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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 พ.ค. 2023
- So you are a maker confused about 3D printing?
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Intro
So you are a maker, confused about 3D printing?
More in the GitHub, as always:
github.com/RalphBacon/267-3D-...
You use Arduinos, ESP32s, RasPies... and others? You like the idea of 3D printing as an extension to your activities but are confused about where to start? Stay tuned!
When I first became intrigued about 3D printing, I was overwhelmed with all the stages involved: printers, slicers and, worst of all, CAD programs. Help!
Here I present my simplified steps to consider when diving into the murky pool of 3D printing. I even suggest that you can 3D print stuff without a printer of your own. And why not?
CAD programs
I use FreeCAD, but there are quite literally 100s of CAD programs out there, all with varying degrees of complexity, capability, price (some are free) and learning curve. My only advice is to read articles on the Internet: "Best 3D CAD programs" will give you lots of results! Then download either the free version or trial version and see whether you can even make heads or tails of it.
You will need tuition in the form of TH-cam videos. For freeCAD I use MangoJelly ( / @mangojellysolutions ) quite a bit (by Darren Stone) who guides you through pretty much every aspect of FreeCAD. But you do need to put in the effort. No shortcuts here!
Another good resource is Make With Tech ( / @makewithtech ) (by Irv Shapiro) who also has videos on other CAD programs, not just FreeCAD. Easy to follow and gives a very calm way of getting the information to you.
► List of all my videos
(Special thanks to Michael Kurt Vogel for compiling this)
bit.ly/TH-camVideoList-RalphB...
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Fantastic down to earth, understandable introduction to 3D printing. Been printing for five years and never printed toys or decretive items, only electronic projects and repairs around the house. Easy for me as I am an engineer and use SolidWorks but still had to learn the printing process and particularly the different types of plastic and their uses. 👍👍
Thanks, Ian. I think most makers will stay with "engineering" type prints except for when the grandkids come round!
For those interested in looking at FreeCAD, an update will be released in a few weeks time.
There may be some user-visible changes between the current version (0.20.2) and the upcoming one (0.21.0).
Existing tutorial videos on TH-cam will need to catch-up with these changes and users will have to, in the meantime, look for similarities and ask in the comments about any differences.
The main thing to know about learning CAD is that there's much to learn but do it in small steps and don't give up when you stumble. Take a break and have another go later.
Apparently, they are working to resolve the Topological Naming issue, which I have fallen victim to on a number of occasions. Now I can recover, but it's still really maddening when it happens. Whether this makes it into version 0.21 or not remains to be seen.
U mean RSB is 3d printing! U'll want a resin printer!! U'r a man of true precision! U'r cooking Ralph!! good luck!
Ha, ha! thanks for the accolade and who knows, in a couple of years I could well be using a resin printer.
Awe inspiring video!!! Thanks for describing what a newbie should expect before you forgot what's it is like being a newbie.
All too easy to forget the hurdles of a true beginner. It becomes part of one's DNA after a while and we no longer understand the hurdles true beginners face.
My makerspace had a class for Onshape. I dove in and additionally took the online tutorial series. Quite complete.
And I hope you are now quite competent in OnShape, which many makers say is good. One day I might take a look.
Greetings from San Francisco. I bought my Prusa about three years ago, and I think I knew just about s much as uyou did. Now, I don't think I could do my electronics hobby without it. Comment on design software: I think most makers, at least from the Arduino community, all know how to code in C. Because of this, they can all start designing 3D object with OpenSCAD. OpenSCAD uses a very C-like syntax to parametricly design your parts and, at least for me a 40-year C programmer, it took about an hour and it felt like an old friend.
Yes, I managed a couple of small items with OpenSCAD but the experience was not what I was after. FreeCAD, however, ticked all the boxes for me so I'll master that first, but I would like to re-visit OpenSCAD one day.
