Perfect First Layer Podcast

Super Mega Printers, Tool Organization,New Hot End Tech and More!!

This Episodes Questions:
I really like the deep dives you guys do on the individual components and systems that make up a printer. It seems to me that hot ends seem to be the 3D printer-specific components that are advancing the quickest. Do you agree? If not then what is? James
Hi guys,I'm from Tulsa, OK.I love the podcast! I love how you all approach things from a little different angle. It makes for a fun and engaging podcast.When having any kind of shop, organization makes a huge difference with productivity and sanity. I was wondering if you all have any experience with creating wall storage specifically. The most popular completely 3d printed options I've seen are thread boards and the honeycomb wall. There is also the ability to buy a normal peg board and print attachments. I'd love to have something durable with the most amount of options for mounting. What route would you guys take? -Jeremy Philo

Is Bambu Worth the $$$?, Hueforge Prints, Dimensional Accuracy and MORE!!

This Episodes Questions:
Hey guys, I just bought a Mosaic Palette 3 pro, it works great and I’m making lots of thing with it; I’ve been seeing people printing color lithophanes with Bambu printers I and I want to print my own with my palette, is it possible to make them with palette? And if yes, how?Thanks guys, Altair
For best print quality, and by quality I mean dimensional accuracy, surface finish and structurally sound parts, can the print speed simply be slowed down? I get that speed sells and there are legitimate reasons to do a print quickly, but for me and most of what I want to do the print quality comes first. If the parts do not have adequate quality then the tool will be of limited use. Are there any other techniques or “weird tricks” I can use to get the best print quality out of my EV3SEThanks, James
I personally favour the open source design approach for customization, price competition, long support-ability and maintain-ability. Which companies do you think will be the ones to keep that philosophy in the future?Thanks, James

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.