# Did you order your 3D printer yet?



## lotsasteam (Jan 3, 2008)




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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Cool.
My printer came with just a 'nut and bolt' and a 'joined chain' samples to print, so this one I'll have if it comes with her!!!
Also, if only they did print that fast.
Maybe one day.
Thanks for a bit of fun.
Cheers,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## Doug C (Jan 14, 2008)

Nope !


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

No and H no Later RJD


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

yep got 2 of them now,,,,,fun fun
Dennis


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

I want to print my printer...


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## MikeMcL (Apr 25, 2013)

Actually yes! It will arrive tomorrow. Cheap cost of entry on this one to get my feet wet.

Monoprice-MP-i3-3D-Printer-Fully-Assembled


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Mike I see fun and frustration in your future
Dennis


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## MikeMcL (Apr 25, 2013)

denray said:


> Mike I see fun and frustration in your future
> Dennis


Yes, I little of both. I did manage to print some valves and elbows for an oil depot/tank farm facility that I am building from scratch. A dozen elbows and half dozen valves in 24 hours since delivery. Still a bit of a learning curve, but I see great use of this thing. The price was right, but it ain't the best model, I'm sure.


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Great job Mike, can you take a picture next to a dime, so we can see how good you really are, small parts are really difficult to print successfully.
Dennis


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## MikeMcL (Apr 25, 2013)

denray said:


> Great job Mike, can you take a picture next to a dime, so we can see how good you really are, small parts are really difficult to print successfully.
> Dennis


Will a quarter do? Here are some of the doo dads I made on the 3D printer the past week. Several of them I made many multiple copies.


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## kormsen (Oct 27, 2009)

seems, that you got a better printer than i got.
they look very good.


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Mike
Great job, thanks for the quarter comparison, I am a very unusual person, my favorite part of 3D printing is the drawing of the parts I want. yea I know CRAZY
Dennis


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## MikeMcL (Apr 25, 2013)

denray said:


> Mike
> Great job, thanks for the quarter comparison, I am a very unusual person, my favorite part of 3D printing is the drawing of the parts I want. yea I know CRAZY
> Dennis


I did my first design in Tinkercad, another steep learning curve, LOL A simple pipe railing









Here is a link to the STL files, https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2879286


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Looks great Mike
Were you able to print the way it is setting now?
or laying down, and did floor brackets separately
Dennis


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## MikeMcL (Apr 25, 2013)

denray said:


> Looks great Mike
> Were you able to print the way it is setting now?
> or laying down, and did floor brackets separately
> Dennis


Thanks Dennis!The build has the railing laying flat with the floor mounts separate, see my Thingiverse link above. I didn't want to waste a lot of time and material in supporting structure.


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## kormsen (Oct 27, 2009)

you've got a follower on thingiverse now.


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## greghile (Jun 10, 2008)

Mike, I just bought the MP IIIPV2 and have been having trouble getting it levelled and calibrated. I'm printing a gravestone that has turned out successfully on two other printers, so I don't think it is the design. The problem is keeping the object from moving while printing.

Anyways, your stuff looks great and gives me hope for my own eventual success!


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Mike thanks for sharing that is what I was thinking how to print, 

Greg, with my experience, it is not adhering or sticking to the table. The best glue I have tried I bought from ebay, not sure of the name. Works much better than any glue stick
Dennis


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## MikeMcL (Apr 25, 2013)

greghile said:


> Mike, I just bought the MP IIIPV2 and have been having trouble getting it levelled and calibrated. I'm printing a gravestone that has turned out successfully on two other printers, so I don't think it is the design. The problem is keeping the object from moving while printing.
> 
> Anyways, your stuff looks great and gives me hope for my own eventual success!


Well my printer came with the Y axis rods completely out of their front support brackets. Was impossible to level. I turned the printer on it's back and saw the set screws were way loose like they were never tightened. Once I set the Y rods securely, I was able to level. 

