It can be done for fairly cheap, but the learning curve is high. (The alternative more money, but works out of the box better)
I've been snapping up older printers that have been collecting dust and upgrading them. My total investment is still fairly low.
You find old used 3d printers?
A lot of original ender 3's in people's closets collecting dust. (Along with Artillery sidewinders and some Elegoo models)
Now they're selling for $40-100
They're not the fastest out of the box and take some work to get right.
It's a cheap intro to 3d cad and slicer software (the software that converts a model file to machine readable g-code)
They can also be upgraded over time for different use cases.
I keep one for PLA and have converted others for different filiments.
I just wouldn't use them for any production level work.
This is pretty cool!
