3D Printed Salt And Pepper Shakers - And More!

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Hello Everyone,

Lately I've been working on some small prints, nothing major at the moment.

I have some plans for upcoming designs, one of which is a special kind of planter for indoor gardening. I intend to create a three stage planter, where the bottom is removable and able to be fitted on top of a second stage (larger) planter, and the second one will also have a removable bottom, for a third stage. Hopefully it all works out because I can see it in my mind, and it's going to be amazing :)

I printed some super cool salt and pepper shakers.


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Egg salt shaker by AlexNZ May 11, 2014
My Thingiverse Make


The prints came out pretty sharp. I really like these, especially because they saved me some money, and I've been needing salt and pepper shakers for quite some time now.


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Having a great time filling my new salt and pepper shakers! :D

I also printed a super cool minimalistic filament guide. I love this thing too, as it was a necessary upgrade for the Ender 3 V2.


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Ender 3 v2 Filament Guide by Phille88 August 15, 2020
My Thingiverse Make



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Before the filament guide.


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And after..

The fit is a little loose, which was expressed by others on Thingiverse, but it's no big deal, because we all know how I love hot glue.


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It's no longer a loose fit, and the hot glue is hardly noticeable. This isn't a matter of underflow, because I know my flow is on the money :)

I print everything with TECBEARS filament currently.

A PLA compound is what I use, and their brand of PLA produces very nice prints. The printable heating range is very forgiving. I print the first layer at 205 C and remaining layers 189-192 C.

In terms of filament diameter consistency, it's always good, and I've just never had any problems with this stuff.

I had a recent problem with an order.

The roll showed up with a broken vacuum seal. I was not happy and contacted them stating I would expect a new roll be sent if the filament was no good.

I provided them with a photo of the broken seal, and they responded in 7 hours, which I consider to be fast for an online customer complaint.

They asked me to provide my address for verification so they could send me a replacement with no need to return the old one. In other words, they gave me a free roll because of this, and it was at my doorstep within 48 hours like the first one was.


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This was the roll I received first. (Which turned out to be perfectly fine.)


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This was the "replacement" roll. If it's not obvious in the photo, believe me when I tell you, this is the most vacuum sealed roll I have ever received. I laughed a little when I opened it, because they definitely made sure to send me a vacuum seal that would exceed my expectations :D

I will be buying plenty more in the future. The prints speak for themselves, and the customer service satisfaction for me is as good as it gets.


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https://www.tecbears.com/


I'll continue to support their vision, because they are serious about it from what they have shown me. Thanks TECBEARS!


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Most of the photos in the post were taken with my Kodak PixPro.

This blog is an alt account, @futuremind being my main account, where my posts are more diverse. I dedicate this blog solely to 3D printing content, but 3D printing content here is incorporated as well into my main blog with home gardening projects and other things.

Your comments and support are always appreciated, as your time is a valuable commodity and I always keep that in mind and do my best to respond back.


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Now back to printing the future.

Thank you for stopping by, have a great day! ~~@print3dpro



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13 comments
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Functional 3D prints!!!! Nice work!

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Thanks! I like the ornamental non functionals too, but.. the home is starting to fill up with too many of those 😄

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Running out of places to put them lol. I could print more of those small shelves maybe :D

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Custom sized shelves for people who collect.. action figures or other collectables would be cool!

Example.. a minecraft looking shelf for a minecraft toy.

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Super post my friend, loving the S+P and the pix are great....that last one is just tooo kewl. "but it's no big deal, because we all know how I love hot glue" made me lolz. Also congrats on looking up from your smartphone 👏

printingFuture.jpg

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Thank you for the kind words my friend. I'm glad you got some lolz about the glue. 😄
To me it's just practical and makes more sense than wasting filament when fine adjustments might not be necessary :)

I might try to find a vintage replica phone that I can plug into the PC, kind of like that vintage radio, which I find super cool.

Thank you for making that awesome photo for me, it found its way onto my background for this account ;)
It's a perfect look and fit, almost seems like it was meant to be! :)

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I am very pleased to see this blog and post, as I have been following the desktop manufacturing revolution since the 90s, when the first proposals for Fab Labs came out of academia at amazingly low costs of ~$25k. I also work in construction, and am primarily interested in additive manufacturing and CNC type finishing of construction materials.

I know there are paste printers, but those are for food, like frosting. I have never bit the bullet and acquired a 3D printer, as I live in a pretty small village and have never met anyone, or even made their acquaintance online, that had ever used, much less owned, a 3D printer.

As you will note from my interest, I have a lot of questions I'd love to have answered, but know I will have to tinker myself to answer most of them. Of course money is an issue, and throwing money at model after model of printer that fails to meet my needs has long seemed the only possibility, which is why I have never taken the plunge.

Can you gently let me down, or if willing to waste time on a nub, point me towards useful, tweakable, products that might enable me to gain useful experience?

