The final month of the CraftingTable Academy is another that I am enjoying more than I expected to.
This month we will be getting 2 shipments, the first of which is a 3d printer.
Now I already have one of those, and use it occasionally for small things, I’ve made door clips, various holders and brackets, ornaments, and things for the printer itself. But my printer is old. It must be 6-7 years ago when I bought it, and it was a cheap model then.
This one is modern, has a screen and WiFi as well as it being self leveling and self calibrating. it’s a Flashforge Adventurer 5, and it came almost ready to use, unlike my original which took a day of assembly. (And I forgot to take the paper off of the plastic frame so it’s eternally brownish. ) This one has a metal frame and can easily be upgraded with different nozzles an enclosure and camera to keep an eye on prints.
The first print was just a small block to test out the printer, then I selected a benchy from the onboard menu. It went and printed this without any prompting or setup. And I think it’s a better print than any I managed before.
I then installed the software on the pc and have downloaded a file from thingiverse to test. As well as putting some of my old filament in to see if it’s still good.
The first layer seems so have gone down well, and that’s always a tricky part of printing. I have never had a first layer look so even and neat.
I’ll update after the print finishes, in about 6 hours. I’m not sure if it will be successful but I wanted something that would test the quality and the speed.
So far so good!
Now that you completed the academy, I wanted to get your overall take.
Did you feel like you were setup well to learn and understand the material?
Yours are really the only posts I see on the content in the academy – which concerns me a bit. I really appreciate what you have shared.
Hi, overall the course was great. It did tail off in the last couple of months, with month 6 still being mostly “go do stuff” with no real guidance.
But, it has pushed me to learn about several other things, and I probably spent more time around that month than any other.
Can you do it all on your own? Almost certainly.
Can you do it cheaper than the course? I’m sure.
Would I? Probably not.
Added to the course is the advantage of the Doscord channels with other students. I have made friends in there, and both had help, and provided help to others.
All in all, I’d probably do another year, as and when it’s available.
I hope that helps!