3D printers - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Lee697
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2014, 12:00:40 am
content: I'm starting to contemplate adding one to my xmas list.... But I really know next to nothing about any of them....Does anyone have any buying advice, suggestions, recommendations, warnings, specs to look at??Would prefer to be able to use OSX to drive it, but would buy a Win laptop if needed....cheersLee

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2014, 12:17:43 am
content: YMMV but in terms of practical usefulness, I'd go for a cheap CNC like the 3020/3040 ones, which are a similar price range to entry level 3D printers.3d prints have rubbish surface quality, take ages and the choice of material is very limited.With a CNC you can produce nice results and/or use the nice factory surface finish of wood, acrylic, corian, PCB and other materials. Possiblly very light work on aluminium, at least engraving.Also useful for PCB milling/drilling/outline cutting, drilling holes for test jigs, cutting & engraving front panels etc.

author: TheBorg
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2014, 02:39:20 am
content: If you are looking for just a printer (no CNC), the support and community over at SeeMeCNC is absolutely great. Go take a look at their forums - they are always happy to help figure out issues and the community is always coming up with new ideas/methods and sharing them. They sell the Rostock and Orion printers, both are delta models, the Rostock is geared toward the DIY-er and experimenter and the Orion is the more plug and play model. Lots of people are using OSX machines (I think there a few unix native apps will run, and everything else can run from a VM).That being said, I actually don't own either, I just hang around on the forums, but the community and large build volume on the printers has got me sold on them and I'm looking to purchase one in the coming months.You have a pretty wide scale though, with RepRap Mendel/Prusas being mostly DIY and the MakerBot for a more user-friendly (*cough* expensive) experience.

author: WarSim
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2014, 03:14:24 am
content: The makerbot printers are OS/X friendly. It is also what I have. I started when it was RepRap, MakerBot or DIY. There are more viable options now but MarkerBot has served its purposes well.Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

author: Artlav
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2014, 05:13:24 am
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on October 02, 2014, 12:17:43 amThere is a russian proverb for that, along the lines of "looks awful, works awesome".3D printers, of modern/homemade/FMD/"prints-with-plastic" kind, can make plastic parts of good structural strength, useful for all sorts of applications.If you want to use them for appearance, then there are a few options as well, like acetone vapour smoothing, but it's not really the main use for these.Quote from: Lee697 on October 02, 2014, 12:00:40 amDepends on how good you are in electronics and mechanics.The best way to get one is to make one - order only the plastic parts and A4988 stepper driver modules (and whatever else that turns out to be unobtanium, i.e. LM8UU bearings), and put it together from local components.This is also the cheapest way to get one (in theory, being a learning experience it can easily double in price, becoming about as expensive as a complete kit).If you're not sure about your ability to improvise, then buy a full kit.If you're not sure about your ability to assemble it, then buy a complete unit.Reliability and maintenance-wise, you're looking at about the same for anything you can get.Fillament feed can get stuck, part can get unstuck from the build platform, platform needs cleaning - these are axioms.Don't expect a plug-and-print, even from a complete unit. It will need tweaking, calibration, and getting used to.Can't comment much on the quality difference between high-end stuff like Replicator/Makerbot and a common Reprap, since i only own what i made myself in the latter's image.All in all, it's an awesome tool, letting you design things freely instead of being constrained by whatever garbage you can find around to cobble a thing together.Quote from: Lee697 on October 02, 2014, 12:00:40 amWith the right electronics you won't need any computer to "drive" it.Just put the files on an SD/microSD card, and let it print off it.Why so many people use theirs tethered to a computer is a mystery to me.

