3DPrinting

I managed to find the greatest deal ever on a used 3D printer. I've already got a new screen with updated firmware, a new hotend kit on its way today, and I am planning on replacing the bed with tempered glass at some point (I am nervous about ordering it online). I'm also getting the enclosure because my apartment is very small.

All told, I will have spent about $175 CAD for the whole thing and I'm pretty chuffed about it.

Is there anything else I should be doing or getting to make this thing epic?

This is my first time using a 3D printer, and it has taken a little time to learn. I will happily take any advice you have to offer.

Not sure if this is common knowledge in the community but I discovered today that...

1/4" thick plywood cut down to 11 1/4" x 15 1/4" sheets fits perfectly into the slots intended for the drawers in the 10 Drawer Rolling Cart by Simply Tidy (currently on sale for $29 at Michaels, regularly $49).

Without any other modifications, this makes 9 pull out shelves that can each hold a 6x9 Gridfinity grid, providing 486 grid squares (54 per shelf) in a very compact space.

A few minor modifications to move the two top cross braces should allow adding a 10th shelf, for a grand total of 540 grid squares.

Caveats:

You'll probably want to use a base plate that can be screwed down, because there are no walls on these shelves to keep the base plate in position.

The frame is too flimsy to store anything very heavy (e.g. socket sets, 1-2-3 blocks, crowbars, etc), but it looks like it'll be great for holding lots of random nuts, bots, screws, washers, assorted usb cables, art & jewelry making supplies, microscope slides, and other doodads and whatnots in an very compact space for super cheap (as long as you have the means to cut the plywood precisely).

You could skip the plywood and just use the drawers that it comes with, but the sloping sides of the drawers severely impacts the space available for the grid, allowing for only a 5x7 grid (with large unused gaps around the sides) for 35 grid squares per drawer.

But, maybe that's plenty for your purpose, in which case, rock on!

I've made some prints fit in my printer by printing them at a diagonal. I work it out by spinning it until I don't get an error from the slicer.

I'd rather be able to calculate exactly what will fit beforehand instead of spinning the model around in CAD or the slicer.

Has anyone found/used a calculator that can do this?

Wasn't a long important print so I sent it anyway

I am new to 3D printing and I am not sure how to troubleshoot printing issues. In this post, I have a specific issue I cannot figure out and would love help diagnosing it. But I would also welcome beginner friendly resources to determine what the issue is and how to address it. I like gardening and with plants, you learn a method of identifying issues and working your way to ID the problem so you can narrow possible solutions. Example: I have a plant that looks unhealthy.

1. What about the plant looks bad? a) yellow leaves
2. is the leaf yellow or the veins in the leaf yellow a) leaf is yellow, the veins are green
3. are the older leaves yellow, the younger leaves yellow, or ALL leaves yellow? a) younger leaves
4. likely an iron deficiency.

So now I know the issue so I can then look at the various options that would address that issue, likely starting with the simplest option and trying more complicated ones as the simple answers don't solve it.

If there existed resources that could guide me like that for 3D printing I would be grateful!

Now, onto my current issue. I have a model I made that has some layering issues that make it easier to pull apart than it should. But the weird thing is it only happens to larger prints. I have tested this pretty easily because I have been making simple shapes will learning how to do parametric modeling. In the smaller shapes, the print is SOLID. But when I change 1 parameter to make it longer, the print is more brittle and the layers are not as clean as the shorter version. The top layer is also not as clean as the shorter version. The practice object I am making is basically 2 connected rectangles with one taller than the other. I printed several with 30mm length and they printed fine. When I change the length to 300mm, it prints poorly. That is what the picture I attached shows. I have tried printing several times on different parts of the plate, thinking maybe there is a part on the plate that is not flat, but the is not solved that way. The brittleness seems pretty clear to be a layering issue, but I am not sure what they layering becomes an issue when the object becomes longer...

EDIT: Looks like I should provide more info. PRINTER: Sovol SV08, a corexy printer. It is new because I was scared a used printer might have issues I couldn't diagnose since I don't know 3d printers. MATERIAL: PLA SOFTWARE: FreeCAD for designing, OrcaSlicer for printing. LOCATION: Open air in my room with a ceiling fan running all day (which apparently might be part of the problem here?)

Here are some more pictures, with better lighting.

1. Layering
2. Top Layer
3. Decided to check if I could peel it. Yup, it was easy.

This is PETG, one was left out in about 40% humidity the other was dried to about 20%

I've been tuning my Creality K1 ever since getting it (at a steal of $237.15!) about 3 months ago, and I finally got to a point where I'm getting really good, consistent quality results.

Upgrades include:

• MicroSwiss CHT FlowTech hotend / brass nozzle
• Triangle-Lab all-metal extruder gears

Strangely enough, the calibration I did that seemed to make the most difference is the one I kept reading was the least necessary to do. I performed an E-step calibration, and ended up changing the rotation_distance from the default 6.9 to 6.86964. Seems nearly identical, but the next print after making that change was the cleanest I've seen yet on my printer.

