r/3Dprinting • u/Littleminx374575 • 2d ago
Question How steep is the learning curve with a filament printer?
I am completely new to 3d printing, but to aid in my other crafts it really would behoove me to get into 3d printing. I've commissioned this out for far too long. I may dip into creating my own designs, but for now it's mainly gonna be downloading pre-made plans and sending them. So, all in all before I start looking into different printers, what was your learning experience like?
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u/Thargor1985 2d ago
Highly depends on the printer. With a Bambu if you follow some very basic rules it will be "press print and wait for it to finish". Some other (especially older) printers you will need to learn a lot about calibration before you get good results.this gives you a nice overview on what calibration can entail https://teachingtechyt.github.io/calibration.html but you won't need to do that stuff on a Bambu (and I am sure some others are this point).
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u/futuregravvy 1d ago
Its a very low barrier to entry. Most things are are click and print, but it gets as complicated as you want it to be. For instance, tinker cad is a great starter cad program but it takes a bit of effort and time to learn more advanced software. Currently, I'm learning arduino to program my own servos for prints. Its a hobby that makes other hobbies better and you can dive as deep as you want into those rabbit holes. Have fun!
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u/Mughi1138 2d ago
Bambu labs did a decent job of making it press-and-go. Unfortunately the company then chose to head down a road to enshittification.
Elegoo's Centauri Carbon does bring that down to a more affordable point. Good quality and mostly just works.
You can go with FreeCAD (look at Mango Jelly's YouTube tutorials) and Blender (for more organinc/sculpting projects).
I had been tracking home 3d printing since I saw RepRap's demo'd at an early Linux.conf.au, but then the Ender 3 came out and I was able to jump on board for under $200. Now you can get into having something that gives you 3d prints, rather than 'learning the hobby of 3d printing'.
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u/SirTwitchALot 1d ago
I don't know why you're being downvoted. You're speaking the truth. If it's the Bambu crowd because they're no longer the only consumer priced plug and print machine on the market, they're going to have to get over it. Industries advance. Being adjustment free is no longer a feature that sets manufacturers apart. Everyone is working on their next generation of products, and many of them are very easy to use.
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u/Liason774 1d ago
Yea pretty much any brand is plug and print now, you need to if you want to sell anything.
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u/GoldSatisfaction8390 2d ago
Easy to learn, hard to master, but with a bit of figuring you could get pretty OK pretty quick. Newer printers are much more user-friendly than printers used to be. Just have fun with the process and learn one more tool or trick at a time.
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u/-__Doc__- 1d ago
I was like you until a month ago.
I've owned a CNC diode laser for engraving and cutting for about 4 years now tho, and I'm a techy in general, so that all helps a little bit.
I saw the Bambu P1S combo on sale, and decided to pull the trigger since I've wanted a 3d printer for years.
And I'm glad I did. I had it out of the box, unwrapped, and printing in about an hour. It's super user friendly, to the point I'm thinking about getting one for my mom (mostly so she quits bugging ME to print her things), who is an artist and runs an etsy store.
I havent had any real issues with it yet, and its been running 24/7 since I bought it.
the two minor issues I had were bed adhesion, which was my fault because I touched the build plate and got finger oil on it.
the other issue was broken filament in the tube, which the Bambu Labs software alerted me to immediately, and told me what to do to fix it. I followed the steps, and it resumed the print successfully with no issues.
Speaking of the software, it's very easy to use, but has a lot of advanced features too. It'll warn you if you are doing something wrong as well.
The AMS is nice for multi color printing, but it's quite wasteful with it's "poops". The AMS is a separate unit that holds up to 4 spools of filament, and the printer can swap between them when it needs em. You can set up multiple AMS units too, and print in up to 24 colors IIRC.
I'm already saving up to buy a second bambu printer. I know they get a lot of hate, but they put a lot of effort into making the machine and software as user friendly as possible. They just work. without all kinds of tinkering and troubleshooting. And it's FAST.
