3D Printing 3D printer suggestions?

So my family has been looking into investing in a 3D printer. The only problem is that we have no real experience with them and don't really know which one to go for. Do you guys have any suggestions while selecting a printer? Are there any you guys highly suggest?

Thanks!

What is your budget? That makes a lot of difference. I got a Makergear M2 (https://makergear.com) with a grant and have been pleased all around. My second choice would be a Lulzbot Taz5, but no one has offered me money to buy one yet.

Doug

We have a Makergear M2 here at work too. Love it, but it is also my 1st. We use it at work to prototype the parts we design..

Honestly, get involved in the few 3D printer groups on FB, as this question pops up a lot! The technology is changing, and there is a myriad to choose from these days! Budget, space needed [print area], materials to print, end use of the printed parts, etc... eed to also be asked

Also, it's one thing to get the 3D printer, it's another to make / design / get the parts / files to print. You need to know '3D'; either have a program that can generate the required files to print, or know where to get them. (And that question comes up on the FB groups; "how do you turn a flat 2D picture of a robotic hand into a working / manipulatable robotic hand?!")

dcbertelsen said:

What is your budget? That makes a lot of difference.

Click to expand...

Yeah that makes sense. Right now it's looking like we'll have a budget of around $1000 so sadly that put the M2 out of reach. Looks like a great printer!

dr wogz said:

We have a Makergear M2 here at work too. Love it, but it is also my 1st. We use it at work to prototype the parts we design..

Honestly, get involved in the few 3D printer groups on FB, as this question pops up a lot! The technology is changing, and there is a myriad to choose from these days! Budget, space needed [print area], materials to print, end use of the printed parts, etc... eed to also be asked

Also, it's one thing to get the 3D printer, it's another to make / design / get the parts / files to print. You need to know '3D'; either have a program that can generate the required files to print, or know where to get them. (And that question comes up on the FB groups; "how do you turn a flat 2D picture of a robotic hand into a working / manipulatable robotic hand?!")

Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll probably get onto a facebook group and see what I can find.

Right now the best I can seem to find is the Printrbot plus which has a 10"x10"x10" print area for $1000. Getting past the learning curve for designing in 3D will definitely be a challenge, but I'm confident that I can get past it with enough time. If not there's always thingiverse.

RAHagen said:

Yeah that makes sense. Right now it's looking like we'll have a budget of around $1000 so sadly that put the M2 out of reach. Looks like a great printer!



Thanks for the suggestions. I'll probably get onto a facebook group and see what I can find.

Right now the best I can seem to find is the Printrbot plus which has a 10"x10"x10" print area for $1000. Getting past the learning curve for designing in 3D will definitely be a challenge, but I'm confident that I can get past it with enough time. If not there's always thingiverse.

Click to expand...

I have been 3D printing for a year and a half, and recently purchased a Prusa Iv3 12" x 12" x 12" for $750.00. However, this printer is for someone looking for a project, you have to put it together and configure it yourself. I have had it for a month and am still working on the printer, trying to get the best prints.

BLKKROW said:

I have been 3D printing for a year and a half, and recently purchased a Prusa Iv3 12" x 12" x 12" for $750.00. However, this printer is for someone looking for a project, you have to put it together and configure it yourself. I have had it for a month and am still working on the printer, trying to get the best prints.

Click to expand...

Wow that sounds like a great deal money wise!
I'm curious, how difficult is it to configure? I don't know much about 3D printing right now but I'd like to think I'm a pretty quick learner. As for assembly, as long as there are instructions and the electronics are pre-built I could probably do that as well.

RAHagen said:

Wow that sounds like a great deal money wise!
I'm curious, how difficult is it to configure? I don't know much about 3D printing right now but I'd like to think I'm a pretty quick learner. As for assembly, as long as there are instructions and the electronics are pre-built I could probably do that as well.

Click to expand...

https://app.box.com/s/915pv30qucykz1jj2m20

Those are the instructions, you do need to solder and everything else is pretty easy.

Well 3D printing is not easy, articles online and other sources want to make it seem easy. Once you have the printer setup you need to calibrate the e-steps and figure out what your printer likes best for the slicing.

