As somebody involved in 3D printing (and its educational outreach) since 2014, it's really a game changer for an average hobbyist and I'm super happy seeing more and more people discover it as a tool, and not "the bad robot taking away jobs". Not sure I have a useful suggestion, but an often overlooked material is TPU/TPE. It's come down price a lot (costs about the same as PLA now) and it's perfect for door bumpers, soft corners, plugs (for bolt holes, fixture plates, other holes) to prevent dust ingress, etc. And when you're done falling down the rabbit hole of 3D printing, there will be a hatch going further down labeled "CNC Routers". ... Just don't be tempted, or you end up with custom machined fire bricks with perfect side angles and interlocking features. ... Or the 5-axis nonsense I've done on my channel.

@PaulsGarage

11 ай бұрын

I've never tried tpu/tpe, thanks for the tip! And I'm a long way off of CNC machining, still working on regular old fashioned machining!

@jirij

11 ай бұрын

Just a heads-up - if you give it a try, search for some tutorials on printing TPU on your Prusa i3 to avoid damage to the print bed. With the incorrect settings (and without gluestick), it is known to permanently fuse to PEI surfaces.

@Ragnar8504

11 ай бұрын

@@jirij We've been printing Fillamentum Flexfill 98A on our i3s with the standard Prusa settings for a while, without using glue. Maybe we were just lucky because our PEI sheets are usually not perfectly clean 😂

@PaulsGarage

11 ай бұрын

I did wreck one side of my prusa mk3 build plate, but with standard PETG. Whoops

@Ragnar8504

11 ай бұрын

@@PaulsGarage Oh yeah, we managed to damage several PEI sheets with larger (overnight) PETG prints. The sheets still worked but they looked like they were delaminating where the prints had been.

I 3D print parts for G I Joe's(1/6 and 1/8), spacers for my measuring problem (measure twice, cut once, screwed it up any way), tool holders, jigs, replacement parts for broken things I found at Goodwill, parts for my old Jeep ($28 for the pieces to hold the sun visor buys a lot of my patience with a 3D printer), RC car parts, and basically anything that isn't easier to get off of eBay, Amazon, or Ali express.

@PaulsGarage

Жыл бұрын

Custom spacers is one I hadn't thought of yet

Those bead rollers are amazing. I've seen people make metal forming dies for use in a press, but not rollers. Thanks for sharing that bit!

Want me to personally teach you how to use your 3D printer to learn sand casting? Click here: paulsmakeracademy.mykajabi.com/joinus Printers Discussed Here: HALOT-MAGE 8K Resin 3D Printer (super cheap right now): shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2310610&u=3680878&m=124834&urllink=&afftrack= Prusa MK3S+ kit: amzn.to/3NmcOQ2 (affiliate links obviously)

Good little summary. 3D printing has been a real eye-opener for me, as I can now realise so many more of my ideas in ways that are much more efficient and accurate than I could manage before with other methods. The design part is still a series of hurdles, but I'm improving as I go. Sure, the plastic aspect is not always ideal, but if the correct type is chosen it can make a world of difference to the outcome if certain properties are needed. Understanding the materials properly can take a long time and it can be a drag to manage of you have so many spools, but having a diverse set of resources on tap is great. Aside from all the unique tools and such, one thing I've found useful recently is the ability to design and print router shape templates for individual woodwork projects. The Prusa MK3 is a classic. Mine has done a lot of work! Not the latest and greatest, but they are indeed reliable and unfussy. Plus every part is replaceable. Please separate and recycle your waste, folks!

@PaulsGarage

Жыл бұрын

Exactly what I think! I'm very happy with my mk3 and even my mk2 is still working fine

You rule dude. We all get in rabbit holes that are messy and trap-y.. But you just cut through so much crap on this topic like a rockstar. Keep rocking it, never die

I (sometimes) repair old consoles, and 3d printed parts are perfect for mounting new board in an old housing. It's a lot easier to 3d print a mounting for an itx motherboard than it is to machine one.

@PaulsGarage

Жыл бұрын

Definitely. Did you scan the original or just model from scratch?

