Anyone know much about 3d printers?

[gnat]

Probably just a question for Schnelly, but some of you aren't old farts

I'm looking at the Prusa MK3. It looks like it has a pretty good resolution and reputation. I really like that they have been making upgrade kits for older models so you don't have to toss out the whole thing when a significant improvement comes about.

Anyone have direct experience with this printer or have other recommendations?

This would be my first printer so I don't know much and a lot bewilders me. I know I want a decent print area (200x200x200 or better) and a good resolution (thin layers). I also can't stomach >$1000 for my first printer, but also don't want to spend $300 and be looking to replace it quickly because I'm not happy with it's result.

I can't say I have any specific models in mind, but I wouldn't be upset to produce something like this to compliment my Lego version

[TheDeckMan]

I bought a Makerbot way back, ended up burning out a mother board and that was the end of that. It had tons of issues here and there that made it not very reliable. This was 2012/13-ish. Seems like things have progressed much more since then. I have been thinking of picking up something else but cant justify yet for work needing one of the more expensive units from say 3d systems.

An Ultimaker does seem to do well, I have not really looked much into the DIY kits, that does seem for many the better way to go as it allows a cheaper entry and maintenance. The Formlabs system is really nice, buddy has one and it is super reliable for printing high quality parts. Have some Lego's he printed and they came out 100x better than using extruded ABS.

[gnat]

My local library has an Ultimaker in their Maker Space (also a Lulz Mini and two smaller printers I don't remember the names of). It's an impressive unit, but it has a commiserate price tag which is beyond what I want to spend without a clear long term need.

My first print (at the library) was a Lego base plate with my son's name on it. It's not near Lego quality, but I expect that is because they don't print at the highest res by default due to the backlog (7-10 days right now) they have. My son loves it though which is the important part

[5chn3ll]

I have a MakerBot Series II, which is now ancient by 3D desktop standards, but it still makes solid prints.

Each printer has inherent weaknesses; read the reviews and upgrade whatever might not be optimal for the printer you're considering.

For example, the Series II came with an acrylic build plate, which made it USELESS for large/dense prints. The localized heating from newly-printed filament is sufficient to warp the build plate and the build gets ruined. The Series II also had some filament feed issues. After replacing the acrylic build plate with a chunky cut-glass version and building a filament rack with bearings to eliminate the feed issues, the print quality is decent...

Here's a test set of braille dice I recently printed for my nephew, printed medium quality to see if the cells are big enough for him to recognize. A re-print at 125% scale at high quality, and the dork will be playing D&D with his own dice set. The mung on the front left dice is support/raft I didn't peel off completely.

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[5chn3ll]

Have you looked into the 3D laser (laser resin lithography) as well as filament-based printers? If I had the coin and a justifiable need, that would be one of my next toys.

[gnat]

Have you looked into the 3D laser (laser resin lithography) as well as filament-based printers? If I had the coin and a justifiable need, that would be one of my next toys.

Yeah those are nice (and annoying that they get bumped into many FDM discussions which muddles things more), but I'm looking to stay under 1k since this is my first printer and I have no specific need for it. I can stomach a $700 piece of "sculpture" much better than a 5k one

[5chn3ll]

Craigslist and others are full of people trying to offload bad decisions...I suspect there are a shit-ton of printers out there with no more than 20 hours on 'em.

Do you want to print ABS and PLA, or just one or the other?

The printer I wish I had held off for was the Replicator 2X. The dual print nozzles make it possible to print in two different colors - or to create composite prints with multiple filament types without filament changes. Being able to print rafts and supports with dissolvable filament would have saved a ton of time with cleanups over the years.

[KoB]

Craigslist and others are full of people trying to offload bad decisions...I suspect there are a shit-ton of printers out there with no more than 20 hours on 'em.

Do you want to print ABS and PLA, or just one or the other?

The printer I wish I had held off for was the Replicator 2X. The dual print nozzles make it possible to print in two different colors - or to create composite prints with multiple filament types without filament changes. Being able to print rafts and supports with dissolvable filament would have saved a ton of time with cleanups over the years.

Serious question, as I haven’t paid much attention to 3D printers ... what’s your take on the rate of price/performance change, year over year? Is it a Moore’s Law kind of deal where next year’s model has substantially greater functionality at the same cost, or is the market shaking out and the curve is a little flatter?

[5chn3ll]

I don't think Moore's Law much matters for desktop 3D printing in its current mainstream state (printing with plastic filament) - the limiting factor is getting the material deposited in a consistent manner, which is more a function of temperature and materials science than CPU power.

Ever-more-powerful laser diodes and DLP are going to drive the next-generation desktop printers for binding plastics and metals. Being able to rapid prototype metal parts from the desktop affordably would be the dream, but the "you'll-print-a-gun!" crowd will probably foul that up.

Question: Would you rather hold and fire a 3D-printed plastic gun or a decently-made zip gun? Maybe I'm a wuss, but I have no interest in spending a thousand dollars so I can manufacture a device to maim myself with...

[gnat]

Yeah I'm all for any moron being able to print guns on a consumer grade printer. The problem WILL resolve itself