3d printer advice

[John Hegarty]

I'm thinking about buying a 3d printer for the school. In fact I've been thinking about it for a few years. Much procrastination and not 100% convinced we should get one but I'm getting more tempted and I have a space for it now that I didn't have in the past.

We have no 3d printing experience. We want to buy something decent but not silly money, something that will stand up to use by students, a solid performer rather than a temperamental star.

Can anyone point me at something to consider? Are there preferred suppliers in Ireland or ones to avoid - perhaps email me off-list at jheg...@clongowes.net for that.

We used to use Sketchup quite a bit and I see it has gone online now and students can use it through their Google or MS O365 accounts with files being save in Google Drive, One Drive etc. being able to 3d print stuff from this might be interesting/useful - https://edu.sketchup.com/

If using it in a Google school then the admin has to enable it for use by all - a "domain install"  https://gsuite.google.com/u/0/marketplace/app/sketchup_for_schools/260457348581

Thanks

jh

[Peadar Harvey]

Hi John,

I got a 3d printer last year and I think it's super. I am surprised I didn't get into it earlier, to be honest. It is very cool to be able to go from 3d design to physical models. Since getting the printer I have been doing loads of research and tinkering myself. My 2 cents are below. 

I got the Sindoh 3dWox 2. It is an amazing machine but it comes with a price tag. It was bought under a room grant which specified no hobbyist grade equipment. Do I need all the features it has? Probably not and hobbyist stuff is great as it comes with online community to help when something isn't working. 

From my own research, the Prusa machines seem to be the business... Relatively cheap and extremely reliable. They have a huge following and forums that will offer help if required. They also have a range of filaments that come with calibration settings for the prusa machines. 

The cheap option is something like an Ender 3. They have a great following and are super cheap. I have heard that they are both reliable and unreliable.... But at that price just buy a few and when one breaks.... Use it for parts. You can also buy them refurbished even cheaper from here (https://www.comgrow.com/products/comgrow-creality-refurbished-used-ender-3-v2-3d-printer?variant=39409918083115). 

In regards filament..... I have been buying from amazon but recently bought 10kgs from GST3d (https://gst3d.eu/en/). I had to argue with them to ship to Ireland. They didn't like having to ship outside of mainland Europe. It hasn't arrived yet but at 8.90 a KG.... It is a great price and it means I can print more with the kids. 

In regards CAD software... I use Onshape. It's brilliant. Take a look at it. Works through the browser so no need to install anything. 

Le meas,

Peadar 

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From: cesi...@googlegroups.com <cesi...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of John Hegarty <jheg...@clongowes.net>
Sent: 22 September 2021 12:38
To: cesi-list <cesi...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [CESI List] 3d printer advice

 

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[Danny Murray]

I have been using a Lulzbot Mini since 2016 in the school which has been great but it uses the less common 3mm filament instead of 1.75mm. I've an SLA one too for fine detail at home.

Just off the top of my head from my experience as a coding teacher:

- Go for a mid-range named brands like Makerbot, Dremmel, Prusa or Lulzbot for about 1,000 euro. Look up reviews for that model.

- Bed size is a huge constraint with many projects. There are lots of models free online but it's no good if your printer is too small to print them. Chopping up in slicer is too much work.

- Avoid SLA or Liquid printers unless you're printing Dungeons and Dragons Minis. Normal fil

- Anything that can print PLA and ABS is fine. My Lulzbot can do 350C Food Safe Nylon but I've almost never used it. It's way too expensive.

- Many companies do education discounts for schools so do ask.

- People will ask you "Sir can you print xyz", like it's a HP Inkjet Printer. Printing large things can take 14 hours and even then there's a 20% chance it'll just fail. Small 1 hour things are fine.

- Sketchup is dead, Autodesk Fusion 360 is where it's at now. It's just as easy but a million times cooler.

- The greatest use for the printer is for coding projects that fit exactly around servos eg. turrets, arms etc.

That said, this was my last print for a coding project:

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[Power]

Enders are great bang for buck. We have an Ultimaker,  some Sindohs and Enders. The enders are a fraction of the price but the output is just as good (they are lacking some of the niceties of the others). We got the ultimaker in Sligograph and the Enders from Farnell. 

[Peadar Harvey]

Definitely look at Octoprint also. You get more features with Octoprint software than you do with the high-end machines and its free. 

Le meas, 

Peadar

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From: cesi...@googlegroups.com <cesi...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Power <conp...@gmail.com>
Sent: 22 September 2021 14:36
To: CESI-list <cesi...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [CESI List] Re: 3d printer advice

 

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[Technology Kishoge]

Interested in the SLA printer options due to the fidelity you get out of them, what are the current recommendations on these?

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cesi-list/DBAPR02MB6325F927B158B662E75A884CADA29%40DBAPR02MB6325.eurprd02.prod.outlook.com.