@JangoBunBun

Жыл бұрын

@@PaulsGarage depends on what i'm doing. I also don't have a 3d printer myself, I use a couple my local library branch has. My last completed project was fixing an n64. The cartridge slot has those two plastic covers that fold down. They broke on mine, so I literally traced them on a drawing tablet to get the shape then 3d printed replacements at the library. super easy, and fairly quick fix.

@PaulsGarage

Жыл бұрын

That's really cool. I used to have a N64, good console

I've used 3D printing for sand molding all sorts of things, from sand rammers to historic bronze axes to boat hooks and cleats. Besides sand casting the majority of prints I designed have been brackets, clips and covers. The most time intensive print I designed was a handheld computer for emulating old games.

@PaulsGarage

11 ай бұрын

That's great! Bronze stuff incoming from me too, in addition to that spear I already made years ago

Thanks for your explanations. Fantastic information.

Thanks for the video keep on keeping on.

Excellent and informative video

I will say, having a 3D printer taught me that plastic doesn't have to be weak. I design most things I print and make them extra chunky. If I had the means to cast metal, though, I totally would. I've considered making and casting small plaster or concrete pillar moulds for the garden, but haven't gotten around to it just yet.

@PaulsGarage

11 ай бұрын

Plastic is surprisingly strong when designed to be strong. I think most plastic stuff you can buy is weak because they try to minimize material usage. No need if I'm designing it for me

@AllanMacMillan

11 ай бұрын

@@PaulsGarage Another aspect that limits most plastic parts is shrinking and warping in injection moulded parts, this limits the section thickness that can be used. In 3d printing you can make thick walls, and even with just a few perimeters printed the part is structurally far superior to a comparable injection moulded part.

Oh the number of things you can use 3D printing for... Leatherworking: I use it for tool holders, like my stamps, I use it for printing forms for wet forming leather around, I've used it to replace handles on tools, for templates for cutting, tooling and pricking. Lathe: I have used it to make ring holders to chuck up a ring in the lathe for finishing (added bonus unlike a metal option I don't have to worry about copper shims to avoid the tool damaging the inner finish on the ring), replaced a couple knobs on my lathe that were less than impressively built (i.e. broke) and for a few other various and sundry things like tool holders, organizers for reamers. Mill: Same story here, custom part holders, custom tool holders, not replacement parts on the mill yet but...I imagine it will happen. Stained Glass (no, I don't have too many hobbies, what does that even mean?): The ever present organizers/tool holders, but also custom forms for the scene I'm making as well as these little clip things that hold the pieces lined up the way I want so I can solder them (nothing sucks more than a piece moving right as you apply solder...unless you like reapplying a bunch of copper tape). Miniature Painting: My god how much time do you have? Everything from paint holders to painting tools to brush racks to using TPU (flexible filament) to reproduce new caps for the vortex mixer I use to mix paints. I've used it to make replacement parts for my dishwasher, add on parts for my racing sim, a little custom headphone stand/holder you literally cannot buy an analog for. Racks for my DAC's and AMP's on my desk to give them room to breathe without taking up tons of space. I'm literally just looking around my office right now pointing things out...I could walk through the rest of the house and continue the trend but I think the point has been made...

@PaulsGarage

11 ай бұрын

Haha nobody has too many hobbies, only too little space and time. Now you said racing sim? What kind of setup do you have? I'm still rocking a G25 bolted to an Ikea desk lol and have managed not to snap that ring gear inside... Yet

I 3D printed a pen plotter attachment for my 3D printer, too.

We've 3d printed a drain cover for a buddy's boat. Handle scales for my daughter's custom handmade ice climbing axes. Brackets to hold my depth finder to a canoe gunwhale . Bunch of other stuff too they're super handy my wife does CAD for a living

@PaulsGarage

11 ай бұрын

That would definitely be handy having someone in the house who is a pro at CAD

I have been wanting one of either type for a while. What held me back was the 3d modeling. I challenged myself to learn a program first. I am currently teaching myself with Tinkercad, seems decent. Once I feel fluent enough in it, I will probably buy a FDM type first to get printing. I want a resin type eventually for scale model work. I am pretty good at scratch building but some complex shapes are near impossible for my simple hands.

