I see Aldi are offering their 3D Balco Printer @ £149.99 normally £249.99. I have heard that at its normal price it was good value for money if not a particularly exceptional quality. So at the Black Friday price is it now very good value for money?

If anyone in the know can have a look at the specs. I would be interested in their opinion.

https://www.aldi.co.uk/balco-3d-prin...86887240233900

I would be interested in producing items at model railway scales and the like.

Richard

On 29/11/2019 14:30, Tricky Dicky wrote:
I see Aldi are offering their 3D Balco Printer @ £149.99 normally £249.99. I have heard that at its normal price it was good value for money if not a particularly exceptional quality. So at the Black Friday price is it now very good value for money?

If anyone in the know can have a look at the specs. I would be interested in their opinion.

https://www.aldi.co.uk/balco-3d-prin...86887240233900

I would be interested in producing items at model railway scales and the like.

Richard


It seems pretty good to me. I bought a Tronxy P802 for £99 including
postage and it's excellent. However it now costs £160. The Aldi one
seems to have all you need, especially the automatic bed levelling
system. It has a metal frame which some people say is superior to
plastic although my plastic-framed printer works fine.

If you just want to get a toe in the water printers can be got for £70
but would need a lot of trouble (fun?) building and would need manual
levelling.

Another Dave

--
Change nospam to techie

Its the consumables you need to think about, in my view. Also are drivers
available for it still, ie is it being pensioned off by software.
Brian

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This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
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"Tricky Dicky" wrote in message
...
I see Aldi are offering their 3D Balco Printer @ £149.99 normally £249.99. I
have heard that at its normal price it was good value for money if not a
particularly exceptional quality. So at the Black Friday price is it now
very good value for money?

If anyone in the know can have a look at the specs. I would be interested in
their opinion.

https://www.aldi.co.uk/balco-3d-prin...86887240233900

I would be interested in producing items at model railway scales and the
like.

Richard

On 29/11/2019 14:30, Tricky Dicky wrote:
I see Aldi are offering their 3D Balco Printer @ £149.99 normally £249.99. I have heard that at its normal price it was good value for money if not a particularly exceptional quality. So at the Black Friday price is it now very good value for money?

If anyone in the know can have a look at the specs. I would be interested in their opinion.

https://www.aldi.co.uk/balco-3d-prin...86887240233900

I would be interested in producing items at model railway scales and the like.

Richard


Is it the same one as being reviewed on Youtube (possibly with a
different badge)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB6uzXsbULA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW4FV8J1zrM

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On 29/11/2019 14:30, Tricky Dicky wrote:
I see Aldi are offering their 3D Balco Printer @ £149.99 normally £249.99. I have heard that at its normal price it was good value for money if not a particularly exceptional quality. So at the Black Friday price is it now very good value for money?

If anyone in the know can have a look at the specs. I would be interested in their opinion.

https://www.aldi.co.uk/balco-3d-prin...86887240233900

I would be interested in producing items at model railway scales and the like.

Richard


I think I would buy this

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Creality-ec.../dp/B07D28WYDJ


Whichever one you buy expect to print upgrades and stuff for it.

On 29/11/2019 14:30, Tricky Dicky wrote:

I would be interested in producing items ....


I've been interested in a 3D printer for a while,

Can anyone describe briefly how you get from idea stage to actually
printing?

Assuming it is something custom/one off.

On 29/11/2019 17:20, R D S wrote:
On 29/11/2019 14:30, Tricky Dicky wrote:

I would be interested in producing items ....


I've been interested in a 3D printer for a while,

Can anyone describe briefly how you get from idea stage to actually
printing?

Assuming it is something custom/one off.

Draw it in a CAD / 3D illustration program to create a model, and then
use some CAM software to slice the model up and turn into a series of
instructions for the printer.

Note there are some web sites that let you do all those bits from one
page - many are specific to one makers range of printers.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
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|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On 29/11/2019 18:32, John Rumm wrote:
Draw it in a CAD / 3D illustration program to create a model, and then
use some CAM software to slice the model up and turn into a series of
instructions for the printer.

Is that something that a occasional user could do, or are we in steep
learning curve territory.