If you are printing for quick mockups then you dont have to put a lot of effort into calibrating. But if you are trying to print things that look nice and fit together then you have to spend time with your printer. With my first printer it took me a good 4 months of work to get it where I wanted.

BLKKROW said:

https://app.box.com/s/915pv30qucykz1jj2m20

Those are the instructions, you do need to solder and everything else is pretty easy.

Well 3D printing is not easy, articles online and other sources want to make it seem easy. Once you have the printer setup you need to calibrate the e-steps and figure out what your printer likes best for the slicing.

If you are printing for quick mockups then you dont have to put a lot of effort into calibrating. But if you are trying to print things that look nice and fit together then you have to spend time with your printer. With my first printer it took me a good 4 months of work to get it where I wanted.

Click to expand...

Okay. Is the printer you have the one from maker farm? They have a prusa I3v with a 12"x12"x13.5" printing area.

As for calibrating the printer, I'm not entirely sure how nice I plan to make the prints. I would assume that would be something I would do as we use it for the first couple months increasing the accuracy as I go. Sounds almost fun, but I might just be ignorant of how hard it is.

RAHagen said:

Okay. Is the printer you have the one from maker farm? They have a prusa I3v with a 12"x12"x13.5" printing area.

As for calibrating the printer, I'm not entirely sure how nice I plan to make the prints. I would assume that would be something I would do as we use it for the first couple months increasing the accuracy as I go. Sounds almost fun, but I might just be ignorant of how hard it is.

Click to expand...

Yes that is the one I have. Whatever printer you pick make sure it has a large number of people using the printer that can help you with questions.

You might also check if there is a TechShop or maker space near you to try them out before investing.

It's also possible to use online services like ShapeWays to make parts, giving you a much wider choice of materials.

I highly, highly, highly recommend the Prusa MK3. You can pay $750 in a kit that is fairly straightforward to put together, or a little more for assembled. I've had mine since May last year. Kept it going 24x7 for a couple of months. Great prints, easy to use.

Here is a photo of my printer in action, and a PETG fin that I printed (took 36 hours at 20% infil).

The fin has rounded inside contour to fit the 5in FB body tube, and it bolts through the wall with 10-32 bolts into a metal strut. Will vacuum bag laminate a layer of carbon fiber around the fin. It is for a M- impulse rocket, so I'm not to concerned with burning a few N's on drag. The fin is very wide for extra strength.

Pretty cool print. What is that LED display to the right?

My guess would be a digital thermostat for either the bed or print head. Suggest the bed as it is set for 91?
(Ancient fridgy talking here!)
Cheers

5 years ago we bought a makerbot 2x. Spent probably $2500 total on it. It was horrid. could never get it to print reliably. This year, we ditched that and got a Prusa MK2s kit for $600. My 8 year old and I spent several weeks putting it together... it could have gone quicker had I done it, but i wanted to take time and have him do it. We did a chapter a night - I think there were 8 or 9 chapters in all. So, maybe 12 or 13 hours total build time. After working out a few kinks, the thing is amazing. It prints better than the makerbot ever did. granted that makerbot was 5 years old, but still. Several months later and we've gone through several spools of filament and she's still going strong. I only wish I had taken the makerbot to the curb sooner.

> Pretty cool print. What is that LED display to the right?

It is a temp monitor. It has an output for a solid state relay to activate some TBD temperature regulation mechanism, but I haven't hooked that up yet -- open and close a vent or something to regulate temp. The heat bead puts out a lot of heat. Gets up to 100F if I keep the enclosure doors closed.

curtisheisey said:

> Pretty cool print. What is that LED display to the right?

It is a temp monitor. It has an output for a solid state relay to activate some TBD temperature regulation mechanism, but I haven't hooked that up yet -- open and close a vent or something to regulate temp. The heat bead puts out a lot of heat. Gets up to 100F if I keep the enclosure doors closed.

Click to expand...

AKA PID controller. I just picked one up for another project, a composite curing oven.

I may have to build a composite oven. I though about buying parts to build one for propellant and composites.

