New to 3D printers - where to start?

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**filbert**

I have held off buying a 3D printer until the tech matured a little and price dropped. It seems that time has now come given you can buy them on Amazon for a couple of hundred quid. So for someone completely new to 3D printing, what printer would you recommend and why? I want something that is quick and easy to use and produces good results.

Also, where is the best place to go to get the STL files (paid or free)?

**filbert**

I guess I will be printing minis but I can't rule out wanting to print other stuff though? I am sure there are hundreds of handy objects that can be used all around the house that will lend themselves well to being 3D printed. Would the Anycubic Mono handle those?

Ideally, I'd want an all-in-one, jack of all trades type of printer that can handle both minis and scenery. Does such a thing exist?

Basically, explain like I am 5!

**filbert**

OK so I guess with the resin printers they are more for smaller scale stuff like minis whereas the FDM printers are for larger scale stuff?

Is this a good choice:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ANYCUBIC-Printer-Printing-Anti-aliasing-Precision/dp/B08KXNWQTQ/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=anycubic+mono&qid=1619885492&sr=8-7

I guess what I am driving at is the primary purpose will be to print minis but it would be nice if it can handle slightly larger stuff too.

**filbert**

Hmm, reading a little bit more on resin printers it seems like there is a lot to contend with in terms of washing, cleaning, curing, not to mention toxic chemicals and fumes. I don't think that is a road I want to go down initially.

So it looks like FDM is the way to go to start with - can they handle 28mm miniatures OK or do you get lots of obvious and ugly striations?

Edit: With an FDM I just need to buy the printer itself and a spool of filament, right? Amazon recommends this one:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ANYCUBIC-Printer-Printing-UltraBase-Filament/dp/B07JN7HFYS/ref=sxin_10?asc_contentid=amzn1.osa.77c6062d-8f8a-451c-9231-23e61daa0f12.A1F83G8C2ARO7P.en_GB&asc_contenttype=article&ascsubtag=amzn1.osa.77c6062d-8f8a-451c-9231-23e61daa0f12.A1F83G8C2ARO7P.en_GB&creativeASIN=B07JN7HFYS&cv_ct_cx=3d+printer&cv_ct_id=amzn1.osa.77c6062d-8f8a-451c-9231-23e61daa0f12.A1F83G8C2ARO7P.en_GB&cv_ct_pg=search&cv_ct_we=asin&cv_ct_wn=osp-single-source-earns-comm&dchild=1&keywords=3d+printer&linkCode=oas&pd_rd_i=B07JN7HFYS&pd_rd_r=8cf9e89f-7c9f-4a1e-a33d-f2e564fda603&pd_rd_w=0hBfE&pd_rd_wg=B36Cr&pf_rd_p=5c503d70-2633-483c-a5bc-6e044ac8f29e&pf_rd_r=40JQT78P4KP1JXG3ZZTX&qid=1619887946&sr=1-1-483c64d8-df78-4008-ae20-e69f683e58b1&tag=askmenukonsite-21

**filbert**

How much setting up did you need to do? I have been reading all sorts of things about bed levelling, FEPs film replacement etc and it's all Greek to me at the moment.

Currently wavering towards an Elegoo with the water washable resin. What I need to work out now is if I will get the use out of it to justify the initial cost. I suspect it will be a case that I will end up finding lots of things I want to print once I get one.

I do concur with other points made in this thread; the painting backlog is always the bottleneck so I am wondering if it is wise to add yet more to that queue.

**filbert**

Got my printer - went for an Elegoo Mars 2 Pro in the end. Set it up last night and ran the first test print - a pair of rook chess pieces. They turned out great. Only problem is trying to remove them from the print bed - they are stuck quite firmly!

Do you clean and cure and then try to remove them from the bed? Or do you do it before cleaning?

Also, regarding slicing software - is there a 'go to' application? Or is Chitubox sufficient? I am thinking in terms of supports - Chitubox has an auto add support function but I'm not sure how good it is and wondered if there were better ones.

**filbert**

OK great stuff. One final question - I have the Mercury Wash & Cure machine arriving soon (was supposed to arrive yesterday along with the printer but it got delayed), however it says in the description that is not for use with water washable resin. Is that really true or just a recommendation? Seems a little counterintuitive to me and if so, I might as well just use normal resin and IPA instead if it means I can take use of a special machine to wash it.

Thanks for all the help and great advice so far, it has been most useful!

Next project for me will be Krieg Marshal on horseback in the style of the Napoleon crossing the Alps painting.

**filbert**

TheWaspinator wrote:On the file topic, I can give some advice if you can narrow the subject a little bit. What are you wanting? Space Marines, D&D figures, fantasy armies, giant robots, these are all possibilities.

To start with, I am mainly looking to complete my 40K Epic and Battlefleet Gothic collections. Some of the OOP models are extremely hard to source these days. An example being the Epic Slaanesh knights. I have some of the metal Questor and Hell-Scourge models but problems arise when they are fielded in units of 3 models and I only have 2 for example.

Chillreaper wrote:I've been cleaning Elegoo Water Washable resin in my Anycubic cleaner and it's fine, too.

10 minute cycle and things are as clean as a whistle.

That's good to know that I can use it for its intended purpose.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Further question - is it normal for the print to stick ever so slightly to the FEP film on every layer pass? There is a slight ping like someone tapping a drum head gently on my machine each time it prints a layer.

