Aloha,
I got an Elegoo Carbon FDM coreXY printer and a roll of PLA from the same brand. I’ve read that some filament brands are better than others but I figured I’d start easy.
I’ve taken STLs to the library to print, but I’ve not done my own before. What’s all this slicer stuff? What other software and tools do I need? Thanks!
Not trying to sound rude, but does your printer have a manual? If so, check it out. My Prusa printer came with a very good manual for beginners. It also came with a pre-loaded USB stick with pre-sliced models to print.
I think only Prusa still ships a real, honest to god printed manual anymore. Most printers come with just a pamphlet to setup and plug it in.
Paper costs money to print and to ship.
True. Not much comes with a manual. Most products just come with a slip of paper with a QR code on it.
Not rude, don’t worry!
I’m sure it does, but I’m not opening it until Christmas. It’ll be my Christmas day project, and I thought I’d get tips ahead of time.
In that case, check out the manufacturer’s website and look up the manual for that specific printer. Also see of they have their own slicer software. As others have said, Prusa Slicer is a good one. It also has a web GUI that will let you manage files, monitor and start/stop prints. (edit: the web GUI is part of the printer software, not the slicer, but I’m sure yours has one too.)
Another tip, (especially if your printer is banished to the basement like mine) is to get a small web cam for your printer so you can watch for problems remotely.
Oh, and speaking of keeping it in separate rooms, look up health hazards such as particulates and off-gassing. Keep the kiddos safe.