All in on what you said! You have to learn a CAD program, then there's the 3D printer. It will drive you crazy adjusting ALL those settings; then start printing, only to find out, (after hours), an adjustment needs to be made since your project DIDN'T turn out so well! Then you have to start all over again!! 3D printers AREN'T for the 'faint of heart', and NOT for everyone...
As long as makers realise that the design part of the process is the most important, then the other steps fall into place (sort of). But yes, you can get bogged down by all the tweaks to the settings, for sure.
It's good to follow an educator like yourself,through your learning curve, rather than just from an expert. Please continue documenting your journey.
I might well do that again in 6 months or so. As long as I remain in the beginner phase, anyway.
Hi Ralph. Congratulations on your Prusa Mini. Your explanation was perfect, much better than my efforts to get you interested some years ago. I still think Fusion 360 is the best cad program for makers and it is the easiest to learn, but as you said, every one has a different way of looking at things. The housing for the Web Radio was designed with fusion 360. I must congratulate you on your printer choice, this maufacturer is indeed one of he very best for makers, it is truely plug and play, and the new printer, Prusa MK4, is even better because the Z calibration is done automatically.I have one on order. Anyway I wish you HAPPY PRINTING.
Let me know how the Prusa Mk4 goes for you. It ships with a 0.6mm nozzle as standard. The way of things to come, apparently (according to Prusa).
Your excellent web radio enclosure is, of course, still being used 👍but I'm pretty sure I could design it myself these days. How things (and me) progress, hey? The only way is UP! Nice to hear from you, Paul.
Glad you are enjoying your 3D printing 🙂
Quite a learning curve (that may have come across in the video!) but enjoyable and ultimately very rewarding. Good to hear from you.
Hi Ralph, thanks for all your AMAZING videos! I have learned so much from watching them and then re-watching them... over and over!! I have also highly recommended your channel to my peers. I wish you all the best and i look forward to discover more of your electronic adventures!
Thanks for your encouragement and hope you continue to pick up tips as we go forward!
Good stuff. I always enjoy your explanations. Complicated things become simple and to the point. Thanks for your videos.
You're welcome, Allen. It's always complicated to start with (car driving?) but after a while it becomes second nature. But it does require some effort on our part, nothing is free.
Thanks Ralph, informative, and a good overview for beginners
You are most welcome, thanks for dropping by.
tinkercads great if you just want to do light mods like add holes to existing stl's or simple stuff from scratch. like if you need to make a simple funnel, a bracket or something.
you don't need to download it, just login. for adding holes for example you just need to import the existing stl and drag a hole where you want it to be in the 3d space. no need to know much anything about anything.
TinkerCAD definitely has a role to play in 3D printing, and you've just mentioned one of them!
Freecad link branch is the way forward for parametric engineering 3D. Used it successfully for years with an Ender 3 clone, which once configured correctly for flow rates and bed levelling, creates great prototypes reliably and quickly. Naturally one other factor that can greatly impact your success rate is the slicer, it’s settings and the material. Great fun working out the best settings, but time consuming and can be frustrating, hence parametric secures your control of the 3D model.
Indeed, Graham. And if you go one step further and have all the measurements in the FreeCAD spreadsheet it is even easier to adjust the value "on the fly", although a bit more work.
Slicer settings are also known as Voodoo-Magic © but I've just used FLEX (ie TPU) and it works very well (albeit prints very, very slowly too).
Thanks for another great video Ralph, thanks.
Thank you for saying that, Barry. Appreciated.
I started with an Anet A8 5 years ago then I built a Dbot CoreXY printer with a bigger bed.... Cad programs like you I have used a few but found Solidworks was a great program from the copy I got ... Fusion a pain in the butt and Freecad just another learning curve the same as Sketchup 2017 which on that I can do brick tecture, Blender another pain in the but ... but most of my models are to mount PCBs from JLCPCB on my Model Railway underside plus Aspect signals, Gantrys and other railway related models ... I also got an Elegoo Resin printer but its still in its box ive not had time to get it out ... great to see you took the plunge and have many happy hours of printing ... Regards John
"Happy" is a relative term, John, but I do find it (mostly) very rewarding. Designing parts that you cannot get any other way is a good pay back.