author: WarSim
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2014, 05:35:14 am
content: Quote from: Artlav on October 02, 2014, 05:13:24 amJust want to clarify the OS compatibly I was referring to was for is the translator. I have never used any of my printers tethered.It is not an impossible task to write a translator to get from your 3D CAD output to the printers specific g-code. I personally chose to use a pre-written converter.Choice is yours, I felt my comment was miss understood.Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

author: hagster
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2014, 06:21:48 am
content: I agree with Mike that CNC is a more flexible way to go. The noise and chippings mean you probably don't want it on your kitchen table for long though, but the strength and finish of the end result is way better.For a 3d printer I've been following the development ofhttp://www.cel-robox.comsince its kickstarter finished. It's looking pretty good so far.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2014, 07:12:05 am
content: Maybe it is better to outsource the printing. There are many people who offer 3D printing services.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2014, 08:28:00 am
content: Quote from: WarSim on October 02, 2014, 05:35:14 amReplicatorG for example works on Max OSX.I also started, again, to look for my first 3D printer. The number of vendors and models is mind boggling. Some of may candidates are RepRap Prusa kits (https://nwreprap.com/prusa/has excellent assembly videos, makerfarm has a kit with LCD and untethered printinghttp://www.makerfarm.com/index.php/3d-printer-kits/prusa-8-i3v-kit-v-slot-extrusion.html), FFhttp://amzn.com/B008CM2TCU(dual extruder, MakerBot look alike with good reviews on Amazon).

author: Lee697
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2014, 08:33:15 am
content: I love DIY, but these days are pretty time limited (read - a 5 and a 2 year old), so I feel that making a 3D printer would literally take years.... Such a shame when I think back to the years I had more spare time than I knew what to do with, and no money to do anything with it!I'm really after a good quality plug/play solution. In any case my wife wants something she can order and wrap!Will look into some of these options....

author: hammy
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 02, 2014, 09:42:47 am
content: Quote from: Lee697 on October 02, 2014, 08:33:15 amNeo: dead simple: unbox it, set it up and go ...http://makergeeks.com/neo3dprgema3.htmlhttps://shop.germanreprap.com/de/NEO-3D-DruckerCheershammy

author: WarSim
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2014, 02:13:21 pm
content: Quote from: hammy on October 02, 2014, 09:42:47 amVery few specs on those sites. But seems consistent with 3rd generation printers. For comparison 2x - 3x the cost a 5th generation can be obtained.Just find out if there is enough compensation designed into the printer to 3rd party filament. Their filament price seems very high. I am not going to guess why, so investigate if those reasons have to effect you.Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2014, 03:28:19 pm
content: Fundamental point: 3D printers only work with one or two materials. Are you going to want to use the same material for everything you make?Since I wouldn't want to prevent myself from using different ceramics, nylon, brass, gold, etc etc, I send my designs off to whichever web-based shop is appropriate for that design.

author: tjb1
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2014, 04:53:34 pm
content: Quote from: tggzzz on October 02, 2014, 03:28:19 pmThere are way more than 2 materials...PLA, ABS, Nylon(Several Varieties), Polycarbonate, Composites(wood, stone, carbon fiber) and there are also many kinds of PLA that have different properties(no I am not talking about colors) and the same goes for ABS which also has temperature color changing.https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2144287795/taulman3d-toolbox-of-6-new-materials6 new materials there alone.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2014, 07:44:42 pm
content: Quote from: tjb1 on October 02, 2014, 04:53:34 pmAll in one printer? I agree I could have been more explicit about that.QuoteGiven it is kickstarter, are those materials available now?Do they work with all existing home 3D printers, or are they just for a very small range of printers?They are all fairly similar materials, when compared with the much wider range (e.g. metals, ceramics, paper etc) available from fab houses.So, my point still stands and it is still up to the OP to determine how relevant it is to his future requirements.

author: tjb1
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2014, 10:13:51 pm
content: Quote from: tggzzz on October 02, 2014, 07:44:42 pmYes, you can run every material I listed through a common E3D or Hexagon hotend.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2014, 05:14:22 pm
content: Quote from: Lee697 on October 02, 2014, 12:00:40 amQuote from: Lee697 on October 02, 2014, 12:00:40 amI was in the same situation (looking for my first 3D printer, home usage with OSX) and this week I pulled the trigger on this kithttp://www.makerfarm.com/index.php/prusa-8-i3v-kit-v-slot-extrusion.html/(~$650 with the ATX power supply).The main reasons are the openness of hardware and software, untethered operation (SD card), vendor is very responsive, community, availability of spare parts and being a kit I will be in a better position maintaining it in the future. My second choice was this ready made two extruder printerhttp://amzn.com/B008CM2TCU(a makerbot clone, works with OSX) but the kit approach was more appealing for me.