OliverH Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 In some threads we discussed about 3D printed accessories, spare parts made with 3D printers. As I'm also interested in such a device I like to participate of users having experience with 3D printer devices. This thread should address 3D printers and not printed EUC parts or only to show differences in quality. I throw one 3D printer in here I'm currently look for:http://smartfriendz.com/en/3-3d-printers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jer Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 3D printers are really good for EU I would consider either the Lutzbot TAZ 6 or Ultimaker 2 Important is to be able to print a range of materials, abs, flexible filament (Ninja flex), polycarbonate, nylon. One of the biggest issues is bowden tube (eg Ultimaker) vs non bowden (direct eg Lutzbot) Also need a good heater plate For flexible filament non bowden is better (Lutzbot). However I do manage to print flexibles filaments on my ultimaker with bowden, don't know if the quality would be better with direct feed The other thing with EU's is that you often want to print parts which are quite large for this having a range of easily interchangeable nozzles ia winner This is where the ultimaker shines, you can go from 0.4 mm to 1.2 mm diameter nozzles, makes printing large things a whole load easier. Another key factor is availability of 3rd party bits and bobs, I don't know for makes apart from Ultimaker. But the Ultimaker is really good when it comes to 3rd party upgrades. More powerful nozzle heater for example ( for those big jobs). If I didn't have an Ultimaker I would go for the Lutzbot (300 C vs 260 C of Ultimaker, direct drive and 3 mm filament) Experience with the Ultimaker has been very good, this is a top machine You do tend to end up modding your machine with different feeders, fan shrouds etc. I buy engineering filaments from plastic2print in Holland ie polycarbonate/nylon Its not like buying a television. Jer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverH Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 But the Lutzbot is 2500 USD and the Ultimaker 2+ is in the same area depending of the options. That's not for home use. What investment need to be done and what DIY Kit would be useful and what modifications are necessary? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jer Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 2 hours ago, OliverH said: But the Lutzbot is 2500 USD and the Ultimaker 2+ is in the same area depending of the options. That's not for home use. What investment need to be done and what DIY Kit would be useful and what modifications are necessary? I would say they are for home use, commercial ones cost loads more. The cost is no worse than many things these days The ultimaker original is cheaper and comes as a kit, £900 in the UK. The performance it not so different from the latest model and you can change all the bits and pieces to be the same as the ultimaker 2 I only have actual experience with the Ultimaker and it has the infrastructure in place, lots of support, parts are easily available and others make nozzles and heaters for them. If you get stuck there is info and people make countless parts/improvements for them Lutzbot is highly rated and in some ways an even higher specification, there isn't much you could not do with this machine, I find Bowden tubes a bit tiresome at times so this is why I would consider one of these machines. Personally I wouldn't want a machine that restricted me on what material I could use I would say you need to be able to get the hot end to > 250 C Heated bed to about 110 C and Easy change nozzles. Some machines are just designed to work with pla, which could be a little limiting, though not the end of the world The absolute minimum extra material you would want would be flexible filament, as this material is very useful for making electric unicycle parts. If the manufacture says their machine can do these things you should be good to go for one of the cheaper machines. Sorry but I don't know what budget brand is the best/ most versatile Below may give an overview http://www.toptenreviews.com/computers/3d-printers/best-3d-printers/ It is interesting though, so I would recommend you dive in with whatever machine you feel comfortable with and would like to purchase. You won't regret it, well maybe when people start asking you to make things for them. Jer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esaj Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 4 hours ago, OliverH said: But the Lutzbot is 2500 USD and the Ultimaker 2+ is in the same area depending of the options. That's not for home use. Don't know that much about 3d printers, but the technology is (at least somewhat) similar to CNC-machines (structure & moving the head/nozzle and/or the surface where the piece to manufacture sits). 2500USD wouldn't buy anything in commercial/industrial grade CNC-machines (well, maybe some parts, but not a whole machine ), those start at tens of thousands and go up to hundreds of thousands of euros a piece. My relatives used to import the large Huyndai- and Bridgeport- CNC-machines. Of course it also depends how you define "not for home use". I'd expect a commercial/industrial-level machine to be able to manufacture the same component in fast succession with minimal tolerance-differences between parts and to be able to run large batches without any need for fine-tuning in-between. Didn't look too much, but the first commercial/industrial-grade 3d-printer price I saw was $12000 and it was a pretty small & bare bones version Another bigger manufacturer says that their "personal"-series start at $15000, and that could maybe be used for small-scale production runs, but didn't even mention how much the "commercial/industrial" models cost. Not saying that you need to spend thousands on it, but probably the basic hobbyist-grade machines will limit you a lot in the longer run (maximum workpiece size, supported materials, printing speed, accuracy/tolerances, lifetime of parts etc). Then again, I'd probably go the same route (getting a cheap machine first just to see how hard it is to make things with it / how much use I have for it before spending thousands). