[Noisebridge-discuss] request for recommendation for 3-D printer

[Rachel McConnell]

Here is a comprehensive list of 3d printers and prices and other details 
(not sure if it is 100% up to date but it's not too bad):

http://www.3ders.org/pricecompare/3dprinters/

Myself I am a fan of the Replicator 2, which we have one of at Ace 
Monster Toys and it mostly Just Works, although we did do a common 
replacement to the extruder to better handle less-than-perfectly-even 
filament.  I assume the 2X (discussed below) would be similar.  The 2 
only has one extruder head and the build platform is not heated; it 
costs $2.2k.

I've also had lots of success with the Type A machines Series One, and 
this is the one that Make Magazine rated best in its class.  This is the 
company Miloh's with, and as you are no doubt aware he is a SUPER 
helpful guy, if you happen to need any help with it, which you might not 
because it too is really easy and solid.  It's $1695, much less than the 
Rep2 but still more than the Solidoodle.

I don't recommend a Cupcake or a Mosaic.  They require too much fiddling 
with.  And that's all the machines in that price range that I'm familiar 
with.

Rachel1.0

On 7/2/13 10:18 AM, pdbogen at cernu.us wrote:
> Howdy, Jim.
>
> On Mon, Jul 01, 2013 at 09:51:40PM -0700, jim wrote:
>>
>>      I'm considering getting a 3-D printer for some kids and I hope someone
>> can recommend something that's good but in a relatively low price range (I
>> don't know 3-D prices at all, nor would I feel comfy buying any 3-D printer
>> regardless of its price--I want to buy one that works, is robust).
>
> 	I have no personal experience with any of these, so caveat emptor. The
> most affordable working-out-of-the-box 3D printer I've seen so far is the
> Solidoodle 2nd gen, at about $500:
>
> http://store.solidoodle.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=56
>
> 	I personally would 'require' the Pro upgrade, which adds $100 or so,
> but adds a heated build platform and upgrades some components (power supply,
> spooler.) So, total $600, but that's still pretty affordable in the 3D printer
> space right now.
>
> 	I don't know of a better option short of building your own (a la
> RepRap or something similar). You can probably do this in the low $200-$300
> range, depending on how much effort you want to put in scavening parts vs
> buying.
>
>>      If there's some 3-D printer that's relatively expensive but is waaay
>> good, I'd like to know of it, too.
>
> 	RepRapPro is selling a "Tricolour Mendel" right now, which can print
> in three different colors. Their website seems down right now; I don't know if
> that's permanent or not. So that's cool. I noted this device to cost $1,100, if
> it's still available.
>
> 	The MakerBot Replicator 2X is a "ready to go" printer that has dual
> extrusion, i.e. can produce prints in two colors. It's pricy, at around
> $2,800.
>
> 	The Form Labs Form 1 is pretty sexy; it's a stereolithography printer,
> meaning it hardens very thin layers of epoxy using a laser. There's a lot of
> shapes it can do that thermoplastic extrusion printers can't. It's the most
> expensive in this e-mail, clocking in at $3,300. On top of that, it's a
> pre-order, which isn't expected to ship until October of this year. (Though
> that's getting increasingly close! So that's cool.)
>
> 	Finally, a word towards quality- with the exception of the Form 1, all
> of these printers should produce more or less identical prints. They have the
> same extrusion head diameter (which determines the resolution in the XZ plane)
> and the same layer height (which determines the resolution in the Y plane).
> Mostly what you're paying for is build quality (i.e., actual physical quality
> of the device), build volume, and in some cases, extra features like heated
> build platforms (needed for certain types of plastic), multiple extruders, and
> so on.
>
> 	Hope this helps. If anyone has heard of anything else in this that
> could extend the continuum- i.e., ready-to-print printers cheaper than the
> $600 Solidoodle- I'd love to hear about it.
> --
>               .
> Patrick Bogen .
>              ...
>
>
>
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