Question

Out of curiousity, weighing the pro's/con's of purchasing a 3d printer (most likely second hand) to print things for the smart home , light switch covers, mounts, other little misc things along the way. I was wondering if anyone in here has gone through the same thoughts and if you did, was there any buyers remorse afterwards? i work in autocad every day for my 9-5 so not sure there will be to steep of a learning curve, but i dont want to invest in one just for it to sit off in the corner collecting dust and making the occasional small kids toy. I know it doesnt seem to smart home related but first thing to be printed will be some light switch guards since people in the house dont seem to get the message -_-. So how many users have purchased a 3d printer to help along the way with their home automation enviroment?  

Answer 1

There's at least one person who is making things to sell.  

Comments

@ellingson my guess is he made some things for himself and then people wantwd to buy what he created.  

Answer 2

I have one. I've used it to print custom enclosures and such. Mostly, I print upgrades to the printer  

Answer 3

Most of the things I'd print are available to buy anyway (like light switch guards)

Answer 4

I bought the Ender 3 Pro for my teenager. He enjoys it, but I can't say that we've used it for any smart home products or accessories.  

Comments

@ellingson It's built very well. We like it. My son has some experience at two different local colleges and their 3D printers. that are $5 - $10K. He said the differences between those and the Ender 3 Pro are negligible in print quality. The university has a dual nozzle, so it can do two colors. Creality is talking about a lazer engraver option and hinted that it may be a future option on the Ender 3 Pro, but we think it will be on a future model. Bottom line: it works well for us and we like it.  

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@ellingson Sorry, I'm not sure. I know it is a heated bed with a magnetic pad and that pad is cheap to replace. I'm sure creality website has the max print size.  

Answer 5

Look around for a MakerSpace in your area. Most have 3D printers and lots of people that are into it. If your are good at design you may be able to trade services. You also may be able to make a better decision on your purchase after some hands on without spending and figure put what features you really need.  

Answer 6

Look up “mail order 3D” printing. There are a slew of companies to test your theory on whether you need one or not. If you use CAD, you can easily adapt those skills to the online modeling apps.  

Answer 7

If anyone is thinking about getting a printer: I'm going to disagree with many of the folks above. If you can afford it, skip the cheaper printers like Creality and buy yourself a Prusa. It's more money, but totally worth it, imho, especially for a first printer. You'll spend less time fiddling with it and more time actually printing. My first printer was a cheapie, and I got incredibly frustrated with it - every print was a fight. Now, if you can't afford a Prusa, and need to go cheaper, Creality certainly seems to be the quality leader in that price bracket.