You see, I want to make a bunch of drawer dividers, wondering whether to
get a 3D printer or a load of plywood!

On Friday, 29 November 2019 18:37:30 UTC, R D S wrote:
On 29/11/2019 18:32, John Rumm wrote:
Draw it in a CAD / 3D illustration program to create a model, and then
use some CAM software to slice the model up and turn into a series of
instructions for the printer.

Is that something that a occasional user could do, or are we in steep
learning curve territory.

You see, I want to make a bunch of drawer dividers, wondering whether to
get a 3D printer or a load of plywood!

would use a lot of plastic, which is steeply expensive. Reckon I'd use ply or sheet plastic. At a pinch triple wall cardboard would also work.


NT

On 29/11/2019 20:09, wrote:
On Friday, 29 November 2019 18:37:30 UTC, R D S wrote:


would use a lot of plastic, which is steeply expensive. Reckon I'd use ply or sheet plastic. At a pinch triple wall cardboard would also work.



I do quite a lot of printing. 1 kg lasts me 6 months and costs £13
including postage. Using 20% infill means it goes a long way and I very
rarely feel the need to up it to 30%.

Another Dave
--
Change nospam to techie

On 29/11/2019 18:37, R D S wrote:
On 29/11/2019 18:32, John Rumm wrote:
Draw it in a CAD / 3D illustration program to create a model, and then
use some CAM software to slice the model up and turn into a series of
instructions for the printer.

Is that something that a occasional user could do, or are we in steep
learning curve territory.

From what I have seen, very doable. Plenty of online tutorials.

You see, I want to make a bunch of drawer dividers, wondering whether to
get a 3D printer or a load of plywood!

....and a CNC router to go with the plywood :-)

You can use the same 3D model to make both printed and machined versions
then.

Also worth looking at sites like thingverse - you may well find someone
has already designed what you need and you can just download the model:

https://www.thingiverse.com/search?q=drawer+divider


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On Fri, 29 Nov 2019 18:37:28 +0000, R D S wrote:

On 29/11/2019 18:32, John Rumm wrote:
Draw it in a CAD / 3D illustration program to create a model, and then
use some CAM software to slice the model up and turn into a series of
instructions for the printer.

Is that something that a occasional user could do, or are we in steep
learning curve territory.

A bit of both, depending on how you see things and your general PC /
mouse experience.

It might be worth having a play with Sketchup: (Free / Web version if
you PC is up to it or I think you can download a local copy 30 day
trial (that then might revert to the free version / Layout).

https://www.sketchup.com/


You see, I want to make a bunch of drawer dividers, wondering whether to
get a 3D printer or a load of plywood!

It depends of the width of them. Up to about 200mm long you should be
good and how long you want to wait for them if there is 'a bunch'.

Open Sketchup, select the rectangle tool and drag out a rectangle on
the screen then type in x,y to give you those dimensions.

Get the pull tool and pull the flat face up however thick you want the
divider to be (or any amount and then type in what you want, like 1
Enter for 1 mm thick if working in mms).

Save.

Install a plugin thing that allows you to export an .stl file (free).

Export the file.

That's the design bit done. ;-)

Open up something like Repetier Host.

https://www.repetier.com/ (you can play with all these tools without a
printer. Or design your object and email the code to someone else to
print the job for you so you can see what the final thing will be like
without the machine investment). ;-)

It will (normally) have all your printer details and settings in there
(there are templates and some common settings for the printer movement
/ speeds and extruder nozzle etc). Select Slic3r

(Slic3r is included and I think possibly the default but can be used
separately https://slic3r.org/)

.... and get it to slice the model (nearly instant on your job). This
creates all the individual layers that will make up the final job (not
many for a draw divider, as long as you print it on the flat) and you
can actually see the filament paths though all the layers.

Then you would either hit 'Print' directly from the PC or save the
final .gcode file to the printer via a file transfer (over USB) or on
an SD / USB stick.

The heated print bed will warm up to about 60 DegC (if printing with
the more common PLA) and the extruder to about 200 DegC and then it
will start to print. It can print as many objects at once as can fit
on the print bed (typically 150 x 150 - 200 x 200mm).

Once finished, allow the bed to cool down and the items should just
lift off, sometimes with the help of a razor blade.

