3d printers offer us the ability to solve everyday problems quickly and for cheap.
There are a few things to consider when purchasing a 3d printer. For most of us, I think the Ender 3 from Creality is going to be the way to go. It’s cheap and pretty much the honda civic of 3d printers. There are endless tutorials and upgrades out there to get this thing up and running. Ender 3 V2
You want to upgrade your bed springs first. This is crucial, the stock spring suck. New Springs
Next install the bed level sensor. The CR touch will probe your bed at 9 different points right before the print begins to make sure your 3d printer will compensate for any off-level spots. CR Touch
Find out what kind of plastic you need . Most things we are doing will work well with PETG. If you’re just doing models and toys PLA+ works great. I always get the brand name overture filament, it seems to be consistent. Filament
The software included with the ender is oversimplified. Head over to Ultimaker website and download the Cura slicer
Now you should be ready to print! thingiverse is one of many places to find free designs. McMaster-Carr also has a lot of free files available that can save you in a pinch.
There are a few extra challenges with the higher temp polymers. With some, like nylon, at least a hardened steel nozzle is recommended but brass nozzles are cheap so thats not too big a deal. Also some are very hydroscopic, again such as nylon, so you need to print out of a desiccant box. Lastly with the hot bed up to 100C, nozzle at ~280C, and the room at ~25C warping becomes a big issue and having an enclosure maybe with a heater is almost necessary. Even is you don’t have a Prusa printer their website has tons of great information that applies to most FDM printers such as troubleshooting, settings, etc.
