The Future Today!

"f86sabre" (f86sabre)
05/12/2019 at 17:56 • Filed to: 3D Printing

My senior minion and I put together the 3D printer I picked up a couple of months ago. It’s an Ender 3 and gets pretty good reviews. It works, but I need to work on leveling the bed, calibrating and figuring out how to use it. I already have some automotive related projects in mind.

First project will be a cell phone holder for the 05 Mini and a cup holder for the 90.

DISCUSSION (17)

MrDakka > f86sabre
05/12/2019 at 18:09

Do these things accept step files?

random001 > MrDakka
05/12/2019 at 18:28

No. They only accept gcode. What you need is a slicer that accepts step files, but most of them do, or you can use something like on shape to import the step and export an stl to import into the slicer.

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > f86sabre
05/12/2019 at 19:15

I love my monoprice 3D printer, I’m making a lot of old camera accessories and film adapters.

WRXasaurus > f86sabre
05/12/2019 at 19:40

I got the ender 3 a few weeks ago. It’s pretty nice out of the box. I still have some calibrations I want to do with it. I have been using cura but I need to find a CAD program I like.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > f86sabre
05/12/2019 at 19:54

Whats you idea for the cell phone holder in the R53 ? Also, are you planning to print a cup holder for the Mini as well? I would like to have some bigger cup holders in mine and the commercially available ones are too expensive.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > f86sabre
05/12/2019 at 21:14

if your senior minion has a school email address, they can get a student 1 year version of solidworks for $ 99. great thing to learn, and much better than the crappy free cad programs.

f86sabre > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
05/12/2019 at 21:22

I found a file for a phone mount that screws to the back of the tach that I was goin g to try. The cup holder I was going to print was for the classic Mini. It screws in under the dash.

I am just learning, but it sounds like the PLA material that I got isn’t good for hot car temps. I may need to try another material.

f86sabre > WRXasaurus
05/12/2019 at 21:23

I downloaded Cura tonight, but haven’t found a CAD program I like.

What are you going to use it for?

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > f86sabre
05/12/2019 at 21:24

Gotcha. Best luck!

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > f86sabre
05/12/2019 at 21:39

looking into it, I’m not sure if the student version can export to step.

WRXasaurus > f86sabre
05/12/2019 at 22:46

I have tried a few but I think I'll go back to free cad. I learned solid works in college and am spoiled by that. Everything else is more difficult.

NYankee1927 > WRXasaurus
05/13/2019 at 01:11

FYI Onshape is free as long as you don’t mind sharing your files to the public. It is very close to solidworks since it was made by the same founders

Ready for an adventure! > f86sabre
05/18/2019 at 07:58

This is true about PLA - I switched to PETG after seeing a couple projects melt in the heat of a truck interior in the summertime. We hav e 3 Prusa’s and we keep them busy. We also do some Polypropylene, some NylonX, and a few other materials. also - pay attention to which materials need to be dried (I use a gallon ziploc bag with rechargeable dessicant from Amazon)...

f86sabre > Ready for an adventure!
05/18/2019 at 08:55

Good advice. Do you find that all materials benefit from drying? Do I need to worry about PLA and PETG?

Ready for an adventure! > f86sabre
05/18/2019 at 21:44

Nylon and petg for sure. pla, no. most flexible materials, nope. all materials tell you in the info that comes with the filament

Ready for an adventure! > random001
05/18/2019 at 21:45

and slicer is an excellent gcode maker. very customizable and controllable and has a bunch of presets to help you get started. yall need STL files to input into slicer and most other slicing programs

random001 > Ready for an adventure!
05/19/2019 at 13:28

I use simplify, but it's not cheap.