3D printers

[BrianB]

Hi all. I am in the market for a 3D printer. I?m hoping to find a printer that
-is well built
-is simple to use. (good user interface)
-has a decent size print area 12?X 12? or better
-can print in high res
-and affordable 2-5K

There are loads of printers to choose from, and soooo much info my brain is on overload.
Every time I think I've found ?the one? something changes my mind
I was wondering if you would be kind enough to give me your thoughts.

Thanks
Brian

[ArtF]

Hi Brian:

  The problem with giving advice on 3d printers is that most of us have experience only on our own, that makes
  it very hard to be knowledgable on what else is out there. It makes our views biased toward what we know.
    I have an UP! , which come in mini or full size, but the full size is 10" which is close to your 12" desire.
    I have found mine to be excellent, the work it turns out looks to be higher quality than 90% of what Ive seen
    posted on various sites...that having been said, my own bias for what Ive used is summed in there. :)
   
      The UP has pretty good software, it does hollow as easily as solid, ( which is unusual for 3d extruders ).
    ( Im assuming you want an extruder as powder priters are quite expensive. The UP! can ue anyones filiment but requires
    the addition of a resistor to fool the temperature sensor, the manufacturer want you to only use their filament which
    is a higher temp than others. I now use nylon, abs, or pla on mine, though I find abs to have the nicest finish.
   
    yell if I can answer anything, or help set your expectations..
   
    Art
   

[BrianB]

That's just what I am looking for, first hand experiences. The likes and dislikes about printers that other members own or have used.

Thanks

[David Sohlstrom]

These folks build a very unique 3D printer.  http://seemecnc.com/

Dave

[ArtF]

I like the style of those, I almost went that direction... Id like to see some samples from one done by an owner.
Art

[BrianB]

Yeah, I've seen others like it. They do look different.

Thanks Mr. Dave

[Martyn Hogg]

I bought a reprappro Mendel kit for about ?500.
It was fun to build, gives pretty good results and I use either Rhino / Grasshopper to generate 3d models or Solid Works then save as STL file, use the free cloud based STL repair service on Netfabb, then slice it using Slic3r and print it using Pronterface! Er, simple!

If you have ?2-3k to spend you must be able to get a much better solution! I would certainly look for a printer that can print a second water soluable "support" material if you think your prints will often have overhanging sections as this is often the tricky part to getting good prints. If you are only ever going to print shapes that are straightforward extrusions of 2D shapes then you probably won't need support material in your 3d prints.

In the UK we are starting to see some high street retailers selling printers now... a ?700 self assembly kit in Maplins and a ?1200 ready to print printer in Curry's too.

For the software its all about getting good STL files, then Slic3r is easy to use and should generate good g-code for your printer software.

I am not aware of any technological benefits of ?2-3k plastic extrusion printers over the ?500 versions other than they come ready assembled and with a nice looking box, so if you are comfortable with some basic soldering and following assembly instructions you could save a lot of money with a self assembly kit. Also, some of the ready built printers appear to have material cartridges which look like they could be expensive compared to just buying a reel of ABS or PLA plastic.

I have a feeling that whatever you get, it will require you learning a few printer specific tricks and tips to get the best out of it!

[Mooselake]

Check out Nicholas Seward's Simpson and Wally printers for something even more different.

Kirk

[ArtF]

That IS unusual...

Art

[Mooselake]

A lot of the design was a community effort, partially described in this topic.  It's been interesting watching it evolve.

Kirk

[BrianB]

Thanks for the responses.

I agree, those are unusual.

I'm starting to lean toward the MakerBot Replicator X2. I like the dual print option. They advertise that it will print 100 microns. I spoke to a sales rep and he claims that 50 microns can be achieved with "some modifications". That would be great, if indeed it is possible.

Thanks again for the comments.
Brian

[Mooselake]

50 micron layers aren't that hard if you use a small nozzle orifice.  I've done them on my Printrbot, using a home made 0.3mm nozzle.

You need to print a lot slower, and use a narrower extruded plastic width (should be configurable in your favorite slicer), since the low heights don't allow the plastic room to move very fast.

Kirk