I was toying with the idea of getting a 3D printer about 4 years ago. And at the time I wasn’t sure what I’d need it for, wether it’s project boxes for circuits or raspberry pi cases or artistic pieces etc. finally got an Ender 3 (as they are so cheap) and loved it. It’s not till you actually start using a printer that more ideas come into your head as to what you can make. I’ve printed and sold hundreds of items on eBay and now have 4 FDM printers and just got a resin printer. You start looking at everyday things and wondering how you can modify them or make them better. Being able to incorporate other parts such as springs, bearings, nuts, bolts, magnets etc into your inventions is a massive benefit. I’ve never used the printers to make art pieces or models but I’m always making functional parts. And as far as making in your example a vent with a matching cap, you always have the option of printing a 1mm slice of your idea to check the fitting tolerances and adjust before printing the full piece - again a massive advantage.
@DarkTherapy Indeed, I almost always print a part-prototype print (eg just part of it or with thinner walls) just to check sizes and fit, whether from the CAD program or, now, from directly within the Prusa slicer. It can save a lot of heartache after a 2-hour print!
Raph, very nice video, sure it will help a lot of folks that are at a total loss on how to get into 3D printing. I too, embarked on the FreeCad journey this year, it's been a struggle and almost gave up several times but can now design parts. I second MangoJelly,'s videos, they are great, still have a lot more to watch. What I found missing, was a nice 2000' view on how to approach designing with FreeCad and"WHY of things" , too many videos jump right into click here, click there. I just finished setting up OctoPrint on an OrangPi Zero2 to enable WiFi control and file delivery to the printer.
I was going to go the Octoprint route but Prusa has developed a new web-based tool to upload, monitor and pause/stop a print. It doesn't have camera capability yet though but I have a camera in my workshop that I can use.
Great advice, like all hobbies you need the plan/sketch before you get the tools and material to do the job.
So many people have asked me, "can you print one of these", my reply is usually "yes, you got the file for it".
A reasonable percentage of them have been interested/desperate enough to go through the required process, that percentage drops again when they understand it is not startrek, I don't have a replicator, and most scanning is VERY expensive with limited results.
Your advice is spot on, CAD or online download first, if can you get the object you want, will you need more parts?
Print services you wait days for a finished object, at home you wait hours for maybe a "why did it do that" moment.
I have printed stuff I had no idea I would ever do for projects, house and garden.
The little gems where some little thing keeps niggling at you where you keep saying "why didn't they just..."
You spend hours on CAD tweaking the design but the 'warm fuzzy' bit for me is, watch the first layers go down then walk away, knowing that while you are sleeping the tool is working on your design.
So far I have not had the same feeling from soldering iron, grinder, saw or hammer, a good ratio is 50/50 but as you get better at CAD it improves, a 14 hour print job is still 14 hours but you got the job to the printer faster, maybe even working on the next step as it prints.
OK waffle complete, I have 2 minutes before my print job is complete. 🙂
I hope your print job was successful. Indeed, we could spend hours tinkering with this setting and that settings but ultimately it's the 80/20 rule: if it's good enough then it's good enough. Not perfect, but we don't have Apple Inc's resources either!
@@RalphBacon It was, thank you, a TPU door stop/holder to see if it lasts longer than the others.
Hi Ralph,
Good to see you in good health! 👌
I love watching your videos.
Nice of you to say, thank you.
well done, good analogies.
Thanks, Vic, glad you liked it.
I love it when someone I follow, follows some I follow - It's kind of a validation that I might be on the right track :)
In this case Ralph Bacon / Irv Shapiro
Irv is quite a guy, lots of Life Experience and a good presenting manner.
I got a printer a couple years ago to make enclosures for my electronic projects. All I needed was tinkercad. Now I have 2 printers. I won one on a Twitch Stream a few months ago. Free is great.
You won a 3D printer? Wow! Nice one. Yes, I thought I would be designing enclosures from the get-go on my printer, but it seems I've done everything except that. Early days!
