Aldi will be selling a 3D printer in Aus from 17th. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: aargee
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 09, 2016, 06:38:20 am
content: $499 apparently. It had to happen I guess.One of these:http://www.cocooncreate.com.au/Can't find any direct info on the Aldi site, but heard about it herehttps://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/233946Usual theme of discussion will ensue, I assume.I see lots of dust covered printers sitting in corners after families, oblivious to its limitations, failed to get it to work like it should.

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 09, 2016, 09:02:23 am
content: So this is as mainstream as it gets. 3D printing is officially not cool anymore.QuoteYeah right. Anyone seen these hobby printers can see the pictures of spaghetti glued together flooding the internet.At least we will have a bunch of second hand 3D printer on the market soon.

author: Muttley Snickers
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 09, 2016, 09:17:28 am
content: I might just place an order for one with a friend who works at the local council recycle centre.

author: Galenbo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2016, 09:42:26 am
content: Quote from: NANDBlog on February 09, 2016, 09:02:23 amThe mediatised motorised gluepistol for-artists never was.The 3D printer that combines printing iron, alu, plastic and rubber in the same product is something different.Or additive manufacturing with a drone swarm, managed by indoor-GPS and distributed intelligence.Or printing flesh and other "living" body part tissues, cool.

author: kc9qix
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 12, 2016, 12:35:45 am
content: Looks almost identical to the one Monoprice sells for $349 (USD)

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2016, 02:41:55 am
content: Gee all we get in the US from Aldi is cheap food and wine.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 12, 2016, 02:58:07 am
content: Don't you get the Aldi "Special Buys"?https://www.aldi.com.au/en/special-buys/

author: rrinker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2016, 03:26:03 am
content: Nope, pretty much just a grocery store in the US.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 12, 2016, 04:23:00 am
content: We get all sorts of stuff - mostly on a theme.Sometimes it will be a 39" LCD TV - sometimes a 55" - and they will have wall mounts and other associated accessories.Then we can get tools in various themes, such as hand tools or garden tools. Then there are sporting themes - like snow sports and bicycling where they focus on clothing.It's all over the place. You never know what they'll come up with next!

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2016, 08:15:29 am
content: Quote from: wilfred on February 12, 2016, 12:59:17 amHacking it to do stuff of course.Aldi seems to vary from country to country, in east Europe they seem to sell trash that got thrown out by Germans, here they are probably the cheapest. To be honest I dont buy from them, the food they sell tastes like wood chips or cardboard with too much sugar. Except they have the cheapest cellular service.

author: george graves
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2016, 08:56:46 am
content: It's basically a prusa i3 made with stamped steal. I do like the open(as in easy to work on - not open source - although the i3 is fully open source.)Dave2's(aka mini-Dave's) bubble design, and the other cube designs can be a real pain to repair or made modifications to. That's a deal killer for me.That and that over head spool tied into the frame will create a movement on it as it prints.I do agree that 3d printers have jumped the shark for the time being. Heck, Dave1 was given on for FREE, and can't be bothered with learning it's in-and-outs. It's a step learning curve. And you really have to stick with it, and learn it's limitations, and inherent faults.I'll be watching what HP and the other big boys does with theirs.

author: Luke
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 17, 2016, 02:12:17 am
content: Just picked up one of these. Won't be able to do much until after work.

author: bitslice
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2016, 04:45:44 am
content: I still can't see the point of these machines, everyone just seems to make low resolution figures or boxes.Just make a cheap PCB etcher, dammit.

author: Luke
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 17, 2016, 09:33:57 am
content: Appears to work at least. Print Quality is what I expected.It will mainly be used for printing parts for whatever I am building/repairing

author: Stanley Linus
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 17, 2016, 06:16:53 pm
content: looks pretty decent for the price.

author: aargee
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2016, 12:37:07 am
content: Shocked. Well, shouldn't have to be.In a moment of weakness, I bought one. Well, it's just sitting there, right in front of you. No imagining over the internet what it might be like, it's there saying "Go on, take me" - ah... bricks and mortar stores.Took it home, watched the excellent (IMHO) setting up videos and printed. Six screws to assemble it, unlike the MakerBot Dave put together back in 2012. A few little glitches with setting up printer characteristics in the software (RTFM or WTFV!!!)* - and voila a macro lens adapter for my Flir E4.It just worked, and, unlike other impulse buys, I can see quite a few uses around here already. Especially for unobtainium parts. I was quite impressed with the quality (well, I was not really sure what to expect). Made the wife/family some trinkets as apeace offeringto impress them.Went out and bough a supply of PLA before Aldi did the 'never to be stocked again' quick step.Problems: Lever had fallen off one of the micro-switches, fixed with pliers. Gantry was not parallel, fixed with two fingers.Improvements: The control box came with no rubber feet, scratches/slides everywhere - fixed shortly. A few little mods to be done, glass platform, thumb-wheels for the bed screws and I've adjusted the cooling fan angle to blow more directly on the job.Happy so far with my current time sink.* Acronym glossary: Read The F...ing Manual, Watch The F...ing Video

author: Muttley Snickers
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 20, 2016, 12:51:43 am
content: I went to the local Aldi store yesterday to take a look but they didn't have any, so they either didn't have them to start with or they sold out, I didn't bother asking but as an impulse buy I decided to try some of their chocolate, I've already destroyed the peppermint, this I can recommend....

