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Funky Bunch Wikia posted:It's not even the 2X. Just the plain old 2. It doesn't have a heated bed or anything, just a slab of acrylic. Is there anything that is actually consumer grade at this point or is this a common thing across 3d printers My friend is running a 2 and he's upgraded almost everything about that printer. The heated build platform upgrade was his favorite so far. Anything below $5000 won't be something plug and play and will require a ton of tinkering.
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Apr 3, 2014 23:46
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MickRaider posted:My friend is running a 2 and he's upgraded almost everything about that printer. The heated build platform upgrade was his favorite so far. I had pretty good success with my M2 right out of the box. It takes about 10 minutes to level the bed first time, and I redo it about every 400 hours of printing. Everything else JustWorked (tm).
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Apr 4, 2014 00:07
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The 2x loves to jam during a dual extrusion print. I've gotten some good 60-70 hour prints on it though. It just fails a lot
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Apr 4, 2014 00:12
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There is nothing even remotely approaching the reliability of, say, a consumer inkjet printer where you just plug it in and it works fine indefinitely. Even the expensive commercial printers require maintenance and cleaning and occasional adjustments. And for the big industrial scale SLS machines and stuff, forget about it -- they need a full-time technician to keep running. I would put a 3D printer's reliability somewhere between that of a Chinese lawnmower and an Italian car.
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Apr 4, 2014 00:32
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From what I've read I think the "UP!" printers are supposed to be the most plug and playable appliance kinda thing. I don't know about their reliability compared to makerbots but from all the poo poo I hear about makerbots I can't imagine its any worse.
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Apr 4, 2014 03:47
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I'm still impressed by techknight's posted pictures and writeups of using his Afinia (rebranded UP!), available from Staples.
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Apr 4, 2014 05:16
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I just found this: an unboxing and initial writeup for the 5th Gen Replicator: http://www.notcot.com/archives/2014/03/unboxing-makerbot-replicator-5.php tldr: A mixture of slick production + growing pains(?)
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Apr 7, 2014 04:21
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Mister Sinewave posted:I just found this: an unboxing and initial writeup for the 5th Gen Replicator: Argh, that's really frustrating to read. They have Stratasys money to get things right and then that.  I'm working at one of our local libraries teaching 3D printing classes, and they've got two Rep 2 makerbots that seem to run okay (especially considering all the jobs from the public), but I know a lot of frustrated local MakerBot users.I got to use the library's MakerBot Digitizer the other week - that worked pretty decently at least. The software is reasonably friendly, and the scans I tried were good. If you're in Toronto, drop by the Toronto Reference Library and check out all the awesome stuff: http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/innovator-in-residence/
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Apr 7, 2014 08:26
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Has there been a teardown of the Z18? I'm curious if they protect their belts like on stratasys machines
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Apr 7, 2014 16:18
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MickRaider posted:Has there been a teardown of the Z18? I'm curious if they protect their belts like on stratasys machines No one beta testing them has posted about the Z18, as far as I know.
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Apr 8, 2014 08:44
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I read back a few pages, I stalked a while ago when I wanted a printer but evenetually decide it was still to expensive, but has anyone seen and discussed this? https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/m3d/the-micro-the-first-truly-consumer-3d-printer $300 no frills printer. Looks ok too and if enough people buy one then spares and stuff will become easier and cheaper to find.
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Apr 9, 2014 13:41
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I sure hope they know what they are doing. That being said some of us were discussing it at work and there are quite a few signs that they have thought about the biz side and put actual thought into things so that's encouraging. - Limited production numbers, sensible timeframes, wide time margins - People who paid the least will wait the longest - First limited run was at 200$ each apparently? So the campaign spread like wildfire
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Apr 9, 2014 16:54
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I wonder if they're using an anti-backlash gear on the rack and pinion
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Apr 9, 2014 17:34
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Every image in that kickstarter, except the last one with the cat, is out of focus. That bugs me a lot for some reason.
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Apr 9, 2014 18:25
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How easy it is to do some sort of finish on printed parts, like sanding or thermally smoothing parts of the surface? As it should be able to withstand some forces, I presume it would be ABS, non-micro sized features about 0.5in radius. Also, is anyone of you based in NYC/Brooklyn? I would like to build MandelMax2 or similar, but would like to be sure before I commit time and money. Would be great if I could see some of the RepRaps in person.
