3D Printer recommendations

[machine74]

I haven't been on here since the site redesign and looks awesome. I've also purchased a Cap shield or two here that are the prize of my collection.

My son and I are big Marvel and Star Wars fans and after looking on Etsy for complete suits, I see 3D printing has made great strides and you can buy the files and print at home.

I'm not interested in going the Pepakura route again as I tried that years ago and it wasn't for me. I'd much rather buy the files someone else has made, print the parts, adjust and enjoy.

What is considered a great home 3D printer with the speed and material cost? I see some for $250-$1500.
Does anyone have a great site for purchasing the files?
How long realistically does it take to print a part, or even an Ironman helm?
Can you purchase the materials in a certain color or will the printer do that, or is it painted after the fact, and with what paint?

I once had a War Machine helm that met an unfortunate end that I'd love to recreate.
Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

[DrCyanide]

I have a bit of 3D printing experience, but can't recommend my printer for making a full suit. I have the Monoprice Select Mini, which cost $200 new and has been an excellent device to learn some basic troubleshooting and get my feet wet/see if I like the hobby.

There are a lot of good printers out there in the $350-$700 range. Prusa, Creality, and Lulzbot are the big names I hear thrown around a lot when people talk about good printers, so I'd look at some of theirs first. I honestly wouldn't even know what to look for in the $1000+ range. You do not want a resin/SLS printer for making a suit! Those are for very detailed parts, but not intended for very large parts.

Print speed will vary dramatically based on your settings. As a rule of thumb: more detail takes more time, and more plastic (stronger parts) take more time. Everyone will have their own preference for how durable/detailed they want the finished part to look, as well as how much they're willing to sand down the part afterwards. That said, I would guess that a helmet would take 18 hours or more.

As for colors, you typically buy the plastic filament in whatever color you like and then paint it later. Any paint that binds to plastic and looks good should work. If you're willing to spend extra you can get printers (or accessories like the Palette by Mosaic) that can print multiple plastics at once. If you decided you absolutely loved a particular set of plastic colors and didn't want to paint the suit, then you could use a system like this to give yourself different colors. That said, this is far from common, so you'd likely have to modify the files in some way to select which parts you'd want to be what colors.

As for "print the parts, adjust, and enjoy", that's not quite how the workflow normally goes. Usually you adjust the parts first to fit your best guess, print a portion of it as a test piece to see if it looks like it'll work (saving yourself time and plastic) then printing the full part and hoping you didn't forget about anything or that you don't have any problems during the printing process.

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3D Printing is a great hobby, and I highly recommend it, I just want to make sure you realize that there's a lot of learning that happens when you're getting started, usually through trial and error. I'd recommend you do some test prints with small parts or non-related objects before trying to print a helmet.

 

[machine74]

I have a bit of 3D printing experience, but can't recommend my printer for making a full suit. I have the Monoprice Select Mini, which cost $200 new and has been an excellent device to learn some basic troubleshooting and get my feet wet/see if I like the hobby.

There are a lot of good printers out there in the $350-$700 range. Prusa, Creality, and Lulzbot are the big names I hear thrown around a lot when people talk about good printers, so I'd look at some of theirs first. I honestly wouldn't even know what to look for in the $1000+ range.

Print speed will vary dramatically based on your settings. As a rule of thumb: more detail takes more time, and more plastic (stronger parts) take more time. Everyone will have their own preference for how durable/detailed they want the finished part to look, as well as how much they're willing to sand down the part afterwards. That said, I would guess that a helmet would take 18 hours or more.

As for colors, you typically buy the plastic filament in whatever color you like and then paint it later. Any paint that binds to plastic and looks good should work. If you're willing to spend extra you can get printers (or accessories like the Palette by Mosaic) that can print multiple plastics at once. If you decided you absolutely loved a particular set of plastic colors and didn't want to paint the suit, then you could use a system like this to give yourself different colors. That said, this is far from common, so you'd likely have to modify the files in some way to select which parts you'd want to be what colors.

As for "print the parts, adjust, and enjoy", that's not quite how the workflow normally goes. Usually you adjust the parts first to fit your best guess, print a portion of it as a test piece to see if it looks like it'll work (saving yourself time and plastic) then printing the full part and hoping you didn't forget about anything or that you don't have any problems during the printing process.

