3D printers for kids

kl8ton

I have an 11-year-old boy that is wanting a 3D printer for his birthday.  I know a few of you have them.  Is there something in the 2 to $300 range that you would recommend?  Thanks!  Does this fall in the realm of you have to look at the price of the media?  

Ybabpmuts

No recommendation but I will say this. I'm amazed by the technology. I met with my ankle surgeon last week. The talis bone in my left ankle is dead inside, as are many of my bones. In Nov they're going to drill up through the bottom of my ankle, all the way up into the talis bone,  ream out all the dead tissue in the middle of the bone, then inject it with cement. They're trying to keep the bone from collapsing. When I asked them what they'd do if it actually does collapse, he said they'd 3d print a new one and replace it. I hope I don't have to do that, but I'm amazed that they can even do that at all. 

Canugghead

@nolaegghead @paqman ?

paqman

I can’t elaborate much at the moment but my recommendation is go with a kit from Prusa.  It will cost you 2-3 times what you want to pay now but you will save it down the line.

paqman

That’s a MK3/S+

A couple of things about Prusa:
-mini kit version will cost you about 550$
-MK3/S+ kit will cost you about 650$
-MK4 kit will cost you 800$

You want the kit version because it is $$$ cheaper but more importantly because you want to understand how it works when (not if) you will need to fix it.

MK4 is the new version and still has at least a month lead time prior to shipping.  Its main benefit, in my opinion, is a load cell that automatically calibrates the first layer.  First layer calibration is a critical first step and it took me a couple of days (full days) to figure it out and get it right.  It has a couple of other upgrades that I don’t think are really worth it.  Better stepper motors, faster print speed (3D printers are ridiculously slow), modern color lcd display.

MK3/S+ is roughly 300$ cheaper than it was a couple of months ago prior to the MK4 release.  You need to manually calibrate the first layer every time you change the print sheet, nozzle, change material, etc.  It is not too bad once you figure it out but there is a learning curve.  It comes with a super pinda sensor (magnetic sensor) to detect when it is close enough to the print sheet.  

The MK3/MK4 kits will take you at least a day to assemble, probably two.  I don’t have experience with the mini but I think that it is faster.

Other much cheaper printers come with a BL touch mechanical sensor that is not as precise and requires more work with the calibration.  Some of them don't come with a sensor at all and needs to be fully calibrated using screws in all corners.  The screws will loosen and calibration will need to be done again.  From what I understand, most people either give up which or upgrade the sensor.  Most people also end up upgrading other components too so you quickly spend as much on a cheap printer than you would have on a rock solid MK3/S+.

You don’t need to use glue and other crap on the Prusa metal sheets.  If you plan on printing with PETG (it is the only material I use), you will need a textured sheet (50$?).

I messed up a few prints early on because of bad first layer calibration but that’s it.  You can expect a lot of failed prints with cheaper printers.  So disappointing when a print fails after 24-48 hours of printing.

There was a problem with the hotend on my printer and Prusa shipped me a replacement under warranty despite the fact that it was very likely my fault.  The stock nozzle is perfectly fine but if it was to do over again, I’d replace it with a Revo Six immediately.  The Revo system gives you the flexibility to easily change the nozzle diameter.  This is totally optional.  If you print with materials that are abrasive (glow in the dark, metallic sparkle, etc) a coated nozzle is a must.

The MK3 is the closest thing that you will get to set and forget but you will likely have some issues to troubleshoot anyway, I have my first real problem after a year of intensive use (pretty much printing 24/7).  I have a bad connection/crimp on my hotend that is causing failures on long prints when the connector spends too much time over the hot bed.  I added a shield underneath the connector and it looks like it resolved the issue but I will likely have to recrimp the connector.

There are a few disruptors on the market (Bambulab, Anker) but I’ve seen so many horror stories about broken printers that can’t be fixed because it is not designed to be fixed.  The Prusas are open source designs with replacement parts that are typically easy to find.

Your kid will likely love it!  Do you know what he wants to print?

RRP

HOLY SH*T!!! AT age 11 I don't think I had even found my pecker yet! And I'm pretty sure I could not even comprehend the usage of a 3D printer nor that my parents could afford $200-$600 for me at my whims at 11 years of age. Call me an old fart - but I don't really care!

