- Thread starter
- #81
I know just enough to be dangerous in a whole range of things - "a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing..." 
The Ender 5 can go about 20x20x20cm I think? There's a bigger model and ways to self print bits on the machine to improve the machine - @AspenCultivator mentioned some. Its like a machine making a machine out of Asimov or something! Very cool!
You can make shapes out of "slices" - it has to get fairly complicated to start needing to make things out of separate parts - a solo SIP like the ones above I reckon I can pull a design together in a single print. Its been nearly 3 years since I used it but 4-6 hours print time I guess. Actually A 14" high "Snowy" (Dog out of Tintin - also painted on my garage door) took about that. SIP probably 1-2 hours. Material cost $3-5USD max (here anyway but the top brand filaments at that price) Lots of colours! You can adapt the Ender to do multi colour too.
Ender cost me about $300. Its just a little Raspberry Pi type thing, Anduro (sp) board in there. Some aluminium bars and some electic motor bits, heating element on the print head and it goes to the co ordinates in the program Cuda has generated from your diagram either via an SD Card or Octoprint and moves and squirts the melted plastic filament.
For a big SIP - I reckon buy a bucket from the store but print the inside kit and pipes. Just need to cut and seal the hole in the bucket , "dear..." and drop the feed and airgap in.
Its pretty simple tech now. Cost me the same as what ever a proper electric drill costs - if you like the hacking type thing - d'uh! yeah its great. I've had to abort my work project so I am about to go look up some solo cup designs and start putting a design together. Gotta work weekend now so tomorrow I'll see what I can print - filament is in storage but I can get that easy enough (by sending someone else!)
Favourite thing I ever printed probably Snowy but the wow factor was printing a one piece hinged box. No assembly required. Hinged! The print head moves away you pick it up and open it. Can be so accurate.
I think if you're looking to treat yourself to something and semi computer literate and have a laptop or desktop running whatever you'll be fine. Heck - I reckon I could teach Bill to use one
Software all free, most the designs too. Huge libraries. Or make your own.
Nick
The Ender 5 can go about 20x20x20cm I think? There's a bigger model and ways to self print bits on the machine to improve the machine - @AspenCultivator mentioned some. Its like a machine making a machine out of Asimov or something! Very cool!
You can make shapes out of "slices" - it has to get fairly complicated to start needing to make things out of separate parts - a solo SIP like the ones above I reckon I can pull a design together in a single print. Its been nearly 3 years since I used it but 4-6 hours print time I guess. Actually A 14" high "Snowy" (Dog out of Tintin - also painted on my garage door) took about that. SIP probably 1-2 hours. Material cost $3-5USD max (here anyway but the top brand filaments at that price) Lots of colours! You can adapt the Ender to do multi colour too.
Ender cost me about $300. Its just a little Raspberry Pi type thing, Anduro (sp) board in there. Some aluminium bars and some electic motor bits, heating element on the print head and it goes to the co ordinates in the program Cuda has generated from your diagram either via an SD Card or Octoprint and moves and squirts the melted plastic filament.
For a big SIP - I reckon buy a bucket from the store but print the inside kit and pipes. Just need to cut and seal the hole in the bucket , "dear..." and drop the feed and airgap in.
Its pretty simple tech now. Cost me the same as what ever a proper electric drill costs - if you like the hacking type thing - d'uh! yeah its great. I've had to abort my work project so I am about to go look up some solo cup designs and start putting a design together. Gotta work weekend now so tomorrow I'll see what I can print - filament is in storage but I can get that easy enough (by sending someone else!)
Favourite thing I ever printed probably Snowy but the wow factor was printing a one piece hinged box. No assembly required. Hinged! The print head moves away you pick it up and open it. Can be so accurate.
I think if you're looking to treat yourself to something and semi computer literate and have a laptop or desktop running whatever you'll be fine. Heck - I reckon I could teach Bill to use one
Software all free, most the designs too. Huge libraries. Or make your own.
Nick
) Will ask her. 
but that’s less than 3 days. Pretty quick.
