3d printer

[robtown]

Anybody here have any experience with 3d printing?
I'm trying to source a 3d printer to play with here at work for less than $1200.00 or so.
There's TONS of "top ten" 3d printer lists to be had on the interwebs, but I'd prefer to hear from folks who have actually used the hardware, not technical writers who are paid for glowing reviews.

[Brady Watson]

Buy a new genuine Prusa (https://www.prusa3d.com/). It's cheap to buy, has excellent electronics and innovative features.

After you fool with that, you might want something a bit better like an Ultimaker2+ or 3....or if you want to do bigger things, the CR-10 S5 isn't bad - although things cost what they do for a reason. You'll be doing upgrades to the CR-10 sooner than later.

Like I said, the Prusa is hard to beat. (the one shipped directly from Prague...NOT a clone)

-B

[mark_stief]

Robtown Sent you a private message

[EricSchimel]

I've worked on Prusas, I own two Makerbots, a Dremel, and an Ultimaker 2+ and a Monoprice Maker Select Mini. The best one I have in terms of quality is the Ultimaker. The worst one is the Makerbot 5th gen. They're both in the 3K range. The standout great in my fleet of printers is the Dremel 3D40. It's 1200 bucks and has been the most rock solid reliable printer I've owned to date. The print quality is very good, and I've never had it jam and I use it a lot. I also love tha auto build plate leveling and the full enclosure on it.

The Prusa is a very cool printer. Prusa is the tinkerers printer. So if you want to learn about, fool with and modify a printer (and run weird filaments and such) a Prusa is great. If you want reliable prints out of PLA only, Dremel is great value for money.

Honorable mention goes to the Maker Select Mini. At $200 bucks it's an insanely good deal, but very small and not nearly as full featured as the other ones.

[Brady Watson]

I've worked on Prusas...

When I mentioned a Prusa, I meant a brand spanking new i3 Mk3 - which has a lot of cutting edge features not found yet on ANY other printer, including my Ultimaker...It is vastly improved compared to previous models. It's almost unreal that they can sell them for $750/$999 kit/assembled. There are a LOT of knock off/clones out there with the Prusa i3 designation that are complete junk. It costs more to get them right than to just get a genuine one. Don't take my word for it....see what Tom says about it (https://youtu.be/M73uIMDlvvk). Is it 'the best' 3D printer? No...but it IS a good value for the money - especially if you are not sure if you are even going to use it yet.

It really all depends on what you want to do with it. Don't be fooled - 3D printing is both harder and easier in a number of way compared to CNC. You're going to need to be good at manipulating 3D meshes and make them watertight.

Rob - What do you aspire to do with a 3D printer?


Attached pics of model that was scanned & printed on a MK2 Prusa i3 @ .2mm layer height. About 190mm from the back of the head to the nose. Took about 25hrs. I like making parts while I sleep ;)

Change nozzles and you can do even smaller things too...It's great for mechanical models too and of course, prototypes...or for just making things to mess with your dogs :p

-B

[robtown]

When I mentioned a Prusa, I meant a brand spanking new i3 Mk3 - which has a lot of cutting edge features not found yet on ANY other printer, including my Ultimaker...It is vastly improved compared to previous models. It's almost unreal that they can sell them for $750/$999 kit/assembled. There are a LOT of knock off/clones out there with the Prusa i3 designation that are complete junk. It costs more to get them right than to just get a genuine one. Don't take my word for it....see what Tom says about it (https://youtu.be/M73uIMDlvvk). Is it 'the best' 3D printer? No...but it IS a good value for the money - especially if you are not sure if you are even going to use it yet.

It really all depends on what you want to do with it. Don't be fooled - 3D printing is both harder and easier in a number of way compared to CNC. You're going to need to be good at manipulating 3D meshes and make them watertight.

Rob - What do you aspire to do with a 3D printer?


Attached pics of model that was scanned & printed on a MK2 Prusa i3 @ .2mm layer height. About 190mm from the back of the head to the nose. Took about 25hrs. I like making parts while I sleep ;)

Change nozzles and you can do even smaller things too...It's great for mechanical models too and of course, prototypes...or for just making things to mess with your dogs :p

-B
That is pretty impressive...

[tri4sale]

When I mentioned a Prusa, I meant a brand spanking new i3 Mk3 - which has a lot of cutting edge features not found yet on ANY other printer, including my Ultimaker...