Botch

RRP said:

HOLY SH*T!!! AT age 11 I don't think I had even found my pecker yet! And I'm pretty sure I could not even comprehend the usage of a 3D printer nor that my parents could afford $200-$600 for me at my whims at 11 years of age. Call me an old fart - but I don't really care!

Yeah, things are different now.  
I was, I think, 10 when I brought my Tasco microscope to "show-n-tell" right after Christmas, second grade.  None of my classmates even knew what it was, but they thought it was cool when they looked thru it to see some prepared slides that came with it.  Only question I got from the "audience" was "Can we turn the buttons?"  
Second-grade Prima-Donna me:  "NO!  I already have it precision-focused!"  

Canugghead

I know next to nothing about 3D printers but stumbled upon the Bambu Lab A1 mini. Looks interesting, kind of similar to Prusa mini kit?

nolaegghead

Ender 3 is probably the most produced entry level machine.  You can buy them for under $200 on sale.  The support community is huge.

CTMike

@paqman,

What are you printing with yours that it runs almost continuously?`

JohnInCarolina

RRP said:

HOLY SH*T!!! AT age 11 I don't think I had even found my pecker yet! And I'm pretty sure I could not even comprehend the usage of a 3D printer nor that my parents could afford $200-$600 for me at my whims at 11 years of age. Call me an old fart - but I don't really care!

Ron keep in mind that $600 was only a dime in 1923.

paqman

Canugghead said:

I know next to nothing about 3D printers but stumbled upon the Bambu Lab A1 mini. Looks interesting, kind of similar to Prusa mini kit?

Bambu is in a different class, the look and feel is more modern.  It is a closed source chinese design and parts are difficult to find.  But it has many innovative features at an interesting price point.  Not a bad choice but IMHO this is something that you want to be able to repair.

lkapigian

RRP said:

HOLY SH*T!!! AT age 11 I don't think I had even found my pecker yet! And I'm pretty sure I could not even comprehend the usage of a 3D printer nor that my parents could afford $200-$600 for me at my whims at 11 years of age. Call me an old fart - but I don't really care!

We just had erector sets 

Langner91

At 11, all I had was a hoop and a stick.

kl8ton

Thanks for the replies!

Went with this @nolaegghead recommendation.  The entry level model was sold out.  Sooooo...next level up!

kl8ton

And yes, @lkapigian

The below pics bring back fond memories for me.  I think it was my dad's set he handed down to me.  Many pinched fingers in the gears of that motor!  These pics are from ebay listings.

paqman

CTMike said:

@paqman,

What are you printing with yours that it runs almost continuously?`

@CTMike

I may have exaggerated things a bit when I said 24/7 but to give you an idea, here’s stats on one of my two printers:


I started running it about a year ago and it logs the equivalent of 124 days of continuous usage so it is pretty much running 33% of the time.  It consumed 3.39KM / 2 miles of filament.


3D printers are ridiculously slow, I print mostly functional stuff with PETG material.

 Here, this is a stack of modular storage boxes with custom inserts.  Each box + inserts takes roughly 3 days to print.  I designed inserts for pliers, batteries, memory cards, screws, electronics components, etc.








Enclosure for Raspberry PI Zero W running a network based add blocker (pi hole):






Christmas decorations:



Airtag holder for luggage:


Water hose diffuser for gardena connector to add water to the pool and avoid having the hose flying all over the place:


I design lots of models myself using OpenSCAD, it is a free/open source software that renders objects based on scripts that I create.

Models designed by others are also available on sites like printables.com and thingiverse.

JohnInCarolina

@paqman - very cool!

lousubcap

@paqman He!! of a production facility you are running right there.  Quite the skill-set. 

OhioEgger

Another option for those who are interested: Around here, some public libraries have these machines set up and available to use for free, just the cost of materials. You can make a reservation online and go in and use it, and they even have people who will help you with it. A nice option for learning how they can be used.

paqman

kl8ton said:

Thanks for the replies!

Went with this @nolaegghead recommendation.  The entry level model was sold out.  Sooooo...next level up!

I am sure your kid will enjoy it, let me know how « CR Touch Frees you from leveling » works out.  There is a learning curve to it but once you figure it out it becomes intuitive, kinda like the egg I guess

JohnInCarolina

All this time I thought only Trix were for kids.

Canugghead

kl8ton said:

Thanks for the replies!

Went with this @nolaegghead recommendation.  The entry level model was sold out.  Sooooo...next level up!