author: aargee
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2016, 12:58:45 am
content: Love it.Local one had one left yesterday lunchtime (Printer, not chocolate bar).When I bought mine there were five, went away to think about it and an hour later there were two.So I guess it was a pre-meditated impulse buy (an oxymoron if ever I saw one!!)

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2016, 12:32:44 pm
content: Quote from: Luke on February 17, 2016, 09:33:57 amit seems like a melzi board like mine... anyway my $400 prusa worth $1000 now... after several phases of modification from the original parts...

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2016, 12:45:01 pm
content: It would be cool if they sold a 3D printer which could make things out of chocolate.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 20, 2016, 01:40:41 pm
content: They do....

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 20, 2016, 01:48:05 pm
content: Not Aldi .... but there are several around.Here's just one:

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 23, 2016, 03:22:13 am
content: Quote from: Brumby on February 12, 2016, 02:58:07 amWell apparently we do,https://www.aldi.us/en/weekly-specials/special-buys-for-feb-17/But not really interested in a sewing machine, laundry basket, or clothes iron.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 23, 2016, 07:52:14 am
content: Keep checking each week or two.If they do anything like they do over here, every now and then you'll come across a couple of things of interest. The "Special buys" are one-off items. When the stock goes - bad luck. If something went well, they might run it again 6 months to 2 years later - or maybe never.

author: GK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 24, 2016, 12:01:22 pm
content: Dick Smith would not be impressed.http://www.dicksmithfoods.com.au/media/press-releases/aldis-lower-prices-you-lose-your-freedom

author: stejep
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 05, 2016, 05:07:20 am
content: I purchased one as well. looks like I will be doing a mode already. I don't like the push to select on the dial, I think and separate push button would make life a lot easier.I I have printed a few things already and have been happy with the results, This is my first 3d printer and its a good one to start with, well at least until they get better and cheaper.Steven

author: bitslice
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2016, 01:13:04 am
content: So, 3D printers, good for Lego heads and chocolate roses...

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2016, 03:50:59 pm
content: Quote from: bitslice on March 06, 2016, 01:13:04 amImagine you've got a hammer and like bashing in nails, then someone shows you a screwdriver... what use could that possibly be? The tip is too small to hit anything and the handle gets damanged by screwheads if you try that end.It's surprising what you can find to make with some tool once you have the tool, but before you acquire it you can't see why you'd want one. Two of my projects this week:1. Curtain rail stop. Missus complains about the stop missing so the curtains run right off the end of the rail (as they do). No problem: take the remaining one and knock up an exact copy within an hour.2. Missus (again! I should start charging) wants a custom thread winder thingy for attaching to her spinning wheel. Taking a bit of thought, this, but without the printer it wouldn't even occur to her that it could be done, never mind me actually do it.When I'm bored I download another cable clip design off thingiverse and tidy up some cables. Every time someone brings their PC or laptop for me to fix up I return 'em with all the cables nearly stowed, so this adds background value to other things I do.A 3D printer is not a panacea for everything, but it does offer possibilities you wouldn't dream of otherwise.

author: MrSlack
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2016, 06:06:16 pm
content: I'd rather have a cheap Unimat mill than a plastic pooper myself. I genuinely haven't seen anything nice come out of a 3d printer. Everything shrinks slightly and requires a small ton of work to finish to an acceptable standard. Plus there's the whole setting it up process which is a nightmare. I spent a whole evening with a friend trying to get his reprap online. He'd done the build but getting it to produce anything workable took 4 hours. I could have milled it in 30 mins and gone down the pub.

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2016, 07:21:59 pm
content: Horses for course, of course. I solved that by having a mill as well. And a lathe. O0QuoteWell, my mill took me months to get going properly, to the point where I could just make stuff (OK, deconstruct blocks) without having to tinker with it. But that was years ago and things are probably a big different now.Your reprap experience is also of the 'years ago' sort. I got my 3D printer, plugged it in and was running stuff off within an hour. Things have moved on since reprap...

author: MrSlack
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2016, 07:41:19 pm
content: Interesting. He bought a makerbot mini recently as well and that was a PITA too. Wondering if he's just picking the wrong projects.

