Perfect First Layer Podcast

2023 Review, 2024 Predictions-What Happened and What’s Coming!

Guy, JJ and Nathan discuss what has happened in 2023 and some predictions of what could be coming in 2024.

Too Much Poop, Post Processing, Printing Threads and More!

This Episodes Questions:
Hey guys,First of all, thanks so much for the podcast. I really enjoy the banter and the in-depth analysis you guys offer. With MMU's being so popular and with Bambu Lab's intro into the market with the AMS, I was immediately intrigued at the ability to hit a button and generate a multi-color print. However, in looking into it, I noticed the waste it was producing and just can't bring myself to pull the trigger on one and contribute to that waste pile. I'm curious if you guys had any thoughts on how you would design an "AMS-like" unit that would be able to turn out a multi-color print all while producing minimal to no waste. Or is just something that is unavoidable?Thanks again for the great content!Josh
I have read a little bit online about various methods of post-processing of plastic prints to improve strength, toughness and reduce voids. I understand there is a way use a type of salt that is packed tightly around a print to maintain it's shape and then the print is annealed at high heat. Have guys tried this and if so what was your experience? To me it sounds like a great idea, but like most things the devil is likely in the details.James
I'd like to include some threads on some printed parts so I can connect them using bolts. When I try to print my parts, the threads are not clean enough to use. I design them .01 proud to leave room for the bolt. I'm printing them with the bolt going through the Z-axis, but the results aren't great. Any suggestions or reference to sources to get this figured out?Paul

Which Core XY Printer? Budget CNC, Nathan at FormNext and MORE!!!

This Episodes Questions:
Hello Guy, Nathan, and JJ, I might be interested in purchasing a 3d printer before the end of 2023. I have some experience with printers, but still kinda a beginner with them. I have previously owned a Bambu lab P1P and a Creality Ender 3 v2. If I wanted to purchase another printer this year, what are some great options $700 or less($700 before tax, so including Bambu p1s). If I do get one, I think I might want to get an enclosed one. There are a lot of options, such as, the K1, Qidi x plus 3, Flashforge Adventurer 5m pro, and Bambu lab p1s. If there are any others that are good options, please let me know. This is a long message, but any help with giving me confidence in a potential purchase is appreciated. I think for me personally, it might be between the p1s and the Flashforge Adventurer 5m pro, but let me know what you guys think. Thank you, much appreciated :)E. Morgan
Hey everyone! I hope ya'll are doing well! I have a quick question for you, Guy. I want to get into CNC machines, except I need to know which to get. It does need to be a cheap budget one, as I'm primarily using it to cut acrylic and thinner wood pieces. In the future, I wouldn't mind cutting bigger pieces. Any advice would help! Thank you!Luis
Send Us Your Questions! perfectfirstlayer@gmail.com

A1 Mini, Prusa Marketing, Printing A Toilet and MORE!!!

No new questions this week from the audience! So we have a great discussion about Nathan attending Formnext, The Bambu A1 Mini, Prusa and Bambu marketing styles and future of 3D Printers. Send us your questions! perfectfirstlayer@gmail.com 

Open Source Gotchas, Tool Head Upgrades, Hot End Woes and More!!

This Episodes Questions:
Hello Guy, JJ, and Nathan,I was wondering if you could discuss the idea that the 3d printing "hobby" has come full circle from the early days of the Stratasys machines to the current crop of machines from BambuLab, Creality, Qidi, Flashforge and the myriad other manufacturers that aren't making "Open Source" machines. Also what are you thoughts about keeping some parts closed while open sourcing other parts, i.e. BambuLab Slicer VS their firmware. I know Guy couldn't give a crap, as long as it prints, but what effect do you think this "partial Open Source-ing" will have on the hobby long term? I mean no one cares that their microwave isn't open source, so does it even matter?Thanks for the podcast and your opinions.-John D Strand
Howdy howdy! First off, love the show, thank you for the awesome content. So I'm semi new to printing, semi tech literate, very mechanically inclined, just as a back story haha. Anyway I have an e3v2, been upgrading it a bit and I am at the inevitable crossroads of hotends. I believe y'all have touched on some but I haven't seen a complete episode on them ( or at least titled as such, sorry still catching up on all of them ).  So here are my parameters, e3v2, converted to direct drive, cr touch ( with no reservations on moving it ) and I would like to print hot materials. Sorry for the long winded letter but any help or perspectives would be great! Thank you in advance.Justin
Hi guys,Thanks for such a great podcast!My 2 part question is this, I have an old Qidi Xplus that I modded with the icarus 2 mod from Printables. I absolutely love it. However, recently, I needed to change the heartbreak. I am using a Phaetus Dragon standard flow with an Orbitor 2 extruder.   I somehow managed to damage the 4 tiny posts that go into the dragon.  I have ordered replacements from numerous places online like Ali Express and Triangle Labs. For some weird reason, I have been having issues with receiving these after ordering multiple times. Other items arrive, just not these stupid posts. So I was wondering if you knew of a hack I could use to replace them with?  Such a strange design in my opinion.   Any advice is appreciated.  I now understand why Nathan threw one of these Qidi printers in the trash.If you have time to answer this, I would also like to put a better main board in this machine. Any suggestions? Cheers and thank you in advance!Jesse from Burbank,CA.