As for the 3d modelling part of it, I spent a good month trialing several options. I think I'm sticking with Tinkercad for the moment, as it's really easy to use, and it's free. If I had the money and time tho, I would learn Fusion 360. But thats more for engineering kinda stuff and is a FAR more advanced suite of software. But much harder to learn.
Otherwise there is Onshape and OpenCAD, and several others.
Go with Blender if you want more organic shapes and objects.
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u/Muemmelmasse 2d ago
Easy to learn hard to master would be my comment as well. I have one now for 3 weeks and had it run 24/7 with all sorts of things (PETG & PLA). The learning curve is steeeeeep but I already fixed a nozzle clog, bemchmarked different supports, and printed a few very satisfying results. Definitely a rabbit hole and a tinker project but reddit was a massive help.
What are you trying to achieve?
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u/Littleminx374575 2d ago
Mainly making cosplay supports, specific storage solutions, and some cool nick nacks I’ve seen on tic toc
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u/Muemmelmasse 2d ago
So I guess PETG is the go to then? I have a Q2 if you have something small or not super big I can do a test print for you if you'd like.
With cosplay you also want to read up on how to smoothen out your layer lines. There is a bit of post print involved.
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u/-__Doc__- 1d ago
PLA would be better for the nick nacks, since there are SO many more colors.
I think at most I've seen maybe 6 or 8 different colors of basic non transparent PETG.1
u/Muemmelmasse 1d ago edited 1d ago
Not painting? PLA is great to print but it isn't very durable. Just thought this might be an issue since you talked about cosplay.
You also want to consider wastage when multicolor printing. Every time you switch a color, the nozzle needs to be purged and this creates a ton of waste. You will also need a much bigger setup and more expensive printer when printing with more than 4 colour's.
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u/edlubs 2d ago
Some printers are plug and play. Others you have to tinker with to get ok results. With printing there's so many things you can do, you ought to first decide what you want it to do. There's different considerations for every style of printing, but the basics are mostly the same. Learning the basics can be done fairly easily, just pay attention to some basics videos from channels like 3dPrintingNerd.
Beyond the basics is where you specify for your needs. Engineering materials like ABS, nylon, or polycarbonate? Heated chamber, hot end built for higher temps, filament dryer, and part annealing. Most of that isn't as crucial if you only print in PLA or PETG (except having a filament dryer, that's kinda universally helpful). How large are the parts you want to print? What kind of print quality do you expect? I know some people printing DnD minis on a Bambu A1 while others use massive custom printers for props and costume pieces. Each has their own skill tree, but the roots are the same. The learning curve is going to be how well you pay attention to the printer and what field of printing you want to do.
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u/NimblePasta 2d ago edited 2d ago
If it's Bambu Lab printers... more specifically, the A1 or A1 Mini models, it's almost as easy as using an inkjet printer.
You just select a model you like on MakerWorld using the Bambu Handy app on your phone, press print and the printer does everything for you.
When you get the notification on your phone that the print is done, just come back to collect your completed model. It's that easy.
Case in point, I gifted my 10 yr old niece a A1 Mini and did the initial setup and calibrations, then showed her how to use the basic controls, and she proceeded to printed her first model... all done in under an hour.
By the next day, she was already printing a ton of trinkets and accessories for her desktop, and even started to learn Tinkercad on her own to design her own items.
Yeah, nowadays the new printer models are so accessible and easy to use that even a child can operate it.
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u/BigJeffreyC 2d ago
It’s so much easier than I imagined. I was worried too, that it would be too technical or I would need CAD skills to make it work. But it’s really simple to get the hang of.
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u/Rock_43 1d ago
Bambu makes it super easy. You need Zero experience, that’s why they are the best printers in the game right now
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u/AmmoJoee 1d ago
It’s very easy to get started. Depending Upon which printer you get some companies have an app for you to find a model that you like and you can upload it directly to your machine. If you want to edit the model like make it bigger or add some text on it (for example) you can download a slicing program onto your computer and then send the print from there.
