3D printer recommendations please...

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blakamin

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#1912117 2-Dec-2017 21:28

Talkiet:

First print printing now... :-)

Bit of mucking around getting the base level - I ended up having to adjust more than just the bed to make it work, but the first print has started ok...

Cheers - N

Any pics yet???

Talkiet

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#1912133 2-Dec-2017 21:47

blakamin:

Talkiet:

First print printing now... :-)

Bit of mucking around getting the base level - I ended up having to adjust more than just the bed to make it work, but the first print has started ok...

Cheers - N

Any pics yet???

Fair point. I've been so busy printing I haven't had much chance to take pics.

Short story. I can wholeheartedly recommend the Anycubic I3 Mega.

It's a pain having to upload pictures here now instead of just being able to link to them... But here are some links.

[edit - it's not possible to include even a URL to my external host unless it's HTTPS. That's too draconian for me to bother with. The prints are great.]

Happy to take questions but I'll be out tomorrow racing... I also installed a Raspberry Pi with Octoprint to manage the printer and it's great - wireless browser access with a live video feed of the print and automatic timelapses of the builds!

Cheers - N

[edit2: https://www.facebook.com/nzsnaps - I have some public posts with pics of the prints there]

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

blakamin

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#1912141 2-Dec-2017 21:59

Glad it's all working!

Damn... I don't do facebook. I link from imgur, they're https.

Item

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#1912167 3-Dec-2017 07:06

I have come very close to buying one a few times now, but keep holding back last minute waiting for "good" to get cheaper.

At the moment I am sitting tight waiting for the prices of good extrusion-based units to come down...I am sure once they do, a new tech will arrive on the scene and I will sit waiting again!

irongarment

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#1912174 3-Dec-2017 08:07

Item:
I have come very close to buying one a few times now, but keep holding back last minute waiting for "good" to get cheaper.

At the moment I am sitting tight waiting for the prices of good extrusion-based units to come down...I am sure once they do, a new tech will arrive on the scene and I will sit waiting again!

The Malyan M200 is "good" and cheap. The normal price at Hobbyking is US$228.16. I got mine on special at US$156.70, and I have seen it drop to that price several times over the last year or so.

I didn't know how much use I'd get out of it, but I have found I often have an idea, dash off a quick model in OpenSCAD, then send it to the printer. Yesterday I needed a handle for an M2.0 tap. I quickly drew a 6mm thick disc with a 2.5mm square hole in the centre and it worked well.

Item

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#1912175 3-Dec-2017 08:12

irongarment:
Item:

I have come very close to buying one a few times now, but keep holding back last minute waiting for "good" to get cheaper.

At the moment I am sitting tight waiting for the prices of good extrusion-based units to come down...I am sure once they do, a new tech will arrive on the scene and I will sit waiting again!

The Malyan M200 is "good" and cheap. The normal price at Hobbyking is US$228.16. I got mine on special at US$156.70, and I have seen it drop to that price several times over the last year or so.

I didn't know how much use I'd get out of it, but I have found I often have an idea, dash off a quick model in OpenSCAD, then send it to the printer. Yesterday I needed a handle for an M2.0 tap. I quickly drew a 6mm thick disc with a 2.5mm square hole in the centre and it worked well.

Oops - I meant "DLP/SLA" not extrusion! The liquid resin-based stuff.

Lovely fine detail and none of the roughness/meshiness that the other methods seem to have.

TLD

902 posts

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#1913497 5-Dec-2017 20:04

Talkiet:

Cheers - N

Wow, that's impressive. It looks like metal!

It just occurred to me to check GZ after looking into 3D printers for a few days. There's LOTS of information out there, but GZ is ging to be NZ specific. It does seem to be coming across that it could all turn out to be a huge PITA, and there are only so many things I can think of so far to print.

What I have not seen here is how you are drawing your models? I am comfortable with SketchUp, and have read about the process to interface SketchUp files into 3D Printer friendly files. Plus I am learning about stuff like you can't easily print over nothing without getting into sagging strands of plastic. Hmmm... I am seriously going to keep reading and watching other folk work it all out before I pull the trigger.