-B

Like that printer, I've been looking myself and damn if it's not confusing all the different ones out there!!!

About a month or two delay in ordering the MK3 unfortunately.

[Brady Watson]

Like that printer, I've been looking myself and damn if it's not confusing all the different ones out there!!!

About a month or two delay in ordering the MK3 unfortunately.

It's been a long wait since they announced it last year. My brother got one right before Christmas...and it wasn't for the kids! I opted to wait on the MK3. My three Mk2s are doing what they are supposed to...making parts. I've got a toolchanger setup for my ultimaker that will let me run dual filament - one for water-soluable support structures and the other for regular filament.

Yes, there are a lot of variations out there, but just like CNC machines, in reality, there are only a few different types of control systems and almost everything else boils down to mechanical components.

As with a CNC router, get your first one that has a good support network - because you WILL have moments of frustration and you'll need a shoulder to cry on. :p

There are a lot of variables to contend with...but 8 year olds run these things - so yanno...

-B

[EricSchimel]

It really depends on what you want out of a 3D printer... Prusas are awesome because they're so flexible and hackable, but they don't hold up as well in continuous use. I've had to rebuild several of them that are in use at schools (they're printing nearly 8 hours a day) and they tend to rattle apart. Granted that's a very extreme use case for what they were designed to do. The Ultimakers are a bit more resilient.

Brady, a Prusa is likely the perfect printer for you because you know your way around this stuff really well. I recommend Ultimakers to experienced people who want some good flexibility in terms of filament types, but don't necessarily want to mess with rebuilding a 3D printer. For straight up school settings the Dremel is one of the best.

[Martin Reid]

Dear Rob

I'm not going to get involved with 'who's is the biggest or best', but.. When I bought our first 3d printer, I got it second hand and at a bargain price. And if I were to do it again I would have asked myself the following.

- How to Choose Between Cartesian and Delta 3D Printers
https://www.fargo3dprinting.com/choose-cartesian-delta-3d-printers/

- Heated bed or not!
http://bootsindustries.com/heat-bed-3d-printing/

- Filament
http://www.fabbaloo.com/blog/2015/7/26/a-curious-thing-about-300-vs-175mm-3d-printer-filament
http://3dprintingfromscratch.com/common/3d-printer-filament-types-overview/

- You'll need design software
https://www.dobot.cc/resource/top-15-free-3d-printer-software-for-beginners.html

- You'll need slicing software
What is slicing software and what does it do?
https://www.goprint3d.co.uk/blog/what-is-slicing-software-and-what-does-it-do/

- Is there a user forum and manufacturer support?

You won't know this when you buy it, but how easy is it to clean out the nozzle. 3D printer filament must be kept clean, which can prove difficult in a wood cutting CNC environment. Any dust on the filament gets carried in and clogs up the nozzle.

Anyway best of luck, I'll watch this thread with interest. Please post when you've made your choice.

Sincerely
Martin

[robtown]

Dear Rob

I'm not going to get involved with 'who's is the biggest or best', but.. When I bought our first 3d printer, I got it second hand and at a bargain price. And if I were to do it again I would have asked myself the following.

- How to Choose Between Cartesian and Delta 3D Printers
https://www.fargo3dprinting.com/choose-cartesian-delta-3d-printers/

- Heated bed or not!
http://bootsindustries.com/heat-bed-3d-printing/

- Filament
http://www.fabbaloo.com/blog/2015/7/26/a-curious-thing-about-300-vs-175mm-3d-printer-filament
http://3dprintingfromscratch.com/common/3d-printer-filament-types-overview/

- You'll need design software
https://www.dobot.cc/resource/top-15-free-3d-printer-software-for-beginners.html

- You'll need slicing software
What is slicing software and what does it do?
https://www.goprint3d.co.uk/blog/what-is-slicing-software-and-what-does-it-do/

- Is there a user forum and manufacturer support?

You won't know this when you buy it, but how easy is it to clean out the nozzle. 3D printer filament must be kept clean, which can prove difficult in a wood cutting CNC environment. Any dust on the filament gets carried in and clogs up the nozzle.

Anyway best of luck, I'll watch this thread with interest. Please post when you've made your choice.