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverH Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 1 hour ago, jer said: I would say they are for home use, commercial ones cost loads more. The cost is no worse than many things these days The ultimaker original is cheaper and comes as a kit, £900 in the UK. The performance it not so different from the latest model and you can change all the bits and pieces to be the same as the ultimaker 2 I only have actual experience with the Ultimaker and it has the infrastructure in place, lots of support, parts are easily available and others make nozzles and heaters for them. If you get stuck there is info and people make countless parts/improvements for them Lutzbot is highly rated and in some ways an even higher specification, there isn't much you could not do with this machine, I find Bowden tubes a bit tiresome at times so this is why I would consider one of these machines. Personally I wouldn't want a machine that restricted me on what material I could use I would say you need to be able to get the hot end to > 250 C Heated bed to about 110 C and Easy change nozzles. Some machines are just designed to work with pla, which could be a little limiting, though not the end of the world The absolute minimum extra material you would want would be flexible filament, as this material is very useful for making electric unicycle parts. If the manufacture says their machine can do these things you should be good to go for one of the cheaper machines. Sorry but I don't know what budget brand is the best/ most versatile Below may give an overview http://www.toptenreviews.com/computers/3d-printers/best-3d-printers/ It is interesting though, so I would recommend you dive in with whatever machine you feel comfortable with and would like to purchase. You won't regret it, well maybe when people start asking you to make things for them. Jer Good hints. Thanks. 1 hour ago, esaj said: Don't know that much about 3d printers, but the technology is (at least somewhat) similar to CNC-machines (structure & moving the head/nozzle and/or the surface where the piece to manufacture sits). 2500USD wouldn't buy anything in commercial/industrial grade CNC-machines (well, maybe some parts, but not a whole machine ), those start at tens of thousands and go up to hundreds of thousands of euros a piece. My relatives used to import the large Huyndai- and Bridgeport- CNC-machines. Of course it also depends how you define "not for home use". I'd expect a commercial/industrial-level machine to be able to manufacture the same component in fast succession with minimal tolerance-differences between parts and to be able to run large batches without any need for fine-tuning in-between. Didn't look too much, but the first commercial/industrial-grade 3d-printer price I saw was $12000 and it was a pretty small & bare bones version Another bigger manufacturer says that their "personal"-series start at $15000, and that could maybe be used for small-scale production runs, but didn't even mention how much the "commercial/industrial" models cost. Not saying that you need to spend thousands on it, but probably the basic hobbyist-grade machines will limit you a lot in the longer run (maximum workpiece size, supported materials, printing speed, accuracy/tolerances, lifetime of parts etc). Then again, I'd probably go the same route (getting a cheap machine first just to see how hard it is to make things with it / how much use I have for it before spending thousands). I try to find out what I need to spent and what I'm willing to spend in the end Technology is constantly improving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverH Posted June 1, 2016 Author Share Posted June 1, 2016 What I read here and also in the printable accessories thread from @Fahrtwind it's possible to get an acceptable quality for under 1000 EUR and that is home use area. It's worth to dive deeper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunka Hunka Burning Love Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 What do you think of this CTC printer: http://m.ebay.com/itm/CTC-3D-Printer-DUPLICATOR-4-Dual-Extruders-Space-board-1Kg-ABS-PLA-for-Makerbot-/121914946481?nav=SEARCH It's about $400 and is supposed to be based on Makerbot tech. Wanhao i3 http://m.ebay.com/itm/Wanhao-Duplicator-i3-3D-Printer-Reprap-All-Metal-Construction-Full-Assemblied-/181947616176?nav=SEARCH Or are these bottom of the barrel buy cheap buy twice sort of models? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fat Unicyclist Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 41 minutes ago, HunkaHunkaBurningLove said: What do you think of this CTC printer: I was fortunate enough to visit Hewlett Packard's 3D R&D site (in Barcelona) earlier this year. And while I am not able to comment much on anything I saw, I would like to suggest that things may be changing radically in the near future... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverH Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 1 hour ago, The Fat Unicyclist said: I was fortunate enough to visit Hewlett Packard's 3D R&D site (in Barcelona) earlier this year. And while I am not able to comment much on anything I saw, I would like to suggest that things may be changing radically in the near future... I think so. I just started collecting infos, pro/ cons,.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunka Hunka Burning Love Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 It would be cool if these 3D printers could print candy filaments. You could design edible castles or make candy action figures for cakes. Candy pizza, candy donuts, candy pencils, candy spiders... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverH Posted June 3, 2016 Author Share Posted June 3, 2016 7 hours ago, HunkaHunkaBurningLove said: It would be cool if these 3D printers could print candy filaments. You could design edible castles or make candy action figures for cakes. You need a replicator like in Startrek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverH Posted June 8, 2016 Author Share Posted June 8, 2016 In germany is an amazing 3D printer community. Currently I tend to use something like this: https://youprintin3d.de/3d-drucker/bausatz-delta-printer/ http://scheuten.me/?cat=2 Both are bigger Delta 3D printers with selected parts and a lot of testing in behind. They're Hexagon Framework design and not the typical Kossel/ Rostock Deltas with 3 studs. A Hexagon is more stiff. There's so much you need to be aware (hotends, fillament quality, bed quality (heating, precision of the bed),..). That needs even more some time to come to a decision. In the end I need to compare quality/functions/ price. Currently I like the Deltas more than xy cores (prusa,..). But build size is an advantage of the xy cores (cartesian printer). