The switch box is done, however, in my haste to get the 6hr print started, I skipped modeling the shunt bolts and have some interference between the gauge and the shunt bolt/nut. It's not a big problem as I do not need to use the big bolts for the power wires at 40A max load potential.

*Edit* All wired up and operational!

 

Looks good! I think I personally enjoy the 3D modeling part on the computer as much as printing a final product that I can hold in my hand :P

I'm working out some quality issues on mine right now, cleared some up by adjusting some belt tension, but I think I need to play with my extrusion multiplier some. Don't want to get too crazy with the settings because I just order some PTEG to use and I know I'll have to readjust all the settings for it...

Only reason I order some PETG is because I got an "order" for some of the nebulizer cup holders I posted pictures of earlier :P wanted to make them out of something a little more durable than PLA

 

So I'm looking at getting either the tevo tarantula like swartikk's, or a reprap printer. I'm leaning towards the tevo because of the larger printing area.

What are my options for 3d modeling programs to design in? I know swartikk's said he's using fusion 360, but it looks like you have to pay 25$monthly to use that. Are there any cheaper options?(even if it's a more expensive one time payment)

 

I've been using 123D Design. I think Autodesk has discontinued it, but you should still be able to find it online somewhere. It's basically a dumbed down version of Fusion with less tools, but for the basic designs I've done it works great. After a little learning curve it's pretty fluid to use. And it's free

I've started printing with PETG, and OMG such a better material than PLA, and I'm using cheap eSun brand off eBay... Have to print MUCH hotter than PLA (80 on the bed and 250 on the hot end) but it prints so much smoother, has a little higher heat rating so I may be able to make some interesting interior stuff and the end part has some flex/give to it unlike PLA which just snaps... No stink like I've heard ABS has, but I have yet to try ABS either.

 

Thanks blazenred! I looked into it, and you were right-hand 123d design was discontinued, but I was a letter to find a couple other similar programs for free.

I'm gonna be ordering the tevo on Friday, I'm pretty excited!

So should I probably start out with PETG and skip over PLA? I was figuring most stuff I'd be building I'd use ABS.. probably mainly interior parts for cars and boats. But if the PETG holds up well that sounds like a good option too.

 

PLA is a good starter material to get the machine in working order, work out bugs, and just tune and calibrate the printer. Usually when you order the printer it'll come with a roll of PLA to get you started. However it's uses are fairly limited because of it's brittle nature (typically a PLA print will snap instead of flexing) and it's lower temp handling capabilities (gets soft and deforms at a pretty low temperature). It's great for prototyping or first prints of a something you're designing, nick-nacks around the house, there's certainly several things you could make that would be useful with PLA in some cases.

If you want to make something that's going to actually be taking some strain or a little bit of heat, PETG would be the next step IMO. Will hold up to higher heats before softening up so it should be able to be easily used and left in a vehicle (although I haven't tested that out yet), the finished product is strong but has some give/flex and will definitely deflect and bend before breaking. It's just as forgiving as PLA to print with once you get the heat settings dialed in.

Next step up would be ABS, which I haven't even ordered any to try and use yet. It's harder to print with, but will lend you the stronger and higher temp resistant end product.

There's a LOT more filament than PLA, PETG, and ABS of course; I'd love to try my hands at playing with some flexible filament (end printed product is like a rubber instead of a ridged plastic).

Would I have known about PETG when I ordered my printer, I would have ordered some PETG rolls from the start and probably not ordered so much PLA lol, I have like 6 different color rolls of PLA now that are going to sit around now since I discovered PETG... but I'm sure I'll find uses for it lol at least the PLA is cheap, I bought the rolls I have off eBay for like $15 a roll shipped here in the US, which is another reason why it's a good starter filament; it's price, so it's not a huge waste when a print fails.

Print fails ARE going to happen, you just can't get discouraged when it does... I left a cell phone case printing on PETG the other night for the wife, like a 3 hour print, only to find a rat's nest of filament the next morning because my nozzle clogged up and my extruder just kept pushing filament in (or rather trying to...), and that was using one of the $30 rolls of PETG. It's annoying, but it happens. It was a 2 minute fix and the machine is back to printing.

 

For a student or hobbyist, Fusion 360 is free. The license for a hobbyist is only 1 year, but from what I understand it is renewable. It is an easy enough program to use.

I spent 10 years designing parts using Pro/ENGINEER (now PTC Creo) and have used Unigraphics, Solidworks, AutoCAD, and a few other CAD programs over the last 20 years so it is a departure from a industry grade software package, but gets the job done.

I chose to purchase the Tevo on a friends recommendation. I didn't put a lot of research into it and wish that I did. There are some compromises for the price point, but this printer is capable of some amazing prints. It is insane to think that a $200 printer with ~$150 worth of upgrades is capable of 0.01mm accuracy.

Regardless of what you buy, get the largest build platform you can afford. That is the one area that can get expensive to change later. Z height is easy enough to increase using some longer rails/leadscrews, but X/Y will be a full on rebuild of your printer with many new parts to increase them.

 

I used AutoCAD in a drafting class in HS and tried using it for my 3D printing designs, but for the simple things I've designed, it's just too complex and has too many options, so a more simple design program was a welcome change. I have yet to play with Fusion, but it's certainly something I've considered.


Great point on the build size, that was one of the things that made me choose the printer I did, the 200x200x200 build area, a little more than most others in it's price point.


The only money I've spent on the printer after the purchase was spare parts; stepper motor drives, nozzles, some T nuts for mounting accessories/add-ons to the frame, but the upgrades I've done to it have all been printed off (anti-wobble frame brackets, electronics mounting, spool holder, etc).

 

Just a quick update on some of the prints I have done to date. This thing is nuts when dialed in! Filament variations cause most of my frustrations, but I'm getting better at calibration when changing between brands or even different spools from the same vendor.

I am also finding that slicers make a big difference in print quality. I had been getting great prints out of Cura until the last update. I have "tried" Simplify3d and am impressed with the quality of the prints, but it took a lot of messing around to get them where they are and am not sold on the cost of S3D yet. I'm going to be trying out Slic3r here shortly.

First up is all of the calibration cubes (tevo branded) I created while dialing in a new material/vendor. These are printed in eSun PETG black filament. That stuff is strong as all hell, but is finicky to get printing right. Variations in filament diameter can cause major stringing during a print which can be a hassle. In the background is a 50mm cube (250% scale of the 20mm cube) just to see how it would turn out. I printed my layer cooling fan that can be seen in that picture out of this material as well.

The next three images are of a fun test of printer calibration. This piece is an Iris box that is printed as an assembly. There are 7 separate parts (in the end) that are all printed together. There were some under extrusion issues on one of the inner doors that caused part of the door to break loose making it close properly, but not open properly.

Some ninja starts for my wife.

A flying helicopter-esque toy for my son. This was sliced in Cura and came out considerably worse than anything I have printed with Simplify3d.

Last is a fleet of gliders for my boys to play with. Surprisingly enough, these things are fun as all hell for adults as well. My brother and I were messing with a few of them this past Saturday and were getting them to go about 100ft away from us and 60ft up before they'd stall out, flip over, and come almost right back to us.

 

Very cool!

My headache with the eSun PETG at this moment is random nozzle clogs... Lowering print speed seems to help tremendously though, just makes a print take FOREVER...

I haven't printed anything new and exciting recently, been working on churning out an order of nebulizer cup holders my wife got sold.

Going to have to buy a second machine just to print things out I want to :P