Hi, all. So my first ever 3D printer is on its way to me. I went with an Elegoo Centauri Carbon, partially for the option of using OpenCentauri firmware. I have been looking at various models on printables.com and Thingiverse, getting excited for the possibilities. I would just like to ask if there are any big pitfalls I should look out for as I’m starting my 3D printing adventure. What mistakes did you make when you were just starting out? What resources do you wish you were aware of earlier? What general advice can you give me?

Thanks in advance, and have a lovely day.

  • IMALlama@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    4 days ago

    Late to the party, but to add on:

    • the glamor shots of finished prints that you’ll see in photos and videos are super misleading. Shine a harsh light at most prints at a steep angle and you’ll see a fairly rough exterior finish in the z-axis
    • Ellis’s tuning guide is a good thing to run through. It’s pretty straightforward and will give you a feel for what to tweak and when to tweak it
    • I’ve been printing for something like 8-10 years and have never bothered with a filament dryer. I tend to buy 3 kg spools and some of them sit open for quite some time as I work through them. They live in my basement, which does have a dehumidifier in it but is usually around 55% humidity
    • keep in mind that FDM printers are basically a CNC hot glue gun and keep your expectations in line
    • 45° print orientation can be a cheat code if you have crazy overhangs
    • watch the first layer. If you get a good first layer odds are your print will be fine
    • different filaments have different physical properties and will print differently. This is true across polymers (ie PLA, PETG, ASA, ABS, TPU, etc), but can also be true across brands, colors, and blends (PLA vs PLA+, etc)
    • don’t get hung up on things like acceleration or velocity. Speed is all about flow and the best way to bump that up is bigger nozzles, thicker layers, and wider extrusions

    For real advice: get a pair of calipers and print some radius gauges. Then jump into CAD, even if it means learning it. The real magic of 3D printing is in making custom designs. I’m personally a huge fan of functional prints. Once you start seeing opportunities to print replacement parts, make jigs and fixtures, and make your own designs for things you’ll find tons of opportunities.