This forum is evil. Must R.E.S.I.S.T
btw, have you ordered already? If not you can use code SMS10 for $10 off.

GregW

I have always had an interest in 3d printing, but have concerns on the cost of printing an object.
paqman - how does the cost of printing a storage case like you made- compared to purchasing a ready made Milwaukee case?

I know money isn't everything- people like to build stuff for the sake of building and learning- and the possibility of doing custom things.
I have no issue with whatever a machine cost- up to around $5000- I just have an issue with the cost of printing materials- assuming they are expensive- I haven't done any research.

I think I will buy my son a machine for Christmas this year- it will give us something to do together.

paqman

GregW said:

I have always had an interest in 3d printing, but have concerns on the cost of printing an object.
paqman - how does the cost of printing a storage case like you made- compared to purchasing a ready made Milwaukee case?

I know money isn't everything- people like to build stuff for the sake of building and learning- and the possibility of doing custom things.
I have no issue with whatever a machine cost- up to around $5000- I just have an issue with the cost of printing materials- assuming they are expensive- I haven't done any research.

I think I will buy my son a machine for Christmas this year- it will give us something to do together.

@GregW

A storage case is about 15$ in material but it is probably not as sturdy as a Milwaukee case.  The hinges are probably the weakest parts of the case, they are 100% printed out of plastic.  Price wise, you would probably be better off purchasing the case and designing/printing custom compartments.

The price of materials varies quite a bit.  I print almost exclusively with PETG and ASA.  ASA fumes are toxic so you need a special setup for ventilation ($), and it is extremely sensitive to cold drafts so you need to take that into account as well (enclosure $).  Many filaments are hygroscopic (they absorb humidity) and need to be dried before printing with them.  So you can’t have a large variety of open rolls without investing in a dryer ($).  I usually wait for sales before purchasing large quantities.  Black friday is usually a good time.  I paid 12$/kg last year but regular prices can easily go to 30$/kg.  The most expensive filament that I’ve purchased so far was 100$/kg but it was a fancy ESD filament for specialized electronics components.

I’ve used more rolls of filaments in the last month printing cases than I’ve use the rest of the year.

The real value is for things like the AirTag holder that simply can’t be purchased and is literally just a few grams.  It was a challenge to design because of the precision needed but it was a cool project.

GregW

paqman 
Thank you for your reply- you told me valuable information- I had no idea about the humidity issues.
I saw a YouTube video where a guy was making Christmas light holders- they were really cool. I can't seem to locate the video now.

Where is the best place to find premade objects to print?

Thanks

Canugghead

and more $ for UPS and emergency power switchover?

paqman

Canugghead said:

and more $ for UPS and emergency power switchover?

If you live in an area that is prone to power failures, it is definitely something to consider.  You don’t want your print to fail after 48 hours because of a power failure.

fishlessman

wonder how much the speed is increased in the commercial machines. ive recently bought parts and they were cheap time wise compared to these

paqman

GregW said:

paqman 
Thank you for your reply- you told me valuable information- I had no idea about the humidity issues.
I saw a YouTube video where a guy was making Christmas light holders- they were really cool. I can't seem to locate the video now.

Where is the best place to find premade objects to print?

Thanks

Your mileage will vary with the humidity issue, I personally keep open rolls of filaments in ziploc bags and a container of silica gel (desiccant).

PLA is apparently not too sensitive to humidity and will pickup humidity within months.

PETG is apparently more sensitive and will pickup humidity within weeks.

TPU is very sensitive and will pickup humidity within hours.

I once forgot a PETG roll on the back of my desk for 2-3 months and it was totally fine but I have air conditioning/dehumidifier running in the house.  I guess it depends on your environment.  Whenever you have a problem printing, the first answers you get will always be “your filament is humid and needs to be dried”.

printables.com is the site I mostly use for premade objects to print but there are others like Thingiverse, cult3d ($), etc.

paqman

fishlessman said:

wonder how much the speed is increased in the commercial machines. ive recently bought parts and they were cheap time wise compared to these

Speed varies quite a bit from printer to printer.  Vorons and Bambu are way faster than the MK3/S+.  They use input shaping technology to “cancel” vibrations caused by the faster speed.  Basically an accelerometer (sensor) in the print head.

Speed is also impacted by the material, layer height, nozzle diameter, etc.