Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below
napsgear
genezapharmateuticals
domestic-supply
puritysourcelabs
UGL OZ
UGFREAK
napsgeargenezapharmateuticals domestic-supplypuritysourcelabsUGL OZUGFREAK

Woody... Help a broheim out!

mrplunkey

mrplunkey

New member
I need help finding the right 3D printer at home.

I used to have an Alaris30.

Pros:

- Nice parts
- generally worked well

Cons:

- expensive material
- some maintenance
- can be finicky
- pretty weak parts
- nasty support material

Now I'm trying a CubeX

Pros:

- inexpensive unit
- cheap (relatively) material
-

Cons;

- pain in the ass. Filament binds
- heads clog
- cartridges not recognized

What should I get for home?
 
What material does a 3D printer create things with?
 
Dial_tone said:
What material does a 3D printer create things with?
Click to expand...

The CubeX can do PLA (soft) and ABS.

It's hard to describe though... The PLA ones are mushy.

The Alaris didn't melt the material. It did does a very fine print, then cures it with a light. Those parts can be oddly brittle (hard to describe).
 
WoodyO said:
Fortus 400mc FTW!
Click to expand...

Even for mad scientist basement printing?

Here are my constraints:

- Build envelope around 10" x 10" x 6" (I'm flexible)
- 0.1 mm or better build size (I'd settle for 0.2 or so)
- Low (relative) maintenance. I don't want to become a repair/debugging expert on the equipment
- Reliable (I only get to work 1-2 hours at a time, so I can't spend 45 minutes getting filaments lined-up or aligning print heads)
- Fairly cheap material (think mid-range or better)

But having said all that, I would be willing to shell out some cash. It just needs to fit in a space about half the size of a pool table.
 
mrplunkey said:
Even for mad scientist basement printing?

Here are my constraints:

- Build envelope around 10" x 10" x 6" (I'm flexible)
- 0.1 mm or better build size (I'd settle for 0.2 or so)
- Low (relative) maintenance. I don't want to become a repair/debugging expert on the equipment
- Reliable (I only get to work 1-2 hours at a time, so I can't spend 45 minutes getting filaments lined-up or aligning print heads)
- Fairly cheap material (think mid-range or better)

But having said all that, I would be willing to shell out some cash. It just needs to fit in a space about half the size of a pool table.
Click to expand...

I don't have one this small, but we are exclusively using the Fortus line of printers right now. The 250mc is a compact model suitable for home use:

http://www.stratasys.com/3d-printers/production-series/~/media/C71DAE2CFCD247A5B64BC2D108EC23B8.ashx

The only con's I'd say is:
1 material choice (ABSplus-P430, 9 colors + custom color's if you order a complete spool)
Not an FR-rated material
No flexible materials

Pro's:
Soluble support material
3 tips sizes (.007, .010 & .013)
Comes with Insight software
 
mrplunkey said:
Even for mad scientist basement printing?

Here are my constraints:

- Build envelope around 10" x 10" x 6" (I'm flexible)
- 0.1 mm or better build size (I'd settle for 0.2 or so)
- Low (relative) maintenance. I don't want to become a repair/debugging expert on the equipment
- Reliable (I only get to work 1-2 hours at a time, so I can't spend 45 minutes getting filaments lined-up or aligning print heads)
- Fairly cheap material (think mid-range or better)

But having said all that, I would be willing to shell out some cash. It just needs to fit in a space about half the size of a pool table.
Click to expand...

why you wanna print models in the first place?? empty nic-nac shelf???
 
WoodyO said:
I don't have one this small, but we are exclusively using the Fortus line of printers right now. The 250mc is a compact model suitable for home use:

http://www.stratasys.com/3d-printers/production-series/~/media/C71DAE2CFCD247A5B64BC2D108EC23B8.ashx

The only con's I'd say is:
1 material choice (ABSplus-P430, 9 colors + custom color's if you order a complete spool)
Not an FR-rated material
No flexible materials

Pro's:
Soluble support material
3 tips sizes (.007, .010 & .013)
Comes with Insight software
Click to expand...

Interesting...

Do they wheel and deal on price?

Have the latest generation of cheaper 3D printers driven their prices down?

How expensive is material?
 
digimon7068 said:
why you wanna print models in the first place?? empty nic-nac shelf???
Click to expand...

Nothing better than going mad scientist, sending the entire job to the printer, going to bed, and then waking up to fresh parts.
 
mrplunkey said:
Interesting...

Do they wheel and deal on price?

Have the latest generation of cheaper 3D printers driven their prices down?

How expensive is material?
Click to expand...

This particular model costs about $45k. Fortus won't wheel n' deal, but they'll finance it @ 0%. Check for resellers in your area. They show up at all the trade shows and will deal a little. They also usually throw in servicing and tech aupport.

I'll have to double-check on the material cost, but I think it's $6.00 a cubic foot for most ABS materials.
 
WoodyO said:
This particular model costs about $45k. Fortus won't wheel n' deal, but they'll finance it @ 0%. Check for resellers in your area. They show up at all the trade shows and will deal a little. They also usually throw in servicing and tech aupport.

I'll have to double-check on the material cost, but I think it's $6.00 a cubic foot for most ABS materials.
Click to expand...

A cubic inch maybe?

At $6 a cubic foot, I'd be on that thing like pick3 on a random peener.
 
PLA type materials are usually corn starch based and the parts they produce will fall apart if you look at them hard enough.
 
mrplunkey said:
I've seen a Connex 200-something in action. It was amazing. They can digitally blend materials. I was drooling.

Isn't the material cost on those things (they're part of the Alaris series, right?) pretty high?
Click to expand...

I think the price has came down drastically since Stratasys aquired them. We lose a decent amount of bids on small RTV mold jobs to object and connex vendors, so it's about time we started offering that service.
 
I want something that's maintenance-free with relatively cheap material. The up-front cost isn't that important. Super-tough parts aren't that important. Speed is irrelevant.

When it's 8:00 on a weeknight and I've got one hour to play mad scientist, I want to be able to lay out some parts in SolidWorks and sent them to the printer just before I go to bed. And if the material cost isn't too bad, I'm not going to freak-out if I need to reprint them for some reason.

If you don't mind, would you noodle that for a few days and make a recommendation?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

jasonhill800
Napsgear, Fast Facts About New Year’s Resolutioners
Replies
15
Views
3K
ballin2504
ballin2504
javaguru
I Am Adam Lanza’s Therapist
Replies
13
Views
3K
WoodyO
WoodyO
javaguru
The Riddle of the Gun
Replies
19
Views
4K
wootoom
wootoom
stevesmi
GW sale at uniquemicals!! get in NOW before its sold out again!!
Replies
9
Views
3K
stevesmi
stevesmi
L
Against Byzantium’s client
Replies
0
Views
2K
lukaasi786
L
Top Bottom