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3D Printer recommendations - Printable Version

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3D Printer recommendations - matelich - 09-10-2015

Budget is about $500. A kit would be fine, since it seems like most any system ends up involving taking something apart and replacing/upgrading it anyway.

The Geeetech kits out of China are really cheap but it seems like people have had ok luck with getting them working. The I3 Pro B seems like fun to support wood/nylon etc. but I wonder if those are just a bit of a gimmick. Guess the general Prusa I3 design is available from various sources.

I saw Colby seemed to like his Kossel mini a lot and the rostock design generally seems very cool.

Thoughts or advice?

Thanks!


RE: 3D Printer recommendations - ctcollins9 - 09-10-2015

Yes! I love my kossel mini clone! I believe it would be a great choice. Print quality us just excellent. Would you like to see some of my prints?


RE: 3D Printer recommendations - matelich - 09-10-2015

Sure!


RE: 3D Printer recommendations - ctcollins9 - 09-10-2015

Here ya go! https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5dufp3per7c2aul/AAAH6KQyhPg0RBEfsd04XEQia?dl=0

I wasn't sure if the email I sent you went through, but my printer is on sale for half what I paid for it back in December right now: https://www.3dprintersonlinestore.com/diy-kit/delta-3d-printer-kit but not only is it half price, it includes auto-leveling for free and and the heated bed upgrade is $40 cheaper than when I bought mine in case you wanted to print in ABS.

And yes, the printer does come from china, but I received mine in 7 business days after I ordered it. That's pretty fast from china! Smile

All of my prints have been done without calibration to the printer, in fact, the only mod I have done to it is a bed leveling mod that Dan modeled for me (Thanks Dan!) As the bed leveling system that came with the printer was terrible, but since the printer now comes with auto-leveling, I would hope that wouldn't be a problem!

Also, it can be ran at up to 300mm/s!


RE: 3D Printer recommendations - ABearden - 09-10-2015

What are you planning to print with it? That changes everything.

Printrbot and MakerFarm are generally considered the best starting printers in that price range. Chinese printers are going to take more work to get running well, but they're based on opensource designs so most can be made to work. Avoid acrylic frames. They tend to fatigue quickly and fracture.


RE: 3D Printer recommendations - matelich - 09-11-2015

[Huh, guess you don't get an email per post to the thread]

Thanks Colby, those look great. I appreciate the movie to capture the noise level, which doesn't seem too bad.

its a printer for printer's sake, really, ABearden. My hope is that we'll come up with something to make with it besides chess pieces and learn about 3D modelling. My son does have lots of sisters, so I'm sure the request queue will be long.


RE: 3D Printer recommendations - ctcollins9 - 09-13-2015

The noise is actually much quieter than that, the microphone on the phone I had at the time that I was recording with was less than crappy. I, myself, am pretty much hooked on deltas by now, especially because of how fast they print. One thing to consider, not that it will stop any maker from getting a printer, they are money pits, at least for me. I originally paid $500 for my printer kit, and now, I have had my printer for about 9-10 months, I have over $850 into it. Good luck, and have fun.


RE: 3D Printer recommendations - tupperck - 09-14-2015

(09-13-2015, 05:49 AM)ctcollins9 Wrote: The noise is actually much quieter than that, the microphone on the phone I had at the time that I was recording with was less than crappy. I, myself, am pretty much hooked on deltas by now, especially because of how fast they print. One thing to consider, not that it will stop any maker from getting a printer, they are money pits, at least for me. I originally paid $500 for my printer kit, and now, I have had my printer for about 9-10 months, I have over $850 into it. Good luck, and have fun.

Colby, thanks for the tip. I went ahead and ordered one of these. I was impressed by the quality you acheived on yours. Can you tell me what sort of upgrades you've found most helpful?


RE: 3D Printer recommendations - ctcollins9 - 09-14-2015

I have done no upgrades other than a new bed leveling system that Dan modeled for me, but since the printer now comes with auto-leveling, so bed leveling shouldn't be a problem. I also have done no calibration other than calibrating the extruder, which is mandatory for nearly any printer. Good luck!


RE: 3D Printer recommendations - Gyroman - 09-14-2015

I just received the HE3D Mini Kossel last Friday. I spent most of Saturday putting it together and worked on wiring yesterday. I've found that one of my stepper motors is bad so I ordered a suitable replacement from Amazon because I didn't want to wait for a replacement from China. Looking at the photos posted by Colby is very encouraging that I've made the right choice for a first machine. I can guess what some of his upgrades are. I would start out by throwing away all the chinese M3 screws and buying some decent hardware. I'll be interested to see Colby's reply in regards to other upgrades.

Provided I have no further problems, I'm hoping to be printing by the weekend.