3D printer with a self-built enclosure

The 3D printer: getting started, material, safety

Which printer to start with, which filament, and why caution during unattended printing is no luxury. A short, practical overview.

My 3D printer with a self-built enclosure

I've had my Anycubic i3 Mega 3D printer since 2019; the enclosure in the photo is home-made.

For the beginning I recommend printing with PLA. It is less harmful to the environment than ABS and also more dimensionally stable. When the demands on temperature and moisture resistance rise, PETG can be used — though this is probably not officially supported by Anycubic, as damage to the heated bed can occur. For me personally the advantages outweigh that (no warranty!).

At the moment I'm eyeing the Prusa CORE One+ Ultimate Edition Assembled.

Safety note: I've fitted a smoke detector above my printer and run it under supervision (a camera on a Raspberry Pi 2 with OctoPrint software). With print-head temperatures sometimes above 250 degrees Celsius, caution is no luxury!

But before you can do anything with the printer, the 3D model has to be turned into a printable form by a slicer (e.g. Ultimaker Cura).

Es ist ein unerwarteter Fehler aufgetreten. Neu laden 🗙

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