Sincerely
Martin

I'll spend some time going over these links this evening, thanks.
This printer will be purchased to be used at my job, so it won't be setup in a woodshop.
I do software development now, I still use my ShopBot for side projects and volunteer projects, but full time I'm an application developer for a creative marketing agency.
At my job I'm given a $1200-$1500 a year training budget.
This year instead of going to some lame conference to sit in meetings and breakout sessions and get pitched on the latest development framework hotness, I've requested a 3d printer for us devs to play with.
A couple years ago I pitched (to my current company) the idea of doing a 3d AR app for our annual Christmas card, they accepted and we did it. Then in 2016 we made it a mobile game. I modeled the 3d characters for both, and created the animations for the characters.
If you're interested to see, go to www.willymelt.com there are links to the both of these apps at the bottom of the page. (this year our creative department did a "where's waldo type thingy, they were sick of dev showing them up... it's not as cool.)
So part of my 3d printer pitch is that we play with making the characters and possibly making a stop motion animation this year. Or creting these characters as lego characters, or something.

[fredtoo]

Anyone have any suggestions or updates on the original posters questions?

[EricSchimel]

My post still stands!

[fredtoo]

Eric, would you recommend: Dremel - 3D40-FLX-01 DigiLab 3D40 Flex 3D Printer with Filament, Flexible Build Plate, Fully Enclosed Housing, Automated 9-Point Leveling, PC & MAC OS, Chromebook, iPad Compatible, Network-Friendlyfor $1399 from Amazon?

[EricSchimel]

That sounds like the one that I have and I really like it.

[fredtoo]

I think I’m leaning toward the Dremel 3D45. Is there anyone who can point out pros or cons of this model?

[bill.young]

What do you plan on 3d printing? The Dremel is a good 3d printer with good reviews, but if you're planning on doing small, high rez prints and don't mind a little resin messiness you might look at the resin printers. FormLabs is the top of the heap among the "affordable" resin printers, but there are lots in the sub $500 range these days. The resolution is much better than the filament printers if you need it, but the tradeoff is they are generally smaller build size and you have to deal with resins that can be messy and smelly.

Bill

[GeneMpls]

I would throw the Prusa Mini into the mix- build is only 7x7x7 but it really works for a $350-400 printer. I took one to the Keys and printed the whole month of February and love it. I print PETG.

[Rtibbs]

Prusa i3 MK3 gets my vote. Had mine for about a year w/o any issues.
I run mostly PLA & PETG on mine.
Been extremely satisfied with their filaments and purchase most of mine from them. It’s only 3 day shipping from Prague.
When I ordered mine they had several months delay in shipping so I kept my order with them and found a NIB on EBay and bought that one also. When mine finally came from Prusa I listed it on EBay and actually made a couple of bucks.

I wasn’t to happy with their mount for the filament ( kinda jerky motion as it unrolled) so I printed my own holder which is on ball bearing rollers and is very smooth when unrolling. Also printed a bracket for an Ott light I had around.
Can’t seem to find a picture on my iPad so I’ll upload it when I get to my desktop

[Rtibbs]

Prusa i3 MK3 gets my vote. Had mine for about a year w/o any issues.
I run mostly PLA & PETG on mine.
Been extremely satisfied with their filaments and purchase most of mine from them. It’s only 3 day shipping from Prague.
When I ordered mine they had several months delay in shipping so I kept my order with them and found a NIB on EBay and bought that one also. When mine finally came from Prusa I listed it on EBay and actually made a couple of bucks.

I wasn’t to happy with their mount for the filament ( kinda jerky motion as it unrolled) so I printed my own holder which is on ball bearing rollers and is very smooth when unrolling. Also printed a bracket for an Ott light I had around.
Can’t seem to find a picture on my iPad so I’ll upload it when I get to my desktop

Found my picture

[GeneMpls]

I should have mentioned I have had a Prusa MK3s for years and it is a workhorse. The Mini is just as good and more advanced in some ways- and easier to pack in my coupe for transport.

[bill.young]

I've had a Prusa MK3 for a couple of years and agree 100%. Was given an Ender 3 that prints well now but has required a ton of fiddling and fussing to get it that way..the Prusa has been trouble free.

[fredtoo]

I ordered the Dremel 3D45, stewed over my decision for a few days, canceled the Dremel and ordered the Prusa i3 mk3s+ kit. Expected shipping is 4-6 weeks. One of first shopbot related projects will be custom hold down fixtures for the bot.