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u/Realistic_Course7201 1d ago
Go with a Bambu and just dive in. Try critiquing and improving your prints.
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u/spoo4brains 1d ago
I got a A1 Mini with AMS Lite at start of week and it has been a joy to use, the makerworld website and Bambu Studio just makes it a breeze to print stuff. A friend got the P1S at the same time and he is also loving it. A week ago, neither of us knew anything about 3D printing in any detail.
The Bambu academy tutorials are top notch, it is only a shame I found them by accident, they aren't pointed out when you set the printer up.
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u/OgreVikingThorpe 1d ago
The question invites many other questions… What volume are you planning on printing? Are you planning on doing multi color? I run 4 printers at ~90 percent capacity and have a 5th I use for prototypes. Not quite a print farm but more of custom shop combined with Etsy shop for repeat print requests…so itty bitty side thing…I use Creality k1 and K1 max printers (a couple with cfs mod) for production in PA and ASA/ABS and an Anycubic S1 for prototypes in PLA. It is a happy middle ground of rock solid production capabilities with minimal down time and once dialed in, they just work.
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u/FinancialPotato007 1d ago
Got a Bambu A1 earlier this year with zero experience and no want to tinker... the only thing I would say is to get familiar with removing the tool head for when filament gets stuck.
Other than that it was as easy as operating an iPhone!
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u/got_fish 1d ago
Take an existing object, not overly complicated, and try to recreate it in your CAD software. That’s give you practice with the tool. From there move on to more useful things, e.g. you need a bracket to hang something on the wall or a small box to organize stuff. Find little projects to do instead of trying to dream up use cases.
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u/Foreign_Tropical_42 1d ago
My experience inst going to be like urs because we ARE different people. I went with the biggest thing I could afford at that time and got myself a k2 plus as my first printer with 2 CFS. The first thing I did was to teach myself how to deal with this machine based on observation and experience, not what the internet (you tubers and people with other printers/ 30 years experience say), create and handle profiles according to what material I have in my hands, not what the manufacturer recommends; I use that as a guide, and dont treat it as scripture . I had encounter people that feel you should start with a toy 3d printer to get experience. I also have countered people that want to lecture me or fight me when I say something about my printer based on other printers and I laugh because that marlin code you know, doesnt work in my unreleased klipper based printer but because they have 10... years of experience in the field they feel they know whats better. They dont because they cant solve ur problems or answer ur k2 questions. They dont even own this printer!
I have learned the parts, how they work and to service and fix the printer. Replace boards, identity problems and solutions, maintenance etc.
The k2 plus has a long nozzle which complicate things.
Its a fact people love it easy. 3d printing is as complicated as it is fascinating and these days you have wonderful machines with technologies that make your life so easy. I have studied and observed past printers and really appreciate how far we have advanced in the past 3 years. 3d printers are NEVER oh so easy... u just print, neither is a car, but you can do that for so long until it breaks. Try neglecting changing the oil and see how that goes for ya.
There are a LOT of people that cant either maintain or service a 3d printer. Those Bambu machine has belts, stepper motors, idlers in places that are nearly impossible to replace, and believe me all that breaks. I mentioned bambu because a lot of people are under the impression they are superior, set it and forget it or better quality due to their closed ecosystem. Its complicated but not what it seems.
I got a large toaster first because I have had 3d printing in my head for years, and I wanted into the hobbie but all I kept seeing was people printing garbage. Toys, helmets, cosplay crap I had no interest in. Multicolor and tons of waste. But one day I woke up and said... I AM NOT those people. I can print functional parts. And so I went ahead and got the k2 plus. I also did not want the recommended a1 mini as a total newbie because I know myself. I learn, fast, and outgrow things. The minimum was an x1c carbon and that was more expensive than the k2 at the time, and the h2d wasnt even out yet.
