Hi All,
I have been a cosplayer for about 8 years and only in the last couple of years have incorporated 3d printing into cosplaying.
Printers
I currently have 4 printers that I use for making costumes 3 FDM and 1 resin:
Anycubic Chiron https://www.anycubic.com/products/anycubic-chiron-3d-printer
Anycubic Photon https://www.anycubic.com/collections/anycubic-photon-3d-printers/products/anycubic-photon-3d-printer
2 Prusa i3 mk2(which are not available anymore so linking the current version ) https://shop.prusa3d.com/en/3d-printers/180-original-prusa-i3-mk3-kit.html
Anycubic Chiron
This is my latest printer and is about 6 months old. This printer has a build volume of 400x400x450mm and is a great workhorse. The only fails I have had on this printer were mistakes I made whether it being not leveled correctly or the part orientation was not great. The only issues I had with this printer was trying to get a big enough area for it to fit and the leveling can be a pain at first as it has 2 ways of leveling manual and auto which you need to use a combination of the 2 to get it leveled but once you get the hang of it its easy. I would recommend this for people that have some experience with 3D printers and I think its great for people looking for a big printer that is reasonably priced.
Anycubic Photon
This printer is a resin printer which uses an LCD screen to cure the resin. This is a fantastic printer to use for making small detailed parts for a costume so for example infinity stones for Thanos gauntlet. The printer is easy to use and the prints are amazing. The cons for this printer is you have to use different settings for different type of resins. Its a very messy process to clean the prints as once its finished printing you have to wash the resin and cure it in a UV curing station or nail lamp. This printer would suit people who like printing miniature figures or print highly detailed parts for a costume that an FDM printer cant print.
Prusa i3 mk2
This was my second printer I got(the first being a makerbot mini but its not used in my workshop). This printer taught me more about printers than anything as I bought the diy kit version of this printer that you have to assemble yourself. I found this was great to lean how the printer works and how it goes together as the printer has broken in certain areas over the years Ive had them and knowing how it goes together made it easier to fix them. The only issue Ive had with it is because I have the older versions of the printer finding parts to repair it is not that easy. This is great for people who want to learn how a printer is put together, learn the inner workings and the print quality is amazing.
The filament I use is from fiberology https://fiberlogy.com/en/fiberlogy-filaments/filament-easy-pla/. I like this filament because I find it easy to sand and there is a guy in my country that sells it so I like buying from him to support his business. One thing I dont like is that sometimes it doesnt print as well as say a previous batch but that is a rare case. I recommend this filament for people who want reliable filament at a great cost.
Currently I have 3 projects on the go
Warcraft human alliance soldier armor(3d Modeling)
Iron Man MK46
Iron Man MK85(DO3D) https://do3dforum.com/product/3d-printable-model-iron-man-mark-lxxxv-full-body-armor-helmet-wing-mk-85-tony-stark-avengers-endgame-version-print-file-format-stl/
For the Warcraft Human Alliance Soldier armor I am modeling that in zbrush I have been working on it for the past few months and enjoying it as I am also in the process of Learning zbrush. Zbrush(pixologic.com) is a sculpting tool that is used in the film and game industries making CG characters. This product is easy to learn and has alot to offer people who want to 3D sculpt figures or statues. The only downside is that its very expensive which now is going for $800 roughly or there is a subscription plan.
This is my 3D modeling workstation I use a Huion Kamvas pro 13(https://store.huion.com/products/kamvas-pro-13) which is a great display tablet for beginners the only downside for me that its small for my liking but I bought it for when I travel. My laptop which is an acer predator and I have an acer 21.5 inch montor.
Simplify 3D
I use Simplify 3D(https://www.simplify3d.com/) to slice my stls into gcode. I have been using it for a long time now and love it. It has alot of advanced setting to tweak your printer and the quality of the prints and Simplify 3D have loads of profiles for different printers so it makes it easier to set up your printer with the software. I like this software as its easy to use and configure. The cons are that it can be overwhelming to newcomers and its costs roughly $150.
Meshmixer
I use meshmixer(http://www.meshmixer.com/) to import my stl's and make cuts in them so I can fit the parts on the print bed. The software is free to use and easy to use. The con I have with it is that it crashes when using large files. I would recommend this to people who are looking for an easy to use software to clice up their models so they an print them on their printer.
This what I have at the moment of the Iron Man mk46 and mk85. The mk46 is about 80% printed and I just started printing the mk85 helmet.
Well I hope you enjoyed learning about what I use for my 3d printing projects and feel free to follow me on my social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jayscosplays/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesheneghan92/
Thanks for taking the time to read this post.
James.