If you live close to a microcenter watch their store for the Ender 3. I have seen it on sale for $100. I live too far away to go get one
I have an Ender 3 pro and I love it. Great printer with tons of aftermarket support. It would be very hard to beat this machine dollar for dollar.
Get a glass bed and ezabl and life is a dream.
I have access to a Prusa, and IMO it is not worth the premium you pay, unless you are very interested in supporting the 3d printing 'community' and open source. It's a very nice machine, just not great value.
I second the recommendations above. I can also recommend an Artillery Sidewinder, in case that's easier/cheaper to get, as a solid 'out of the box' option that requires less tweaking and modding than many. I also strongly recommend avoiding a delta printer or anything that doesn't have a decent user base.
I have used my printer to make some cool stuff but I don't know if it would make a great baffle beyond the smaller quark size boxes. I have printed sealed boxes for the tang band w5 and it turned out good but took DAYS to print.
Probably the best stuff I have done has been templates for recessing drivers.
As for the laser, mine is 3ft by 5ft. They are best used for engraving. They can cut but you need to have laser friendly wood. The best craft plywood still has knots internally that make it hard.
Comments
I have a Creality Ender 5 Pro and I think it's well built and is capable of decent prints. I stopped using their slicer which is a subset of Cura and started using Cura instead because Cura has settings for everything. There's a new version of the Ender 3 out that looks decent.
https://creality.com/products/ender-5-pro-3d-printer
https://creality.com/products/ender-3-v2-3d-printer-csco?spm=..product_e24543d0-cc1d-44c5-9cf0-2c81f51d12e8.header_1.1
These are two links that I found most helpful getting the printer set up and calibrated.
https://simplify3d.com/support/print-quality-troubleshooting/
https://teachingtechyt.github.io/calibration.html#intro
Ron
Prusa, Taz?
If you live close to a microcenter watch their store for the Ender 3. I have seen it on sale for $100. I live too far away to go get one
I have an Ender 3 pro and I love it. Great printer with tons of aftermarket support. It would be very hard to beat this machine dollar for dollar.
Get a glass bed and ezabl and life is a dream.
I have access to a Prusa, and IMO it is not worth the premium you pay, unless you are very interested in supporting the 3d printing 'community' and open source. It's a very nice machine, just not great value.
I second the recommendations above. I can also recommend an Artillery Sidewinder, in case that's easier/cheaper to get, as a solid 'out of the box' option that requires less tweaking and modding than many. I also strongly recommend avoiding a delta printer or anything that doesn't have a decent user base.
Are these 3d printers still hot or have things moved on?
My ender 3 is still working like a champ.
Came across these. Like the 3d printer because of its large printing area. Thinking big stuff like baffles. https://anycubic.com/collections/kobra-series/products/kobra-max?variant=41952678609058
Of course, this would also be handy, and with the extension kit, it's over 900mm long. https://xtool.com/products/xtool-d1-pro-10w-higher-accuracy-diode-diy-laser-engraving-cutting-machine?variant=43024909697263
Whadayathink?
I have used my printer to make some cool stuff but I don't know if it would make a great baffle beyond the smaller quark size boxes. I have printed sealed boxes for the tang band w5 and it turned out good but took DAYS to print.
Probably the best stuff I have done has been templates for recessing drivers.
As for the laser, mine is 3ft by 5ft. They are best used for engraving. They can cut but you need to have laser friendly wood. The best craft plywood still has knots internally that make it hard.