Thanks!

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Hi @valued-customer,

Thank you for the kind words regarding my blog, as well as the descriptive history of your interest with this technology.

I only discovered this technology a few years ago, despite having a bit of a background tinkering with tech since childhood. I found it strange that I had never heard about 3D printing when I discovered it was invented in the 1980's, and many others seem to share this perspective/phenomenon. It's good to know you have a comprehensive understanding of the different types of manufacturing processes.

For me additive made the most sense, despite some people suggesting subtractive. I can imagine a whole host of reasons why I would not want to use subtractive for my home projects. Primarily waste management and reduction of wasted material.

My experience with 3D printing is currently less than 1 year, on the Creality Ender 3 V2 printer.

It would be difficult for me to recommend any other printer because of my lack of experience on these machines.

If I knew the things I know now before buying this machine, I think it's possible I would have chosen a different printer perhaps, unless a certain aspects could be fulfilled, which I will explain.

This printer is known to ship with a defective board, and I just so happen to be operating with the defective board currently. It took me 8 months to troubleshoot the issues it has and find the proper solution. This is why I would not be quick to buy it again, unless knowing with 100% certainty that the machine was shipping with the updated board.
Without going deeply into it.. There are two motherboards. The 4.2.2, and the 4.2.7. I would tell anyone to never get the 4.2.2 version, and ensure you are being shipped the updated without a doubt if you purchase it.
The solution I found was to slow the machine down drastically, or else the prints will always be defective due to the board not being able to handle the voltages at higher speeds, and will overheat and send rogue signals to the stepper motors.

This being said, if you do end up buying this machine, I would be able to help you with some aspects of getting started, which are pretty common aspects with most FDM printers.

I'll list some pros and cons with this machine:

PROS:

  • The Ender 3 pro (slightly older model) and Ender 3 V2 have one of the most active communities online, with hoards of helpful information available with online search engines.
  • The Ender's are some of the most inexpensive machines for what they are capable of. (less than $300.00 USD)
  • The Ender's are very customizable/upgradable.
  • Machine assembly is quite easy and straight forward for the mechanically inclined.
  • Beginner friendly and set up to ensure the machine operator will be producing prints relatively quickly with little know how.
  • Compact and lightweight, relatively easy to move around if necessary.
  • Firmware can be easily flashed and upgraded to some more advanced and network oriented firmware's like Klipper firmware, which is powered by Raspberry Pi and has a dashboard that can be accessed through your PC web browser.
  • It's known to produce prints that far exceed the quality of other printers in its price range.

These are probably the most prominent PROS.

CONS:

  • (As far as I know currently) Creality is still shipping Ender's with the defective 4.2.2 motherboard in some cases, and/or other venders who have stock of the machine will definitely send the defective boards. In some cases vendors might not even know their stock is defective.
  • Some of the stock components are prone to defectiveness and are not well made. One such example is the timing belt tensioners. The design is counter intuitive and will break very easily, making it necessary for upgrades to more proper tensioners.
  • Other design aspects of the machine are slightly counterintuitive, like the need for the filament guide outlined in this post, and bed plate springs, which are not strong enough to maintain proper bed level and need to be upgraded to avoid the need for constant leveling.
  • The onboard display/controller is nothing more than a backlit LCD screen with a twist/push knob and is not convenient to operate. Unless firmware is upgraded to network solution, need for manual use of SD cards for prints is required.
  • The print head fan housing unit is not very efficient, but easily upgradable with variations of available designs online.

These are probably the most prominent CONS.

Would I recommend this machine? YES, but only if you're fully aware of the necessary issues and upgrades and willing to put the work in. while being prepared to spend more money on upgraded components.

If you want something that is more efficient out of the box, and don't wish to delve into these aspects, this might not be the machine for you.

I hope this was helpful with giving some insight into a low cost FDM 3D printer. I wish I could offer more insight into other machines, but this is not possible currently with my level of expertise, or lack thereof.

Thank you kindly for the interest in my blog, interest in 3D printing, and excellent engagement.

Have a nice day.

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(Edited)

That's really an awesome and substantive answer, for which I am immensely grateful. I have read enough to at least be aware of the Ender 3 series, and the Prusa 3, which seem to be surrounded by active communities. It is exactly the kind of experience you relate that I sought, and informs my considerations.

Thanks!

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Marvelous work! The last pic smile looks a little kinky though 🤣

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Thank you!

The last pic smile looks a little kinky though 🤣

I can't confirm nor deny.. albeit and interested woman might like to know what kind of toys I can make on this machine :D

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This is mind blowing, I can't even imagine it. 3D printing is what I will love to get on one day as well.

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Thank you! I hope you do get a 3D printer someday. Knowing how you love tech, you would certainly love 3D printing.
Thank you for the support and interest my friend!

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