3D Printing News, Clogged Nozzles, Klipper on K1 and MORE!!!

This Episodes Questions:
Another dedicated aussie listener, hey guys, thanks for a great podcast. My question is, I recently purchased a K1 Max, not many issues except hot end blockages 3 in as many weeks, it’s even causing under extrusion and have to disassemble the hot end to clear it out, thing is it seems to line the inside just above the nozzle which seems impossible to clear, any advice would be much appreciated, is it me the way I’m changing filament or is it an issue with the printer? Thanks in advance Roy
My question is about the new K1 firmware hack provided by crealitys outlet on giithub, is it worth the risk? I’ve been doing the yards in checking and researching, but cannot other than maybe a couple of issues from people on Reddit I have around 3 years experience in 3d printing so have some knowledge thanks to your podcast, great listening Roy
Hi.I have an Ender 3 V2 Neo, and the bed is in very bad condition and the prints are not sticking well, while i wait for a new bed i want to ask, can i use lacquer on my bed (I don’t know which type is it)?Thanks, Noa

Bambu A1 is here!, Ender 3 Future and MORE!

Other than a great discussion on the new Bambu Labs A1, here are this episodes questions:
Based on a previous question you guys helped with, company I am consulting with purchased a Bambu X1 Carbon.  We are successfully producing salable nylon/carbon fiber parts for ultra light canoes.   Very happy with our purchase.So - next question.  Thinking of second printer.  What are the gains you would get in the $1500 to $2500 range.  Is it speed, robustness or reliability?  The X1 checked all the boxes with good build, easy to learn slicer and reliable prints so far.  Just trying to understand why we would make the next jump up, and if it is really necessary.Thanks for all the info - it has been invaluable so far!Gary Ratajczak
Hi guys,Hope you are all well.My question would be: do you guys have any tips for printing larger prints for a bed slinger dimensions 220x220x250? I have an Anycubic Kobra 2. I intend to print helmets which are generally a lot larger than my print bed dimensions. And What are your thoughts on SLA printing?Thank you all for this great podcast!Kind Regards,Carson, Southampton, UK (place where Titanic set sail if it helps haha)
Hello all! Since you all have one of those fancy new Enders, is that the X-Motor on the back of the gantry? I keep wondering in all the reviews I see. Any thoughts on why they moved it to the back? What's the belt path look like?Thanks Guy(s)! ha ha! Love the podcast!JohnDStrand

Printer Profiles, Buying Paralysis, Gifting Printers and MORE!!!

This Episodes Questions and Comment:
From: Michael Banicki  Listening to your last episode I heard you talking about the labor intensive art of creating profiles for different slicers for different printers and materials. One thing I have found is that many of your 3D model websites like printables will also have downloads for different slicers and materials and printers on them as well. Such as you can search for k1 Max profile on printables and many different things come up. Thought this may be a helpful suggestion for yourselves, or other listeners that may be new to setting up custom profiles and slicers and needed a little bit of help.
Hey Guy, JJ, and Nathan.
I am at that stage in my life that I have a printer I no longer need/want. It's an Ender 3 Pro, with some mods and upgrades. There's an organization, locally, that I can donate it to so that it will hopefully help someone else get hooked on the hobby.My only reservation is that it was my FIRST PRINTER, I don't have any sentimental attachment to it now... I think... but wanted see if you've ever had any regrets about gifting, selling, getting rid of a printer.Thanks a lot, Jon LaRue, Kirkwood MO. 
From: CarterSubject: Analysis Paralysis - I've got it bad
Message Body:Hey guys, listening from Canada (sorry for all the smoke), I love the podcast and have learned quite a bit from your deep dives. Keep up the good work! Nathans humor and total lack of give a f**k makes my sides hurt.I was hoping you could point me in the right direction for my situation. I am trying really hard to ignore the hype built up around these next gen printer speeds, but I think there is some merit to them. On one hand I'm not sure I'd gain anything as fast part cooling typically = weaker parts. On the other, rapidly printing prototypes would speed up workflow.I am printer shopping and stuck in analysis paralysis. I currently have a highly modified Ender 3v2 (Dragonflt BMS, fans, Jyers firmware)  and have gotten it dialed into the point where I can click send to printer and walk away. I now need something to print ABS,ASA and maybe CF nylon for functional prints so having a built in filter is a huge plus.  High speed PLA or PETG would be a bonus but not absolutely necessary. I also don't have an immediate need for a bigger build surface but maybe not a bad idea to get for the future. My current choices are as follows:Budget ~$1500cnd + or - $300- Another Ender 3v2 (or 2 or 3) on sale $289 + mods will cost $500cnd total with a custom filtered enclosure. Sticking with what I know is appealing to keep the workflow the same but maybe not the most reliable choice for making functional parts even if its in an enclosure. It's also outdated so I'm  not sure that's a good use of my money. They also take up a lot of space.- An Ender 3v3se + an enclosed Prusa Mk3s+ (fast printer + a workhorse)- Bambulabs P1S - $900 + $80 hardened parts for CF- Creality K1/K1 Max - $700-$1250- 1 or 2 Prusa mk3S+ - $879 ($450-700 used with an enclosure.)- Prusa Mk4 $1400 + enclosure too expensive for what it is?- Any other suggestions? I am not apposed to buying 2 printers, so long as it fits within the budget.I am inclined to lean toward a K1 Max because I feel like once the source code is released retrofitting parts would be much easier and the community will embrace it more. Probably not to the same extent as the E3v2, but the ability to fix any deficiencies with the machine long term would be nice.Sorry for the length, please feel free to cut this down to save recording time. Thanks for all that you guys do to keep us nerds entertained on long drives and at work.

