I’m currently running a farm for a few different products, build volumes range from x254 y254 z254 to x340 y320 z340. Also have large resin printers as well as a bunch of older FDM printers, though I typically donate them if they arent in use so those are always shifting.
As far as general sizing just keeping them under x220 y220 z250 should ensure the files are printable on most hobbyists first printers.
As a suggestion, for new people you guys should make a point of including recommended material types and basic settings like suggested wall/top/bottom counts and infill percentages for parts. Not everyone has a background in it and you don’t want people printing clamps out of PLA with 2 walls and 15% infill then trusting them to hold CNC parts in place during operation, for example.
A second suggestion would be to provide STEP instead of or in addition to STL files. They are way easier for people to modify to make variants, unless that was an intentional decision to prevent that, and they work better with most slicers than STLs.
Just looked over the print library for the first time, those chip shield brackets are a good idea, I’m going to make a different version of them. How do you guys curate the files, is it all going to be inhouse designs/models only going forward?
I can’t speak to this beyond noting that the two designs which I printed, Clamp Steps and a plate almost full of replacement Essential Clamps (according to the slicer it was $1.67 in filament to print them) were printed in PLA (all I’ve been printing in thus far pending my setting up an exhaust fan) at 100% infill.
There was one discussion on filament which at the end linked to an excellent page going over design ostensibly, but which also subsumes part orientation which is a notable consideration when printing parts which need strength (e.g., the clamps and clamp steps):
but it’s worth reading that entire thread and that entire linked page.
Started my 3D printer journey with Creailty Ender 3 v2 neo. It worked well, and I was happy, but then that happiness was super-seceded when my Grandson purchased a Bambu P1P. All bet were off. His print output was easy, well done, and did not require the futsing that the Ender required. It wasn’t long until I became a Bambu Fan and had to get one of my own. I can see the Ender in my rear view mirror, but I am really enjoying seeing the Bambu in my windshield, and it has been a very good upgrade.
I think too many people in that sphere are pushing cheap machines that are designed to be thrown away after 1000 hours of use - essentially causing people to not learn how to run and maintain them, and the result is pushing the units that are designed with longevity in mind out of the market
This is essentially dumping - and the companies doing it and pushing it are creating a design to go on each and every level of the market
Is Bambu on that list of companies pushing things in the wrong direction? I joined a makerspace and when I first started going they had Ultimakers. I tried to print something the size of a large thimble and it said several hours. I ran the job as a test and it failed and I gave up on 3D printing as worthwhile. Some time later they got Bambu’s and that same job took 30 minutes and that allowed me to see some of the benefits to my woodworking hobby.
As a person who works for a company which is hoeing a similar row, not sure what can be added to that, or discussed here which would still be on-topic. Folks are welcome to go to Hackaday, or Hacker News, or Reddit to discuss this.