Once the job is in the printer, you just need to select the object
again and hit print. ;-)

It is advisable to not leave the printer unattended, as they suggest
when charging batteries or cooking etc.

Some things can be a problem re warping if you don't get your
temperatures right and sometimes you can print with a skirt, a thin
extra border around the job to help it stick to the bed.

Once you have printed your dividers, you will need to order more
filament (~£15/kg) for all the other things you will want to print!
;-)

https://www.thingiverse.com/

Better than the TV or a fish tank. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

In message , R D S writes
Is that something that a occasional user could do, or are we in steep
learning curve territory.

You see, I want to make a bunch of drawer dividers, wondering whether
to get a 3D printer or a load of plywood!


Something like drawer dividers ought to be a nice simple thing to do,
arguably a good first project. One thing to check on is that your
design will fit onto your printer. If the drawer is bigger than the
printer, then you'll have to come up with a design that can be done in
two or more stages.

For what you are looking at, the plywood will be cheaper, but where is
the fun in that.

Adrian
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For a better method of access, please see:

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On Friday, 29 November 2019 20:37:10 UTC, Adrian wrote:

Something like drawer dividers ought to be a nice simple thing to do,
arguably a good first project. One thing to check on is that your
design will fit onto your printer. If the drawer is bigger than the
printer, then you'll have to come up with a design that can be done in
two or more stages.

For what you are looking at, the plywood will be cheaper, but where is
the fun in that.

Adrian

I'm wondering whether it's workable to 3d print something hollow then fill it with molten plastic eg in a domestic oven. If a usable combination of plastics exists that could cut costs a fair bit. HDPE, the most common diy processed plastic, is processed at 180C, upto about 200, and warps a lot when setting. No good with PLA. PET filling perhaps?


NT

Plywood I'd imagine. I guess you might find a matching door handle the sort
of use it might be good at from what I've seen.
I've often wondered if it might be possible to print tactile maps on a
piece of card using one.
Brian

--
----- --
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"R D S" wrote in message
...
On 29/11/2019 18:32, John Rumm wrote:
Draw it in a CAD / 3D illustration program to create a model, and then
use some CAM software to slice the model up and turn into a series of
instructions for the printer.

Is that something that a occasional user could do, or are we in steep
learning curve territory.

You see, I want to make a bunch of drawer dividers, wondering whether to
get a 3D printer or a load of plywood!

Brian Gaff (Sofa 2) wrote

I've often wondered if it might be possible to
print tactile maps on a piece of card using one.

Cant see why not. You really should get someone to do some.

On 29/11/2019 18:37, R D S wrote:
On 29/11/2019 18:32, John Rumm wrote:
Draw it in a CAD / 3D illustration program to create a model, and then
use some CAM software to slice the model up and turn into a series of
instructions for the printer.

Is that something that a occasional user could do, or are we in steep
learning curve territory.

Fairly steep learning curve territory unless you can find a design that
is close to what you want online and just print it. Various makerspace
hack space groups and some public libraries have 3D printers (and laser
cutters).

You see, I want to make a bunch of drawer dividers, wondering whether to
get a 3D printer or a load of plywood!

3mm PVC foam plastic perhaps? Easier to work with than plywood.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On Sun, 1 Dec 2019 09:28:21 +0000, Martin Brown
wrote:

On 29/11/2019 18:37, R D S wrote:
On 29/11/2019 18:32, John Rumm wrote:
Draw it in a CAD / 3D illustration program to create a model, and then
use some CAM software to slice the model up and turn into a series of
instructions for the printer.

Is that something that a occasional user could do, or are we in steep
learning curve territory.

Fairly steep learning curve territory unless you can find a design that
is close to what you want online and just print it.

Given that's probably fairly unlikely for a draw divider, I think as
long as you have the overall picture of the workflow in hand (not in
itself trivial from an outsiders POV granted) the actual steps for
something that simple are actually pretty simple.

And given the OP has no experience of 3D printers, is unlikely to be
building a printer from scratch and so should get something that could
print out-of-the-box.

When we built ours we had no experience of much outside of Arduinos
and with little in the way of a manual, had to work it out for
ourselves. Had we had someone who was experiences helping us along,
I'm sure it would have taken far less experimenting, not that it took
that much considering.

