The Gridfinity Journey Begins

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad

wade45

Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2009
Messages
160
Location
Logansport IN
Carbide bit holder for the first grid.
Shoutout to d_bondi for the gridfinity idea
IMG_3428.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Please continue to post what you are doing with this.

Perhaps it will motivate me to move past my paralysis of analysis and actually start printing some...
 
Printing Gridfinity is about the best way to use that last little bit of filament on the spool.
I have printed a few rugged tool cases that have support for that format.

The last one I printed was sort of like this one:


The only down side I had with that case design was the latches can be hard to release.
I guess if I used maybe TPU material with a bit of flex it would have worked better.
However, my current 3d Printer setup does not print that material very well.
 
Printing Gridfinity is about the best way to use that last little bit of filament on the spool.
I have printed a few rugged tool cases that have support for that format.

The last one I printed was sort of like this one:


The only down side I had with that case design was the latches can be hard to release.
I guess if I used maybe TPU material with a bit of flex it would have worked better.
However, my current 3d Printer setup does not print that material very well.

How durable is the actual case or was that not printed?
 
I am on the cusp of ordering a Bambu Labs P1S combo but not sure if I can fully justify it even if it is on sale for almost 50% off.
I have a P1S and it gets used quite heavily. It is great for making jigs and such. I am always finding some use for it.
 
I started, maybe 4-5 years ago, with a Creality Ender 5 Pro. I modified it with a glass bed, touch sense auto bed leveling, Raspberry Pi OctoPi server, etc... It always felt like work to print things though. It did a decent job but seemed like I was always having to tinker with something and it was slow.

I December I purchased a Bambu Lab H2S with AMS 2 Pro and AMS HT. It is a world of difference. Too many reasons to list, but here are a few:
  • It is FAST
  • It is totally enclosed
  • Did I say it is FAST?
  • The AMS manages the filament and can switch during prints
  • You can dry filament in the AMS (but not while printing)
  • The Bambu Studio software and Bambu Handy app are fantastic
  • Great support website
  • The printer has filament profiles already built in for all of the Bambu Lab filaments
I have been 3D Modeling brackets and whatnot using AutoDesk Fusion for the mounting of the DRO scales and read heads on my metal lathe and then printing them. For final functional prints, I am using PLA-CF (carbon fiber infused PLA) filament. It is super rigid and prints SO nicely.

Short Version: If you want to 3D Print, get a Bambu Lab. If you want to learn all about every little thing and constantly tinker, buy something else. :oops:

The H2S bundle I purchased was not inexpensive, but for me, 100% worth it.

If you are looking for a more budget friendly option and don't need the ginormous print size capability, the P1S (with or without the AMS) looks to be a great option!

Disclaimer: I have no personal experience with Elegoo, Prusa, or other well known machines.
 
I started in 2019 with a bone stock Ender 3 that I got new for $100 (on sale). Honestly it printed fine out of the box, though I imagine standards for a good print in 2019 were a little different than 2026. I still have and use some stuff I printed on that thing 7 years ago in it's stock configuration.

I spent many years hotrodding, modifying, upgrading, reconfiguring, adding features, playing with firmware, tuning, etc. etc. I was generally able to get good results all the way through that, and ended up hitting some fairly impressive speeds for a bed slinger design. I also got what I consider a first rate education on the ins and outs of 3D printing. But I was never one of the people who wanted it purely as a machine to fabricate things. It was a hobby unto itself. As my brother put it once, there are 2 hobbies: 3D printing, and 3D printer-ing, and they're not the same thing at all. I have enjoyed both hobbies. I do however understand that many people are only interested in the former :D

Eventually I got tired of pushing it to the bleeding edge of its mechanical capability, bought a Creality Sprite Pro extruder/hotend, and kicked my speeds back down into a much more reasonable range.

Now it's very much a "start the print and forget about it" machine in terms of reliability and quality. Works awesome. I level the bed about once every 4 or 5 months and that's about the extent of the maintenance it needs. I have it all tricked out with the quality of life features I liked the most (Klipper firmware, secure remote access, video feed, and AI monitoring through Obico).

It will not compete with a Bambu for speed, it doesn't do multi-material or multi-color printing, and it doesn't have a vented enclosure that lets me print more exotic filaments while handling the offgassed VOCs and whatnot, so I live in the land of PLA, PETG, and TPU.

But I also never have to worry about my printer logging what I print and sending it to the CCP, or deciding that the thing I'm printing looks a little too much like a gun part and overriding me, or being forced to pay for a cloud subscription to keep my printer from bricking, and I consider that a worthwhile tradeoff :)

If and when I decide I really want something that I can't get out of my humble Ender 3 of Theseus, I'd be far more inclined to build a RatRig or a Voron than buy a Bambu.
 
Back
Top Bottom