------

3D Printing is a great hobby, and I highly recommend it, I just want to make sure you realize that there's a lot of learning that happens when you're getting started, usually through trial and error. I'd recommend you do some test prints with small parts or non-related objects before trying to print a helmet.

Thanks very much for all this info. I've been looking on Youtube, and I could see spending some tax return money on something to make some helmets. I know they would take a long time to print, but I could set it some night and just let it run.

 

[machine74]

I think I'd like to start with a helmet, aka Ironman or War Machine. Researching how large of a printer I'll have to get. Seems $300-500 would get it done.

 

[Deleted]

I recommend the Anycubic Chiron. It has a 40 x 40 x 45 cm print volume.
I have been using it to print the large parts for my EMU suit.

It's $399 on the website and even cheaper on Aliexpress.

Anycubic C - Exciting Features and Larger Build Size 3d Printer

ANYCUBIC C Auto Leveling 3D Printer with Ultrabase Heatbed, Big Build Volume 15.75 x 15.75 x 17.72 inch(400x400x450mm)

www.anycubic.com

 

[acesh007]

I have a lulzbot mini and works well but not for what you're wanting to do. I'd reccommend the CR10 we use that and the Lulzbot Taz 6 at work. They are both workhorses putting out prototype parts. The Taz 6 doesnt need any adjusting and less maintenance but it also cost quite a bit more.

 

[offearth]

I say go big and get the Vivedino Raptor 2.0. It has a build volume of 400*400*500. Has bed leveling, silent stepper drivers, PEI bed, AC power so it gets up to temp in 2-3mins. Amazing machine.

 

[Stirex]

I have been printing for some time now and my recommendation would be the Creality CR10s or Artillery Sidewinder X1. I have a completely stock CR10s that has been consistent and have not had any real issues with. I also have a modded one, and an Artillery Sidewinder X1. The CR10s have been far more trouble free, are more dimensionally accurate out of the box; however, are a bit louder and slower then the Artillery. I would shy away from the S4 or S5 or larger printers to start as they can be a bit difficult to get beds fully level and tend to have more Z Axis alignment issues. My Punisher War Machine and War Machine Mark 3 are completely 3d printed on my 2 x CR10S and Artillery Sidewinder X1. If you are choosing to print in a different materials, other than PLA, be aware that some modifications will be needed to include an enclosure. Additionally the Artillery prints flexible filament well as it is direct drive, whereas the CR10 or bowden style printers struggle. Good luck in your search, and be prepared for a bit of a learning curve as the printer is just one of many factors in printing.

Consider these items to look for:

Print size
Feed style (Bowden Tube/ Direct Feed)
Drivers (TMC.../DRV..etc)
Separate AC powered bed
Extruder Type (e3D Volcano style/ M8 style etc)
User groups / resources

 

[Mr Mold Maker]

If possible, instead of getting one big expensive printer, I would recommend two budget friendly ones with different purposes. A CR-10 for large parts, and an Elegoo Mars for small detailed pieces.

Just as an example, I’m going to be printing a Mandalorian Helmet this week, printing the ears and vents on my Mars, and the main bucket will be printed in one piece on a friend’s CR-10. It will save you so much time and headaches doing it this way in the long run.

 

[Frenzy1971]

I have a CR-10 and months after getting it, I am just now getting to where I can make a decent print. I don't thing plug and print is there yet. I updated mine with autolevel, and I'm adding adhesive to build plate. I LOVE it, but I'm still learning it. The build size is astounding. The price is good, but the learning curve is every bit as steep as I was told. But it's worth it.

 

[xcelsior]

Another recommendation for the CR-10. I'd "practiced" on an Ender 3, so I'd really gone through the learning curve with that printer so by the time I was getting the CR-10, it really was just plug, level the bed, and print for me. It's a great printer, with a good sized bed that should do well for most pieces of the armor you want to build. I used it to print a Stormbreaker last year that turned out great. You can see some of the print lines in the hammer head and blade, but that's mainly b/c I didn't have time to sand it.

As noted above, the time required will change depending on how accurate/detailed you want your pieces, along with their complexity. PLA is probably the most "forgiving" of plastics, but can be brittle. ABS is more durable, but is more temperamental about temperature and can be difficult to get dialed in. But once you get through that learning curve, it is SO MUCH FUN.

And if you have the funds, I'd definitely second Mr. Mold Maker's suggestion: a large format FDM printer like the CR-10 and then a smaller resin printer for small items/detail work. Good luck!