Author Topic: Any thoughts on the Ender 3 I just got as a gift?  (Read 2351 times)

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wm3798

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Any thoughts on the Ender 3 I just got as a gift?
« on: April 19, 2020, 12:55:55 PM »
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So now I have a 3D printer.  It came from my brother in law the dentist, not a high end machine, and I haven't seen the brand mentioned here, but I'm looking forward to messing with it..
It's an Ender-3.
Doesn't look to be as fancy as a Photon, but I'm wondering if Anyone has any tips, opinions, or critiques as I wade into this new frontier...
Rockin' It Old School

Lee Weldon www.wmrywesternlines.net

Mark W

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Re: Any thoughts on the Ender 3 I just got as a gift?
« Reply #1 on: April 19, 2020, 01:29:39 PM »
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Nice budget machine, but expect to have to tinker with it from time to time.

It's an FDM machine, so you're not going to get micro detail parts like the photon.  Instead, you can get functional build parts, possibly some N scale buildings.

Good youtube channels for your new hobby are:
Makers Muse
Thomas Sanladerer
3d Printing Nerd

Contact me about custom model building.
Learn more about Free-moNebraska.
Learn more about HOn3-mo.

wm3798

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Re: Any thoughts on the Ender 3 I just got as a gift?
« Reply #2 on: April 19, 2020, 04:28:59 PM »
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Main thing I would do is structures, since that's what I do.
I'm hoping to do print outs of projects I design.
It'll be cool to give to clients like a Christmas ornament or something.
And I can scale it to 1:160 to use on my layout.
Probably won't be selling off my Xacto knife just yet, but I'm looking forward to experimenting with it.
Lee
Rockin' It Old School

Lee Weldon www.wmrywesternlines.net

Point353

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Re: Any thoughts on the Ender 3 I just got as a gift?
« Reply #3 on: April 19, 2020, 05:02:59 PM »
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Main thing I would do is structures, since that's what I do.
How soon before you attempt to 3D print gears?

AlwaysSolutions

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Re: Any thoughts on the Ender 3 I just got as a gift?
« Reply #4 on: April 19, 2020, 05:45:40 PM »
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I have one of these - it's a really nice printer.  I used to print with the "Ender 3" of its day, a PrintrBot Simple Metal, and it was nice but it had a damn huge tinker factor.  And it had more bells and whistles than an Ender 3!!  (auto bed-leveling, direct drive)  And by tinker, I mean you had to fiddle around with slicer settings, bed temp, nozzle temp, feed rates, travel rates and on and on - for some reason it seemed like just about every print job needed a good fiddle if you wanted it to come out nice.  But the Ender 3 compared to that Simple Metal is a DREAM.  The default settings that come with Cura (your slicing software) work really well.  I use the glass bed for printing because it has really good adhesion and is flat - critical to getting your first layer to print perfectly.  It's all about that first layer - no matter what your printer is.  If your first layer prints as it should, for the most part the rest of your printing will be fine.

Couple things to get right with your Ender 3 that I learned from a buddy of mine that got his the same time as I got mine but had problems - he had no prior experience so didn't know what to check for.  When setting up your Ender, make sure your belt tensions are stiff enough.  The Y axis on the base comes pre-tensioned so that should give you an idea of what you're going for on that gantry belt for the x axis.  A loose belt will result in crappy prints.  2nd thing, make sure your PTFE tube is properly inserted all the way and secured and locked-in properly.  That ensures that your filament will feed and retract properly - critical to good prints.  And the last one is just common sense but make sure all your cables and such aren't bound up and weird.  I had to dismantle the gantry and do it over because I didn't realize the cord was twisted until after I had it assembled.  You don't want things like that working against the print head as it's trying to work.

The Ender 3 right now is the most popular budget printer at this time - so that means TONS of support out there on the interwebtubes.  I like that you can upgrade it, too.  So if you decide it's too noisy there are ways to silence it.  If you want to add auto-bed levelling, you can do that (but get the thing printing first before attempting that because it's a process)  If you want to upgrade to a 32 bit motherboard, no problem.  And each upgrade is affordable.  Anyway the point is it's a nice printer for the price and easy enough to work with for beginners.  Feel free to hit me up with any questions or if you have problems with it.

Mike

wm3798

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Re: Any thoughts on the Ender 3 I just got as a gift?
« Reply #5 on: April 26, 2020, 02:42:03 PM »
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Thanks, guys!  I'm looking forward to having time to fool with it!
Lee
Rockin' It Old School

Lee Weldon www.wmrywesternlines.net

bbunge

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Re: Any thoughts on the Ender 3 I just got as a gift?
« Reply #6 on: April 28, 2020, 04:15:31 PM »
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I've had a blast playing with my Ender3 over the past one and half years.  As others have said, it is a tinker's machine.  The stock bed sheet worked for me for a while, but I finally picked up a glass bed and have not looked back... along with some hair spray. 

Ender 3 printed thingiverse hopper cars:


Ender 3 printed thingiverse flat cars with printed Tanks:


Ender 3 printed four truck well deck car with printed load:


Bob