What to know before buying a 3D printer
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If you are thinking about buying a 3D printer there are some things you should know beforehand. Knowing them in advance will help you make a better choice and take into account some things that nobody talks about.
- How much space the 3D printer will take up.
- Where you will keep the filament rolls (well organized).
- The location of the tools.
- What noise will the printer make when working?
- Expenses in improvements, unavoidable.
- What will the printer's power consumption be?
- Are 3D printer spare parts sold in your city?
- Is there enough information online about how to repair the 3D printer you want to buy?
How much space will the 3D printer take up?
The physical space that your printer will occupy is one of those topics that no one talks about, and unfortunately many people can making the mistake of buying a printer and then not knowing where to put it.
If you already know which printer you want to buy, then you should consider its size and how much space it will take up in its destination.
If you still don't know which printer you want or is right for you then you will need to find out because it is vital to know what the width, height and depth of the printer will be.
by Woody1978
Where you will store the filament rolls.
Where will you put your filament rolls?
When buying a 3D printer the first thing you do is to experience and you do it by trying different colors, different types of filaments and when you realize it, you have a lot of rolls lying all over the place.
by rodrim September 28, 2018
The correct storage of the filaments will largely depend on the quality of them, since there are filaments capable of absorbing a large amount of humidity of the environment, which will have its side effects when printing with them. You can read an article about it here
by bumster August 09, 2015
Location of tools
When working with 3D printers you will necessarily need to perform maintenance and as you learn, you will choose to experiment with different types of nozzles, improvements that you will want to make to the printer.
You should take this into account before choosing your printer. Some printers, such as the Ender 3, have spaces in which you can integrate drawers, which can be printed from thingiverse.
With other printers you will need to find a way to organize your tools, as having them all lying around is not something you want to do.
by Cassin December 22, 2019
Noise
3D printers for those who don't know, they are very noisy.
It may not be noticed during the day because of the movement in the house, but at night the silence will be an inconvenience.
So if you are married, in a couple or living in a mono-environment, you will have to take this into account.
In these cases you should consider buying a slightly more expensive printer. that includes silent drivers or change the motherboard of the 3D printer for one that already has them included (which will cost extra money).
Expenses in improvements
This is very important and should be taken into account. The cheapest 3D printers will always be cheap for a reason.
The reason many 3D printers are inexpensive is because their manufacturers use cheap, poor quality parts.
In my case I bought an Ender 3 Pro and after a month the plastic extruder arm broke and I had to replace it with a better quality and much more expensive aluminum one.
Things like this make expenses do not end at the time of purchasing the printer, but continue to purchase parts (of higher quality) until the printer is properly assembled and faultless.
Electrical expenses
It may not be such a big deal to consider, since a single printer may not have that much impact on your electricity bill, but it is important to understand that electricity does not cost the same in all countries.
You must make an analysis of consumption of the printer you choose to buy, even more so if after a while you want to buy more printers, or if you decide to go into 3D and want to have a printer farm.
Before buying a 3D printer, make sure there are spare parts in your city.
Yesterday I had to print a high volume job, at the request of a customer friend and it turns out that I had problems with under extrusion.
This printer is not an Ender 3 that is already super popular and parts are found everywhere, but a Wanhao D9 Mark2.
The thing is that only yesterday I realized that you don't get spare parts like any other printer in my city.
Had I known this, I would have considered other options before buying it.
Finding enough information online
If you are going to buy a 3D printer for the first time, you will surely need the help of videos or websites to clear up all the doubts you have.
This is something to keep in mind if it is your first time. When you want to buy a printer make sure you find out enough information
YouTube channel: Xataka TV
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