Recent searches
Search options
Thinking about getting into #3dprinting. Kid has multiple friends who have some of various levels and quality and has been learning Blender and is excited by the idea. And PLA is compostable in Seattle which removes some of the waste concern. What nice but not super advanced printers do you like?
@ultranurd It's controversial and maybe 'advanced' but after years of smaller printers I so happy with the "it just works" of my bambu p1s. I don't even think about tuning/tweaking/settings at all. Just find or design things and send.
Richard Gunther 
@ultranurd If you want to go for the "just works" model, consider the Bambu Labs A1. Be aware of the open source community's angst, though, that it's limited in terms of 3rd party accessories and API access.
@richardgunther @ultranurd I second this. I have the A1 Mini and it’s excellent. A very good value intro to 3D printing for me.
@ultranurd The Bambu A1 has been getting great reviews and has an automatic 4-color spool switcher option; if I had room, I'd get one of those for sure.
@ultranurd If you want to get a quality device with great integration that's as simple as possible to use *and* from a trustworthy company, consider a (pre-assembled) Prusa. The Prusa Core is currently shipping, their Mini is super solid as well.
I know a lot of people recommend Bambu, but they're a company that *will* screw you over. They've already proven this more than once, and their business practices are actively screwing with others. Not to mention they're under chinese legislation…
@ultranurd Bambu’s machines are great and make 3d printing a tool rather than a hobby of tinkering. Their A1 and A1 mini are worth checking out since they’re entry level machines. The AMS is nifty for doing a single print in more than one color but be mindful of the extra material wasted by purging at every change. If you think you may want something nicer, check out their P1P and just want to note that the AMS between the A series and P series are different and incompatible. I love my X1C.
@ultranurd Are you sure PLA is compostable? I’d never heard of that so I checked, and the guidelines here just say “no plastic.” https://www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/SPU/Services/Recycling/WDIG/Sorting-Compost-Recycling-Garbage-English.pdf
@ultranurd @dwineman This is a myth proven wrong on many occasions, whoever works for Seattle screwed up big time here. The only truly compostable material we currently have is pure PHA. For PLA to properly degrade it requires either
- an industrial compost system that keeps it at ~60°C for 6 months
or
- to be shredded into fine particles or dust to maximize attack surface so it degrades in anything between 5 to 80 years (!).
PLA is indeed made of renewable resources. But it isn't compostable.
@ultranurd @dwineman There currently are attempts at introducing engineered enzymes into the filament to make it actually compostable, those are not market-ready yet though.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07709-1
Likewise there are PHA/PLA mixed filaments, however those only make sure the objects can degrade to dust that then biodegrades over many years to not hurt nature forever. You still don't want that in your compost.
@ultranurd @dwineman fiy, Seattle's website is supposedly about to change. Someone recently reached out to them about it. https://safereddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/ji8118/recycle_pla_in_seattle/m975ybv/?context=3#m975ybv
@Natanox @ultranurd Yeah, it looks like someone got “biodegradable” and “compostable” confused. Similar concepts, but not the same thing at all!
@ultranurd I would buy something cheap-ish but with auto-leveling+input shaping. Those features make printing much more pleasant and reliable, so you can give the hobby a fair shake. But not over-investing in case it doesn't take. Something like an Anycubic Kobra, Ender V3, or Bambu A1.
@ultranurd getting a Prusa kit will teach you both how a printer works and how to repair it. And it will work and be updated for years and years. You are paying a premium for Western wages, respecting your privacy, furthering open source, and for long term support; but if you can afford it, it's worth it IMO.
PLA for printing is not pure, so I am not convinced you can really compost it no matter what they say.
The investment in a upgradable unit (e.g. #prusa) can make sense.
Evite verndor lock-in (#opensource).
@ultranurd I would recommend a Prusa printer. You might be able to find a used one in good condition as well - a lot of people sold their MK3S/S+ when MK4 (and now Core One) came out.
With all their shenanigans, I wouldn’t get a Bamburgh Lab printer.
@Siff Shenanigans?
@ultranurd Here:
* https://hoosier.social/@NefariousAryq/113870007397982416
* https://hachyderm.io/@nemith/113873249300205435
* https://hachyderm.io/@nemith/113885119473495113
* https://universeodon.com/@ceeelow/113890130484670282
Also, they deleted posts from the sub-reddit of users complaining about the forced “security” firmware update. The “clarifications” were half-baked and do not instil any confidence that the next thing they’ll do will not be another attempt to lock users of their systems.