The first test print, a 20mm cube, was that, +- a couple of .01 mm ;-)

I'd say with a couple of starter tips on Sketchup (like the button to
bring the object into view and full screen) and a quick overview of
the very basic tools, a 'design' could be completed in 5 mins and
could be being printed another 5 after that, given all the tools
installed and a machine ready to go.

And this is coming from someone who isn't a coder, isn't a designer
and who hadn't used any form of CAD machine before. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

On 29/11/2019 17:20, R D S wrote:
On 29/11/2019 14:30, Tricky Dicky wrote:

I would be interested in producing items ....


I've been interested in a 3D printer for a while,

Can anyone describe briefly how you get from idea stage to actually
printing?

Assuming it is something custom/one off.


Design it in something like tinkercad (look on youtube for how)

Save it as an STL format file

load the file into a slicer I use Cura, see youtube.

Print.

On 29/11/2019 17:20, R D S wrote:
On 29/11/2019 14:30, Tricky Dicky wrote:

I would be interested in producing items ....


I've been interested in a 3D printer for a while,

Can anyone describe briefly how you get from idea stage to actually
printing?

Assuming it is something custom/one off.

First of all check that it really is custom/one-off by looking in:

https://www.thingiverse.com

If it really needs to be designed from scratch you need to use a
computer aided design system. I use:

https://www.tinkercad.com

After trying a few CAD systems, I found this to be the easiest to use.
It's more than good enough and there's plenty of tutorials on youtube
and elsewhere. Having designed your object you export it as a .stl file.

You then import this file into the software which controls your 3D
printer. I use:

https://www.repetier.com

simply because my printer's instructions recommended it; there are others.

Another Dave

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Change nospam to techie

On Sat, 30 Nov 2019 09:46:46 +0000, Another Dave
wrote:

snip

If it really needs to be designed from scratch you need to use a
computer aided design system. I use:

https://www.tinkercad.com

After trying a few CAD systems, I found this to be the easiest to use.

I just tried it (turns out I had already created an account but it
wouldn't run on FF here but seemed to run on Chrome (webgl or summat))
but where are the tools to allow you to rotate the view (for example)?
On Sketchup and Repetior you can just rotate the whole scene by
grabbing it and pulling it about. It must be possible on TinkerCad?

Secondly, is there a downloadable version as I'm not sure I like doing
that sort of thing online (same applies to Sketchup but there is a
downloadable version with that).

It's funny how different UI's seem to work / gel with different
people. I found Sketchup and the Arduino IDE fairly intuitive from the
off (albeit that I still can't remember / do some more complex stuff)
whereas the interface that comes with the bbc micro:bit I found
completely confusing (when I'm guessing it must be easy as it's
designed for kids / schools)?

Similar with IOS versus Windows / Android / Linux (at the GUI). Most
things seem logical in the latter 3 but completely backwards in IOS.

Other people appreciate such the other way round of course (and my
point). ;-)

Talking of UI's. Daughter sent me some pictures she wanted printed to
my phone and I was tasked with going into a local photo printing shop
and printing them off for her. I had never seen the machine before but
was pleased that I was able to, connect to it via bluetooth, transfer
the required photos, select and resize each photo and then even go
back and change the quantities as you got the second batch half price.
;-)

Cheers, T i m

On 30/11/2019 11:13, T i m wrote:
On Sat, 30 Nov 2019 09:46:46 +0000, Another Dave
wrote:

snip



It's funny how different UI's seem to work / gel with different
people. I found Sketchup and the Arduino IDE fairly intuitive from the
off (albeit that I still can't remember / do some more complex stuff)
whereas the interface that comes with the bbc micro:bit I found
completely confusing (when I'm guessing it must be easy as it's
designed for kids / schools)?

Similar with IOS versus Windows / Android / Linux (at the GUI). Most
things seem logical in the latter 3 but completely backwards in IOS.

This is why there are often several different ways to do the same thing
in modern operating systems and software. Even if I do sometimes find
myself powering up a tablet in order to google how to do something on
the MacBook.

