HPR2581: My new 3D printer - impressions of the Creality Ender 3

My new 3D printer - impressions of the Creality Ender 3

Introduction

I have been thinking of buying a 3D printer for a year or so. I had thought of getting a Prusa i3 MK3 in kit form, but although it's cheaper than the built form this printer is not cheap, and I doubted my ability to build it. I was also unsure whether there was a real need for the capabilities of a 3D printer in my life, and whether such a purchase was justified.

I had noticed the Chinese Creality CR10 printer in the recent past, and wondered about buying one of these at about half the price of the Prusa. This is a good-sized printer which comes fully-assembled as I understand, and it has had many good reviews.

When the Creality Ender 3 was released in April 2018 for around half the price of the CR10 it looked worth the risk to see if I really needed a 3D printer. So I bought one (from Amazon) in June.

As I write this (2018-06-10) it's been less than a week since it was delivered, so this is a very preliminary look at the printer.

Long notes

For the rest of the notes for this episode look here.

Links

• Wikipedia definition of 3D printing
• Wikipedia article on the Bowden extruder
• Printers mentioned:
  • Prusa i3 MK3
  • Creality CR10
    • Website
    • Buy on Banggood
  • Creality Ender 3
    • Website
    • Buy on Banggood
    • All3DP Review
• Wikipedia article on DIN Rails
• Thingiverse items:
  • Ender 3 bed levelling GCode
  • DIN Rail fittings
  • Printable upgrades for the Ender 3

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