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunka Hunka Burning Love Posted June 14, 2016 Share Posted June 14, 2016 How difficult is it to make things in the 3D CAD software? I'm sort of tempted to try out one of the cheaper printers just to get into it, but after playing around with the software I found it a little tricky to get things going. I tried Tinkercad, but I guess I have to watch some more instructional videos... Here's some reviews of the printers I was looking at: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jer Posted June 16, 2016 Share Posted June 16, 2016 On 6/14/2016 at 7:36 AM, HunkaHunkaBurningLove said: Here's some reviews of the printers I was looking at: How difficult is it to make things in the 3D CAD software? I'm sort of tempted to try out one of the cheaper printers just to get into it, but after playing around with the software I found it a little tricky to get things going. I tried Tinkercad, but I guess I have to watch some more instructional videos... Sorry about the previous post went wrong 3D design software It is not too bad, though it takes takes time, perseverance and research. Start simple and build up. I find it quite fun. Jer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esaj Posted June 16, 2016 Share Posted June 16, 2016 I've used Tinkercad to design some simple things, although not for actual 3d-printing... just playing out with ideas mostly: And that last one turned into this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunka Hunka Burning Love Posted June 16, 2016 Share Posted June 16, 2016 I'll have to give it another go as I had trouble getting the program to do what I wanted it to. Usually I'm pretty good with software. Oh well, it's back to Youtube University for some remedial cad software lessons for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
electric_vehicle_lover Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 I work professionally with 3D printers. For EGG EUC design I printed with cheap PLA that proves to be up to the task!! We did promote EGG EUC on a Makerfaire and it resisted to many different people that tried for the first time an EUC. My advice: buy a printer with a large XY print area, 1 material/extruder is enough, heated bed and automatic calibration with sensor. Also it should be very robust in a way that the parts that may take up to 24h print, the extruder don't jam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunka Hunka Burning Love Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 What is the printer that you use and how much did it cost? Is it a Reprap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
electric_vehicle_lover Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 It is a kind of RepRap Prusa I3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunka Hunka Burning Love Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Hmmm $299 doesn't seem too bad... https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B011PVIMPW?ref=olp_product_details Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunka Hunka Burning Love Posted August 7, 2016 Share Posted August 7, 2016 http://www.3dprinter.net/3d-printing-gets-sweeter-3d-printed-candy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve454 Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 On 8/6/2016 at 7:54 PM, Hunka Hunka Burning Love said: http://www.3dprinter.net/3d-printing-gets-sweeter-3d-printed-candy Magic candy factory, huh? Pretty neat, but it looks like a tube of candy squirting in a pile. Might be fun, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esaj Posted August 25, 2017 Share Posted August 25, 2017 I've slowly warmed up to the idea of a 3D-printer, but it's really hard to tell what's good and what's not, as there's a gazillion of those nowadays (most are Prusa i3-clones though, at least I think). So far I've dismissed the deltas, as I somehow doubt they stay in "tune" for a long time and might require lots of tweaking, but could be wrong. One interesting piece I saw was Flsun Cube, not that expensive at around 300€ (with free shipping from Europe): https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Flsun-Cube-3d-Printer-Metal-Frame-Large-Printing-Size-Diy-3-D-Printer-Kit-Auto-leveling/32825217668.html Compared to most, the working area is pretty large (260*260*350mm) and it uses two motors to move the bed up and down, not the print head. Unfortunately, although the "cube" is made from aluminum extrusions, the frame's not entirely made from metal (the motors are attached with plastic parts ) Thoughts? Or should I look further into the Prusa-clones or delta-builds? I'm thinking single extruder, I guess either bowden or direct is ok, sturdy metal frame, at least something like 150x150x150mm working area, preferably more, automatic leveling, and heated bed for about 300€ max. Oh, and shipping from within EU, usually the shipping + customs + VAT makes the direct from China -options too costly in the end. There are some models with aluminum extrusion-frame, like this one (I think this clones yet another one, the name had something spider-like in it), but the bed mechanism doesn't look too sturdy to my eye (I'd prefer it would have shafts on both sides instead): Yet another one was a Prusa-clone with metal frame, the bed mechanism looks better, but the frame's not made from aluminum extrusions, looks like few mm steel sheets or something, not sure how sturdy that is in the end: The picture's of a dual extruder, but there's single extruder -model also. Might be that my budget is too low for anything really worthwhile... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunka Hunka Burning Love Posted August 25, 2017 Share Posted August 25, 2017 Good gooooood.... release your 3D printer desire... go over to the dark side... But where is my sith lord, Darth @Cloud? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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