3D printing.

[Richard48Y]

I was "This close" to getting a nice VMC recently but just could not quite get it done.
I was gifted a decent beginner grade 3D printer in its place.
Fairly frustrating machine but I am getting the hang of it.
Turns out that PVA is tougher stuff than I expected.
If not for the layer lines it would make nice vent grills, it may yet make sand-casting patterns.
There are supposed to be some other filaments that can be smoothed after print.
The main benefit of this machine for now is that I finally have a motivation to brush up my G-Code and a way to confirm what I've drawn.

First real part I have made is a bracket to hold a dial indicator in place rather than setting the Z (Vertical hight) with a piece of paper and "Feel".
Running second one now just to have a spare, they are plastic.

[EuropaTC]

3D printing does get addictive.  You rapidly end up when faced with a problem thinking "can I design and print something to do that ?" 

I bought a Creality CR6SE a couple of years ago with no real idea why I wanted one other than curiousity. A mate told me to try Fusion 360 for design and after a fairly steep learning curve you get into the swing with it.

I started off making some badges which is fairly easy using PLA+. After a while I had a go at creating a simple tool for marking arrows (archery) which is basically a copy of a commercial item which I'd tried to buy but was NLA.   That turned out very well, is probably on Version 9999 now but makes fletching vanes very simple and 100% accurate.

The problem for car related items isn't making them but temperature in use, for example the dash top vents will see a lot of heat during summer (well, maybe not in the UK) and softening can be a problem with PLA. It'll work fine for a prototype but long term you'll want a more temparture resistant material. 

Brian

[Richard48Y]

My real goal for many items is to 3-D print patterns for casting or maybe short run stamping in aluminum.
I have been offered a contract to print some items that will require a much more serious machine.
But this toy Ender 3 v2 should suffice to learn the basics.

[surfguitar58]

My $0.02 worth on 3D printers is that the new generation are lightyears ahead of where they were 5 years ago, and an old, cheap "starter" printer will only lead to frustration and pain. I had a Lulsbot Taz 5 printer for years and while I was able to make some OK parts out of PLA, I could never get good parts out of ABS or Nylon. It ended up being a big paperweight. Recently, however, I bought a Bambu Labs X-1 Carbon, and it is amazing! Great prints (almost) every time with the pre-programmed default settings for each material. My go to material is PETG-CF (carbon fiber reinforced PETG), really strong, tough material. It also helps that I am a CAD jockey with a full Solidworks license.
Tom

[EuropaTC]

Recently, however, I bought a Bambu Labs X-1 Carbon, and it is amazing!

That's a seriously good printer, Bambu Labs are on my wish list for the day my Creality finally gives up the ghost or becomes not worth the cost of maintenance.

I think I'd agree on the development rate of printers. I only became interested 2-3 years ago when a couple of archery friends were talking about them at a club night. Even then I was surprised how much they'd dropped in price and increased print quality compared with a few years previously. I quizzed them about the market with a "I don't want something to tinker with or perpetually upgrade, just something that works out of the box" view and bought the CR6SE on their recommendations. At the time it was the best bang/buck for someone wanting a toy to play with.

I've since done a lot with PLA+, had some good prints with TPU and PETG but I think that's about the limit. So far I've changed the drive & bowden tubes after the OEM stuff cracked and replaced the hot end section (again) so a few months ago I started looking at the market for something which will be a bit faster. Even over 2-3yrs we've seen some great improvements and Bambu Labs seem to be the new kids on the block with good machines.

You mentioned PETG-CF, what are you making with this stuff ? Just curious......