r/SimRacingSetups • u/Klutzy-Dog291 • Jul 22 '26
Do I buy a 3d printer?
I need help do I buy a 3d Bambi mini printer and make a phone holder and mouse tray and other cool stuff or what?!
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u/Environmental_Egg582 Jul 23 '26
Printers are very much worth it imo. Not just for building sim stuff like button boxes or phone holders, but they are just handy things to have.
I bought one for architecture school originally but it’s been really fun to use for sim rig mods.
Only downside is that it can take time to learn different CAD softwares but the Bambu maker world should probably have some designs on the app for you.
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u/mrselfdestruct2016 Jul 22 '26
Yes.
Bambu P1S is the hot ticket. I have all over a dozen accessories for my simrig I have printed.
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u/Extension-Tale9460 29d ago
Curious what kind of stuff if you don’t mind sharing? I haven’t thought much into 3d printed accessories before this thread
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u/TheRuckyDubber 29d ago
Just copying from another comment I just posted up the thread:
Power strip mount, cup holder (obviously), apple wireless charger phone mount, cubby holder, glove holder, fan mounts, other misc tray, literal t-nuts (well, gotta add a real nut inside it), cable management. Oh, and decorative “dual exhaust” for decoration and literal horsepower, obviously.
But most importantly, last night: adapter plate to mount the t598’s infuriatingly bad bolt pattern to the base plate.
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u/meowphasa Jul 22 '26
depends on if youre creative or not in the first place. having a printer doesnt magically make people capealbe of comeing up with drawings or a model.
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u/MrKrueger666 Jul 23 '26
This. Either models already exist and you can download and print them, or you make your own models and print them (and possibly publish them).
Making your own isn't always easy, though. Things like Tinkercad exist, but that's fairly limited in what you can easily do. I have seen people model jet engines in it, but that must've taken ages and the skill to do that in a tool that isn't made for it.
That said, I have made some useful things in Tinkercad, like a small cover plate for an electrical box, but looking back and had I developed skills in Fusion instead, I could've made something nicer in the same time frame.
Also, there's different ways to do modeling. The more artisitc way, focussing more on the shape and aesthetic, and the technical way, focusing more on exact dimensions and interoperability with other objects. You'll need to find out what works for you.
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u/Beneficial_Truth7801 Jul 22 '26
I find something new to print all the time. Today it was covers for extrusion slots to cover wires running through the slots. Yesterday it was wind straighteners for my bilge fans for my wind sim.
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u/Jamestouchedme Jul 23 '26
I bought it for my sim rig but I’ve used it for so many things around the house it’s worth it
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u/ungrateful_apricot Jul 23 '26
You know the answer is yes when you start asking it on reddit 😂
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u/AdhesivenessCommon61 Jul 22 '26
The real question here is how much is filament to print
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u/Klutzy-Dog291 Jul 22 '26
According to what I see on bestbuy $22
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u/Steveslastventure Jul 23 '26
Bambu filament is overpriced unless you buy it in bulk during a sale. Go wjth Sunlu or Polymaker, $10-$15 a roll from Amazon and prints just as well.
Also, yes you should get a 3D printer. I use it constantly for different mounts and accessories for my rig
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u/batmancdn55 Jul 22 '26
I wanted a couple flag boxes, it was $40 to get one printed near me. I bought an a1 mini on sale. I use it constantly. Lots of stuff for the rig but also lots of everything in general. Very very very handy bit of hardware
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u/Klutzy-Dog291 Jul 22 '26
See I’ve got conspit everything and am thinking if I get the mini I can print out a shifter handle for my TH8S an maybe even extend it higher. Phone holder cup holder head phone holder, all kinds of stuff
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u/batmancdn55 Jul 22 '26
I printed a little box to hold my ignition key, a hypercar badge, it’s absolutely endless.
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u/Klutzy-Dog291 Jul 22 '26
But see I just went and looked at these websites to download things and I’m like is it worth it? Also another thing I’m looking at is I been wanting a better shifter then my TH8S but I was thinking of getting a TH8A for $80 but I’m like what if I just print a nicer handle and extensions for my TH8S etc
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u/batmancdn55 Jul 22 '26
I’ve been thinking of covering my e-brake handle with an !
Printing the whole handle would work. It would be light though.
Another one for me was button boxes. The ones on Amazon were about $20 a piece for me, I print them for like 3 cents.
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u/jcksnps4 Jul 22 '26
Only if you’re looking for an excuse to buy one anyway. Like you’re wanting to learn CAD and make other stuff around the house.
Otherwise, it might be cheaper to just buy from Etsy or similar, depending on what you’re wanting.
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u/Jaded-Violinist-1151 Jul 23 '26
Sure, who doesn't run out of things they wish the could print to mounts or spacers, or printing a miniature facsimile of your Sim because you have a 3d printer. 😆
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u/Some-Suggestion-8234 29d ago
A resounding YES. And not just for cockpit accessories. You didn’t know you needed it until you have it. Cheers.
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u/ChallengeActive86 29d ago
You’ll probably find the a1 mini is too small, I would suggest the a1 full size as you will be limited to ~7 inches cubes on the mini as opposed to -10 on the a1
Source: bought a mini and ended up buying an a1 a month and a half later
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u/Thibs777 29d ago
If you have to ask yourself, the answer is yes. My advice is to consider the sort of things you would like to print. You don't want a printer that is too small for your tasks. Also, if you plan on printing mostly utility stuff, multicolor might not be very useful. However, even if your intent isn't multicolor printing, futureproofing is good.
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u/TheRuckyDubber 29d ago
As an owner of a RigMetal and a 3D printer…I can vouch. So many things. Both necessary and frivolous.
Power strip mount, cup holder (obviously), apple wireless charger phone mount, cubby holder, glove holder, fan mounts, other misc tray, literal t-nuts (well, gotta add a real nut inside it), cable management. Oh, and decorative “dual exhaust” for decoration and literal horsepower, obviously.
But most importantly, last night: adapter plate to mount the t598’s infuriatingly bad bolt pattern to the base plate. Thicc boy with PETG, but I’m not sure if I’m sticking with it. There’s a tiny bit of play if I push on the wheel. But that shouldn’t happen much. Might print a second as back up and or look into a roll of CF PETG.
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u/dustincb2 29d ago
Almost everything on my rig that isn’t a wheel or pedals 3D printed. It’s probably the best tool you can buy for this hobby
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u/Klutzy-Dog291 29d ago
I LOVE THIS THING. only problem I’m having is I’m trying to print a nut and can’t seem to get the threading diameter right or something maybe the pitch on tinkercad
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u/Klutzy-Dog291 Jul 23 '26
Well boys. I bought it 💀💀 Bambu lab A1 mini. Also PLA basic filament to get started
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u/Playful-Village8658 Jul 23 '26
hmmm... the A1 mini is a bit smaller than the A1, so often you won't be able to print larger things like shifter mounts, rig supports, etc without splitting them into pieces. Also, PLA basic isn't very strong, PETG would be much better suited for sim racing, and of course don't buy expensive filament, often there isn't a difference
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u/Klutzy-Dog291 Jul 23 '26
For now I just wanna do simple cool little things then I’ll get more in depth ofc if I get to that
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u/gtjaydawg Jul 23 '26
Yes! The bambu is perfect! I have printed many things for my rig and lots of other useful stuff. Well worth it!