**filbert**

the_scotsman wrote:
Yep, that is normal. if it stops making that noise your print has failed.

Phew. Good to know.

**filbert**

My second print run - a proxy Necron Cairn battleship for BFG. Some very quick and dirty pics after curing:

Had a minor hiccup at the start when I realised I had set the exposure time to high and the print was stuck to the FEP rather than the build plate but after stopping the print, cleaning up, adjusting and starting again, it all seemed to go very smoothly. Pretty happy with how it turned out!

**filbert**

Ketara wrote:

How does it feel realising you have your very own model factory in your back room?

Ask me again when something goes horribly wrong!

**filbert**

Thanks all so very much for your help in this thread. Thanks to the flexible magnetic print plate and the suggestion to use Lychee, I have been churning out prints. The Mars Pro 2 has been superb; has not missed a beat. Just printed this out, very pleased with how it turned out - a Krieg Marshall posed in the style of the Napoleon Crossing the Alps painting.

**filbert**

Paradigm wrote:
Looks like a nice crisp print, you're getting excellent results very quickly!

Have you had any issues with the magnetic plate? I keep meaning to look into getting one, then never actually doing that.

Nope. It was great. Stuck it on, left it overnight for the glue to cure and then re-levelled the plate the next day. Been superb so far; a slight flex and the print pops right off.

I did have a moment of panic when I read some Amazon reviews where people complained about needing to print spacers first to offset the increase in plate thickness but my Mars Pro 2 didn't need them.

**filbert**

Not Online!!! wrote:
ok , that is, awesome? tell me, how is the smell?

Me or the printer?

Truthfully, don't notice any smell at all. Not sure if that is a factor of the machine which has a sort of rubber seal around the case or the resin I am using which is the Elegoo Water Washable stuff or a combination of the two but honestly, unless I were to take the lid off and really get a good huff of it (which is unadvisable for many reasons) then I can't notice anything at all. The machine is sat right beside me now printing a Planet Killer ship as we speak and I can't smell a thing.

Obviously, when the print is finished and you take it out to wash/cure etc there is a slight smell but it soon dissipates.

Put it this way, my wife complains deeply about a great many things that I do but so far, the smell of resin has gone uncommented.

**filbert**

Not Online!!! wrote:
Flinty wrote:
Software wise, 3D builder on Windows lets you fiddle with models and merge bits. Mesh mixer is another free program that lets you merge and modify STLs.

I would Recommend again the flexible build
Plate add one, and a good sharp scraper is also Necessary.

I find sprue clippers are super useful for getting to fiddly supports for removal. They will get resin on them, so best to get a specific set rather than using your normal modelling set.

Also you should get shares in paper towel manufacturer, cos you may as well try to get some kind of benefit back for all the rolls you will need to buy

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Safety wise, boxes of nitrile gloves are required as they are not really reusable after getting resin in them. I have also found safety goggles that have a half decent seal against your skin help stop irritation from the resin fumes.

kitchenpaper towels do the job right?

Yes, kitchen paper is good for mopping up resin and cleaning the build plate. I have been recommended by others to use a microfiber cloth and PTFE spray to clean the FEP film in the vat - don't use kitchen paper on that as it can scratch it.

If you buy the same Elegoo printer I have, it comes with a box of tools including metal and plastic scrapers, clippers, some disposable filters and gloves. Enough to get you started.

**filbert**

Anyone skilled with resizing/rescaling stuff? I am desperately trying to print these things:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3805629

As they are perfect for my pre-heresy 30K Death Guard but the original file is not sized correctly. I tried to resize it myself but it didn't work very well. Anyone fancy a quick bash at it for me? Would be most grateful!

**filbert**

Overread wrote:
What software are you using? In Lychee I'd just select the scale option; rescale one of the axis and hit enter and see how it looked. There's a measuring tool (lefthand bar) and I'd use that to get a good measurement as I resized to get it as close as I could to accurate before printing and seeing how it went.

Yeah I tried that - I measured a real shoulderpad to be 11mm in the x axis and rescaled the STL - the print failed but even so, it looked way too big to me.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

filbert wrote:
Overread wrote:
What software are you using? In Lychee I'd just select the scale option; rescale one of the axis and hit enter and see how it looked. There's a measuring tool (lefthand bar) and I'd use that to get a good measurement as I resized to get it as close as I could to accurate before printing and seeing how it went.

Yeah I tried that - I measured a real shoulderpad to be 11mm in the x axis and rescaled the STL - the print failed but even so, it looked way too big to me.

D'oh! I was assuming the X axis referred to the bottom of the shoulderpad but it turns out it was Y. Looks correct size now so will test printing again.

**filbert**

Overread wrote:
good luck!

Worked beautifully - well chuffed; been struggling with this over the past couple of days - a few failed prints but looks like it is cracked now!

**filbert**

Xenomancers wrote:
What is the purpose of the cure machine? The resin coming out of my printer (photon mono) is plenty hard enough to clean and glue right out of the printer?

I just wash with alcohol then rinse with water - dry with a fan and within 1 hour I am cleaning and assembling.

Am I missing something?

As far as I am aware, uncured resin, even if it is hard, is still toxic. It needs to be exposed to UV light to cure properly. You can either leave it sunlight or use a designated cure machine. The advantage being that the UV machine only takes a few minutes as opposed to an hour or so in the sunlight.

From my own point of view, prints that come out of my machine and then cleaned are sticky to the touch and smelly until they are cured.