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2016, 08:14:25 pm
content: Could be. I got a Flashforge Dreamer, and the only setup it needed was to bolt the heads to the carrier then level the bed with the correct clearance. After that, you give it a .stl file, tell it what you've got shoved in the nozzle, and come back a couple of hours later.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2016, 08:24:20 pm
content: I have a couple of UP! Mini 3D printers and I must say that I was impressed with these modern printer designs. Very little setting up or maintenance. Almost like an inkjet printer in that respect. Much depends upon the quality of the product and its software.I added a Nextengine 3D Scanner to the setup and now I can design items in CAD or I can copy a sample using the scanner.As has been already stated, you do not always know how useful this equipment can be until you own it.New button for R&S test equipment...No problem (Unobtainable as spare part)Desk stands for PEAK Electronics test equipment...No problem (Peak 3D file)Replacement case part for meter....No problem (Unobtainable as spare part)Tripod bracket for FLIR camera..... No problem (Forum member design)Close up lens adapter ..... No problem (Forum members designs)Custom lens adapter for industrial camera.....No problemRepair part for my Audi glovebox (saving £160) ..... No problemCustom ducted fan casing for cooling equipment.... No problemCustom battery holders for testing bespoke industrial batteries.. No problemI always print in ABS as it can be glued, sanded and polished if desired. Great material but you do need a heated build platform and good ventilation as it is pretty smelly whilst being printed.My UP! Mini printer came to me from fellow forum member 'Toploser' as a customer return. Since getting it I have not looked back. It has easily paid for itself. I was so impressed with h the model that I bought another customer return for only £115, and that is running as a secondary print/backup unit.Fraser

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2016, 12:23:15 pm
content: QuoteI meant to say that this is a somewhat amateur thing to note. If you makerealthings you might well have some cast aluminium 'blank' which you then finish with a mill or lathe to produce nice accurate mating surfaces. Or shiny prettiness. Someone else on the forum has shown how thread inserts are easily embedded - that's pretty much the same as would happen where any bolt threads into a plastic part, however it's made. (Although I should also say that it's possible to 3D print the thread if you're not too fussy.)I think that what you're complaining about it the equivalent of not getting a fully populated PCB back when you send your gerbers to, say, itead. Whilst that's true, it's basically pretty short sighted.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2016, 01:43:54 pm
content: On the shrinkage front I can advise that some 3D printers capture this effect in the simple calibration that you carry out when the unit is first used with a new filament material. Mu UP! Mini prints a dimension and bed angle test piece that you then measure with a vernier gauge and enter the measurements into the calibration table. The software then automatically compensates for any minor build platform run out or material shrinkage.The modern 3D printers are very much more user friendly than the early models that people struggled with. That was why I was very impressed to have my printer up and running in a couple of hours, calibrated and producing very good quality prints. I have not had to calibrate it since and that was many months ago. As I stated, I only use UP! ABS filament and it works well. Some very poor quality filaments will cause problems but you just avoid buying those, simple 😀Fraser

author: Muttley Snickers
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 29, 2018, 05:54:10 am
content: Aldi Australia have an updated model of the Cocoon 3D Printer available this coming Wednesday for $499.00 AUD, this new model now includes a touch screen and a few other enhancements, in addition they are also selling a variety of filaments separately.These particular machines are also known as a Wanhao Duplicator i3 Plus and I've linked the AU site below.The reason for the post is I have a mate who is very interested in purchasing a 3D printer and has asked me for some guidance, I'm more into CNC machines and manual machining and have not bothered to keep up to date with the 3D printing world or available options, I'm still researching and have been looking at a few Youtube videos which generally give these newer machines a pretty good wrap.Aldi Cocoon Create.https://www.aldi.com.au/en/special-buys/special-buys-wed-31-january/wednesday-detail-wk05/ps/p/3d-printer-2/Wanhao 3D Australia.https://www.wanhao3d.com.au/index.php/3d-printers.html

author: Muttley Snickers
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 29, 2018, 07:19:19 am
content: Thanks wilfred, that was in fact the first video review of these machines that I watched early this morning and I'm yet to get back to view his other videos, I also watched Larry, Moe and Curly here below almost making a mess of it and another video by somebody else performing the initial setup which I will have to do should my bone head mate buy one.

author: ozwolf
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2018, 10:20:21 am
content: I purchased the exact model when last on sale in May last year, and love it. I did write to Aldi customer service about a noisy (sleeve bearing) in extruder fan and they quickly sent me a new one. No complaints at all.Your friend will be happy with this machine as an entry level model.Ozwolf

author: Muttley Snickers
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 29, 2018, 11:21:53 am
content: Quote from: blueskull on January 29, 2018, 10:37:08 amI don't know who makes that particular chocolate but it wasn't bad for the price, made in Australia as well from what I remember. I'm not aware that Aldi has any manufacturing plants down here so I presume that some of the stuff they sell is made by other local manufacturers and simply rebadged, not all but certainly some of it.

author: wilfred
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2018, 12:03:45 pm
content: The Camberwell store has 3x 3D printers today. These are the mini Cocoon Create $299 ones. No Filament.