3D Printing Forum

Hello all, I'm an amateur robotics enthusiast and have been kicking around the idea of a 3d printer for some time. My main interest is in cheap pneumatic actuators so being able to make TPE / TPU airbags and bellows would be huge for me. I've decided 2023 is going to be the year, so I'll be reading a lot here (and everywhere, lol) to find the right printer for my lab.
Naturally being able to shoot nylon and PET would be great to make strong and lightweight frames and such, but I think it may mean two printers are in my future.

I have a strong electronics background, and spend too much time working with SBC's, microcontrollers, and ESP modules. I work in a plastics plant in the electrical department, maintaining and repairing the machines so I'm well versed in commercial extruders and control systems, hopefully I can one day be an asset to this community.

Everything in my world is hacked and modded, so I'm very open to a printer that can be expanded and modified. My preferred, (actually mandatory) OS is Linux, I've been using Linux for 23 years so I'll be using open source everything. I'm also interested in shredding and filament extrusion, it seems environmentally conscious and PET would provide me with an endless supply of prototyping plastic.

Anyway, I'll be here reading, and at some point will request guidance before I start buying stuff, thanks for taking the time to read, Tom.

Hi Tom,

Having built a full sized all aluminum R2-D2, I have tinkered with a lot of robotics myself! I had a lot of frustrations finding high seed actuators for many of my droid's functions. Most of the automotive ones out there are powerful but very slow. It can be very challenging to build a robot. Even harder if you are building a famous movie robot, trying to mimic what props and CGI have created!

I started 3D printing as a hobby, then created a YouTube channel around it ('Where Nerdy is Cool") which then helped land me a job managing a 3D printer lab at a research facility. We have 3D printed things like a boat, a shelter and lately, a house using bio-based materials (wood pla)

https://umaine.edu/news/blog/2022/11/21 ... -of-maine/

Welcome!

Hi. Just joined the Forum. Ed here from Galloway, Ohio (just outside COlumbus). Have an Flsun V400 and now use Orca slicer 1.6.3 exclusively. Also trying to revive my very old Ender 3 (smile).

Hi, I am Mike K. from southern Indiana, USA. I have a Creality Ender 5 Pro with some modifications to the bed and frame.