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

[jim]

    Not too bad, and astonishing, too. 
    Big thanks! And thanks for the reflections, 
highly useful. 




On Tue, 2013-07-02 at 18:22 -0700, Rachel McConnell wrote:
> 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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> >
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