@PaulsGarage

11 ай бұрын

For scale models yes the resin will blow FDM away. For simpler things though I'd still prefer FDM. Both very good tools for sure. I've messed with tinkercad a bit, I think I made the sand rammer and hammer patterns with that. Fusion is the way to go in my opinion, but there is definitely a steeper learning curve

@thejunkman

11 ай бұрын

@@PaulsGarage Your video basically confirmed what I have thought for a while for my own personal situation. I need both, but only have budget (time and money) for one style to get started. FDM is what I will begin with, the resin seems clunky for startup and shut down, which means I won't want to use it as much. I liked the idea of investment casting (or lost casting, what ever its called) which is something I might experiment with for "restoration" cosmetic parts for my motorcycles.

@PaulsGarage

11 ай бұрын

@@thejunkman I'm definitely glad I started with FDM, but yeah the technology is so different you really need both

@thejunkman

11 ай бұрын

@@PaulsGarage I have been mulling this over for YEARS. I think it is time to pull the trigger and get an FDM and do some basic useful things. Get myself up to speed on 3D modeling. Then save up for the resin.

@Jaze2022

11 ай бұрын

I was deciding between the two as well. Resin is really limited to miniatures because of the cost of materials. Not to mention the LCD panel wear and film wear. If you want details with FDM, consider a smaller nozzle like .1 or .2. then epoxy coated or some other filler primer.

3D Printing is amazing for all sorts of stuff ...having said that I am a mechanical design engineer sooo ...of course I would say that xD The magic happens once you learn CAD or some other design software.

@PaulsGarage

Жыл бұрын

Yes CAD is the key. If you can model, you can make anything

I've been wanting to get one to make bases for TTRPG minis made out of card stock (and possibly make some full fledged minis as well). I live where I can't just order those kinds of things, so being able to make them myself would be a luxury

@PaulsGarage

11 ай бұрын

I've been doing some of that myself. For plain bases, FDM is the way to go, for everything else mini related I think resin blows FDM away. Though I've seen lots of terrain designed for FDM printing

Need something made of concrete in a specific shape? I had 2 plastic shelves side by side in a closet that wasn't quite wide enough. I 3d printed legs so that one set was exactly one shelf-thickness taller than the other so the two shelves could overlap. I filled the printed legs with concrete so they would be strong enough to bear the weight. Leg pairs were attached with a 2x4, so I designed countersunk shafts for the screws into it.

My current wild idea is to print a "mold holder" in PLA, and then print the mold in water soluble filament. Fill the wear or stress surfaces of the mold with metal inserts, then fill the rest of the mold with epoxy putty. Get the cured part to release by soaking in water. My hope is this will produce parts that are close to the toughness and hardness of metal parts, combined with the precision and ease of 3d modelling, while minimizing the use of the relatively expensive water soluble filament. Wish me luck, and for exploring this idea to get to the top of the stack!

@PaulsGarage

11 ай бұрын

Sounds like a fun process!

Instead of sanding or complimentary to it you should use resin or PU varnish or spray body filler to smooth your parts, especially if it´s gating parts und such which don´t need to fit accuratly. This can save a lot of time.

@PaulsGarage

Жыл бұрын

I've heard of that but haven't tried it. Looks like a good idea

Have you considered putting some of those sprews in a lathe and then turning them down to get the ridges out of them?. I know he would be the biggest enemy But maybe one pass with a button insert might do it.

@PaulsGarage

11 ай бұрын

That would be nice but I don't have a lathe lol. Working on it! No layer lines on the resin prints

I have 3D printed 4, one tenth scale models of my 1930 Austin Seven car. One for me, and one for each of my sisters. Only some little thin brackets and rods are either brass, aluminium or copper. I used an Ender3 with pla, and an Anycubic mono 4K with water washable resin. I am now looking for Cornish tin (tin mined here in Cornwall, UK) so instead of painted plastic radiator shell, and lights, I can cast them in tin. Without the 3D printers, I wouldn't be metal casting or making models of my car. Neither of my printers would be considered as "top of the range", but they both do (as we say in Cornwall) a "Proper job".

