I’ve spent a good amount of time thinking over how best help someone new get started with 3D printing and here’s what I’ve come up with…
The first place to start with regarding 3D printing are the machines, a general rule I’ve found is this: you get what you pay for. If you get a cheap machine it performs like a cheap machine. It’s perfectly fine to go cheap if you’re just starting out, if it’s only going to be a hobby or if you think its a cool toy to show off and don’t plan on using it much. But if you plan on using it in business cheap just won’t cut it. Especially given 3D printing’s high failure rate on cheaper machines.
After you’ve bought your machine you need to start looking for models, and looking for models you can use is tricky. Whether you downloaded your model for free or if you paid for it every model has a license on what you are and are not allowed to do with it. Some you can print and sell and share without worries, others you can be taken to court for even giving the 3D print as a gift. The license is everything and its always written on the page you downloaded it from. The common model websites I use for 3D printing are: Printables, Bambu Studio, Thingiverse, Cults 3D and CG Trader.
Now that You have your model next is printing. Filament generally costs anywhere from 20 to 35 dollars depending on the type of filament. So if you’re making a business around this you need to keep track of the money you’re spending on filament, models and materials. Prints can take anywhere from 1 hour to 3-4 days depending on how solid your model is, the size of your print, the times your printer changes colors if you’re printing in multiple colors, and the amount of supports on the print. All these factors affects the price as well.
Now that you have printed your model next is picking, painting and gluing. Most models use supports to keep the print from falling apart so after printing the supports need to be picked off, and depending on the print there could be a high risk of breaking your print. Super glue, gorilla glue and a torch are a necessity because breaking a print isn’t an if, it’s a when. For painting I’d recommend using acrylic paint with either a gloss or matte finish when you’re finished painting. If you’re printing with multiple colors you might not even need to paint it saving money and time. Also before painting it’s a good idea to use acetone to smooth your print’s rough edges. Using acetone isn’t always the right choice, if some areas are unpainted it can make the colors seem duller than before using acetone.
Now with all that said the rest is up to you, it’s a process but you can do it! If I can do it, so can you! Happy printing!