3D Printer?

[pigeonfarmboy]

I ended up buying an Afinia H800 a couple weeks ago. It's a nice printer but like most of them, I struggle with failed prints caused by filament feeding issues and bed alignment. I plan to build some simple sensors into it that will pause prints when filament runs out or stops feeding. My nozzle seems to clog easily and makes many prints fail. I know the Makerbot machines have an extruder that does all this but you pay a premium for it.

Before spending a dime, you really should decide what material you want to print. For me, ABS was key for being able to further model the material after printing. That really determines what printer will be needed. For example, the Makerbot does not do ABS, so no matter how feature-packed it is, it won't work for my needs.

You can download stl files easily. Most common sites are probably thingiverse and youmagine

I'm designing my own parts with free software. I use a combination of Sketchup and 123Design

You say you don't have a computer, you will need one to send files to the printer. There are some that are able to print from an sd card, but you'd still have to load the sd card somehow. It's easy to learn how to draw. Youtube has tons of videos on 123Design basics and community college always have courses.

I went by Ed's (heavy duty) suggestion and used octave.com for ordering everything up. Good folks to deal with.

[Rvjimd]

Those are some great tips/thoughts to consider, thanks.

Have either of you found a good "overview" video that might show the complete process from start to finish including the design phase. I should browse those web sites you listed, might find something along that line huh?

Jim