What worked best for me was to adjust the table so that a card "barely" makes it under the nozzle with much resistance. Rinse and repeat several times using all four corners.

Also, I don't have a heated table, so I use a wide blue painters tape (masking tape) and covered the table. Then I use Isopropyl alcohol to wipe the top of the tape. The glue stick just made a mess of the table, so I don't use adhesive, just the tape.. I can sometimes pry the print off the tape with the putty knife without damaging the tape. If it doesn't come off (or you mess up the tape), you can lift the tape and peal the print off. Then I re-tape the table.

Heating my nozzle to 200° did the trick for me.

Oh yeah, using a brim (or raft) helps and support when necessary. 

Sticking the first layer is key to a good print. Good luck!


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## greghile (Jun 10, 2008)

My printer also came with some of the rods loose and way out of whack. I've leveled it using a piece of paper but I hadn't tried any glue or adhesive. Last night I found an old glue stick (no telling how old it was) and tried it. I got a much better result but still not quite there yet. At Dennis' suggestion I'm going to try some other adhesives, and I'll continue to work with the leveling. I know I'll get there eventually.

Thank you both for your help!


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/240ml-8oz-...824622?hash=item3f724157ee:g:QgUAAOSwCJxaMfeQ

This is the glue I use, it is the best I have used, I have used a few different glue sticks, this requires a heated bed
it will not release until it cools off.
Dennis


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## greghile (Jun 10, 2008)

Thanks, Dennis, I’ll check it out. I did buy a special blue tape today and will try that, as well. My printer bed isn’t glass, however, so not sure.


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## greghile (Jun 10, 2008)

Good news! I used the blue tape and the glue stick, releveled the bed, and finally got a usable print. I have a gravestone I got somewhere and have been using it as a test piece. I ordered a print from Shapeways and then from two of our local public libraries that offer free printing, and now my own print. While none of them came out perfect, I have to say all of them are “good enough” and of the four, mine is the “goodest.” Not the best photo, but here are the four prints. Can you tell which is which?










One thing I also did was run the file through the latest version of Ultimaker Cura, and set it to print the first layers a bit slower. 

Thanks to all for your kind assistance. Now, on to the list of projects I have waiting ...


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## MikeMcL (Apr 25, 2013)

greghile said:


> Good news! I used the blue tape and the glue stick, releveled the bed, and finally got a usable print. I have a gravestone I got somewhere and have been using it as a test piece. I ordered a print from Shapeways and then from two of our local public libraries that offer free printing, and now my own print. While none of them came out perfect, I have to say all of them are “good enough” and of the four, mine is the “goodest.” Not the best photo, but here are the four prints. Can you tell which is which?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Glad you made some progress! Is yours the 2nd one?

I use the blue masking tape without glue, 200° nozzle and print an adhesion brim using Cura software and it seems to work great.


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## greghile (Jun 10, 2008)

It was, indeed. I used an 8x10 sheet of blue tape that I got at Fry's Electronics that looks and feels a little different from normal painter's tape. I think I'll try the normal stuff at some point. Temp was set at 205 and I also used an adhesion brim.


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## Kane Archer (Feb 10, 2020)

3-D printers suck big time!! They do not deliver what they promise at all!!


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Good first post! (note, this is sarcastic in case anyone possibly thinks I am complimenting this guy)


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## kormsen (Oct 27, 2009)

Kane Archer said:


> 3-D printers suck big time!! They do not deliver what they promise at all!!


are you sure?
in my case, i was enthusiastic about the results, good and expensive printers produced.
then i bought a cheap one, that didn't cope with these expectations.
so it collected dust.

now, some years later, i'm flirting with the idea, to buy a more advanced and more expensive model.


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

I have printed 100's of parts with success
Dennis


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

By the way, I have been up close and personal with a bunch of 3d printers, not a single one has "promised" me anything.


It takes some work and understanding to get results.


Greg


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## mickey (Jan 28, 2009)

But I have failed to see a single one produce anywhere near the quality shown in that first posted video.


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