Creality Ender 3 V3 SE, Bed Leveling Woes, Printing Accuracy and MORE!!!

This weeks listeners questions:
Hey guys, love the podcast! Leveling - Spring, silicone spacers, wheel locks, use a piece of paper, use a feeler gauge, etc.... for those of us that don't have a BambuLab printer or some machine that auto-levels for you in that there are NO leveling wheels to adjust, what is your guys' step-by-step process for getting a good level? Set Z-height, manual level, auto level? Use a piece of paper to gauge height? Keep the springs or swap them out for silicone spacers? There are a lot of "recommendations" on the interwebs when it comes to this and I'd love your take on it.Josh
My workplace has a Prusa Mk2.5s that we can use for personal projects. I recently printed a set of inserts for my router table plate. Getting their height extremely accurate is important, and I've found that the prusa is consistently printing thing about .003" thicker than designed. The ID of the holes in the center of the part is consistently.004" undersized. Is this level of accuracy acceptable for a printer like this? What kinda of things can I do tune it? Should I just account for it in my designs? Or am I being too damn picky?Enjoying the podcast, keep it up.P.S. Guy, if you've got any printers you want taken off your hands, you should reach out to me before your son! I'll trade you a knife Theo
Hi, im Altair and i love the 3d printing world and your podcasts is so usefull to me, but ill get to the point.I have a Ender 3 V2 Neo, its great but im not im home a lot and i cant use i a lot, so, could you recomend me a tiny printer that i could move and take with me.Thanks. Altair

Delta Vs. Core XY, Eliminating Vertical Artifacts, Selling Your Designs and MORE!!

This Episodes Questions:
Good Morning/afternoon/evening JJ, Nathan, and of course, Guy! I hope that you are all doing well and Nathan hasn't burned down down his studio yet. Love the podcast and all the content each of you are making. The different perspectives is really interesting to see and hear from you three.My question is pretty simple. With all the hype about CoreXY machines lately, and people wanting to print faster, why are there not more Delta Printers on the market? Nathan, you can hold your tongue and let JJ or Guy respond and then let your venom spew forth. LOL! Also, can you please explain the reason CoreXZ even exists? Thanks for all you three do and I look forward to hearing the answer on the podcast.John D Strand, yes the guy in the jesters hat at MRRF.
I purchased a Creasee Skywalker sometime ago but have not had the opportunity to use it until now.I have read that Creasee no longer exists. Can I replace the proprietary operating system with Marlin. Can you please point me toward a resource for some assistance.Thanks so much.David
Hey, guys!! Absolutely love the show and watching your channels on YouTube. My question is I have a modded Ender 3 Pro and I've been struggling with these vertical lines on my prints along the Y axis. I've come to find this is a common issue among 3d printers and its referred to as Vertical Fine Artifacts (VFA). I haven't seen to of found any fix for this and have tried multiple things. Like belt tension, adjusting the wheels, replacing stepper motor and pulleys. I'm hoping you guys can shed some light on this and know of a possible fix. Or even maybe some tips that can reduce the appearance of them. Thanks guys!Kyle
I listened to Brendons question about correct hole size and remembered when I had the same problem about last year when I started designing things for myself, I found a very useful little chart from littlemachineshop(.)com that is the first result if you google "little machine shop tap chart". The link at the top of the page has a PDF that has almost all the needed bore and drill sizes for whatever type of hole is needed based on fastener size, in standard and metric.Making holes in Fusion360 also includes the option of choosing the type of fastener and then choosing between a tapped or clearance hole, and a lot of other useful options (depth, counterbore, countersunk, etc.). I don't know if I am required to ask a question, so if I am here it is: I'm thinking about selling some of my models as kits and as STLs. What would the best platform for that me? Etsy? Cults? Squarespace?Thanks for your time,Chris Feeney