I got me 3D printer, awesome!

I think I'm convinced to wait it out for the big box. Looks great, and like you said the fact its UK based is a big plus for me. Thanks for the heads up about it!
 
What's the cheapest printer these days? I don't need anything fancy it's really basic parts with the smallest measurement being 1mm. Would like one capable of printing 150mm length I can do some trickery to get the 300mm length I need but I suspect it will add substantially to costs to get one that size.

Having been given quotes of £70 to get the parts done by someone else I figure it might be more prudent to get my own just incase the initial design doesn't translate well from Solidworks and I have to get it done again. Could add up enough to get my own.

Any advice? :)
 
Mynight said:
What's the cheapest printer these days? I don't need anything fancy it's really basic parts with the smallest measurement being 1mm. Would like one capable of printing 150mm length I can do some trickery to get the 300mm length I need but I suspect it will add substantially to costs to get one that size.

Having been given quotes of £70 to get the parts done by someone else I figure it might be more prudent to get my own just incase the initial design doesn't translate well from Solidworks and I have to get it done again. Could add up enough to get my own.

Any advice? :)
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Maybe a Fisher Delta from link?

However I would say that cheap doesn't mean you'll get a reliable printer. They also require tinkering to get the best results and investment in slicing software.

I would either stick to brand like Printrbot, Ultimaker, Bigbox (E3D) or RepRapPro.

You can get them cheaper in kit form too, but will require the time to put together and you run the risk of more set-up time.

Maybe get some other quotes for getting stuff printed?

J.
 
£70 was the cheapest of 8 companies so I think I'm SOL there :(.

To be honest I quite fancy a kit just for the fun (and headache) of putting one together. Any savings will just be a bonus.

I'll check them out thanks :).

I assume the Chinese clones like CTC sold on Amazon are to be avoided?
 
Mynight said:
£70 was the cheapest of 8 companies so I think I'm SOL there :(.

To be honest I quite fancy a kit just for the fun (and headache) of putting one together. Any savings will just be a bonus.

I'll check them out thanks :).

I assume the Chinese clones like CTC sold on Amazon are to be avoided?
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While I don't have any experience with the brand you quote, I would avoid them. From what I've read the electronics of these printers can be total rubbish and the hot ends aren't the best either.

Have you got a .stl file of the thing you want printing?

J.
 
I haven't at the moment. I just sent them SLDPRT files but it wouldn't be hard to save it as a stl.

Yeah there seems to be rather conflicting reviews on them. Wasn't sure if the negatives were done by a competitor and the positives done by CTC themselves :D.
 
Mynight said:
I haven't at the moment. I just sent them SLDPRT files but it wouldn't be hard to save it as a stl.

Yeah there seems to be rather conflicting reviews on them. Wasn't sure if the negatives were done by a competitor and the positives done by CTC themselves :D.
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Make sure the STL file has no errors then post it here. If you have multiple items you may have to separate them.

Do you know what filament you need it printed in?
 
Not 100% sure if I'm honest I need to look at the options a bit more but I think pls will suffice for prototype.

I'm actually about to pull the trigger on a fisher delta 1 kit :). To be honest it would probably be better to keep it all inhouse until I work out if it's feasible to patent. Even if not it's a good excuse for a 3D printer :D.
 
Mynight said:
Not 100% sure if I'm honest I need to look at the options a bit more but I think pls will suffice for prototype.

I'm actually about to pull the trigger on a fisher delta 1 kit :). To be honest it would probably be better to keep it all inhouse until I work out if it's feasible to patent. Even if not it's a good excuse for a 3D printer :D.
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Nice one.
Just make sure you can add a heated bed so you can use both PLA\ABS.
PLA is not a hard wearing as ABS.

edit=The best slicing software is not cheap :( but I have it :) simplify3D
 
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deuse said:
Nice one.
Just make sure you can add a heated bed so you can use both PLA\ABS.
PLA is not a hard wearing as ABS.

edit=The best slicing software is not cheap :( but I have it :) simplify3D
Click to expand...

There doesn't seem to be an option for a heated bed but I'm sure when it comes to it I can Jerry rig it. I think the nozzle (?) would have to be changed for a higher powered one as well.

To be honest though once it comes to needing hard wearing pieces(at least in the current theme of idea) I'd moving into injection moulds instead for PVC.

Cheers I'll take a look at that software :). That preditor looks sweet!
 
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Hi, mate of mine just got a 3d printer - Migbot Prusa i3. It prints in PLA ok, but ABS is failing badly. It has a heated bed with glass plate on, but when the model starts after it has created the nice flat base the model will slowly peel off the bed as it gets about half way through. Any advice on how to get it to stay on the bed? He has tried spraying the glass with hairspray and that worked a little better but still failed.
 
Ergh I'm worried I'm going to pull the trigger on the wrong thing now :(.

So max of £300 the fisher Delta would be the best option?

Just reading their forums and it seems its quite prone to snapping the arms to the extent some are recommending your first print to be a new set :D.

Edit: Being a cheapskate it does appear to be the best solution other than Chinese clones.
 
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