from Prusa3D.com:
The original Prusa i3 MK3S is the "BEST 3D PRINTER" according to ALL3DP.COM and MAKE: Magazine, where MK3S also received "Editor's Choice" as the highest-rated 3D Printer in the 2019 Digital Fabrication Guide. The MK3S features a rebuilt extruder, numerous sensors, and various smart features. Plus, a new magnetic MK52 heatbed with replaceable PEI Spring Steel Print Sheet. Dozens of various tweaks and upgrades improve the reliability and ease of use.
MK3S's functionality can be further expanded with the unique Multi-Material Upgrade 2.0 Addon for printing with up to 5 materials simultaneously.
Looking for some slides to flip through on the broader aspects of 3D Printing? Try these (Google Slides)
See this guide from Prusa Research on setting up Cura 4.x on your Windows, MacOS, or Linux PC.
Are you a Chromebook school? Give Astroprint a try. See this post for a quick overview of the process. We're working on a better guide for this, which will be forthcoming.
Thingiverse is a great place to get started. Here are some to get started with:
- XYZ 20mm Calibration Cube
- #3DBenchy - #3DBenchy is a model specifically designed for testing 3D printers.
- Baby Groot
- Three Cube Gears
If you want to create your own 3D models, check out the following pieces of software. You should be able to find YouTube tutorials for any of these.
- TinkerCad - simple tool for 3D modeling.
- Autodesk Fusion360 - professional parametric* CAD. Free for personal use.
"parametric" means that you capture design intent using features and constraints, and this allows users to automate repetitive changes, such as those found in families of product parts. Check out this video for an overview of pros and cons of parametric modeling.
Slicers are used to generate GCODE, machine code that the 3D Printers can understand. There are a few different options, which will net you similar results.
- Ultimaker Cura - this is what we use at MakerspaceCT.
- PrusaSlicer - the slicer maintained by the Prusa team, based on the open-source project Slic3r.
- 3D Builder - If you're using a Windows PC, 3D Builder is a great tool for rotating, scaling, or fixing "invalidly defined" 3D prints.
- Prusa Research's 3D Print Quality Troubleshooting Guide
- Simplify3D's print quality guide is a great reference for tips on revising your slicing settings, even if you don't use Simplify3D.
- Ultimaker also has some notes on "fixing ugly prints"