Versus your journey, mine started with 3D printing before tackling ESP32/Arduino projects to fill empty boxes. I couldn't agree with your advice more; having started with TinkerCAD after the initial market scan and experiencing the frustration of modifying my own TC models and imported STL files, I'm climbing the Fusion 360 mountain. (All of this started six months ago.) Fortunately the basics are coming together, and for simple pieces it's same-day service from ideation to finished product in hand.
The advantage of being a beginner in 3D printing and MCU electronics is that I have yet to encounter a problem that hasn't already been solved (explained and documented!) in either a Google or a TH-cam search. (BTW... That's how I found your channel.) Add ChatGPT to the mix and I've been astonished by what can be accomplished as a neophyte Maker in this domain.
Many thanks.
Good to have your feedback about 3D printing. Yes, many items have already been invented but I prefer to take the idea (if not the actual file) and refine the design to totally suit me. The only way is up!
Excellent topic,, well done Ralph
Thanks, Jack! It gets more interesting the more I do it!
Good news for some is that some slicers accept STEP files which can include actual curve geometry.
If the slicer knows that the printer can handle curve geometry as well (there has been a standard for that in gcode for decades... for CNC machines) so curves end up curved instead of tiny line segments.
Yes, there are umpteen format available but I don't really understand any of them.
Prusa state that .3mf is better than .stl because it knows about colours and shapes but so far I'm not getting involved with that aspect. It just goes on and on!
Wise words indeed. You chose the market leader in printers - why not the market leader in CAD? (Engineering stuff not art!)
I went through the CAD pain over a few weeks recently. Tinkercad->FreeCAD->Fusion 360. As others have said, it is of consistent design and although it has more bells and whistles than you can think of, it is easy to create basic items. And there are so many good tutorials - because it is the leader…
BTW, I haven’t got a 3D printer (yet) - I make things in metal and the ability to design and verify a 3D object and then output a set of engineering drawings to make it from is a real plus.
You are definitely doing it the right way, that is, in the correct order. CAD first!
And I do love the look of Fusion360 but I'm not sure I can be persuaded to put in (yet more) effort to master another CAD program when FreeCAD is good enough for my needs (at the moment).
But I can foresee that one day I will make the move.
You're absolutly right. Prusa just prints and have a good support. I started with OpenSCAD. It works well and isnt that hard to use (it is a programmable parametric CAD program), but ended with Freecad. Not simpler, but more options if you also want to use the different workbenches.
I tried OpenSCAD and found it intriguing but ultimately not what I wanted. So FreeCAD came to the rescue (after trying the rather complex Fusion 360).
@@RalphBacon Agree on that. FreeCad works very well.
Nice measured intro to 3D printing Ralph....cheers.
Thanks Andy! Been busy with FreeCAD/Printing all day today. Always something to build.
The "Teaching Tech" channel has some good content for people who are interested in 3-D printing for functional parts (as opposed to art). He recently did a series on more advanced usage of CAD programs in designing non-trivial parts. He has recently released a couple of videos on useful mechanisms (the latest is the cam) and how to design them in CAD.
I don't have a 3-D printer yet, but these kinds of practical, functional, uses are very intriguing. I appreciate your recent 3-D printing videos. Your new learner perspective is a welcome compliment to some of the more seasoned users.
Thanks for the heads up; as it happens I am already watching the Teaching Tech and spookily watched the cam video last night! I'll see whether I can think of a real project to use one in (and not feeding goats, or whatever it was he said).
Thanks, Ralph. As always, the saying goes "You don't know what you don't know", and I've been trying to jump into the printing world; however, maybe before I respond to an excellent deal on one, I will use your advice and maybe feel out the different CAD programs first. Great video!
Definitely use at least 3 CAD programs to see how they feel (whilst following some expert's YT videos, of course). Start with TinkerCAD, as it's relatively easy and gets you into the 3D mindset.
