3d printing 90 days later

Well, like a lot of people in the hobby, I said no to 3d printing for quite a long time for different reasons. But only idiots do not change their mind and If you want new skills or increase creativity, you need to go over boundaries. I would like today to share with you my experience and my opinion about my journey with 3d printing.

In March 2021 a friend of mine decided to buy another 3d printer and friendly sold is Elegoo Mars for 100$ to me. First I said no thank you, however during the week I changed my mind. The price was too attractive to miss the opportunity to try this technology.

At the beginning, you need to get some basic knowledge about the machine and slicers, overall it is not too bad or overwhelming. You need to spend some time on You tube, google and the community is pretty big, so it is pretty simple to get answers to your questions.

First setup, changed it quickly 

I had the chance to get 2 liters of resin for free so I printed like crazy, terrains, minis and other stuff. It is a lot of fun. The most interesting part of 3d printing is when you combine traditional builds and to add some 3d print parts, like doors or like I did for Star Wars with droids. If you print a full 3d print terrain, it is cool but when you can build something and no-one is able to say what is crafted and what is printed, this is when you did a great job.

This is a part I really enjoy with 3d printing. The capability to print stuff you can’t make or stuff you can’t find ! Of course you can print an entire army at home or a complete gaming table, however when you need one little thing at 8 pm and you are able to find it for free and to print it overnight, that is just awesome !

Let’s talk also about frustration, because the journey is not only a bright warn sunny day. First you need to get into the wording and definitions, vat, lead screen, FEP, etc. This is easy. However you will have to troubleshoot printers and prints and also to turn into a technician when you have to change parts by yourself. Lcd screen are consumables and soon enough, you ll have to change it. Maybe you like to open machines and learn how to fixed them, not me.

LCD screen failure (dark spots)

Trip to Home Depot to find new bolts

So at the very end what do I think about it. It is still a very new technology and sometimes you have the feeling to enter into unknown territory and to dig into it just like the companies that manufacture the machine you bought. It is very hard to find information about how to recycle machine parts and resin and I don’t like that. Some parts won’t work for long and you need to play the tech guy. But overall I like it. 3d printing boost your creativity and open new dimensions. Yes I recommend to get into this hobby. You won’t buy less minis trust me, you pile of shame is not going to disappear.

DIY curing oven

First print !

Printed droid

3d printed or not ?

Body printed, added plastic weapon