@PaulsGarage

Жыл бұрын

That sounds great! A 1930 Austin eh? That sounds cool. I don't think we got those in the US

@lornablewettandlee504

Жыл бұрын

@@PaulsGarage I think the A7 was a bit too small for the US market! A version of the A7 was marketed as the "Bantam". Laurel and Hardy used one in a film, very funny.

3D printing ideas? Well, right now I'm designing and building a CNC gantry router using lots of 3D printed parts. That's to NatahBuildsRobots I got the idea to use a Bondtech CHT 1mm nozzle on my modded Ender3 to produce .8mm layer height adjustable bearing housings that are very chunky. Also the adjustment collars for the polished tubing that will be the new bearing surface, as well as center supports for the tubing because it's going to have a lot of weight riding on it. Probably also going to print the mounting bracket for the router spindle, and the dust shoe. Then I'm going to use the machine to cut foam patterns of all the parts and lost-foam cast them in aluminum(flat chunky parts). Then I'm going top open-source the whole thing. I've already used my printer to reinforce my current garbage-tier DIY gantry mill. It helped. Printed drill jigs. Printed marking jigs. Replacement handles for scissors. An oversized zipper-pull for a snow jacket specifically made for use with heavy gloves. And a special bracket to clip my walkie-talkie to back when I was still in contract security so that I could sit down comfortably without taking it off. Will be designing molds for some carbon-fiber parts though I'm not sure if I will print them or mill them out of HDPE. Whatever, I'm all over the place and the printer really helps. I use FreeCAD because I'm strictly on Linux and it's basically the only game in town for CAM software. Blender's CAD extensions look promising for 3D printing, but so far they are all for additive manufacturing, not subtractive.

@PaulsGarage

11 ай бұрын

Sounds like you are getting lots of use out of 3d printing. Freecad is pretty good stuff, I just couldn't work quickly enough. It might be down to inexperience (pretty sure it is) but fusion is faster for me

@bootstrappyworkshop8367

11 ай бұрын

@@PaulsGarage Not at all. I've heard FreeCAD described as being reminiscent of CAD software 20 years ago. Light on features, kind of buggy, long processing times, high learning curve, etc. FreeCAD is entirely coded by unpaid volunteers, and it's absolutely amazing by that standard, but it doesn't have the resources of something like Blender or Autodesk. For instance, single point thread milling and fourth axis are both still experimental in the Path workbench, which is FreeCAD's CAM module. I'm a big open source advocate, so I'm using it regardless, but for a lot of people that just want to make something and they are already trapped in the Winblows ecosystem, I just tell them to go with Fusion. FreeCAD is hard mode in a contest where there are no extra points for that.

I think you could make molds to use recycled plastic to make something permanent like a shelf decoration. You could take single use plastics and turn them into something someone would buy and keep out the landfill. Kind of upcycling the plastic instead of downcycling. That and a boycott of single use plastics could do a lot of good to the ocean and environment. Depending on your location, you could gather tons of material.

Sounds like you need a little help calibrating your shiny new toy to work best with the resins you're using matey! Once you calibrate it with the resin you use (Yes, every resin will need calibrating differently! Much fun i know xD) then you'll be getting perfect prints no matter how you orient your prints, and perfectly dimensionally stable. I can heartily reccomend the latest resins from SunLu, their Sunlu ABS-Like and SunLu High Toughness. The ABS like bends, takes stress, works like you'd expect a plastic to behave. The high toughness is ridulously strong, like you can smack it with a hammer strong, or print a veronio object and squish it without breaking :D They're also amongst the cheapest ones out there too, pretty incredible stuff. For casting, Siraya Cast or Bluecast X-One are the only ones to consider (the rest are expensive and bluecast exists.. lol) Have you made a subthingy on your discord for this? I'll post some links to shit i reccomend to watch/read/advise for if there's a place for it :)

@PaulsGarage

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the info! Yes there is a 3d printing channel in the discord

@noviceartisan

Жыл бұрын

@@PaulsGarage awesome, thanks, I'll infodump a bunch of stuff I think will of be use for you to read/view then :)

Yep 👍👍😎👍👍

PLA is pretty strong, the problem is it is also brittle and gets soft at only about 55-60°C, so it basically melts in a car in the sun.

