barely a two decades ago the 3d printers were hulking expensive machines
reserved for factories, corporations and the small circles of professionals
recently 3d printers come in a variety of styles optimized for different applications and kinds of printing
in today's video we're going to be focused on TINA 2 an entry level compact desktop 3d printer
which will get you started if 3d printing is new to you
welcome back - this is Adam - and you're watching #FamilyPopTV youtube channel
Weedo TINA 2 compact 3d printer arrived in plain box plastered with Weedo company branding
the first thing you will find - the accessories such as the power lead
one spool of PLA filament
a spare extruder nozzle with tools
micro sd cards with some basic 3d slicing software called WiiBuilder
as well as some tests 3d models which are ready to be printed out
the TINA 2 3d printer itself has a compact size and it's built from hard moulded plastic which feels of decent quality
the top of the printer is covered apart from the little gap for the PTFE tube to move with the extruder
this should be plugged to the nozzle at the side of the printer
at the top we also got an lcd display and illuminated dial for data entry
i will load the PLA filament and start heating the extruder to around 200'C
now i will insert the sd card which contains a few test prints
these are labeled with the timings which is handy
let's pick a butterfly - let's see how it goes
after selecting the file the display shows you settings for the print such as density, layer, height and temperature
click 'print' and the Weedo TINA 2 goes through its automatic bed levelling
it has a little proxy sensor next to the extruder, so the printer knows the position of the magnetic bed
and the extruder won't go any lower than the bed
after around 20 minutes the print completes
the extruder moves to the top and the bed moves out to the front the print is ready to be picked
now let's try something more fancy
i found a free 3d model of a viking mug.
most of the 3d models are saved in stl files.
stl - is a file format commonly used for 3d printing and computer aided design.
stl is an acronym that stands for stereolithography - a popular 3d printing technology
you may also hear is referred to as a 'standard triangle language'
or 'standard tessellation language'.
before the 3d model can be loaded into TINA 2 printer
it has to be sliced and converted into a g-code which is nothing more than a programming language used to control a cnc machines and 3d printers
to convert your 3d model into g-code i recommend to use WiiBuilder app which is included on the SD-card which comes with the printer
and can be installed on pc or mac.
slicing translates CAD drawing into a g-code which a 3d printer can read
now the viking mug is ready to be printed.
let's jog into the viking mug - and press 'print'
g-code is written in a straightforward logical way
a 'G' is followed by a number which is a command to change geometry
for instance G00 is a command for rapid movement
i've been programming CNC machines in the past so i got some experience in this field
once you got the app installed load the model, scale it to the size suitable to be used in TINA 2
pick the PLA material and speed - and the quality of the print - and slice the model into the layers
here we go a nice tiny viking mug with a very visible Assassin's Creed Valhalla logo at the side
it took around 35 minutes total to print this little thing
i also tested more complex model which is an Eiffel Tower
i scaled it down massively just to see how the extruder of TINA 2 would handle such a tiny little lines and shapes
the g-code we've just created telling the printer where to extrude the filament material layer by layer
as i mentioned earlier g-code is a language that humans use to tell a machine how to do something
with 3d printing g-code contains commands to move parts within the printer
g-code consists of 'G' and 'M' commands that have an assigned movement or action as well as 'E' values
in order to extrude the g-code must have e-values - they are what differentiate a travel movement from an extrusion movement
overall the TINA 2 is a nice compact 3d printer that produces good quality prints.
albeit limited to its small build volume.
with auto bed levelling this is a great for just pressing 'print' and leaving it to do its thing.
it is a bit noisy and if it had a silent stepper drivers - that would be a big plus for this printer
it would make a great gift for kids that have an interest in 3d printing for sure
another great thing about the TINA 2 printer - it runs on the Open Source software
same as the larger more advanced printers use
that way you won't have to re-learn things when upgrading in the future if you decide to
the auto bed levelling is amazing on the printer of this price.
manual bed levelling is the hardest thing to get right when starting with 3d printing
without a heated bed it won't be able to print high temperatures filaments like ABS or PETG - but it prints PLA and TPU grades.
and most people use PLA for about 90 percent of prints anyways
the TINA 2 3d printer is available on Amazon for under $150 - or - £150 - as well as under 150€ which is a great price for such well-designed device
which produces great quality prints
if you want to check it out there are Amazon affiliate links in this video description
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i'll see you next week - that was Adam - and you watched #FamilyPopTV youtube channel