3d printed parts
 

Here are just a couple of the pieces I am printing for my truck. Front and back bumper. I will be painting them chrome. https://s10.postimg.org/q17cnest5/IM...206_064415.jpg

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Kool , my printer is down right now , kinda miss it

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Welcome, CustomRig!

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What paint will you use for the chrome?

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Dupli-Color Chrome isn't too bad but there is RC Chrome paint out there . Spazstix Chrome looks really good , but as any paint it's all in the preparation .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S91OmJrWc4c

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I've seen the 3d printers - I wonder how hard or easy it will be for the average joe to use them.

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Did your parts turn out reasonably smooth? I suspect for good finish most parts will need a bit of light sanding before paint?

What filament did you use, PLA?

I have one ordered but while I wait on it to show up I'm learning fusion 360. It is a full blown cad program but I like the feeling of learning something new like this and I hope to be able to design the stuff I need/want for my RC stuff.

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parts look good, those are on my list as well.

itigger: go for it, i know nothing about 3d printing, but monoprice has one on sale for under 200 bucks so i bought it, but it turns out the bed was too small, so i returned it and got the next one bigger. i know nothing about printing, but it's not too hard, grab a file from thingverse, and keep printing with different settings until you get what you want.

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I did the old "bait and switch" to myself! It was the low price of the monoprice select mini that got me thinking about printers again and then I decided to research things a bit more and decided to splurge and I ordered a Prusa mk3. :rolleyes:

Jim

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the mini was fun, just not big enough, the monoprice select plus has been good so far and a pretty good deal at like 300 bucks, and i think it's an i3 clone, although nowhere near as fast or as high resolution

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I just bought one of those Monoprice Mini's and yup it is small but way easier than the one I had before , I like it

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I still think the mini as a first machine with a near term plan to get a second bigger unit might be a good idea. If you don't like the basic concept of 3d printing like the cad design or the parts just don't meet requirements you might figure that out with the first inexpensive mini. If it goes okay, then get the second larger and better machine and now you have a printer farm!

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yeah, i so want that prusa mk3 with the 4 filament system now.. lol especially after watching my select print 1/4 of the lowboy tongue for 9 hours... 80% fill though

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A 4 filament system isn't going to make your printing speed any faster. Can only use one at a time. Multiple filament systems are used when you want to print in multiple colors or use different types of filament on the same print like say a soluble filament to use as support material. Printer can only control positioning of one extruder nozzle at a time.

Two main things generally affect speed. First is layer thickness. A print at .2mm is going to take twice as long as one at .4mm because it is going to have twice as many layers. On the other hand .2mm layers will give a much smoother surface finish. Second thing affecting speed is the amount of fill. If you are printing at 80% fill you are almost printing a solid plastic part. I usually print with a 15 to 20 percent fill. With the lowboy parts, given the amount of weight they may have to carry I might go 35 -40 percent.

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i'm printing at 80 because i've snapped 40 percent.. lol

but i may not have typed clearly, i want the 4 filament system to mix colors and materials as well, but i also want the prusa because i thought i read that it can print 250mm + , the monoprice can only hit 150, although i'm running it at .16 layer height and 85mm speed

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OK, wasn't sure why you were interested in the 4 filament system but have know those who did think that they could greatly increase the speed of printing by going that route. Given the size of some of those pieces, 250mm could decrease the amount of time somewhat, although maybe not as much as one might think. Printers rated that fast use acceleration and deacceleration to keep from overshooting turns. Can only get the maximum speed on fairly long straight runs of printing. Short runs, turns and tight curves the average print speed slows down. Surprised that you broke parts at 40%. I had looked at the developers notes in his Thingiverse posting and I believe he said that was what he had printed at but that normally printed at much lower fill rates. That's one of the things that makes 3d printing so interesting, or irritating, all the variables that go into it. Out of curiosity, what slicer do you use?

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cura, it was part of the monoprice package, also have repetier host