In parallel you can check out what printers are out there, but watch out for "excellent deals" - saving a few quid (dollars/Euros...) will be nothing compared to the frustration and wasted hours getting a sub-standard printer to "just work".
Thanks Ralph
You're so welcome, Wayne, thanks for the visit!
The only novelty items I used to print were gifts that I designed and were wired and coded myself. I've had 5 of them but got rid of them and bought a bench mill to make pcbs and laser cut acrylic. Pcbway can go.. I can say that as I'm in your coffee club lol
G code is kind of cool Ralph. I wrote my own a few times to see if it would come out right. I would've just made a program do it in modern c++ instead of assembly in openscad haha. Clive is hard core, he can code anything. I learned python for free cad but macros are not that useful.
Tinkered is great. It's gotten quite sophisticated.
Several makers add their own personal G-Code to make their printer more reliable or quicker or... whatever! I guess it's a Dark Art (almost voodoo) but worth knowing about.
Onshape is my current fav but for simple stuff I prefer openscad since its so much like programming it just works for me.
It's certainly an interesting twist to use programming to produce a model - but many makers like it, so I guess it has good support.
Welcome BACK(!) Mr. Bacon :)
Thank YOU(!) Mr Ivarsson, I'm very glad to be here! 👍
A good introduction to 3d printing, I use fusion360 as you say a steep learning curve but there are many good teaching tutorials on TH-cam.
Indeed there are many, many tutorials for most CAD programs out there; the challenge is to sift the wheat from the chaff, of course!
Very informative video Sir ....yes blender is hard but once you learned it its new world all in one tool , modeling, printing,video editing,toons .....and you right use every software and go with that easy for you 👍
"Blender is hard", you say. Understatement of the decade! But for those that master (some of) it, I'm sure it's very rewarding.
@@RalphBacon for new people i know how to use blender...and yes its rewarding 👍
Fusion360 is a pleasant walk in the park to learn when compared to Freecad. Freecad suffers from an appalling case of headless chicken opensource UX lack of cohesive/sane design and direction. An absolute clunker. Fusion360 IS easy, I've been involved professionally with as well as teaching CAD for going on 40 years, which along the way has included practically every package from every vendor to come down the pike. I wish the Freecad project well but I wouldn't recommend its use in it's current state to anyone I liked.
I 100% agree with you. I started off with FreeCAD and found it to be a total nightmare. Fusion 360 is far easier to use and far less buggy. The free version is totally fine for makers.
Been a flat lander Autocad user for years, was going to embark on the Fusion path. But then they removed the rapids moves and other stuff from milling. Thought abut buying the basic license but don't do enough as a hobby to justify the cost and I didn't want to learn two CAD programs.
@craigs5212 rapid speeds can be very easily set to whatever you like by tweaking your gcode. Search for the retract followed by the feed rate and replace it with the retract followed by your desired feedrate, one global search replace, done, a minutes work. The only other restriction of note is 5 axis and greater machining. If you have a 5 axis machine but are unprepared to pay a license...well..what can one say. If you are a startup with a 5 axis, then get a startup license.
My Fusion360 account (hobbyists, non-commercial) has been reactivated so I will give it another try soon, now that I have some understanding of the concepts of CAD.
I started with 3D printing over a decade ago. I suffered through all the birth pains that the inexpensive desktop printing industry went through to finally manufacture the products you were talking about in the video. (BTW it was a very good introduction to this "hobby " if you like). One thing that I think should be stressed is that in the end this is really an art form. To get the best result the user has to tweak their machinery repeatedly to stop ,say, layer shift or stringing and every other kind of crazy thing that can go wrong. After retiring from 30 years as a health care professional I went back to school and got a degree in Electrical Engineering for fun and I hung around and now I help run the Additive Manufacturing Lab (3D printing to everyone else) as a Volunteer Prof.. Teaching student to use these machines before we turn them loose on our departments equipment . We have 16 Prusa MK 3's They are OK (very overpriced though). CAD for printing as you noted runs the gamete from very easy to extremely hard. I love Fusion 360 and its my main go to for design work. Blender is extraordinarily complicated ( Most people acknowledge the fact that most users will only use 10% to 15 % of what Blender can do) .As you said thou some of the CAD programs are much easier but less versatile. If you hang in there you and your Prusa Mini will become friends and ( OK this is snarky) you'll get rid of the layer shift that your topper thing has : ). Ask me how I know this!
