I am hoping to order a Journeyman in the next week or two. I noticed that there are a lot of free digital files for Onefinity accessories. While I have cnc experience I have no knowledge of 3d printing. Would someone be able to give me an idea on how long it takes to print some of these? Simple like the dust caps, bigger such as the drag chain organizer or dust shoe?
Buying a 3d printer is intimidating, I really don’t want to spend a grand after spending money on a Journeyman so I have some questions…
Enclosed or open, or does it matter?
Is higher temp preferred?
Is auto leveling worth a few extra dollars?
Would any of the following be worth considering or is there something else that is capable and user friendly without going too crazy? I much prefer like to stay in the $300 or less price range however if there is a significant difference going higher (speed, quality, less errors) then I can go higher, say to $500ish
Be aware that with a 3d printer, you enlarge the amount of plastic waste on the planet. Sometimes it is better to use a CNC machine / router / mill to machine something out of wood, aluminium, or HDPE. Note that HDPE (e.g. as found as the material of milk bottles) is fully recyclable, you can simply melt it at home and re-use it (see also HDPE wasteboard)
See → Filament Material Table for which filament needs what (enclosure or not, nozzle temperature, attaching to print bed or not).
Retired Mech Eng who just took 2 classes in Manufacturing Tech (CNC) at a community college. I had a 1F machine for ~2 yrs … why do I need a 3D Printer? Those classes proved me wrong. For Christmas I got the Ender 3 S1 Pro (~$250 US)… it is printing right now. I will say there are many printers that print faster than the Ender 3 S1 Pro, but as I said retired.
I learned the 3D prints work great for hold downs, and even “cnc soft jaws”.
Oh here is a novel use… Grandson has a pinewood derby car to make. The prototype was 3D printed and then used to transfer dimensions to the pine block… then off to the scroll saw.
Yes I added a Comgrow 3D Printer Enclosure Fireproof and Dustproof Tent ($40) a really smart buy.
Some of the items like the end caps only take 10-15mins to print. The larger items will take many hours - I think I spend about 18 hours printing the drag chain parts. Download a copy of Prusa Slicer, import your objects, and slice it – that will get you a fairly close approximation of the print time. It’s unlikely you will change any parameter that will decrease the print time substantially (like 50%).
As for machines, Prusa has always been my recommendation. I agree with @Aiph5u on that topic. You can make an enclosure if you need one. Travis from Shop Nation just did a video comparing some models. You might find that informative.
Alternatively, you can outsource the printing if you don’t think you will have a use long-term for the printer (Xometry, Shapeways, Fictiv, etc.). I certainly would not buy a 3D printer just to make accessories for your OF.
Thank you everyone for the very valuable information and feedback, I greatly appreciate it.
Tom, I’m just using the Onefinity as an excuse to buy a 3d printer I’ve been thinking of adding one to the shop for quite a while, just have to have to give the spouse a good excuse to get one.
Fully concur. The P1S model is only ~$600 and would start there instead of the $1,000+ for the C1. And, if you want to go even less money, they just introduced the A1 which is the size of a Prusa/Ender bed slinger.
I’ve been 3D printing for nearly five years. I currently own 4.5 printers, and my journey began with an Ender 3. Over the years, I’ve assembled, disassembled, and rebuilt my printers almost ten times total. From my experience, I would strongly advise against purchasing any products from Creality.
Furthermore, I personally know individuals who own Bambu Carbon printers. I’ve had the opportunity to witness these printers in action and have been struggling with the temptation, and my own better judgment, to resist the urge to buy one myself.
@Damon
Jumping on the bandwagon here. I bought my first 3D printer about a year ago. Much research and conversation with friends who were already in the pool about which one to buy.
For my needs, I wanted quality, speed, and above all else, ease of use…think plug-n-play. For these, and a few other, reasons…I chose the Bambu Lab X1 Carbon. IMHO, it is the flagship printer for the size and price-range.
Since I bought the X1C, they have release a few other models…notably, the PS1 and the A1 (and A1 Mini).
I absolutely LOVE my printer. I was up and printing within 30 minutes…perfect every time. I just printed some pipe holders for my brother.
I have printed many parts now for my Onefinity CNC…I love PwnCNC’s commitment to the community and how Daniel has made his designs that he sells available to makers who have their own 3D printer.
I have a Creality Ender 5 Plus. It works, but is a PIA. I had a printerBot before that; also a PIA. My next 3d printer will be a Prusa. The knock on Bambu for me is the need to be connected to the Bambu service, but people seem to love them.
