# 3D Printing > General 3D Printing Discussion >  Another total Newbie

## Rakku

Hi there!

As the title says, I have 0 expirience with 3D Printers, but I have decided to make it my new hobby.

The hardest part for a totally new guy like me, is choosing a printer.
I pretty much hate going low budget, since you mostly get what you pay for.

I have read some tutorials (or seen videos), but most of them dont really give much information about which printer to choose.

[Edit] I only know that some features are better to have, like a heated bed, open filament system etc [/edit]

One of the most known ones are the ultimaker series.

I decided to save up for a ultimaker 2+

Is that overkill, or a good choice?
Should take me another month or two and I have saved up the money for it (2,400€ here in germany unfortunaly).

Is there any other printer you would recommend?

Where are good sources for how to get into 3D printing?

Sorry for that many questions!

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## djprinter

You need to tell us what you plan on using it for.

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## Rakku

Ah right.

Simply said, pretty much everything.
From gadgets for daily use up to precise parts for my motorcycle.

Basicly, I want a printer which is able to print up to a pretty detailed level, like parts which can interlock with each other etc.
It doesnt have to be that accurate that I could actually engineer crazy stuff with it, like professional model builders, but for examle: I want to be able to print boxes where the lid fits perfectly etc.

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## Todd-67

The Ultimaker 2+ is a good machine with a good support base if you can swing the price tag than go for it. They do have a kit to convert it into a nearly enclosed machine for materials like ABS.  Certain people may tell you it's over priced but take it with a grain of salt.

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## Rakku

Wait what? I thought the Ultimaker is already a closed system to hold ambient printing temperatures, am I wrong?
That baffles me tbh.

If Im gonna print, I want to print mostly ABS (at least for structures which need strenght).
Do I really have to purchase even something on top of the ultimaker to get the best results?

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## Todd-67

https://printedsolid.com/products/ultimaker-2-extended-safety-enclosure-kit-parts
There is a link to one of the kits on the market.

If you can get by with a small build platform the little flash forge creator pro 2016 can be had for about $900 USD They are fully enclosed and print ABS very well.

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## Rakku

The flash forge doesnt even sound half bad, even better that it has dual extrusion.
The build plate doesnt sound that much smaller then the ultimaker 2+.

I have to find a good side to side video of the flash forge vs the ultimaker.
Im aware that its not a fair comparison, since the ultimaker costs more then double, but I cant get a feel for the differences in the building volume.
Otherwise I would be hands down for the flash forge, sounds neat.

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## Todd-67

Keep in mind that since you are using ABS super glue is your friend. I did that prototype on the right for my boss over last weekend. I glued the two parts together. As far as print quality goes you are not giving up much. The Qidi tech is an even cheaper option than the flash forgee. I ust like the support and parts from FF. Also there are tons of aftermarket parts for these things. Micro swiss makes an all metal hot end that will allow printing at temps up to 300C for materials like nylon or PC.


woman.jpgdragon.jpgskull.jpgpayment-system.JPG

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## Rakku

Cant you aceton weld ABS together?

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## Todd-67

you can it's can get a little messy. Super glue melts the ABS much like acetone. It's just faster.

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## Rakku

What printer did you use to achieve the fine prints you posted?
Im just a bit worried about 100 microns, dont know if its fine enough without any vapor baths etc.

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## Todd-67

> What printer did you use to achieve the fine prints you posted?
> Im just a bit worried about 100 microns, dont know if its fine enough without any vapor baths etc.


Those are off a flash forge dreamer. Same guts as the creator pro. Layer height on those was .16. Printing at anything less than .1 is difficult and slow. I rarely use a .1 height. Normally i print at .15 to .2. 

I like the machine so much i bought a creator pro used from a a guy that never even printed an entire spool for $500 as second printer.

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## Rakku

Nice, that settles it then.

If I can reach that point you showed on the pictures with a flash forge creator pro 2016, I´ll be happy.
That will be plently for me.
And its less then half of the cost of the ultimaker.

