Question Newcomer looking for suggestions

[Notafakelemon]

Sorry if this question has been asked a lot or if this is the wrong place to be asking. I’m just trying to process what route would be best for me. Apologies in advance for the novel of context!

Currently I have an Artillery Sidewinder X2 I've put Klipper on and have been tuning it to get the most performance I can but think I've hit the limits and have been looking to upgrade.

I am generally looking for something more reliable, faster, and enclosed. Multi-color would also be something interested in as an upgrade option but it seems like I can add an MMU for whatever I upgrade to. Currently have only printed in PLA(+), PETG, and TPU and have primarily done toys and other random utility prints. I'm looking to try to do more functional prints or toys and maybe trying to do some modeling work to make my own designs. Currently in the process of printing a StageTop game table.

At first some people I know have said Bambu is the way to go but I was apprehensive since a lot of the fun I've had with this has been fixing/tuning the X2 and Bambu is a c doesn't seem to fit that philosophy.

Then I saw the Prusa Core One and that seemed great, seemed to be a bit more open.

And then I discovered Voron which brought me here and I've been strongly considering the Voron 2. I love the idea of tinkering/tuning/upgrading over time but currently can't print in ABS for the printed parts since I don't have an enclosure on the X2 and wasn't sure about the difficulty of the build process.

I'm a software engineer and have done PC builds and would consider myself pretty handy but wasn't sure if a Voron is beyond that or more difficult.

If anyone has any experiences or recommendations for my situation I'd love to hear them!

 

[vinnycordeiro]

You can use a make shift enclosure on your current printer, using a plastic bag or cardboard sheets. The important thing when printing ABS is to prevent cold air drafts from cooling your parts too quickly.

Nero, one of the members of the Voron team, have a series of videos about how to successfully print ABS on a printer that theoretically isn't capable of it:

• ABS For Dummies PART 1- PREP FOR SUCCESS -
• ABS For Dummies Part 2- More on VOCs, Beds and Downdrafts -
• ABS For Dummies Part 3 - Your first ABS prints and slicer settings -
• ABS For Dummies Part 4 - TIPS AND TRICKS! -

The only thing changed from the time he made those videos to today is that eSUN ABS+ isn't recommended anymore, apparently they changed the formulation which have been causing delamination on functional parts, even with all precautions taken for ABS printing, and KVP which unfortunately lost a lot of professionals when the new parent company decided to relocate their manufacturing plant.

Or you can use the Print It Forward program: https://pif.voron.dev/

 

[Notafakelemon]

You can use a make shift enclosure on your current printer, using a plastic bag or cardboard sheets. The important thing when printing ABS is to prevent cold air drafts from cooling your parts too quickly.

Nero, one of the members of the Voron team, have a series of videos about how to successfully print ABS on a printer that theoretically isn't capable of it:

• ABS For Dummies PART 1- PREP FOR SUCCESS -
• ABS For Dummies Part 2- More on VOCs, Beds and Downdrafts -
• ABS For Dummies Part 3 - Your first ABS prints and slicer settings -
• ABS For Dummies Part 4 - TIPS AND TRICKS! -

The only thing changed from the time he made those videos to today is that eSUN ABS+ isn't recommended anymore, apparently they changed the formulation which have been causing delamination on functional parts, even with all precautions taken for ABS printing, and KVP which unfortunately lost a lot of professionals when the new parent company decided to relocate their manufacturing plant.

Or you can use the Print It Forward program: https://pif.voron.dev/

Oh that's awesome! I'm going to take a look through those and maybe get some ABS to test it out! I thought about trying to do a makeshift enclosure with a cardboard box or something but wasn't sure if I needed to worry about having an exhaust fan.
Do you have any recommendations on the Voron 2.4 vs the Trident or kits. LDO seems like what I've read everywhere seems best but is it really worth double the price of a Formbot kit?

 

[vinnycordeiro]

Do you have any recommendations on the Voron 2.4 vs the Trident or kits. LDO seems like what I've read everywhere seems best but is it really worth double the price of a Formbot kit?

Kits in general are a fast way to build your printer, but you trade the ability to pick and choose exactly the components you want. Some rare vendors allows for some customization, like Magic Phoenix and West3D, but those are exceptions, not the norm. Also keep in mind that almost all kits does not include the printed parts, just a rare few do.

I can't say much about the kits because I always prefer to self-source, but from what I've read LDO kits includes some extra components beyond what is in the BOM, many of them are quality of life improvements, while Formbot follows the BOM more closely. As for the selection of printer, there's this post you can read: https://docs.vorondesign.com/hardware.html, but the rules of thumb are:

• build the smaller printer that can print the largest part you intend to print;
• when in doubt, build a 300x300mm Trident.

