3D printer advice

[SuncrestReef]

I'm considering getting a 3D printer since I've seen how handy they can be in the reefing hobby to create clips, clamps, brackets, tools, adapters, and many other miscellaneous parts.  For those of you who already have 3D printers, can you recommend a decent entry-to-mid-level printer?  Maybe somewhere in the $500 - $1000 price range?  I primarily use a Mac, so that would be my preference for controlling the printer, but I can also use Windows if necessary.

Thanks!

[NateDawg]

I use an ender 3 and an ender 5 for printing, both are under 500 and I've had successful prints from the very start. Non dyed ABS is going to be the plastic you want to print with if it's a part that will be under water for long amounts of time. It's hard to work with and needs a high temperature to not warp when printing. So I'd say look for one that's enclosed so you can control the temperature better. PLA is a easier plastic to print and works great outside of a saltwater environment. Its non toxic but since it's made from corn, it will break down over time much quicker than ABS but it's what I would suggest to start printing with first.

[danlu_gt]

I've purchased 6 3D printers total. My latest are the Artillery X1 are by far the best I've own. They are super silent with AC heated bed. Unfortunately, the only complaint is they did not include auto bed leveling sensor. However, their glass beds are the flattest of the other printers. For piece of mind, I installed a BLTouch sensor to enable auto bed leveling for $25 and using existing wirings which means I removed the LED light. They are under $500 plus having larger print area 300mm x 300mm x 400mmH.

PLA sticks to print bed much easier for things that are not submerged but I think even submerged, it'll still out last our lifetime. ABS with large continuous first several layers will tend to warp and requires heated bed at 80-100C. I use glue sticks to coat the print bed first and make PLA/ABS stick much better to the point I can turn off heated bed to be more green.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk

[Tandor69]

I picked up an ender 3 pro a few weeks ago and I love it! Only wish it had a bigger bed, which the ender 5 does. I've been printing my aquarium stuff that goes in the tank in petg. It's not as strong as abs, but it doesn't warp as easy, and doesn't smell as bad. The computer doesn't matter, you just need a slicer program to create the file. I use cura which I believe is available on mac. I save it in an sd card and put that in the printer to print. If you want to make your own designs you need a 3d design program (cad). I use tinkercad. It is web based and free.