Trevor Dennis
Rapaura (near Blenheim)

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blakamin

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#1913546 5-Dec-2017 20:46

TLD:

Talkiet:

Cheers - N

Wow, that's impressive. It looks like metal!

It just occurred to me to check GZ after looking into 3D printers for a few days. There's LOTS of information out there, but GZ is ging to be NZ specific. It does seem to be coming across that it could all turn out to be a huge PITA, and there are only so many things I can think of so far to print.

What I have not seen here is how you are drawing your models? I am comfortable with SketchUp, and have read about the process to interface SketchUp files into 3D Printer friendly files. Plus I am learning about stuff like you can't easily print over nothing without getting into sagging strands of plastic. Hmmm... I am seriously going to keep reading and watching other folk work it all out before I pull the trigger.

That's just a render.

Have a look at tinkercad (web based), fusion360 (free for hobbyists), there's heaps....

Printing over "nothing" is pretty easy, just get your slicer (software that converts 3d images into printer friendly "slices") to use supports. I use Slic3r (open source), Cura (free but made by a printer company) or MatterControl (software that is a bit of a slicer, a bit of an editor and a bit of a USB printer controller made by "matter hackers").

Mine cost me $230AUD from ebay, another $100 on filament, and a day to put it together.

Anet A8 is pretty much a chinese copy of a Prusa i3 (open source design) and made with an acrylic frame. Thing is, it's sooo common there's a heap of upgrades for it... I mean hundreds... that you print yourself.

Has some minor electrical issues that are mostly fixed, or can be fixed very cheaply with common sense.

If you're looking for things to print, thingiverse is a good start. Also myminifactory.

TLD

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#1913555 5-Dec-2017 21:07

Sorry, I can't help myself. I'm looking at that picture and the beautiful smooth surfaces, sharp corners, and fine detail right down to those little holes that I suspect you might be tapping. What is the material? It looks machined in that the chamfered edges are shining like metal, and in the holes. Would it take an expensive printer to make something like that?

Incidentally, my initial interest started when my Menz Shed wanted a sand casting for a hot brand to burn our 'Made by' logo onto finished work. I'd seen one that the Havelock Shed paid just $150 for, and I was marveling at the work that must of gone into the pattern, and I had this mind picture of needle files and magnifying headsets. Then the 3D Print penny dropped. Since then I am thinking of custom fan ducts to cool the VRM on a new computer build, brackets for radiator mounts, and.... emmmm... well something else will occur to me But I _do_ love that box.

Trevor Dennis
Rapaura (near Blenheim)

irongarment

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#1913562 5-Dec-2017 21:24

I use OpenSCAD. It's free, it's scriptable, and models can be parameterised.

frankv

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#1913579 5-Dec-2017 21:48

blakamin:

Anet A8 is pretty much a chinese copy of a Prusa i3 (open source design) and made with an acrylic frame.

Beware that acrylic flexs and eventually cracks and breaks... it doesn't have the life of metal. OTOH, if it only cracks, you can glue it back together with epoxy, and glue reinforcement strips over the crack.

blakamin

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#1914130 6-Dec-2017 21:32

frankv:

blakamin:

Anet A8 is pretty much a chinese copy of a Prusa i3 (open source design) and made with an acrylic frame.

Beware that acrylic flexs and eventually cracks and breaks... it doesn't have the life of metal. OTOH, if it only cracks, you can glue it back together with epoxy, and glue reinforcement strips over the crack.

Or you can print ALL the things... You can basically print so much bracing for this thing that it will never flex.

https://www.thingiverse.com/search?sort=relevant&q=anet+a8+frame&type=things&dwh=155a27a7665aab0

Or you can get a steel frame laser cut.

Nil Einne

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#1915527 9-Dec-2017 02:33

Item:

Oops - I meant "DLP/SLA" not extrusion! The liquid resin-based stuff.

Lovely fine detail and none of the roughness/meshiness that the other methods seem to have.