Your friend as always, keep up the good work !
I suppose it's lucky that I currently print (mostly) functional or engineering-type items, that don't have to be "100% perfect".
This allows me to still get a product and learn along the way how to improve it. When the said product is underneath a vacuum cleaner foot, or buried inside my workshop somewhere, those little artifacts don't matter (too much, other than to my pride at not being yet able to produce a perfect item!)
I'm now tweaking my printer for the PETG filament I used in those grey vent things. It prints quite differently and requires a higher nozzle (and bed) temperature but I will see how it goes.
Wish me luck!
@@RalphBacon I was just jerking your chain. I hope you didn't take it seriously it wasn't meant to be critical. I also make mostly engineering/practical usable things. A lot of which have all kinds of flaws. I just find that trying to tweak the machine to get it to print better is challenging and fun for me. My personal collection include 3 FDM printers and 5 Resin printers. And believe me when I say that each of them has their own personality. I think you will start to have more and more fun with your printer as time goes by and your knowledge increases. It did for me. But I still have a design here and there that was set for a 16 hour print only to come in the next morning and you have a birds nest....So I'll reiterate...it is truly and artform. Have fun and as usual I await your next Vid.
Dr. David from Olive Branch MS USA
Not at all, I took your comment at face value, no implied chain jerking discovered! And yes, it is an art form as much as a technical one, we engineers need that sometimes.
When I was in school, I was very good at technical drawing, scoring in the 90s with each exam. On my end of year report, my teacher wrote "Michael could, literally, write a book on technical drawing but the drawings would have to be drawn by somebody with less brylcreem* on his hair.". I find 3D printers fascinating but creating drawings of hollow items does seem to be challenging and then the material science would be another obstacle. However, for an active maker, those challenges should be taken on . This video is the first step they need to take. *brylcreem was the only hair treatment for teenagers in the early 1960s and it was very greasy
My Dad used Brylcreem, but in those days it was the only thing out there for men, so I am told. My hair, as my videos show, is too short for any styling product!
I took my "O-level/GCSE" in Technical Drawing when I was a teenager and passed with an average grade. If I had been shown by my future self where I would be using that knowledge in 50 years' time, maybe I would have kept on with it!
I am looking for the list of CAD programs. All those you talked about I have tried with no success. I am on the autism spectrum, so I often struggle with what others think is easy and breeze through what others think is hard. I hoped there was a text or blog version of the video where I could find that info.
Thanks, Hawk Tech, wise words indeed. Experimentation is key in deciding on which CAD tool(s) work best for you.
I was taking several Fusion360 class lessons it needed the Internet. Not having internet everywhere I go. So I started doing the lessons in FreeCad, which I had for other projects and the results came out about the same. I have not found hardly anything software without a learning curve. Then things seem kind of simple? Like KiCad after 1 to 3 projects. Next will ChatGPT-CAD make me a 007 Aston Martin DB5 😎 Thank you, very interesting.
As they say, you can't learn experience! With a bit of effort any one of us could learn any CAD (or PCB design or programming language) I am sure. But it requires determination and perseverance. If you get your DB5 ask for another for me! 😁
@@RalphBacon bravo!
I've got a similar experience. I got a 3d printer to make enclosures etc and I've done much more other stuff. Sure, it is helpfull when you need the enclosure for your project but there is a need for clips, spare parts and so on in everyday life. I think the last print I made was a holder for therrmometer, one before that was a holder for spare camera batteries to prevent them shorting in a bag and so on. I've printed anything from a spare handle for a file that had one broken to a clip holding a broom to prevent it falling over.
I started with Tinkercad but found it very restricted and making changes later on was a pain. I went to Fusion360 that had some learning curve but so worth it in the long run.