By the way, the print above was run at 600mm/s, with Overture Turbo PLA!

edit: actually no, volumetric speed limited to 25, so not 600mm/s (still fast though!)

I'm now going through and fine-tuning temp, flow, and pressure advance for each of my filaments, and this is just such a different experience than that of my franken-Ender 3; however, I'm still incredibly grateful for all the knowledge and experience I got from constantly tuning that printer for about 3 years straight.

Perfect first layers, every time

Bad - adhesion issues, thin walls, Good - pp jokes, semi flexible, not hygroscopic

For those of you running your printers from a Linux PC, what slicer software works for you? I switched from Windows to Kubuntu about 6 weeks ago. Had been using Orca for about 2 years, but the Linux version doesn't fully function for me. The build plate preview and functions are just a blank page. Trying to link a 3d printer causes Orca to crash. From comments online, there are plenty of people with the same issue and no resolution yet, using various Linux distros. So is anyone having luck with a slicer program using Linux, Wayland, and a nvidia graphics card?

Update 07Aug25: so far seen that Orca does not work with the latest versions of Kubuntu (25.04) nor Ubuntu (25.04). That's trying both flatpack and app image. Installed Mint Cinnamon 22.1 (based off Ubuntu 24.04), and Orca partly runs from a flatpack install. The build plate image and features do show up rather than a blank page, which is a start. Unfortunately trying to link my printer by IP address causes the software to crash after I click on the Device tab. Now Orca won't reopen without immediately freezing up, then crashing after about 20 seconds. I think I read about a workaround on Discord for this, need to find that discussion. Downloaded Prusa, just need to try that as well when I can get back to this. Cura refuses to connect to my printer at all so far. It's been revamped to align with Ultimaker printers, changed a lot from when I used it a couple years ago. I don't think it likes my Klipper setup. May work if I went back to stock Creality firmware, but I have no desire to do that.

Update 09AUG25: Right now running the LTS version of Ubuntu (24.04.3) and Orca is usable. Installed using the flatpak. Like under Mint, I can get a visible buildplate and work with a model under the Prepare and Preview tabs. I entered the IP address for the printer under Hostname (using Octo/Klipper for Type since I'm on Klipper) and can upload files to the printer. So long as I don't touch the Device tab in Orca, it doesn't crash or lock up. Access the printer through the web interface, just put the printer IP address into Firefox and can run from there. So, I have something that works at the moment. Thanks everyone for suggestions, it helped point me toward something workable!

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

What if your parts just fit—every single time—no matter what printer, material, or slicer settings you use?

In this video, we break down the proven design principles that eliminate the guesswork from tolerances in 3D printing. You’ll learn how to design press-fits, snap-fits, lids, and interlocking parts that are robust to shrinkage, color variation, and machine quirks. Rounded corners, chamfers, compliant features, and grip fins — we cover it all and show why designing for process is more reliable than tweaking slicer settings.

By the end, you’ll know exactly how to model your parts for perfect, repeatable fit — anywhere, anytime, on any printer.

I recently got a Centauri Carbon and didn't see a dedicated community on the Fediverse so I figured I would make one for anyone who is interested. https://lemmy.world/c/elegoo_centauri_carbon

This came from my Bambu P1S, I did a hotend replacement a week ago and I only print simples models since. This time I tried to print a model a bit more complexe with supports and it failed. Filament is dry, ambiant humidity is 7% in the AMS.

Do you have any suggestions ? Thanks

So I've been noticing a few of my recent prints had some under extrusion around the z seam leaving indents that look like tearing. After basic troubleshooting I come to find that the issue is in the slicer. Could somone help me figure out what settings I need to change? Changing the z seam type doesn't really help, it just seems like cura is refusing to close the seam and would rather my prints have a fissor on them.

Hey, I've just got this device sv06+ ace, everything is great except one thing it doesn't display how much time left to print and shows how much time passed, quick search gave me nothing. Is there a way to display this information?

My Stealthburner started making a grinding sound when extruding. It's not the motor, but the gear attached to it. I cannot figure out how to stop it though. I've tried reseating it, adjusting the locking nut on the shaft, tightening, loosening. I'm hoping someone has an idea for me.

How do you decide what to print and what sites do you use to find free files? Im having a hard time finding 3d prints and the harder part is picking a file i like.

Abandoned printing a few years ago, getting back into it. I have several rolls of PLA and one ABS. The PLA rolls are brittle due to being stored in the open for years. I ran them through a dryer at 50c for 12 hours with no improvement. I've seen suggestions online for 55c so I'm trying that right now, but I imagine they're fucked.

Will more heat help or am I wasting my time?

Edit: another 10 hours at 55 did nothing, I'm abandoning the spool and trying the ABS at 65 for a full day. It wasn't brittle to start so I'll have to test print to know if it worked, but I'll post an update here for posterity.

Edit: ABS 65c for 24 hours. Clogged immediately. Didn't have a needle handy, so I took a Sim card removal tool and a lighter, heated it up for about 30 seconds and stuck it in the top of the hot end and let it cool, then yanked it out. Weird thing was there was still some pla left in the hot end, so it clogged early and pushed out nothing.

This looks awesome.