 

[Notafakelemon]

Kits in general are a fast way to build your printer, but you trade the ability to pick and choose exactly the components you want. Some rare vendors allows for some customization, like Magic Phoenix and West3D, but those are exceptions, not the norm. Also keep in mind that almost all kits does not include the printed parts, just a rare few do.

I can't say much about the kits because I always prefer to self-source, but from what I've read LDO kits includes some extra components beyond what is in the BOM, many of them are quality of life improvements, while Formbot follows the BOM more closely. As for the selection of printer, there's this post you can read: https://docs.vorondesign.com/hardware.html, but the rules of thumb are:

• build the smaller printer that can print the largest part you intend to print;
• when in doubt, build a 300x300mm Trident.

Appreciate the info! I’ve been doing some research and am currently planning to do the Formbot Trident and maybe in the future I’ll look more into self sourcing for a 2.4 or something more custom. Honestly, I don’t even know what all the different upgrade options are or what difference they make so I think sticking with the kit and learning from there probably makes the most sense for me.

 

[3dcoded]

Sorry if this question has been asked a lot or if this is the wrong place to be asking. I’m just trying to process what route would be best for me. Apologies in advance for the novel of context!

Currently I have an Artillery Sidewinder X2 I've put Klipper on and have been tuning it to get the most performance I can but think I've hit the limits and have been looking to upgrade.

I am generally looking for something more reliable, faster, and enclosed. Multi-color would also be something interested in as an upgrade option but it seems like I can add an MMU for whatever I upgrade to. Currently have only printed in PLA(+), PETG, and TPU and have primarily done toys and other random utility prints. I'm looking to try to do more functional prints or toys and maybe trying to do some modeling work to make my own designs. Currently in the process of printing a StageTop game table.

At first some people I know have said Bambu is the way to go but I was apprehensive since a lot of the fun I've had with this has been fixing/tuning the X2 and Bambu is a c doesn't seem to fit that philosophy.

Then I saw the Prusa Core One and that seemed great, seemed to be a bit more open.

And then I discovered Voron which brought me here and I've been strongly considering the Voron 2. I love the idea of tinkering/tuning/upgrading over time but currently can't print in ABS for the printed parts since I don't have an enclosure on the X2 and wasn't sure about the difficulty of the build process.

I'm a software engineer and have done PC builds and would consider myself pretty handy but wasn't sure if a Voron is beyond that or more difficult.

If anyone has any experiences or recommendations for my situation I'd love to hear them!

For printed parts, you can get away with a Stealthburner in PETG like I did on my KIipperized Prusa MK3S+ Bear. Not sure about the kinematic parts though. Can't comment on how difficult it is to build (yet) though.

Shameless self-promotion here: I created an MMU for Klipper printers, the 3MS designed to be budget-friendly, simple, and modular. I'd also recommend the Filametrix cutter for any MMU. It completely removes the pain of tip forming.

 

[3dcoded]

I guess I can't edit my post... about Voron kits, looking at the LDO page for the V2.4, you get these extras with it:

• Hartk Toolhead PCB
• Heatset insert tool
• Input shaper toolkit
• All wires pre-cut and crimped
• LEDs
• Nevermore air filter parts (minus carbon pellets)
• Klicky bed leveling (in addition to the included Omron probe)
• "Small tools"
• 2mm Drill Bit

Source: https://docs.ldomotors.com/en/voron/voron2

 

[Notafakelemon]

I guess I can't edit my post... about Voron kits, looking at the LDO page for the V2.4, you get these extras with it:

• Hartk Toolhead PCB
• Heatset insert tool
• Input shaper toolkit
• All wires pre-cut and crimped
• LEDs
• Nevermore air filter parts (minus carbon pellets)
• Klicky bed leveling (in addition to the included Omron probe)
• "Small tools"
• 2mm Drill Bit

Source: https://docs.ldomotors.com/en/voron/voron2

Appreciate the detailed responses! After doing some more research I was thinking of switching to doing a Voron Trident since this would be my first build. I was planning on going with the Formbot kit since its about $600 cheaper and while it may not have some of the bells and whistles I'm not sure that I need all of that with my first build. Do you have any experience with the different Trident kits? Seems like the more affordable options are the MPX and Formbot but I'm not sure how to tell which would be the way to go.

I'll definitely take a look at that MMU you designed, that sounds awesome and will probably be the next project after getting a Voron build complete!

 

[3dcoded]

I was planning on going with the Formbot kit since its about $600 cheaper and while it may not have some of the bells and whistles I'm not sure that I need all of that with my first build. Do you have any experience with the different Trident kits?

From what I've heard, the main thing with the Formbot kits is that you have to do all the wire cutting and crimping yourself (also the documentation is ...meh...).

Who makes the best, most complete kits?