Hi there!
I’m looking into getting myself a good printer and I am wondering if I need to install some platform-specific drivers for them to run. I am running Debian 12 (GNU/Linux) and I am afraid that I must run some proprietary blob to connect to the printer.
Could someone share their experience please? Even if you don’t use Linux, your feedback would be very appreciated!
(Also, while you are at it, please share some recommendations for printers, I don’t really know where to go (>v<) Have about ±500€ )
DON’T PANIC
There’s a massive wave of learning curve for 3D printing. It’s ABSOLUTELY subjective to the individual. So always keep in mind that you’re going to need to do almost all of it yourself.
The funny thing I experienced about the learning curve is how fun it is to ride the wave of “oh I understand now, let me try that… OMG what did I do?! Aaareggggg! Ok, I’ll try again tomorrow. Next week well wtf that was so easy. How did I not get that the first time?”
So the first thing to remember, not all printers provide a similar experience. You can end up with a model of the same filament and same size and to the naked eye, totally the same. But from different printers, could have black and white approaches and steps.
In general there’s a few programs that will let a PC directly connect to a 3D printer. It’s usually USB and manufacturers usually probably the drivers. If not any Linux system is gonna be able to talk to it. Windows is the one that might not talk to USB on a COM channel.
Direct connection is only needed in my case for upgrading the firmware. I have a Prusa MK3s Frankenstein. I have modified a bit of it.
Before I mod’d it took a bit to really tune it in. but now it’s really bulletproof and goes perfectly even after sitting for a while.
Remember to learn the basics for the printer you go with and then look at the mods
So there’s zero need to directly connect the pc to the printer. Usually there’s either a microsd or similar to plug in and load to print from that.
However, if you want to, Pronterface is a useful tool for providing command inputs via usb.
It gives you a basic gui to set temperature, manually move the print bead, some telemetry (real time temp charts,) and if you really felt like it… you can print small files across the usb (or push them to the sd and tell it to print from there. Though file transfer rate is usually dog-breath slow.)
Most usefully, it has a command line interface that allows you to send manual gcodes. This is very helpful for tuning and maintenance. (For example m851 will report XYZ offset, and you can set it with for example m851 z-2.47)
Or if you use UBL, create and store the g29 meshes (and if you add t to the command it’ll report values. For example g29 l0 t will load the mesh in slot 0, and report in the box.)
There’s a ton of useful g and m codes.
Ok, so a vast majority of 3d printers do not connect directly to a PC these days. They have a self contained microcontroller.
The workflow is:
- You design or download a 3D model you want to to print.
- Open the 3D model in a slicer software. The slicer takes a 3D model and, using a profile designed for a specific printer’s nozzle size and controller, converts the solid volume of the model into G-Code, or machine readable code that is a series of coordinates and move rates. This tells the printer where and how to put plastic.
- Export the G-code to a .gcode (or other) file. Save that file onto an SD card.
- Put the SD card in your printer.
- Select the file on the printer display and away you go.
Now, some printers use a network connection component, eg Bambu printers have a wifi adapter. This let’s them download firmware updates and receive print jobs from a computer remotely without needing to move SD cards. This does require the right software, e.g Bambu printers require proprietary Bambu Studio (or it’s open source fork OrcaSlicer) that has the networking module to talk to it. This doesn’t require special driver setup though.
On most printers, the files are either uploaded over WiFi through a web browser or transferred with a flash drive. As long as the slicer runs on your computer, you will be able to print. There are a lot of open source slicers for FDM printers than run on Linux.
I have a Sovol SV06, which normally uses an SD Card but I flashed Klipper on it and connected a Rasperry Pi to it (which is connected to my network via ethernet) and now I also have a web interface and can just upload the files and start the print from there.
Since it’s using the Raspberry Pi instead of the built-in microcontroller for all the calculations, it’s also a lot more accurate.
Try to run something like fusion360 or freecad to see if your device can handle those, they will come in handy once you’re ready for them.
I just use Blender. Any advantage to using FreeCAD?
Blender is more of an artistic tool. Not great at creating precise geometry. Tools like freecad make it much easier to create functional parts where the geometry matters. They are also easier to edit and adjust things after the fact as they tend to be parameterized - letting you update a value to update the model.
But they are terrible at more artistic things like miniatures or figurines or more organic shapes which is where blender shines.
So it really depends on what you are trying to create. But for a lot of people using 3d printers (which I believe tend to create more functional than atheistic prints - at least from designs they have created themselves) tools like freecad tend to serve them better then tools like blender.
Blender can absolutely be great at creating precise geometry, one just needs to know how to properly use the tool. Yes, the workflow will be much different than in other CAD, but principally, Blender is just as good as any other, or even better due to a more extensive development history and greater degree of maturity.
Prusa is a very FOSS-friendly manufacturer. Their entire slicer and the firmware for all of their printers are free and open-source. And they make really high-quality 3D printers. With 500€ you should be able to get the Mini, though getting the larger flagship MK4S may pay off more in the long run.
Also going to throw my vote in for prusa. I’ve got a few printers, including a vivedino troodon and the prusa has worked it’s way into my default printer spot.
It’s not just the Foss prusa slicer, it’s everything else. All the parts can be purchased or printed, their instructions for assembly are really good, their support responds quickly when needed, etc…
+1 for prusa if you want to spend more and get something that just works with no fuss, if you’re wanting to go cheap&cheerful an Ender 3 will be a good option as well if you don’t mind the occasional bit of tinkering for about half the price, as it’s probably one of the most supported printers by the community and newer ones come with Auto bed leveling and half of the fancy stuff you had to add on back in the day.
I’d spend any money saved building/buying an enclosure and something to run octoprint with (Raspberry pi or a spare android phone)
So Indeed you can connect a 3d printer to a computer. But the conversation between them is limited to the comp sending the STL file to be printed. Thats it.
My practice is more strict though. I do not connect the 3d printer to the comp, nor to wifi. For security reasons. Its a device that can heat up and move fairly easily and none of the existing printers today have proper security measures.
And frankly its not necessary to connect a printer to a pc. Its a stand alone device that works perfectly fine as it is. You physically take the flash drive that contains STL files only in text form and put It on the printer. Theres nothing easier than this in my opinion.
Unless of course you run a 3dprinting farm which is a different cass.
In some less common scenarios you may need the ftdi or ch34x drivers. Support for these is usually already in the kernel but if not the ftdi comes with the arduino sdk and the ch34x drivers are available
You would generally only need this for older or super cheap printers, and even then you would generally only need this if you need to reflash the firmware for some reason or refuse to print from an sd/usb. but don’t refuse to do that, even back in the days before wireless printers it was a dumb idea to print via usb
In the current market, you want a printer that runs Klipper. The system will typically include a web application that controls the printer (Fluidd, Mainsail, or Octoprint) running on an embedded RPi. You just access this through your browser, it’s not necessary to install anything on your PC.
You will need to install a slicer software. The slicer is sort of the equivalent of a document editor - it’s how you prepare the 3D file for printing. Your printer manufacturer will probably recommend or distribute a particular slicer, but the file format used for 3D printing (G-code) is an open standard published by NIST. Any slicer software can be used to output gcode for printing - you can use whatever you feel comfortable with.
Personally I reccomend Orca Slicer or SuperSlicer but there are many options.
By the way, the entire market of home 3D printers grew out of the RepRap project that started 20 years ago. The original project was open hardware and software, and so almost all of the software in use today is open because open source principles were the foundation of all of it. There are some companies in the field who keep their stuff proprietary, but frankly I avoid their products and consider them to be anathema to the 3D printing community.
