The 3d printing thread

[ax]

Oh really I've been looking at getting one, well it's obviously not just a dodgy one as its had a load of things wrong with it, can you recommend a good budget printer?

What @peps1 has, a Wanhao i3, or a Reprap Prusa. On my phone atm, will get links..

 

[ax]

Wanhao Duplicator i3 - Wedo3Dprinting Shop - Wanhao alternative vendor

https://www.3dprintersonlinestore.com/product/reprap/electron-3d-prusa-i3-kit - this is probably what I would have gone with if I'd sat and did a little more research. Out of stock atm but they are free DHL shipping to the UK. Works out to around £250..

 

[hellgh0st]

Duplicator i3 - Latest spec model – wanhaouk.com

But guess it depends on what you want to pint.

Edit to add: What ever budget printer you get you will have to print out few MOD or switch out some components to get the best out of it......unfortunately there is no straight out the box easy to use 3D printer under a few thousand pounds......so prepare to spend a lot of time tinkering and calibrating what ever printer you do get....they are a hell of a time sponge.

I'll go and have a look early xmas pressie me thinks,! I love tinkering and upgrading (the wife hates it as you say very much a time sponge) " I've only been in the shed 10 mins" , (wife) "how the hell is 4 hours 10 mins" I've just not got any experience with 3d modeling!

 

[hellgh0st]

Wanhao Duplicator i3 - Wedo3Dprinting Shop - Wanhao alternative vendor

https://www.3dprintersonlinestore.com/product/reprap/electron-3d-prusa-i3-kit - this is probably what I would have gone with if I'd sat and did a little more research. Out of stock atm but they are free DHL shipping to the UK. Works out to around £250..

WOW that's going blody cheap! Only one day left on that price, im going to have to wait a month, well it will give me some time to learn how to 3d model on my gaming rig cheers ax

 

[ax]

WOW that's going blody cheap! Only one day left on that price, im going to have to wait a month, well it will give me some time to learn how to 3d model on my gaming rig cheers ax

No probs, it's auto levelling as well, so no fucking about with the bed... I mean, if I RMA mine totally, I'll be getting the Prusa.

 

[hellgh0st]

No probs, it's auto levelling as well, so no fucking about with the bed... I mean, if I RMA mine totally, I'll be getting the Prusa.

I think that would be the way forward pal, then start again tinkering with that one lol. Has the prusa already got very fine toothed cogs? Or will they need changing?

 

[peps1]

WOW that's going blody cheap! Only one day left on that price, im going to have to wait a month, well it will give me some time to learn how to 3d model on my gaming rig cheers ax

Acrylic or wood is not the best, Id pay a little more for a Prusa i3 Steel (or duplicator i3 that is essentially a reworking of the prusa steel).

 

[hellgh0st]

Acrylic or wood is not the best, Id pay a little more for a Prusa i3 Steel (or duplicator i3 that is essentially a reworking of the prusa steel).

Is there much difference between steel and duplicator? Apart from the price!

 

[peps1]

Is there much difference between steel and duplicator? Apart from the price!

Depends on what steel, the "Prusa i3" is a open source RepRap platform, so a lot of company's are making them in all types of configurations and there are even more kits available.

the main differences will be the main board MKS/RAMPS/Melzi board they are using and what extruder they are using.

So, not all "Prusa i3" will be the same configuration, the good thing about the duplicator i3 is they have sold a shit tone of them over the last few months, so its really easy to find parts or print MODs specific to the duplicator i3 as it has a "standard" as in all of them have the same parts, over the trouble with Prusa i3 coming in assorts of configurations.

This one one o the quirks of 3D printers and open source, you start with a model like a RepRap that then branches off into Prusa models, then Prusa i3 then a Prusa i3 steel and then Duplicator i3, and at each of those branches you have different company changing bit here and there, so you can end up with two Prusa i3 printers that don't share a single components just a platform of design.

If you want to go with a kit, I would totally agree with ax that a Prusa i3 variant is the best option, but you can often find lower specification Prusa i3 kits costing more then a ready build steel frame Duplicator i3.

Though there are many things I have even changed on my Duplicator i3, to get it printing the plastics I want and the way I want, as someone wanting to print something like PLA is going to need different MODs to someone want to print higher temp plastics like ABS or PET......or example cooling fan (PLA need to have cool air blown over it to harden it from the next layer, where as ABS/PET dont need cooling fans) and that where we get into the dark arts of heated bed materials, tapes, glues and sprays

 

[hellgh0st]

Lots to learn but a great hobby to have