Could use guidance on choosing printer for prototyping PCB enclosures, etc. please :)

[curious aardvark]

had several of my PCB enclosure halves end up pretty significantly thicker (on the part that was against the build plate) than I designed them to be.

The plate is not level.
If it was the base thickness would be even and consistent.

As far as the appearence of fdm parts go - they can look pretty damn good. use 0.1 layer height and the right filament and the layer lines are pretty much impossible to see. Some of the new pearlscent filaments are excellent at hiding layer lines.

As fara s strength goes - that is very much down to the resin.
Formlabs swear that their resins are a leats as good as fdm prints and they even have flexible filaments.
But they are very expensive.

So benefits of resin versus fdm.

Fdm:
cheap
very little post processing
really versatile - different filaments and nozzle diameters give a phenomenal variety of print parameters and qualities
machines are easy to self service and modify

resin:
capable of really clean high resolution prints

I would say that unless you are making small models like dnd figurines or have an unlimited budget, fdm is generally always going to be better.

[AGrayson84]

The plate is not level. If it was the base thickness would be even and consistent. As far as the appearence of fdm parts go - they can look pretty damn good. use 0.1 layer height and the right filament and the layer lines are pretty much impossible to see. Some of the new pearlscent filaments are excellent at hiding layer lines. As fara s strength goes - that is very much down to the resin. Formlabs swear that their resins are a leats as good as fdm prints and they even have flexible filaments. But they are very expensive. So benefits of resin versus fdm.Fdm: cheapvery little post processingreally versatile - different filaments and nozzle diameters give a phenomenal variety of print parameters and qualitiesmachines are easy to self service and modifyresin: capable of really clean high resolution printsI would say that unless you are making small models like dnd figurines or have an unlimited budget, fdm is generally always going to be better.

Hey curious aardvark! So I did level the plate several times.... I did it between almost each and every print I've done so far. The variance in thickness of the portion against the plate has been pretty substantial. In Fusion 360 my overall bottom case height was something along the lines of 10.6mm. The very first print came out shorter in overall height than the 10.6mm (it ended up with a thinner base, actually), the next print came out a bit taller than 10.6mm (thicker at the base), and the final one I tried came out even taller (also thicker at the base). I then tried printing the top half, and the initial one came out too tall, and the one after that came out even taller... they both had a thicker base as well. The build plate leveling bolt isn't loose or anything either, so I've found this to be pretty bazaar. Especially since the first bottom half came out shorter than it should have. Attached are some pics of the enclosure differences.Thanks for the tip on the pearl filaments... I'll definitely keep that in mind if I decide that sort of appearance might work out for anything I'm ever doing with FDM printing. That's definitely a pretty solid list of pros and cons, I appreciate that! It does seem that overall FDM is just more.... practical and perhaps just simpler to use. I did end up ordering the QIDI Tech "X-Max" last night, and ordered some TPU filament for making some seals and such, ABS filament for making PCB enclosures, and ASA filament for anything I make that may be used/tested outdoors. Maybe I'll order some standard PLA stuff too just in case I want to practice some stuff on something less expensive first. Perhaps some carbon fiber PLA is also on the list, but the NylonX (carbon fiber-infused nylon) certain looks pretty useful for some tougher real-word-use stuff. Not sure what I'd use it for right off the top of my head, but I'm sure I'd find some stuff to make with it.Now I just have to do some research and decide how I want to store all my filament. Putting it in the over or a dehydrator for hours before I use it just won't be feasible at all, so looking into a couple solutions on that As always, thank youuuuuu!!!