One of my big hates in specialist software is when the designer has
decided to start from scratch and build a logical, consistent system
that (naturally) makes complete sense to them, while being impenetrable
to users until they have climbed a steep learning curve.


Other people appreciate such the other way round of course (and my
point). ;-)

Talking of UI's. Daughter sent me some pictures she wanted printed to
my phone and I was tasked with going into a local photo printing shop
and printing them off for her. I had never seen the machine before but
was pleased that I was able to, connect to it via bluetooth, transfer
the required photos, select and resize each photo and then even go
back and change the quantities as you got the second batch half price.
;-)

Good to hear. In the dim and distant past when I was writing code for
processing scientific data (with a front end of text and number based
dialogue) I reckoned I spent half the total time writing code to trap
all the possible user errors and making sure where possible that it was
easy to go back.

On Sat, 30 Nov 2019 12:21:14 +0000, newshound
wrote:


snip

Similar with IOS versus Windows / Android / Linux (at the GUI). Most
things seem logical in the latter 3 but completely backwards in IOS.

This is why there are often several different ways to do the same thing
in modern operating systems and software. Even if I do sometimes find
myself powering up a tablet in order to google how to do something on
the MacBook.

Yeahbut, given there are 'several different ways', shouldn't you be
able to find one of them easily?

One of my big hates in specialist software is when the designer has
decided to start from scratch and build a logical, consistent system
that (naturally) makes complete sense to them, while being impenetrable
to users until they have climbed a steep learning curve.

Agreed. It makes sense to maintain the same 'Look n feel' of something
(an app), especially if it's reliant on something else (an OS).


Other people appreciate such the other way round of course (and my
point). ;-)

Talking of UI's. Daughter sent me some pictures she wanted printed to
my phone and I was tasked with going into a local photo printing shop
and printing them off for her. I had never seen the machine before but
was pleased that I was able to, connect to it via bluetooth, transfer
the required photos, select and resize each photo and then even go
back and change the quantities as you got the second batch half price.
;-)

Good to hear.

I was pleased, both with myself for 'getting' what they had offered
and them for writing something that was intuitive enough to use first
time. ;-)

That's not to say that every smartphone user would be able to enable
bluetooth, search for the right name and enter the pairing code
provided ... but if you can do those things, this UI made it easy /
intuitive.

In the dim and distant past when I was writing code for
processing scientific data (with a front end of text and number based
dialogue) I reckoned I spent half the total time writing code to trap
all the possible user errors and making sure where possible that it was
easy to go back.

And it's the same with designing hardware. It may be easy to design a
cabinet hinge to open 90 Degrees but what if someone tries to open it
further [1]? Making things work can be easy, making it work and be
tw*t proof is another. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[1] A mate has some what I imagine to be very expensive / hand made
hifi and low units that have hinges on that only open 90 Deg. So if
I'm trying to fix some kit for him I end up taking the doors off for
fear of accidentally pushing one open further and damaging it. If 180
Degree hinges had been fitted from the off that could easily be
avoided.

On 30/11/2019 11:13, T i m wrote:

Secondly, is there a downloadable version as I'm not sure I like doing
that sort of thing online (same applies to Sketchup but there is a
downloadable version with that).

I use fusion 360.
It has a steeper learning curve but it very powerful.

Its normally a couple of thousand pounds a year but its free to individuals.


You can store stuff online or local.

On 30/11/2019 11:13, T i m wrote:
On Sat, 30 Nov 2019 09:46:46 +0000, Another Dave
wrote:


I just tried it (turns out I had already created an account but it
wouldn't run on FF here but seemed to run on Chrome (webgl or summat))
but where are the tools to allow you to rotate the view (for example)?
On Sketchup and Repetior you can just rotate the whole scene by
grabbing it and pulling it about. It must be possible on TinkerCad?

I run it on Firefox, it works fine. To rotate the view right mouse or
ctrl and left mouse grabs the workplane. Shift and right mouse moves it
up and down or left and right. Middle button zooms.


Secondly, is there a downloadable version as I'm not sure I like doing
that sort of thing online (same applies to Sketchup but there is a
downloadable version with that).

No downloadable version unfortunately. I couldn't get on with Sketchup -
to each his own.

Another Dave

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