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Micheal Griffin

I.C.T. coordinator,

Kishoge Community College,

Ninth Lock Road,

Lucan,

Co. Dublin

[Denis Dennehy]

John, no wisdom to offer just some needs… I have an offer of a man IT employee with Cisco and he is offering 5 days of school service to do whatever… it will be flexible just paperwork to be complete.. so question is what would I have him do with first years that adds up to 40 hrs… I would like it to be foundational that we might build on but aldo fun that they’d be interested in. Where would you head with such an offer.

Regards

Denis 

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[james o' reilly]

Hi John,

 

Firstly, if it is for a school I would definitely recommend FDM rather than resin.  I have an Ender 3 Pro and I find it to be a great machine, it is a good workhorse and easy enough to work on, there are loads of tutorials, parts, upgrades available.  I have used the Ultimaker 2 also, it was a lovely machine but I was given it on loan.  There are some great groups on Facebook that offer advice for troubleshooting, upgrading etc.

 

Kind regards,

James

 

 

Sent from Mail for Windows

 

From: Peadar Harvey
Sent: Wednesday 22 September 2021 14:40
To: cesi...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [CESI List] Re: 3d printer advice

 

Definitely look at Octoprint also. You get more features with Octoprint software than you do with the high-end machines and its free. 

 

Le meas, 

Peadar

 

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cesi-list/DBAPR02MB6325F927B158B662E75A884CADA29%40DBAPR02MB6325.eurprd02.prod.outlook.com.

 

[Stuart Lawn]

Hi John,

As a Fab Lab we have provided 3D printers to all the secondary schools in Sligo and Leitrim via the TY Student Enterprise programme and funded by the Local Enterprise Offices. I've looked at the wants and needs of 3D printing in schools for a number of years now and run CPD workshops with teachers and with students (mostly in TY) so I hope I can help you with your decision making.

There are some good suggestions so far and I do like the Creality 3D printers, especially the CR10S and the Ender3 but for use in schools I would go with something that is more enclosed. The printer that we supplied to the Sligo and Leitrim schools is the Flashforge Adventurer 3. I wrote an teacher/student induction course on the printer that you can find here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Pr_B6r6VZfGp8RwTa8xStxe5xbjx4Ard84WhIDhI4Jw/edit?usp=sharing. 

The printer has an enclosed build chamber and print bed and nozzles can be easily replaced. It is an FDM (filament based) printer which is what I would recommend to start with. You can get it in Ireland direct from Farnell for €500 but you can get it cheaper via Flashforge themselves online for €380 - https://www.flashforgeshop.com/product/flashforge-adventurer-3-3d-printer?cID=45 .

Flashforge have just released a larger updated version of this printer called the Adventurer 4 that is a bit more expensive (circa €740) but does have some nice features. Joel Telling (The 3D Printing Nerd) recently did a review of that on his YouTube channel. He is worth following as he does honest reviews of lots of printers - https://youtu.be/xjdtf4zF8uE. We also have some videos on 3D printing on our YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC884PJt3ywtrctYOENZgqtA/videos

Resin printers have become ridiculously cheap in the last year - I bought one last week for €130!! - The issue with using them in schools is that they are very messy and require a lot of post-processing such as cleaning in Isopropyl, curing with UV plus the resin is toxic and a skin irritant so nitrile gloves are needed etc etc. The produce amazing quality prints but wait a while before jumping in there (or get one for your home first to see how it might work in school). The Elegoo Mars printers are excellent and also the Voxelab Proxima.

Have a read through the guide as I touch on all the software etc that you might use - If you have any specific questions don't hesitate to give me a call or email me directly.

Cheers

Stuart Lawn

Fab Lab Maker Hub

mobile | +353-87-628-6808

web | www.makerhub.ie
twitter | www.twitter.com/fablabmh

facebook | www.facebook.com/fablabmh

youtube | www.tiny.cc/makerhub
podcast | www.anchor.fm/fablabmakerhub

[kate delaney]

We use Prusa Mk3s - open source, great machine, great company and great support community

Kit - c.€1,000

Self build - c.€750 - recommend self build if you have 3 days to do it

Have also just ordered new Prusa SLA so looking forward to getting stuck into that!

Kate

_______________________________

Founder, Facilitator, Maker
w: makecreateinnovate.ie
t: @katedelaneyED
m: 086 3308930

On Wed, 22 Sept 2021 at 12:39, John Hegarty <jheg...@clongowes.net> wrote:

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[lorcan ginty]

Its on the equipment list for Engineering, Technology, Design and Communication Graphics at post-primary. Available here. Therefore the purchase of one is supported by the department of education. IMO buy the best you can afford. The Ultimaker is the best. The prusa are very good. The creality CR10 are good but need maintenance. It is essential that students are able to use some sort of CAD software to get the most out of them, otherwise a waste of money.  3d printer is perfect for addressing learning out comes 1.9, 2.8 and 3.7 of the Graphics subject specification.

[John Hegarty]

Thank you to everyone for the advice on this one. Very helpful.

jh