The Official 3D Printing Discussion Thread

[Fat Brian]

7 hours ago, Spex84 said:

Looks like you're learning the best way...through experience! 
I didn't completely understand the steps you undertook to build the model, but I think maybe learning a bit more about editing on the mesh level (Mesh Edit Mode) could really help you avoid having to use a lot of Booleans. It's not necessarily a better way-- it just means fewer booleans equals fewer chances for something to go squirrely.
Maybe you already know this and I'm just over-explaining, but no harm done, right?

I started noodling around just to try and feel it out, here's what I came up with:

1.Made a large vertical cylinder and cut it in half at the centerline (so I can mirror it later). 
2.Selected some faces on the edge of the cylinder and extruded them to create the box-section axle.
3.Extruded the end faces once more and then scaled them down to create a tapered end to the box section.
4.Beveled the transition from the cylinder to the box section.
5.Added a cylinder and boolean Union'd it to the box section.
*Added a mirror modifier to make the model symmetrical across the centerline*
6.Create a long skinny cylinder to boolean the axle shaft hole through everything. 

 

 

 

I will take any advice I can get. I learned a lot of steps to do things but probably not the best way to combine them. I had wanted to do something more like this but didn't know how to pull the faces out of the cylinder like that. I also wasn't sure how the mirror function worked. If I have to rebuild this I will do something more like this the second time.

I did get the halves to print, I enlarged the hole 4mm and will put an Evergreen tube in there to hold it all together.

[Spex84]

Cool! That's looking good!

As for pulling faces, you can go into Edit mode (Tab), select some vertices, and drag them with the Move tool (or hit G (grab) to move them). OR, to extrude some faces, which creates new geometry, you can select some faces (you need to be in Face Select mode for this, vs Vertex select) and hit E to extrude them. 

 

[mcs1056]

First, some background: The last 3D thing I did was a Vincent Price movie...when it first came out. Those paddle balls!!!

Now, I have a chance to get a Creality LD-002H, with cure & wash stations, for $145.00 (asking). As advertised, everything works.

Unfortunately, I really don't know how to properly check it out (yes, I've searched a bit here and otherwise visited the intergoogle). Neither do I know if this would be:

A: A good deal if it does all work, or

2: A system I should avoid because it's BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH, or

iii: A system I should avoid because it would be too far over a newbie's head as a starter kit. 

Any advice will be appreciated.  

 

Sorry about the BLAH_BLAH_BLAH bit. I didn't think it was a bad word. 

Edited November 13 by mcs1056
Bad word

[RW033]

On 11/13/2025 at 11:09 PM, mcs1056 said:

First, some background: The last 3D thing I did was a Vincent Price movie...when it first came out. Those paddle balls!!!

Now, I have a chance to get a Creality LD-002H, with cure & wash stations, for $145.00 (asking). As advertised, everything works.

Unfortunately, I really don't know how to properly check it out (yes, I've searched a bit here and otherwise visited the intergoogle). Neither do I know if this would be:

A: A good deal if it does all work, or

2: A system I should avoid because it's BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH, or

iii: A system I should avoid because it would be too far over a newbie's head as a starter kit. 

Any advice will be appreciated.  

 

Sorry about the BLAH_BLAH_BLAH bit. I didn't think it was a bad word. 

If buying used the warranty probably won’t carry over (assuming there is any), can you afford to fix it, or would it be cheaper in the long run to buy new that comes with warranty - also beware some brands have  warranty (Elegoo)
 

It’s only over your head if you’re not willing to learn, but to me it doesn’t look like an expert/industrial printer. 
 

Just some food for thought. 

[mcs1056]

On 11/14/2025 at 3:06 AM, RW033 said:

If buying used the warranty probably won’t carry over (assuming there is any), can you afford to fix it, or would it be cheaper in the long run to buy new that comes with warranty - also beware some brands have crappy warranty (Elegoo)
 

It’s only over your head if you’re not willing to learn, but to me it doesn’t look like an expert/industrial printer. 
 

Just some food for thought. 

- I'm cheap...always buying used stuff. Warranties rarely come into play.

- I can fix anything. (First marriage aside) 

- How did your "" get by, when my two-letter-shorter version get BLAH_BLAH'd?

- I'm pretty ignorant, so learning just comes automatically.

- No expert/industrial element involved here with me.

- Mmmmmmm. Food.  

 

[stitchdup]

guy please edit your posts. if one version gets blah blah blah'd it doesn't mean another version is acceptable

35 minutes ago, mcs1056 said:

- I'm cheap...always buying used stuff. Warranties rarely come into play.

- I can fix anything. (First marriage aside) 

- How did your "crappy" get by, when my two-letter-shorter version get BLAH_BLAH'd?

- I'm pretty ignorant, so learning just comes automatically.

- No expert/industrial element involved here with me.

- Mmmmmmm. Food.  

 

 

10 hours ago, RW033 said:

If buying used the warranty probably won’t carry over (assuming there is any), can you afford to fix it, or would it be cheaper in the long run to buy new that comes with warranty - also beware some brands have crappy warranty (Elegoo)
 

It’s only over your head if you’re not willing to learn, but to me it doesn’t look like an expert/industrial printer. 
 

Just some food for thought. 

 

[MeatMan]

16 hours ago, mcs1056 said:

First, some background: The last 3D thing I did was a Vincent Price movie...when it first came out. Those paddle balls!!!

Now, I have a chance to get a Creality LD-002H, with cure & wash stations, for $145.00 (asking). As advertised, everything works.

Unfortunately, I really don't know how to properly check it out (yes, I've searched a bit here and otherwise visited the intergoogle). Neither do I know if this would be:

A: A good deal if it does all work, or

2: A system I should avoid because it's BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH, or

iii: A system I should avoid because it would be too far over a newbie's head as a starter kit. 

Any advice will be appreciated.  

 

Sorry about the BLAH_BLAH_BLAH bit. I didn't think it was a bad word. 

Personally, I wouldn't buy a used one at that price. I have an Elagoo Mars 4 and love it, and you can find them for near the cost of that used Creality w/o the wash & cure station. 
About the W&C station, I never bought one. I pieced one together for a fraction of the price and don't regret it.

The thing about a used printer is that you don't know how many prints are on that screen, and whether its near its replacement window. Though its less than $40, you need to factor that into the cost.