So being someone who has always played with Tech I thought I would have a look at a 3D printer. Now when I was still working, well in a real job, the company baought an early version of a 3D printer. I think it was called a 'Makerworld 3D Printer'. Anyway it appeared to be a build-it-yourself type and from memory about one in every twenty prints was a success.

Move on quite a few years and technology has changed. They are pre-built, much more reliable and it now appears much quicker. I have been working on an electronics project and needed an enclosure for it. Whilst I designed the PCB to fit in an off the shelf enclosure it needed so much modifiying to allow the screen and switches to be visible I thought in the long run a custom enclosure would be better. "I know", I thought, "I'll design and and get made a 3D printed version". So I had a look around for places to get it printed. There is a local company that offers this service. But after messaging them I got no reply, (I have since found out that is not unusual).  Then I was told ambout Maker Hubs. These are sort of like Technical Co-ops, where tech people meet to share ideas and equipment. Sound like a plan, only the nearest 2 are both an hours drive away. What are the alternatives.

So having watched far too many YouTube videos and trawled the internet I decided to take the plunge and buy my own. It will be fun and with a bit of luck I might be able to make parts for friends. So I have purchased a Bambu Labs P1S Combo unit. This appears to be one of the most highly rated 3D Printer companies out there. They are Chinese, and relatively new, but the reviews look very good and speed wise they are at least twice the speed of the competition.

So it arrived on Thursday 9th May, yep less than a week ago, and so far it has blown me away. The Speed really is fast, without any loss of quality. It will handle prints up to 10" x 10" x 10" (254mm x 254mm x 254mm). As an added bonus it gomes with an AMS (Automatic Material System). This means I can have upto 4 different material types or colours available for a print without having to stop the printer. So it arrived on last week and have barely stopped since. Only one failed print, due to operator error rather than the printer. Quality is amazing and boy is it quiet. It is currently in the room next to my bedroom and it does not keep me awake a night.

For fun a did a quick-and-dirty design for coaster for a local company and they liked it so much they want me to produce a bigger version for their wall. Now I need to workout how to split designs so that I can produce bigger than 254mm pieces 😁.

So it looks like there could be money to be made with the latest toy. Time will tell.

I will publish videos of some of my 3D prints on my YouTube channel.