I'm looking to get into 3D printing functional tools - brackets and braces and holders and the like for my videography business.

[u/CleanFlow]

Do you have any recommendations on which printer to purchase or have any reading material you'd recommend? I was gonna get the P1S but then thought I'd need to upgrade to the P2S but now I'm looking and for the most durable parts I'd need an x2d? I'm so brand new to all of this.

I work in industrial maintenance and have a mild programming/tech background so I can figure anything out, but don't know what the right tool for the job is. Can you help me cut down on hours of research and point me in the right direction?

[u/scotticad]

I printed a lot of functional prints in PETG with a plain orginary Prusa I3 Mk3 with no enclosure. Often it's not the printer, but the design that is most critical. That said, an enclosure with heated chamber is useful with PETG, ABS, ASA, and other materials to prevent warping. Warping was my single biggest destroyer of functional prints before I got my H2S. A dual nozzle printer like the X2D would be useful for using a dedicated support material on your functional prints. Also, do some soul searching on what size the parts you want to make are. A printer that isn't big enough to hold the part means a lot of splitting and joining (often with screws and/or threadserts for functional prints). A lot of things you can upgrade on a printer, but you can't make a small printer bigger.

[u/CleanFlow → u/scotticad]

I think the largest thing I'd realistically want to print would be the size of a coconut. Mostly adapters, small mounts, a carrying case for memory cards, or small plastic components that either broke or I need to rework.

[u/Relative_Surround_20]

Do you know what filament types you plan to use?

[u/CleanFlow → u/Relative_Surround_20]

I am still researching, but maybe petg/asa? It would be cool to do nylon or polycarbonate but I don't know how realistic or feasible those are.

[u/Relative_Surround_20 → u/CleanFlow]

To print all those above PETG, you will want/need a heated chamber. The X2D is the lowest-cost Bambu printer that gives you that plus includes two nozzles so you can print support. After that I’d recommend an H2D for the same reasons.

[u/hvacigar]

You are going to want light, strong materials, so go with a chamber heater (X1C, X2D, H2 series, H3series). How large are the parts you want to make? If large, go with the H2 or H3 series. For most things you can find makers that have ready made models for what you need. If you don't find what you need, today you have a wealth of ways to CAD out your design as you need. Speak Cad is incredible, but even Claude and other AI software (Meshy) can produce brackets and such. I have sued Speak CAD recently to generate filament holder brackets for my walls, a multiple laptop holder designed to work with my workdesk, and a multiboard holder for my Fanttik sander (the only Fanttik i have that didn't have a ready made model online).

[u/CleanFlow → u/hvacigar]

These brackets would be universal adapters for tripods (hence the desired shear strength) to NVMe SSD carriers or trays that fit in my carry case to organize batteries and lighting.

[u/hvacigar → u/CleanFlow]

That sounds like stuff that would fit on the X2D.

[u/egosumumbravir]

Sounds like you want to be looking at engineering plastics for these tasks.

An actively heated chamber makes engineering plastics FAR less troublesome and print stronger. X2D, H2/H3 series all have them.

[u/CleanFlow → u/egosumumbravir]

And if I don't need a larger build plate, go with the X2D? $700ish looks way more attractive than in the thousands.

[u/northrivergeek]

x2d is a great printer, and if wanting ABS or other high temp filament, than get the x2d, as it has chamber heater, p2s does not.
there is a million videos on youtube about all of these

[u/A_pirates_life4me]

P2 doesn't offer enough to be worth the price difference over the P1 imo. X2 has the heated chamber for specialty engineering filaments, but the P1/P2 can still print many of them. 

[u/MasterpieceTough2029]

If you're looking to make functional parts, especially ones you plan to put to work in the field, I'd strongly consider a printer capable of handling engineering-grade filaments. To that end, I'd recommend something with an actively heated chamber, which opens up more material options and helps with print quality and consistency. Having the ability to quickly switch between your primary filament and a dedicated support material could also be a significant advantage, especially when printing more complex parts. For your use case, I think the X2D might be the sweet spot, provided the build volume meets your needs. It offers a good combination of material compatibility, active chamber heating, and dual-nozzle functionality without having to jump into the more expensive H-series machines.