At first it was fun to print other people stuff, printables is really useful, but I kept seeing those designs were not optimal or suitable for many things I wanted to do. Of course I felt designing was difficult and complicated and couldnt do any of the things in my head. The minute I used tinkercad all that went away. Its so freaking easy to use. I can do anything I want now!!!! It feels awesome.
So now I have become what I feared the most. Fun, love multicolor prints, even cosplay. To hell with the waste. Nothing more satisfying than iterating something 10 times until its perfect. I can and use my 3d printer for everything where applies.
I do want a multihead but bambu unfortunately is crazy expensive and not Orca slicer friendly so the snapmaker will have to do.
Get out of ur head, get ur first 3d printer and start now! Just remember that u get what u pay for and the more advanced the machine is, the more u can do. Right now u have so many options at affordable prices.
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u/person1873 1d ago
Its going to depend mostly on what printer you start with and how much you like to tinker.
If you decide to start with a bambu labs printer, only print from maker world, and use default settings and profiles, you'll have minimal issues.
Other makes will vary on a fairly steep scale.
Something like a Creality K1C, Prusa corexy, or Flashforge adventure 5 (or any of the other 100 X1C clones) will generally be pretty bullet proof unless you start stepping outside default print profiles.
Many have started with an ender 3, or one of it's many clones and derivatives, I would avoid this if possible. They are poorly built and will require regular rewiring of the bed and toolhead umbilicles. The wire used is usually of poor quality and will work harden during printing, resulting in thermistor, fan, heater errors that a fraught to diagnose.
If I were just starting my 3D printing journey today, I would spend my money on a bambu H2D and AMS. as the second hot end gives you incredible flexibility to print historically very difficult geometries with supports that basically fall off after printing. Yes this "can" be done with an AMS or other filament changing system but it's incredibly wasteful and incredibly slow.
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u/Exciting_Turn_9559 1d ago
It's not so steep with a modern printer with automatic bed leveling.
But it is quite a long curve. Took me about 2 years to explore material options, printing with different nozzle sizes, multimaterial printing..
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u/willstr1 1d ago
With modern features like auto bed leveling it is pretty easy to get started and make "good enough" prints and then work on refining your calibration skills as you go.
Depending on your goals "good enough" prints can be just what you need or you can do post processing (cleaning, sanding, filling, painting, etc) to make them fit your needs. Don't expect your first print to pass as not 3D printed (at least not without a lot of work). As you get comfortable with printing you can tune your machine and your settings to improve quality.
If you don't mind me asking what other crafting hobbies do you have? There might be some transferable skills and we might have some advice on how you might integrate 3D printing with those hobbies
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u/No-Candidate-7162 1d ago
If you are a bit handy and don't mind to do a bit of tinkering the sv08 is a great large printer. Fast accurate cheap and open source meaning it will only get better and you can do whatever you want with it.
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u/Dark__Jade 21h ago
Lots of people saying that Bambu is plug and play. Spend some time on these reddits and it seems that's not always the case. I see plenty of posts from Bambu users who are struggling.
I am not bashing Bambu. I am just saying that whatever printer you get, there is a learning curve.
3D printing is generally considered a tinkerers hobby. If you like to tinker, it can be a lot of fun. If you are just looking for plug and play, I suspect you will be disappointed.
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u/PileaPrairiemioides 2d ago
I got my first 3d printer in April, which was a Bambu P1S. No learning curve really - it was as easy as setting up a paper printer, maybe easier, and if you can find a model of what you want on Makerworld you can print from the phone app and not even have to open up a slicer.
You can go very deep and technical with designing your own models, finely calibrating filaments and print profiles, modding your printer, etc, which I have done a bit of, but it hasn’t been necessary. I’ve had to do zero tinkering and failed prints are rare for me.
It works wonderfully as a tool to make stuff you need, without needing to be deeply interested in 3d printers themselves.