I started with a Prusa too. It removes at least one parameter when you get a plug and play model. Trying to find out what needs tinkering with your first printer is something I wanted to avoid.
Absolutely! I've now printed far more non Arduino-related stuff than for my original purpose. Maybe that will change over time. But it's a great tool.
@@RalphBacon I've had a printer perhaps 4 years or so now. Yet I sometimes try to find some hard to find plastic part and after a while of searching one it hits me: I can just print one.
For anything large, it is often not great option though. Large amount of filament gets costly and takes a huge time. I use very rarely my larger printer.
cool video. yer im toying with the idea of getting one. trying to find enclosures to fit my projects is a dam night mare and often expensive, i've never used one and have no idea so this video was a helper. im just like what you said going to have or try to find out more before i get one. but dam there's so Meany to chose from arrr
Ironically, using TinkerCAD, or FreeCAD you will be able to make enclosures TOO easily for your projects. Even with indented lids, friction-fit or with screws. Because they are (usually) rectangle they are easy to make. It's all the other stuff that is harder!
I started using Designspark Mechanical about 2 yrs ago.. it's free.. produced and supported by RS Components and I find it very easy to use.. it is very intuitive and allows for rapid prototyping. Definitely worth a look at.
It's not one I'm at all familiar with, but as I respect RS I will see what it's like. Thanks for the heads up!
I remember marching into Jessops handing over large pile of cash for an Epson 750, perhaps hp will figure out how to combine it with an inkjet on simmilar fremium model ?
An inkjet and 3D printer in one? Sounds like a gap in the market, Simon, go for it!
I have had a Flashforge Adventurer 3 for about 2 and half years and use tinkercad all the time and it suits me for what i want to design and print
tinkercad needs more credit than it’s actually given. It really is great software and very powerful. I’ve used it for about 3 years and the creations I’ve made within it have more than paid for the print farm I now have.
I wasn't trying to denigrate TinkerCAD (it's made by AutoDesk of Fusion360 fame, after all) but I've not used it enough to really understand its strengths. Once I've become more proficient with FreeCAD I will deffo dive in further.
Hello Ralph!
You didn't mention one option, namely to print out the one model, which is a bit smaller than the end result, to then use it e.g. to be laminated with carbon fibre. In this way, high-strength components can also be produced to pretty precise complex shapes.
I've not heard of that at all, Sebastian. I will have to check it out as a way of strengthening prints.
If anyone is considering buying a 3d printer make sure u get a decent build size my first (cheap) one was only 10x10x10 cm now i have 22x22x30 and still run in to sizing problems some times
Mine is a Prusa Mini+ and only 180x180x180 and only ONCE have I had issues with the maximum size it would allow. Of course the slicer does allow you nowadays to cut the print into separate parts and plug them back together again - in my case I just redesigned the part so it JUST fitted on the build plate (I could not even have a skirt).
@@RalphBacon 180 seems good enough. No matter what build size it has it will often be 1 cm short anyways.
Prusa prints nice. But I prefer building my own. Just did my 4th printer(diy corexy). Offshoot from a small one previously with some improvements. ^_^
As I mentioned, some makers want to _build_ and tweak the printer as a hobby in its own right, and good on them. Me, I just want a tool to do a job. Each to their own!
Is fusion 360 still free for hobby?
Yes. I had to register (again!) but then I could use the product for non-commercial use only.
❤❤❤❤❤❤
Thanks goodness, you're back on form #1
I learned in SOLIDWORKS. Then picked up fusion360, which is sooo user friendly in comparison.
So Fusion 360 is more user-friendly than SolidWorks? Wow!
Thanks for sharing another useful video, I am interested in creating enclosure box using Blender, but often filament based supports maximum of 45 degrees curve of 3D printing, I have not yet test the resin 3D printer.
There is an online course that shows how to render enclosure in Blender and output to 3D printer, very informative online course from title below from.
