Aloha,

I got an Elegoo Carbon FDM coreXY printer and a roll of PLA from the same brand. I’ve read that some filament brands are better than others but I figured I’d start easy.

I’ve taken STLs to the library to print, but I’ve not done my own before. What’s all this slicer stuff? What other software and tools do I need? Thanks!

  • squaresinger@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    3 months ago

    In terms of physical things:

    • Printer
    • A roll of PLA (take it easy with buying filament. First figure out how much you will print, only then stock up in filament. Filament has a shelf life of 1-2 years depending on the type. Don’t buy too much or you might have to toss it. You can always buy more. Also, first master PLA, then get into other filaments.)
    • A bottle of Isopropyl Alcohol (perfect print bed degreaser, makes your prints stick nicely to the print bed during printing)
    • Pliers/tweezers/cutter knife to remove support and for simple post-processing

    If you go more advanced (don’t do that in the beginning:

    • Filament dryer (required for PETG, TPU and some other filaments, usually not required for PLA)
    • First PETG, then TPU, then after filaments if you need them. I print since 2017 and PLA, PETG, TPU have been all I needed.
    • Hot air soldering station (awesome tool for post-processing)

    Software side:

    • A slicer is a must. If there’s one that your printer’s manual recommends, get that one for the start. Otherwise get PrusaSlicer or Cura.
    • 3D editing software or CAD software are required to DIY your own models, but there’s tons of models already available on the internet (checkout www.yeggi.com, it’s a 3D model search engine), so that’s not required in the beginning.

    Btw, filament doesn’t need to be from your printer manufacturer. There’s lots of different manufacturers for filament. Just make sure the diameter is correct (usually 1.75mm) and that you shop for a material that’s compatible with your printer (PLA, PETG works on all printers; TPU/TPE requires a direct drive extruder which most printers have nowadays; ABS/Nylon requires an all-metal-hotend that can go over 260°C and an enclosure; Carbon-filled filaments require a hardened nozzle).

    I personally like spectrumfilaments.com a lot if you are from Europe.

  • cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
    0·
    3 months ago

    Unless you live somewhere with a really low humidity, get something to store your filament rolls in. I like the Sterilite 54 Quart Gasket Boxes. They will hold a dozen rolls of filament. Put humidity meter and a big cloth bag of silica gel in there to keep it dry. Bake the silica gel when the humidity starts rising to regenerate it.

    The 4 liter cereal storage containers work well for storing single rolls. You can print a spool holder that will fit in them so you don’t have to take the filament out of the box to print with it.

    Get or make a filament dryer too. The filament usually comes wet even though it’s packed in a vacuum sealed bag.

    • Clay_pidgin@sh.itjust.worksOPEnglish
      0·
      3 months ago

      Very interesting, thank you. I suppose it isn’t “wet”, but it’s humid enough to have problems adhering?

      • squaresinger@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        3 months ago

        The main issue with wet filament is that the water in the filament meets a 200+°C hotend when printing. It then quickly turns into steam, which you hear as a popping sound while printing.

        This then causes little holes in the extruded filament where the water steamed up. Looks like miniature swiss cheese. This causes all sorts of trouble. The print becomes brittle and weak, almost foam-like, and can be broken by applying little force. Layer adhesion and first layer adhesion will be much worse. It often causes lots of stringing.

        It’s usually not an issue for PLA (unless you have really high relative air humidity), but it’s a big issue for PETG, TPU and Nylon.

        If you print any of these filaments, you really should get a heated filament dryer.