opposed to the office. I’ve got one cat, that I have no doubt, would mess with it…lol

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Interestingly, our cats don’t seem to be the least bit interested in the printer when it is running. Don’t seem to pay attention to it at all.

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My other two wouldn’t care but Mr. Waffle is a brat…he’s the one constantly in the xmas tree and does parkour around the house like the floor is lava. and will knock over any cup with water or other liquids… :scream::cat:

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There are enough good ones out there that Make has a print off every year.

Don’t go super cheap looking to just try, on the other hand, you don’t need every bell and whistle either.

I ended up going with the Lulzbot mini and love it. After a year and a half, I am considering selling it and getting the taz 6 so I can do dual heads.

Matter of fact, check out the mini and if that is something you’d want to start with, message me.

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Also recommending Lulzbot here. I have a mini and it it worked straight out of the box and has kept on working reliably. We also have a bunch of Lulzbot printers in the maker space at work because we wanted reliability and low maintenance overhead.

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Small ABS parts can be printed without an enclosure, but most ABS filament smells bad, so you might want an enclosure anyway. I use a type that is white when natural, rather than cream, and it doesn’t smell much.

With a heated enclosure then the hotter it is the bigger objects you can print without warping. I run mine at 45C and can print medium size parts. To print arbitrarily large parts you need a chamber at about 85C but that is too hot for my current machines.

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Oh, and another thing to be aware or depending on the kind of filament and a bunch of other factors: you may set off a nearby smoke detector. (FWIW, when I’m doing ABS I have a househould HEPA box sitting right behind the machine. Helps a fair amount.)

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If I was getting a filament printer, my research has me interested in Lulzbot. But as much as I want one I have decided to wait for resin printers to become more affordable.

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Interesting. I have one near my machines and it has never gone off. Perhaps it depends on the type of ABS.

Or the machine’s enclosure. My Makerbots really don’t have a fume/odor problem. I do almost all my work in ABS (not supplied by MB though).

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I haven’t done extensive testing since I initially encountered the problem with my makerbot cupcake (Which tells you the vintage of the ABS and the quality of the printer nozzle). Also, the detector was almost directly above the machine…

Glad to hear it’s not a problem for others.

I have the taz 5, and I envy the taz 6 auto level feature…

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That was a reminder to me to check the batteries in my smoke detectors. Hadn’t looked at them for a while.

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I print almost exclusively in ABS and never set off the smoke detector that is 4 feet away from it.
I would echo that open printers like this may have some issues with warping and delamination. When printing objects in ABS a breeze can cause cooling issues on the part. I have a partially enclosed printer, and I can see in the print striations when the heat in the room kicked on, or even when I open the door to the room.

The other issue I have heard with this printer configuration is printing tall skinny objects. Since the platform jogs in and out at a rapid speed, it can shake parts off the platform at the base.

3d printing is a learning experience, You need to create and print designs that exploit the strengths of your printer/material and minimize the weaknesses.

For the price it looks like a great learning printer. Since you will be assembling it, you will understand how it works better. I know the first time I opened my print head to clear a jam I was overly nervous. It turns out to be very simple! There is no sorcery in these devices, simple motors and belts and cables for the most part!

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