@arhi thanks, really appreciate your reply!
I think that settles it. In the morning I'll flick through the links you shared but looks like I'll be trying Ideamaker.
Also thanks for the heads up on the label printers, its a minefield trying to choose one 
@Corexy Thanks for replying!
I know there are plenty of forum threads on this topic all over the Web but I wanted to set the context of my particular case, knowing from experience its wise to trust the suggestions of many people on this forum.
I have recently been frustrated with Cura because of a few bugs, its useful to know that S3D has some of its own too.
This is a topic that, when Google searched, yields dozens of inconclusive, borderline clickbait articles but... is Simplify3D better than Cura, ignoring the cost.
Most of my printing is for profit, for prototypes that need to be in the hands of designers quickly, or batches of end-products to be sold to consumers.
If Simplify3D can improve my print quality in any way, for example; less noticeable seams, better top surfaces, or alternatively improve my work flow, for example by better management of material profiles then it is probably worth it to me.
Does anyone in a similar or relevant position to me use Simplify3D and are glad you paid for it? If so why?
To share the rather strange context of this, im either going to buy a new thermal label printer or Simplify3D... The winner will be the one that makes my life easiest, and I have already quantified the label printer.
Sorry to revive an old thread again but I have an additional theory on this.
Is it possible that these tiny waves on the surface of the extruded material are a result of the deformation of the filament due to the hobbed gear?
If the teeth of the extruder bite into the filament enough to deform it, then the volumetric flow of filament will pulse with the amplitude of the volume difference between a thin section and thick section.
I see this surface affect when using softer (more deformation) and glossier (more visible) filaments.
Might be nonsense but its just a thought.
@arhi I must admit I was expecting the PP build plate to be poor at best for most materials but I think its brilliant, and cheap enough that I don't mind replacing it if I damage it.
Thanks for the tips, I'll do the usual tuning to dial in the PP but be sure to start on the side of not sticking enough.
I do a lot of prototyping both through my day job and on the side, I'm sure PP will come in handy at some point (living hinges for example). Im basically just trying to add as many materials options as I can, and to do this without the need for multiple different build plates or to have to use adhesives, tapes, hairspray etc.
@arhi I have noticed the sensitivity to nozzle height, but using the IR height sensor thats not been a problem.
I looked into surfaces like print bite and saw people struggling with IR height sensor accuracy. For me PP was the best combination of materials compatibility and compatibility with the height sensor.
Thanks for the heads up on PP filament adhesion. Do you know if I can reduce the adhesion to acceptable levels by lowering or turning off the heatbed?
Hello,
I want to share my experience with a Polypropylene build surface, because when I was looking into buying one I couldn't find much information in the form of reviews.
The build plate is a 235mm x 235mm x 3mm sheet designed for an Ender 3, installed on my DIY machine.
Performance with different materials:
PLA - the hardest to get good adhesion but possible if you have a flat bed/good compensation, 55 Celcius bed, <20mm/s first layer
PETG - outstanding performance with a range of filaments including ColourFabb XT, 70 Celsius bed, <30mm/s first layer parts stick very well then pop off with ease once the temperature drops below 60.
Polycarbonate (Polymaker Polymax PC) - Outstanding performance. At 100 Celsius bed I can print without rafts and brims for most parts, one or two awkward models have needed small brims.
Polypropylene - testing soon but should be the ideal build surface.
Nylon - testing soon and will update.
If like me, you want to move away from using PLA filament and don't want to faff around with tape, hairspray, glue or any other magic potions, PP buildplates are a good option.
Performance with the Duet IR sensor is flawless.
Build plate can easily be scratched, but if you can wait a few minutes for it to cool, parts pop right off.
Wipe with IPA between prints.
@JoergS5 Interesting, I'll have a look in to those, currently the only additional safety I have is a smoke detector above the printer.
@jens55 thank you, I plan to order from RS Components so whatever I buy will be legitimate. I'm not looking to cut costs in any way, rather get the best performance i can.
From what you've said, and everything else I've read, I won't see a benefit from buying one of the very expensive models so I think I'll stay in the sensible price range from a trusted brand.
@JoergS5 No worries. I have also trusted MeanWell in the past. Thanks for taking the time to reply
Hi, i read through all of that and searched the forum for similar posts. I'm not looking for recommendations on voltage or current as I already know what i need and the benefits of 24V
I was hoping to learn something new about how power supply performance could affect wider system performance. In that there must be a reason why you can get a 300W 12V PSU for £80, and another 300W 12V PSU for £300, even with both being medically approved.
My 3D printer started life as a gifted £80 CTC I3, and thankfully now it only shares 1 part with that horrendous machine; the power supply.
My primary reason for changing the power supply is safety, I just don't trust something so cheap.
I plan to replace it with a Mean Well or Corsel unit with the appropriate voltage and power output and either no cooling fan, or one i can replace with a Noctua fan seeing as I've worked so hard to make my printer quiet.
Is there anything else to consider? A reason to buy a £300 model over a £70 model? Anything that could affect print quality, motor performance, noise etc. Is voltage stability a thing? Or anything else a bit deeper than just the voltage, power, safety and efficiency?
Thanks!
Problem solved by making a start.g file which heats the bed and does the probing prior to heating the nozzle.
I'll try with the start.g file so that I am less tied to one Slicer.
Your help is much appreciated as always
Hello,
I use mesh grid compensation at the start of each print by calling G29 in my start Gcode in Cura. Currently my bed and nozzle heat up, the printer homes, G30 single probe, followed by G29 5x5 grid.
My nozzle oozes during probing, particularly with PETG. I understand that adding B0 to my M558 command turns off heaters during probing, but:
this turns off my bed heater, which I do not want.
my nozzle temperature falls considerably (fine) but is not allowed to heat back up to printing temperature before the print starts after probing.
Is there a way to do my bed probing before the nozzle heats up, but with the bed at the set temperature, and then pause until the nozzle heats up?
Wanted to update this post because i have solved my issue.
I did design and print a new extruder bracket which brought the inductive probe and nozzle closer together, and brought everything closer to the X axis rails. It didn't make much difference.
I found that the probe points on my heatbed (Mk42 from Orballo printing) didn't actually seem to be dead centered in the marked positions on the PCB heatbed, and also suspected that my Amazon probe might not be all that good.
The solution?
Buy the IR probe by DC42
Design a neat bracket for the sensor that sits nicely alongside the heaterblock (tested positions until the heat no longer softened a PLA bracket, then printed it in XT-CF20)
Remove my PEI print surface clamp on a polypropylene build surface.
Quick and easy setup and calibration following the online guides
And the result is absolutely beautiful first layers across the entire print area!
@Phaedrux OK great, really helpful information, thank you for taking the time to help me. I'll do some more tinkering next weekend!
@Argo thats a really good point, I will be able to get the probe offset to Y0 but my X offset will then be quite large because of the shape of my extruder (Titan Aero).
As long as I can still get the probe to all of my points with a large X offset I'll give it a try