If you want low cost, the recent trend is moving towards LCD based SLA instead of DLP. These do I think need different resins due to different UV wavelength, but there's been enough development that prices aren't that bad.

There's been some recent interesting Kickstarters in this area. A Taiwanese company Kickstartered a LCD variant for US$939 or less (I think this did include shipping unless it cost a lot) https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/phrozenmake/phrozen-make-professional-lcd-3d-printing-made-acc/description, started shipping recently and sold on their site for a similar price https://www.phrozen3dp.com/products/phrozen-make (NT$29,500+NT$2,800=NT$32300 or US$1076 or NZ$1571) This is actually a little expensive compared to a number of the other options but I mention it because the company sounds like they have a fair degree of experience in the SLA field instead of those many startups/people in their garage. I think some people have already received theirs so you can probably start to get an idea of what they're like.

Kudo3D a US company although been around for a few years so not a complete startup had a Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kudo3d/bean-3d-printer-the-ultimate-consumer-sla-3d-print and now also have an ongoing (indemand) IndieGoGo for a LCD SLA 3D printer (only $50 more than the non early bird pricing for their KickStarter and those sold out within minutes). So you can still get one for under US$500 https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/bean-the-ultimate-consumer-sla-3d-printer Not shipping until February or later but as said the company have been around for a few years and involved in the field so I'm presuming it won't be that bad. The price doesn't include shipping and it sounds like some of their early shipping estimates are coming out a bit high.

SH IP/Mayc Creation a HK company? have had a 3 different Kickstarters (plus 1 unsuccessful which was redone as the latest). The latest one you could have gotten for under US$500 https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1037397144/d2k-insight-the-most-affordable-sla-dlp-3d-printer/description although too recent to know what you're going to get. https://www.mayccreation.com/ I never looked into it that much but I think the previous ones weren't that bad although could be a little fiddly. Note sure what shipping was like etc. There doesn't seem to be that much discussion on them although I didn't look that hard.

Then there is the SLASH. This was a startup AFAIK, and it shows. They were supposed to delivery in December last year, they've only just starting to deliver. (Okay being a year late is sort of something you should expect with a Kickstarter.) And they're asking for extremely high shipping prices. I'm not that sure how well they're living up to the promises of their printer, although I guess at least they're delivering something. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/644653534/slash-the-next-level-of-affordable-professional-3d/description

If you look at AliExpress, you'll also find a bunch of options for US$500 or so including shipping. Finding good feedback on the quality of these can be difficult. However the Wanhao D7 seems to be one of the most popular variants so you can find a lot of discussion, reviews etc e.g. http://forum.flux3dp.com/t/check-this-out-a-kickstarter-not-to-miss-i-think/2648/21 and https://3dpc.tech/wanhao-duplicator-7-review/.

Likewise if you hangout at KickStarter and IndieGogo I'm sure you'll see someone trying one soon enough. Always a bit risky with randoms (e.g. SLASH), but if you stick with semi established names, you'll probably at least get a printer at some stage whether or not it was worth the cost and wait.

As for future techs. Well SLS is starting to get some interest. But I don't quite see how this will ever work without a very powerful laser. And with such things, unless you really know what you're doing, you don't really want anything close to DIY. And even if it's supposed to be completely enclosed during use and is a decent design, I'm still not sure you ever want to be in the same room as it without eye protection. So I'm not convinced it will really take off the same way anymore than laser cutting will.

afe66

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#1915628 9-Dec-2017 12:08

Are the plastics of the final models child friendly ? ie putting in mouths

3D printing seems to be ideal way of replacing plastic bits from toddler games that seem to get lost with the passage of time. Especially when you get hand me down toys from other parents who kids have outgrown the toy.

frankv

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#1916039 10-Dec-2017 16:21

afe66: Are the plastics of the final models child friendly ? ie putting in mouths

3D printing seems to be ideal way of replacing plastic bits from toddler games that seem to get lost with the passage of time. Especially when you get hand me down toys from other parents who kids have outgrown the toy.

The plastic itself is safe, but no-one quite knows what dyes and fillers and such-like are added to it.

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