If you can run a cnc you can run even a cheap chinese printer. But bambu is probably the way to go if you don’t want to dicker with it.
Many things you print can also be milled. But honestly printing is so low cost and zero effort it is an excellent complement.
I have on mine:
Drag chains attached with printed brackets
Hold downs made on my printer
Fences and stops made on my printer
Covers for the exposed cabling in various places
Holder for my touch probe
A printer can solve a lot of problems very easily if you have even rudimentary modeling knowledge.
First, I want to say thank you all for your feedback. It appears that if I’m able to purchase the Journeyman in the next week or two then a Bambu A1 will also be headed this way. You guys made this an easier and more comfortable process for me. With my TBI I sometimes have barriers and you all really helped.
Second, I want to say WOW! I didn’t expect so many responses with great information. For me it feels like a warm welcome to the Onefinity ownership. Thank you.
My timing for purchasing the Journeyman is do I order it now or wait until June. I leave in five weeks for a three month ptsd program. The Journeyman page says 4 to 6 weeks, on the Shipping page it says 1 to 2 weeks. So just thinking about the timing of it. It also depends on if the person coming at the end of the week buys my current cnc. Regardless if it sells now or not I will still get a Journeyman. I’m looking forward to it, coming from a cnc based on aluminum extrusions and wheels. It’s been great but it’s time to upgrade
Thanks for the feedback on my original question and thanks for letting ramble just now.
Onefinity is a great company with a great product. As a result, they are overwhelmed with the customer response they’ve received. Typically, they are quite a bit slower than they hope to be as stated in their shipping tables on their website. Of course, if you are counting on that, this will be the one time they exceed expectations
Definitely check out the Pwncnc files for CNC accessories. I use an assortment of their clamps and fences for 95% of my hold down needs. I also printed their dust boot V7 which has been working great for me. It’s great to have the ability to print replacement parts as needed.
This forum is the best accessory for your One Xfinity. Just keep an open mind when looking for help and you’ll find the answers to all of your problems and questions are here. (CNC ones anyway).
When looking at PWNcnc’s V10 dust boot which uses a hose clamp, are you able to suggest a filament type that would work best for that with the clamping force? I assume PETG is okay for the rest of the items, but please feel free to correct me if I am wrong. Thank you
I just used PLA. I don’t see any need for PETG as far as strength goes, as long as you’re not throwing them around the shop like a frisbee, PLA has not broken on me even when exerting a reasonable clamping force.
The only reason I would use PETG is if I needed some flexibility, like for a hose clamp which has to bend for allowing the insertion and removal of the hose. But even for clamps, I have still successfully used PLA in some cases.
Also, I printed the top and bottom pieces of my v9 in PLA instead of cutting them out of acrylic. I used Aspire to extrude each of them exactly 2mm thick and they weigh a lot less than 1/8" acrylic. Yeah, I don’t get to see inside, or through to the workpiece, but laziness and not paying a small fortune for acrylic these days forced me to give up that convenience.
My Ender 5 Plus is a workhorse. It’s so reliable for me that when I work nights I can have my wife or kid take items off the build plate and start prints remotely with confidence. I did modify the hotend with a 5015 blower for main cooling, I kept the parts cooling fan stock. I print PLA, PETG and ABS frequently. I designed and 3d printed this dust collector for an 80mm spindle out of PLA, I have a second on hand but so far it’s held up remarkably well. I’d be happy to share, it prints as one piece without supports. With a simple ring it would work great for 60mm too.
I’ve also used 3D printed parts to replace the acrylic components on the PWN boots. But I’ve gone with TPU so that it can take a bit of a beating from the router body when I have shorter bits installed. Was able to make the thru holes for the bits much smaller as a result and get slightly better suction.
The E5P is my primary machine as well. Converted to linear rail about 3 years ago, while running a Micro Swiss extruder and hot end, and just finished upgrading to Klipper firmware. This along with a Wham Bam PEX build plate and it rarely if ever clogs, fails to adhere, and it basically just works. Can’t go fast with it but that tradeoff for the huge print area is more than acceptable to me. I do limit materials to PLA, PETG and TPU only as I tend to have adhesion/warping issues with ABS and ASA without an enclosure as well as their off gassing is a little too much for me without some sort of fan/carbon filter on top of that.
I’ve been thinking of adding one to the shop for quite a while, just have to have to give the spouse a good excuse to get one.