@PaulsGarage

Жыл бұрын

Good point. I don't have a hot shop though which is nice

@sierraecho884

Жыл бұрын

@@PaulsGarage In this case you should be able to do everything with PLA since it´s the cheapest material. Otherwise use PETG for anything structural. It wont break easy, is still cheap and has much better mechanical properties compared to PLA. It also prints well, you don´t need an all metal hot end etc.

@OutOfNamesToChoose

11 ай бұрын

For this purpose, PLA would work just fine and arguably better than alternatives such as PETG, as it doesn't string.

@sierraecho884

11 ай бұрын

@@OutOfNamesToChoose No it doesn´t it simply breaks instead xD

Hmm, two welders and two 3D printers, plus of course we know not what else - seems the good lady might have a point about your always buying tools! 😊 .... Martin

@PaulsGarage

11 ай бұрын

Haha I think you're right!

I want to take the leap and get my first printer. I'm willing to spend$350 to $500. Do you have a recommendation? Im going to be mainly making casting patterns and maybe printing some pew pews out of carbon fiber filament.

@PaulsGarage

11 ай бұрын

I don't have much experience with FDM printers in that price range, but most fancy filaments require a special extruder nossle and/or hot end to deal with temperatures and abrasive additives. Most cheaper machines don't come with those but they are generally readily available off the shelf as add ons. From what I hear, Creality FDM printers are very customizable in that price range but I have no personal experience with them

@shawnwillis7561

11 ай бұрын

@@PaulsGarage ok. Creality is at the top of my list right now. Found a good price on an Ender 5 s1. I'm sure I'll need plenty of practice before I get to carbon fiber filaments. I'm eager to get started printing patterns to get started on castings.

@PaulsGarage

11 ай бұрын

For sure get going with PLA and get comfortable with that before trying different filaments. All of my sand casting patterns have been made of PLA, by the way. Only now with the resin printer will I start adding resin patterns, though I will still keep using PLA for some patterns

And for the rest of us who aren't in it for more practical stuff, if I want a gun or something from a game or movie, I can have it without dropping an assload on collectibles or Etsy

For your pouring basin, why not cast the mold in aluminium. Smooth the inside mold surfaces. The you can make as many basins as you want and it won't wear out in your lifetime.

@PaulsGarage

Жыл бұрын

Good idea for sure

Super brittle rep is from older UV resins. There is a trade off on details and strength.

@PaulsGarage

Жыл бұрын

The blue grey resin I showed in there is pretty tough on my experience, but fine details break off if I drop on concrete. I was surprised how tough the white stuff was even though it's a "basic" resin

Get a vacuum pan and pump motor on Vevor, and just do vacuum investment casting. I would like to see someone with a muffler oven that could melt steel and do steel parts.. :) Greetings, Jeff

@PaulsGarage

11 ай бұрын

That's the plan, and I already have a vacuum pump 😉

@jeffjefferson2676

11 ай бұрын

@@PaulsGarage Allright! That should make for some very neat casts. Only the very very precise pieces may or may not need machining. I am very interested in how the dimensions will hold up. The m16 trigger and hammer parts are cast steel, so if you want to have something as a reference to see if your casts are as accurate, I would make some of those. :) Greetings, Jeff

Cool name.

@PaulsGarage

11 ай бұрын

Same to you

I consider learning CAD the biggest bottleneck in 3d printing popularity. I ended up learning FreeCAD, and I used letting myself buy a 3d printer as a carrot to provide the motivation to learn it. Funnily enough the easiest and fastest thing I've ever printed was the most valuable. A family member had a CPAP machine with an overly complicated plastic part with a tiny hose nipple that broke off, took me 5 minutes to model a new nipple I could reasonably epoxy into the broken part, and 10 minutes to print it. A good option when a new one is a thousand dollars, and replacement parts are nonexistent. I've also basically paid for it again fixing headphones instead of replacing them.