I’ll put in another vote for the Prusa i3. I went for the kit version and it was no problem. I’m amazed at how many uses I’ve found for it, you start to see things differently when you think in terms of CNC.

cwbullet said:

I may have to build a composite oven. I though about buying parts to build one for propellant and composites.

Click to expand...

I am at the early stage of design. I have a high level of what I need to make it happen but the thing that has me hung up are the potential maximums that I may require down the road. Maximums such as internal volume, temperature , tolerance, etc. At this stage I have a PID that a friend donated, however I do not know if this is appropriate for my needs and I am leaning towards a 3 x 3 x 5 interior volume. However I need to do the math to figure out what power it will take to maintain the max tempts I might require for that volume.

I may end up doing something smaller for my needs today, with a bit of room for growth, then when I outgrow that I will have some experience to draw on with a new design for future potential growth. It's probably a better approach.

I agree with others. The Prusa i3 MK3 is great. I also got the kit and it was so simple to put together. Instruction book that came with it is awesome! Also the videos on the web site for start up and tuning are very good. Have not had to do any trouble shooting yet but looks like a good support group.

Best part of assembling a kit is you will know how to fix it when the inevitable happens.

The Prusa does seem to rule the roost for the home printer, I know of a couple users here at work that print with them all the time. My experience with printing is limited to one printer, so to keep from sounding like a "fan-boy" I'll just say that if you require a larger build volume (300mm X 300mm X400mm), the CR-10S is hard to beat for under $400.

I bought a Monoprice Mini last month, basically to get into the technology and see what it's about. At $180 on Amazon, I figured I couldn't lose. It's been pretty good, and does a nice job. I'm about finished with my first spool of PLA. It has a small volume, 120 mm (4.7") cube. I'd say it's a good starter unit for the casual user. Not sure how long it will last under heavy use.

Sawdustdad said:

I bought a Monoprice Mini last month, basically to get into the technology and see what it's about. At $180 on Amazon, I figured I couldn't lose. It's been pretty good, and does a nice job. I'm about finished with my first spool of PLA. It has a small volume, 120 mm (4.7") cube. I'd say it's a good starter unit for the casual user. Not sure how long it will last under heavy use.

Click to expand...

Good choice to get started quick. I've printed a lot with this one in two years.

You all have inspired me -- ordered a Creality Ender 3 pro from Amazon and should arrive today. Have been watching a lot of setup and mod videos over the last couple of days. Planning to do some rocketry stuff, but mainly to print things to help my wife, who is now having lots of hand problems (had her left thumb reconstructed for the 2nd time a couple of weeks ago, right is not much better), so have been looking at lots of places for ideas for things like bigger knobs, levers, jar openers, etc.

Any suggestions on particularly good youtube channels or sites to follow?

Also sprung for the upgraded metal extruder and hotend sock, along with some Hatchbox PLA. Today's main task is to clear space on my workbench out in the garage.

First order of business once I get it dialed in will be to do a new z-axis mount, extruder knob, spool holder, pcb cover, and tool tray (have thingiverse links if anyone is interested). I see there are a ton of other mods to do, but figured these would be a good start until I had some experience under my belt.

That said, if anyone has advice on "must do" mods, I'm all ears.

The ender 3 is nice. I have one and like it. Do not get frustrated too early. They are nto simple to level but once it is, you will love it.

I have a Prusa MK3, CR-10s Pro and an Ender 3.

Bill Hanson said:

That said, if anyone has advice on "must do" mods, I'm all ears.

Click to expand...

PLA is hydroscopic (absorbs moisture). Keep it in a good zip-lock bag with a desiccant packet when not using. Otherwise it will swell (ever so slightly) and become stiff & brittle leading to broken filament..

dr wogz said:

PLA is hydroscopic (absorbs moisture). Keep it in a good zip-lock bag with a desiccant packet when not using. Otherwise it will swell (ever so slightly) and become stiff & brittle leading to broken filament..

Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads-up. Getting a ziplock right now!

yeah, we left our filaments on our first printer. after a few weeks idle, they became quite brittle and we had printer problems..