Only the problem remains, how to get one. 
One of the resellers in germany doesnt have it and I dont know, if flash forge ships the printers themselves.

If anything goes well, I can buy it beginning next month.
I´ll use the waiting time for getting into slicing programms.

Anything I need additionally except the printer?

And is the flash forge compatible towards other filaments then the ones from flash forge?

Im pretty excited.

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## Todd-67

Flashforge sells direct although i am unsure of shipping to germany. The sight says shipping and VAT included if you scroll to the bottom of that page.

http://www.flashforge.com/creator-pro-3d-printer/

The printers are open to pretty much any 1.75mm filament that prints below 240-250c. Anything above that you will need to upgrade to an all metal hot end from micro swiss. Jfkansas has some nice mods on his site. I have used fillament from all kinds manufacturers with good results. 

 I would mod it to use a removable glass build plate. It just makes life easier on you and the printer. It's cheap.

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## Rakku

Any link for a tutorial how to mod to a removable glass build plate?

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## Todd-67

http://makersome.com/project/how-to-...ro-3d-printer/

The files are available for download to be printed. You can get glass cut anywhere. I can provide stl's for a specific thickness of glass. I use 4 corner clamps and thumb nuts to lossen/tighten them. I can post links tomorrow. Pretty cheap easy stuff.

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## Rakku

A major 3d printer youtuber recommended the flash forge dreamer to me.

Now im confused, internal-wise, they seem nearly the exact same.
Dont know which one to get now.

Cant spot major differences between the creater pro 2016 and the dreamer except the dreamer has wifi and a touch screen.

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## Todd-67

I have the Dreamer and it is a very nice little unit. The two problems with it are a plastic frame. The metal of the creator is more sturdy and way more flame retardant should something happen. Number 2 is that the dreamer rolls are inside the machine. If you want to use them in that position you are restricted on what filament you can used based on the size of the spools. When I get home tonight or tomorrow morning I will post some pictures as I have both machines. 

 The two machines are very similar mechanically and electrically. The touch screen on the Dreamer is a nice to have but you really don't use it much other than for filament loading, bed leveling, manual movement and preheating.

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## Rakku

Okay, thanks!

Yeah, the filament restriction with the spools doesnt sound that great, I tend more towards the creator.

Something else, many people praise the slicing software Simplify3D, although its pretty costly.

Im totally new to slicing programs, but there are so many out there, hard to choose.

Cura, replicator, simplify etc.

Any recommondation for a new user/beginner in combination with the creator pro?

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## Todd-67

Ok here is where you may need to explore on your own. Flash print, cura and replicator are all free. Flash print being specifically being written for flashforge has some interesting options for supports. Print times were significantly longer from what it was telling me on screen. Cura seems to work well. I don't care for replicator at all. Download and play with them. 
 I am the wrong person to give advice on software. The CAD packages i use are thousands of dollars and i have made hundreds of thousands over the years using them(creo and solidworks). $150 for something that works and is pretty flexible when it comes to supports is more than worth it to me.

I highly reccomend reading the sailfish manual in the sticky in the flash forge forum and study what the settings do. Also look at the trouble shooting guide on S3D's  site for a visualon print defects. The whole thing can be frustrating until you learn what realates to what and what controls what.

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## Rakku

Cant thank you enough for your help!

I still have time till next month, when I have enough money sitting around for the creator pro, I´ll use that time to get into slicing programs and finding one that suits my needs.

Thanks alot!

Will update in this thread when I´ve got my printer.

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## ralphzoontjens

Another means to weld is friction welding with filament attached to a dremel, or a simple 3D printing pen.
Ultimakers are great machines, if you are going to start with low budget I recommend the Ultimaker Original. You can modify it for dual extrusion.
The Ultimaker 2 borders on a professional level printer so if you have the budget that is wonderful.
Otherwise the Cel Robox is a good printer at $1k, with dual heads, enclosed volume and more reliable than Flashforge, though I agree, I would also choose the Flashforge over the Ultimaker 2. If you print a lot with ABS I do recommend installing a ventilation system and using it in a room where you don't reside.

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