@PaulsGarage

Жыл бұрын

Agreed. Modelling skill is the most important part. I prefer the UI of fusion to freecad but freecad is still an awesome program. Lately I've been trying to learn blender for mesh modelling, but you can't do parametric stuff in blender

@bobweiram6321

Жыл бұрын

FreeCAD is just clunky, buggy and ugly! Writing software that's worth paying for is ridiculously laborious and time consuming, even with all the advancements in modern computing and the vast amount of learning resources and freely accessible code. Fusion 360 is the easiest to learn with a ton of useful features and works on the Mac and Windows. It's hard to believe I once thought Sketchup was good. It is still free for hobbyists. If it wasn't free, I would still pay for it, although I am not a fan of Autodesk. I'm still pissed off at them after they made the dirtbag move of using the community to build up their product and then cut them off from accessing some of their higher end features after the honeymoon was over. Fusion's competitors are way out of the hobbyist budgets with license fees in the thousands per year and many of them have fallen behind in Fusion.

@Taygetea

Жыл бұрын

@@bobweiram6321 i really like onshape. if you can get over it being browser based and your models being technically publicly available (if you want to hide a model from search, just dont give it a descriptive name), it's super nice. not nearly as powerful as fusion, no CAM, but i prefer its UI tremendously and since the computing is done on the server, you can have as many projects open as you want. plus the phone app is full featured so you can stay in flow when you take a break to get coffee or use the bathroom if you really want :p

@bobweiram6321

Жыл бұрын

@@Taygetea I wouldn't touch OnShape with a 10 foot pole! Their business model is equivalent to allowing you to use their public toilet on a busy street for free, but there's no walls and everyone driving and walking can watch you taking a dump. If you pay a fee, a booth is lowered over you to give you privacy. Using a web browser is the most painful way to use highly interactive applications.

So what you're saying is that I should take apart an arc welder and attach it to a 3D printer and make a metal printer that uses welding wire. Okay, I like that idea.

@PaulsGarage

11 ай бұрын

Sounds fun take pictures 👍

I can't wait to one day get a 3D printer.

@PaulsGarage

Жыл бұрын

Seems like every year they get better and cheaper. Take the time to learn 3d modelling in blender or something and just imagine what you could make!

@OutOfNamesToChoose

11 ай бұрын

@@PaulsGarage Exactly this! Learning Blender before the 3D printing became commonplace was one of the best coincidences of my life. You'll be able to create or modify prints to personalise them to fix the most niche problems that you could imagine, where no solution exists. And printers now are far, far better than my "cheap" Ender 3 Pro (took a lot of modding, unlike the mostly ready to go printers of today). I've made a stationary, SD, USB and notecard holder clip that attaches to the front of my exact PC case that sits on my desk, for example. I also wanted to make 3-stranded rope, and have been designing a little ropemaker that can make rope out of coloured string, butcher's twine or Kevlar kite cord (the first prototype works great!).

I had only ever had kit FDM printers that have been frustrating and wonderful. The first time I bought and used a MSLA printer I looked at my buddy and said. "I don't like it, its to easy. It feels like cheating."

@PaulsGarage

11 ай бұрын

Haha I know what you mean! I've had pretty good luck with FDM printers, but building a kit feels way more hands on than "open box and go". It really goes to show how the technology has advanced in the last few years that the new resin printers are so good and so cheap.

Have you seen the guy who 3D prints with sand and a giant fresnel lens? Frickin’ freshly printed glass!

@PaulsGarage

11 ай бұрын

I've seen that yeah! It's insanely awesome, makes me feel even more incompetent haha

@PlayNowWorkLater

11 ай бұрын

@@PaulsGarage I’m collecting parts to try and build one. BTW you are awesome!

Jigs, fixtures, and tooling.

@PaulsGarage

Жыл бұрын

Great for quick custom jigs

Blacksmithing. I really cant think of any application for 3D printing in blacksmithing.

@PaulsGarage

11 ай бұрын

All I can think of is in the design phase of some projects. Print and see if it works/is what you want before firing up the forge and wasting all the fuel?

Chocolate? Is it snack time? 😂

@PaulsGarage

Жыл бұрын

Any time is snack time!