3D Printing from Zero to Hero in Blender 3x ... by Thomas McDonald
I am aware of 3D CAD software but Blender can do more that that and is a generic solution to render 3D object.
This is third time I posted this message as any underlined text or URL link, this message will be removed, not sure the reason as well.
I loves to open old casing of game console, controller...etc, just to see how they designed the enclosure solidly.
I'm afraid that YT is very strict these days: posting a URL link will almost certainly cause your comment to be removed. So thanks for persevering!
Yes, Blender is not a parametric CAD tool but I know plenty of users think it's great. Enclosures of a commercial nature are, of course, injection moulded so they can make any shape they want, something we cannot always do with 3D printing (not all in one single part, anyway).
I have recently used TPU (flexible filament) and it was far better than expected, even though it printed very slowly. But beautifully.
Watch mango jelly Ralph. He is from your neck of the woods and helped me hugely.
Yes, I'm quite familiar with his videos. He (Darren) is very capable and knows freeCAD inside and out. Shock! Horror! He said the other day "I don't know what this feature is supposed to do". I'm guessing that no-one else does either!
Lightwave
🤔🤷What do you mean, Hans? A CAD program called Lightwave?
@@RalphBacon lightwave from newtec not sure of you can call it cad but 3d modeling and animation back in the amiga days
HO HOO HOWWWwwww
not to be ugly but Tinkercad is NOT a children's drawing program!
YES kids can use it too!
but i think you shouldn't do anything less about this program,
there are plenty of people who can't even operate this program.
I'll be honest, for all my tinkering I'm VERY happy with it!
What I mean is, with patience you can do A LOT with Tinkercad!
Healthy and Friendly Greetings from the Netherlands!
Rob
No, no, that's not what I said, Rob. I said it is "easy enough" to be used by children to design stuff, but it is still very useful to makers and prototypers too. It is made by the Fusion 360 guys, after all, who know a thing or two about CAD programs.
Jeez, Ralph, you’ve lost significant weight.
I hope this is something you’ve worked hard at; if so, you’re doing AMAZING work!
If not … if you haven’t, please get into your GP as soon as possible. Really. If this wasn’t something you’ve worked _hard_ for, you need a consult today. ☹️
I'm surprised you (or anyone) noticed yet, but since Jan 9th 2023 I've been on a reduced calorie diet and have so far lost 33lb (15kg). Only another 30kg to go! Yes, I'm working very hard to do this.
@@RalphBacon well good God, man, keep at it, it’s working!
Well done, and something to laugh over-you’re doing so well at this effort that at least one person was worried for you. 😂
That amount of weight loss is not trivial. And if that’s been since January, that is _hard_ and sustainable weight loss. Congratulations! 🎉
(I’m glad you’re okay and not suffering from a wasting disease. 🙂)
I'm sorry you were worried about my health! But equally flattered that you noticed the weight loss!
I have put same info in webmaster@jarg......I think you doesn't read it so often
I got your message, Lars but have not yet had any time at all to investigate the cause of your ESP32 stopping issue. Did you notice I produced ZERO videos in June 2023? See, too busy! But I will try and think of things going forward.
Steps to try (I had to do this with one of my projects):
1. Put in logging (write to an SD micro card)
2. Log each time the ESP32 wakes up, does something, goes to sleep.
3. When it stops responding, read what is on the SD card and see how far it got, or what it was doing last. That may assist you in discovering a problem.
I found my card could not connect to the correct Wi-Fi network and just "stopped".
@@RalphBacon Wrong WiFi gave me one idea. This will be the first. Thank you
3D printing, it's addictive isn't it?
On a different subject have you had any experience with Firebase on the esp32?
I've had a look through your back catalogue but can't see anything. There are tutorials on this subject but non from my trusted TH-camrs. You being one obviously.
I've never used Firebase on anything, I'm afraid. But please don't demote me off your list of trusted TH-camrs 😟
@@RalphBacon it seems a good fit especially for logging and retrieving data from sensors. I'm trying to wade through some tutorials and videos. Making slow progress through.