@Sean's Train Depot posted:It is actually for another project I am doing. Building a full size Lost in Space Robot. But some parts I need are hard to get and I could 3D print them as the stl files are already made for them. I don't mind spending dollars on a super reliable printer that doesn't require constant monkeying around, but I did not want to over simplify what I though it takes to do 3D printing. I will check out that website. If the stl files are already made, would I need to learn a lot of software to be able to print? Or is it as simple as loading the file and you are off.
Thanks so much!
Sean
The .stl files need sliced the first time you use them. Cura handles that. All you need to do is hand the file to the software and click the appropriate buttons to slice, send it to the printer and print, or you can resize, duplicate or edit as you wish. That’s why you may find, say, a picnic table file for HO, but not for O or N. The author figures you’ll size it to suit your layout. Same with the buttons—I had knitted a hat and needed the buttons to hold my mask straps on the hat instead of my ears. The button file was a half-inch across, so I took it up to about an 8nch. You can also print multiples of small items, like fence sections or ties, by duplicating the original. I have a file that makes nine rosary rings at once in about twice the time it would take to make one, because prep and heating take up time.
Yes, hair spray works. So do glue sticks, but only a couple of brands work really well. (Hair spray also locks in loose grass, snow or glitter on a layout so it won’t go all over the place. Grab dollar store extra-extra-hold. It’s water-soluble clear acrylic, after all.)
After a couple of laggy years, home 3D printing is picking up speed like a snowball on a ski slope. I wouldn’t buy the most expensive printer right now because of the speed of advances. An Ender 3, any model, is likely to be a good choice for you because of the ease of upgrades.
