Apologies if this has already been discussed - I’ve searched and found little. As I’m considering my Lowrider build, a few questions on whether 3D printing is worth also exploring first:
For someone on a budget, how much would it cost in materials to print your own Lowrider parts (not taking into account the cost of the printer)?
Is it too ambitious for a newbie to make their first printing project the Lowrider?
How long would it take to print everything, assuming uninterrupted access to a printer? (I’d like to do a Lowrider build during the week of Christmas, if possible)
Really appreciate your help. I want to eventually get into 3D printing, but wondering if it makes sense to do that first before the Lowrider.
RE1) $45 for 3x $15 spools of regular PLA (e.g. Overture), should be enough if you DIY print LR4 parts, without messing up too many times. Assuming your LR4 will not be left in an unconditioned crazy hot space (over 40 °C / 104 °F).
RE2) Depends on the person’s available time, interest and what printer you have? Took me many many hours to calibrate dimensionally good enough parts that I was happy with. But, if you run through that gauntlet, (or walk, or crawl, whatever it takes, just keep going…), then, you’ll be rewarded with skills and experience that’ll enable you Make more cool stuff, and help turn your ideas into real stuff. Many folks here like https://vector3d.shop/products/calilantern-calibration, https://teachingtechyt.github.io/calibration.html, https://ellis3dp.com/Print-Tuning-Guide. Despite periods of frustration, try to reframe, and find joy in the puzzle solving journey along the way.
RE3) Depends on printer and fluff ups. Ignoring fluff-ups, the modest print speed I used took ~60hrs, details in https://github.com/aaronse/v1engineering-mods/blob/main/lowrider4/v1e-lr4-rc2-printed-parts.xlsx.
I built a Primo a few years back and bought a Prusa Mini for it, my third print was the core. Today there are some pretty good, cheap printers, so it’s even easier to get into it.
PLA is going to cost you roughly 60€.
Print time depends on the printer, but 3-5 days?
The links above are not affiliate links. The Centauri Carbon came out after I was already using and loving the AD5M, with DIY enclosures. Otherwise, I might well be using Elegoo printers now instead of Flashforge printers.
Also, one other note: When I ran the Calilantern calibration test on my AD5M’s, they scored well enough to print a LowRider, before any corrective skew adjustment was applied.
Hi there - I hadn’t thought about this. I’m planning my build in my unconditioned garage, which definitely gets into the 100s in the summer. Sounds like I might need to think about conditioning it as part of this project?
My garage gets to 110F in the summer and -5F in the winter. I haven’t trashed a PLA part LowRider yet. I know other folks in similar circumstances report they have (PLA)
If you regularly get above 110F, it’s worth considering the alternative of PET-CF parts (NOT PETG-CF, or PETG, these are worse options, not better). It isn’t required, but the hotter it gets in your space and the more often it does, the more likely the alternate material makes sense.
Yes I agree with this. It’s not NEEDED but it is nice to have in the hotter spaces. But I will say that’s not exactly a Beginner filament to start 3d printing with. But there are other options for that.
Since I didn’t weigh in to the original question- a 3D printer is a great compliment to a CNC router, and can be fun to learn. They can also be tempermental beasts that get really frustrating. There are some good options around $300 to $400.
If you’re on a tight timeline, it may be best at this point to order parts (if shipping can get them to you). The week of Christmas is pretty much at hand, you’re likely going to need to get an expedited order if you want to go that route.
If you’re going to go the print it yourself route, find folks (including this forum!) who can help you. Local makerspaces or fellow builders might be able to help you.
One note about that- the license allows you to print parts for yourself, and folks can help you print for yourself free of charge, but they can’t print a parts set for you for a fee. Only licensed resellers can do that.
Those include v1 engineering,
North Woods Custom Creations (US)
Philipp (EU)
Note to @vicious1 - should there be a good link to licensed resellers somewhere more obvious in the shop/docs?
Thank you, Jonathan. Some likely dumb questions - I assume adding the remaining parts in PLA means I don’t have to worry about those ones being affected by heat? And my second question - I then would buy the hardware from the list on Amazon, plus the tubes for conduit?
The parts most effected are the ones I print out of PET-CF. Also the ones that gain the most from more stiffness. So far I have built 19 LR4s this way and have not had any complaints yet.
If you get the PET-CF Printed parts from me then you can get the parts kit from Ryan (should be back in stock real soon) and the EMT from your local hardware store.
One of the great things about Ryan’s designs is that I feel like I can fix almost anything that goes wrong. Part of that is being able to print replacement parts. I’m guessing most of the people on the forums have printed more than one core. (Pretty sure there are a fair number that have cracked a core assembling a machine. )
If your machine has a job to do and you’re just looking to get started quickly, then buying the parts makes a lot of sense. If you’re “getting started” and you want to develop the knowledge and skills you’d need to maintain the machine, part of that would be printing the parts.
Either way - welcome to the forum. There are a lot of people just waiting to help. If you have any questions on your journey please don’t hesitate to ask.
Super appreciate all the discussion and advice. Given that I’m in a time crunch, that it sounds like I need heat resistance, and that printing those parts could be a bit more difficult, I will go with a Kit from Jonathan.
Still really looking forward to exploring 3d printing sooner rather than later. I also think this discussion will be useful for other folks like me asking these questions in the future.
I started out having never been around a 3D printer or CNC machine. I bought a Flashforge AD5M PRO 3D printer and a hardware kit from V1E. I usually keep my garage at 60 degrees through the winter months however I thought about opening the garage doors when moving vehicles in and out so I figured the enclosed printer would be beneficial. I printed two small things to try it out and threw caution to the wind and started printing the core. It printed perfect first time and I didn’t bother checking calibration (probably not wise, oh well). I’ve been completely fascinated and interested in anything mechanical since birth.
Building the Lowrider V4 is a great experience, that you will most likely enjoy.
I would be lost without having a 3D printer around now. Best of luck to you whichever way you go.
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