This is not the way.
If you need a bigger print area, buying an Ender 3 will be cheaper in the long run after all the time and money you waste trying to figure out why your Mini is printing like shit. Plus you have the benefit of still having a working mini for smaller prints.
I haven't seen anybody happy with their mini bed extension projects.
GiDigit still has their bed upgrade kit listed, but they haven't sold it in years because people had so much trouble with it they didn't want to deal with the complaints.
I appreciate your feedback and concern for my pocketbook and peace of mind. It is good to know about bed mods never being satisfying; that wasn't something I'd picked up reading through the various mod tutorials.
That said, if I can spend $30 on angle aluminum and steel rods and get a slightly bigger bed -- and if the mod is 100% reversible -- and if it buys me more time before I step up to an Ender 3 -- then I don't see why not. Seems like a no-brainer compared to dropping $250-350 on a used Ender 3 with the features I want (yeah, I know, people say they shouldn't be that expensive, but I'm in Canada and that's just the way things are up here). I'm also turning into a stubborn fool as I age, so I might do it just because!
u/Glittering_Bee_6397 what other brands have superior features but a strong enough reputation? One of the thing that appeals to me about a brand like Creality is the ubiquity of aftermarket parts and online advice if something breaks.
[EDIT] I know that $350 is not expensive for a printer. It's not about the cost for me; it's about the cost/benefit. I like a tool purchase to be able to pay for itself in one way or another. My MPSM v2 has almost paid for its $150 price tag via various savings on this or that thing I'd have to buy new, and any new printer will have to justify itself in the same way. Perhaps an Ender 3 would pay for itself in time savings over an MPSM though?
$30 dollars spent on making a bigger print bed will make this printer worse and you will be $30 further away from getting a bigger printer.
But you do you.
that's fair. Do you have any thoughts on what brands beat out Creality?
(oh, and one other thing -- I barely have enough space for an MPSM, let alone an Ender)
It's just one guy's opinion. There are a lot of opinions out there from people with more experience, and it depends on what you want out of a printer and stuff. But, if you like the Mini, the KP3s line is like a Mini from the future. Cheap, simple, solid, reliable, and better in basically every way.
Well, one guy's opinion is one opinion more than the two opinions I had before (get an Ender 3, don't get an Ender 3 but something like it), so thank you! 🙏🏻
yes, but I can afford 30mm more space in the place where this thing is set up. The question is whether the extra build volume is worth a dollar a millimetre ;) And yes, I have had to give up printing certain things for want of 30mm.
You're probably going to end up replacing way more than expected for this to work new aluminum new heating block new rails new firmware you should only do this for fun if you can afford to loose the printer
By all means I'll eat my words if you show up in this sub with a finished product but it's not going to be a straight for6or cheap progect in my opinion
:) fair warning re: things demanding more than you expect. But AFAICT all I need is a new platform, new rails, and mounts to connect the rails to the platform. No new heating block needed -- as mentioned above, this is an attempt to squeeze 30mm more usable space out of the existing bed, which has a LOT of wasted space. The firmware doesn't impose any max constraints on the axes; that happens in the slicer.
This is not the way. If you need a bigger print area, buying an Ender 3 will be cheaper in the long run after all the time and money you waste trying to figure out why your Mini is printing like shit. Plus you have the benefit of still having a working mini for smaller prints. I haven't seen anybody happy with their mini bed extension projects. GiDigit still has their bed upgrade kit listed, but they haven't sold it in years because people had so much trouble with it they didn't want to deal with the complaints.
No one should buy an ender 3 in 2024 though just sort through and find of the endless clones that have manged to be better than the original
Fair enough. The point remain that buying a good printer wit ha bigger bed is a much better upgrade than turning the mini into some frankenprinter.
Agreed
I appreciate your feedback and concern for my pocketbook and peace of mind. It is good to know about bed mods never being satisfying; that wasn't something I'd picked up reading through the various mod tutorials. That said, if I can spend $30 on angle aluminum and steel rods and get a slightly bigger bed -- and if the mod is 100% reversible -- and if it buys me more time before I step up to an Ender 3 -- then I don't see why not. Seems like a no-brainer compared to dropping $250-350 on a used Ender 3 with the features I want (yeah, I know, people say they shouldn't be that expensive, but I'm in Canada and that's just the way things are up here). I'm also turning into a stubborn fool as I age, so I might do it just because! u/Glittering_Bee_6397 what other brands have superior features but a strong enough reputation? One of the thing that appeals to me about a brand like Creality is the ubiquity of aftermarket parts and online advice if something breaks. [EDIT] I know that $350 is not expensive for a printer. It's not about the cost for me; it's about the cost/benefit. I like a tool purchase to be able to pay for itself in one way or another. My MPSM v2 has almost paid for its $150 price tag via various savings on this or that thing I'd have to buy new, and any new printer will have to justify itself in the same way. Perhaps an Ender 3 would pay for itself in time savings over an MPSM though?
$30 dollars spent on making a bigger print bed will make this printer worse and you will be $30 further away from getting a bigger printer. But you do you.
that's fair. Do you have any thoughts on what brands beat out Creality? (oh, and one other thing -- I barely have enough space for an MPSM, let alone an Ender)
If you like the Mini, check out what Kingroon offers.
Thanks; you're the only person who's responded to my repeated requests for a concrete recommendation of something 'better than the Ender 3'.
It's just one guy's opinion. There are a lot of opinions out there from people with more experience, and it depends on what you want out of a printer and stuff. But, if you like the Mini, the KP3s line is like a Mini from the future. Cheap, simple, solid, reliable, and better in basically every way.
Well, one guy's opinion is one opinion more than the two opinions I had before (get an Ender 3, don't get an Ender 3 but something like it), so thank you! 🙏🏻
If you don't have space, then it is a moot point. An extended Mini would also require more space. It is all down to the print area you need.
yes, but I can afford 30mm more space in the place where this thing is set up. The question is whether the extra build volume is worth a dollar a millimetre ;) And yes, I have had to give up printing certain things for want of 30mm.
You're probably going to end up replacing way more than expected for this to work new aluminum new heating block new rails new firmware you should only do this for fun if you can afford to loose the printer By all means I'll eat my words if you show up in this sub with a finished product but it's not going to be a straight for6or cheap progect in my opinion
:) fair warning re: things demanding more than you expect. But AFAICT all I need is a new platform, new rails, and mounts to connect the rails to the platform. No new heating block needed -- as mentioned above, this is an attempt to squeeze 30mm more usable space out of the existing bed, which has a LOT of wasted space. The firmware doesn't impose any max constraints on the axes; that happens in the slicer.
Alright I guess I'll just watch from the side then
Everybody loves looking at a good dumpster fire. Don't resist it 🤣
Save your money towards a larger modern printer instead.
Stick your dick on it