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Apr 14, 2014 20:55
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I thought it was this thread but I guess not. ABS melts under acetone, so a little bath melts the striations together and gives it a nice smooth surface. I'll try to find the thread that had the post, but there were some side-by-side pics of a printed bear, and the one that had taken a bath was nice and shiny smooth. e: Well, I can't find the post, but here's a reference image:  Googling around for something like "3d print abs acetone" should give you some guidance; I don't really know what's involved. Bad Munki fucked around with this message at 21:08 on Apr 14, 2014 |
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Apr 14, 2014 21:01
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gbut posted:As it should be able to withstand some forces, I presume it would be ABS, non-micro sized features about 0.5in radius. Side note: I used to be interested solely in ABS because I made structural stuff only (nothing decorative) and every single PLA print I had ever handled felt like it was made from spooled glass thread or perhaps hardened cotton candy. I've changed my tune though, the ColorFabb stuff (a blend of PLA and something else) is amazing and if I didn't know it wasn't ABS I'd have been fooled.
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Apr 14, 2014 21:05
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Bad Munki posted:I thought it was this thread but I guess not. ABS melts under acetone, so a little bath melts the striations together and gives it a nice smooth surface. I'll try to find the thread that had the post, but there were some side-by-side pics of a printed bear, and the one that had taken a bath was nice and shiny smooth. I've done this and it works amazingly well, actually. The timing is important to ensure you don't overcook the parts and melt them into mush (thin things will start to droop and fine details will blend out, too) but it's really impressive. Note that acetone is not a solvent for PLA. If you want to do the same with a PLA part, you need methylene chloride or tetrahydrofuran.
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Apr 14, 2014 21:44
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Acetone is good because it's pretty safe for a solvent, it's relatively non toxic compared to a lot of solvents, though the vapours are still irritating to the lungs and eyes so if you're doing an acetone vapour bath do it outside. Also be aware of the fire hazard.
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Apr 14, 2014 22:47
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Keep a damp rag or a spray can of air to smother the flames in case it does ignite. It's really not a big deal if it does. Just cover your bath and blow anything else out. Vapor polishing smooths out well but you should give it some time after vapor polishing to solidify again as the acetone can weaken it slightly. Looks nice though and bonds up the layers well. I've read lately about using MEK Substitute as a PLA polishing technique. It's a little nastier than Acetone so it's definitely advisable to do outside or in a fume hood etc. Seems to get good results though so I'm going to try it soon.
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Apr 14, 2014 23:10
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Does anyone know what Makerbot's PLA filament is like? I know I like the ColorFabb stuff, which is a PLA + PHA hybrid and is tougher than pure PLA (and also has great colors). Is Makerbot's PLA "pure" PLA, or is it also some kind of hybrid?
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Apr 14, 2014 23:53
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It's a pure PLA and really not worth the price IMO https://s3.amazonaws.com/downloads-makerbot-com/filament/PLA+MSDS.pdf MickRaider fucked around with this message at 00:40 on Apr 15, 2014 |
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Apr 15, 2014 00:34
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Thanks - it's not what I expected for some reason but v v
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Apr 15, 2014 01:42
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Wow, thanks! That acetone treatment is pretty amazing! Perfect for what I need. Regarding my second question: is anyone here from Detroit and has a RepRap variant/open hardware version? I'm moving back at the end of May and that's when I would like to make the decision about which printer to build.
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Apr 15, 2014 01:43
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gbut posted:Regarding my second question: is anyone here from Detroit and has a RepRap variant/open hardware version? I've got a beta MM2 kit I bought last spring that I recently got working. It's been decent to me but that hasn't stopped me from trying to improve it. The massive bed is very slow to heat up even with the 24V power system. It's benefited from insulating the underside; initially the PSU fan would start up and blow on the bed, cooling it. That one took awhile to figure out  Even with its issues, I think the aluminum extrusion construction is superior to the alternatives I've seen. Have you tried looking for a local makerspace/hackerspace? In my limited experience there's always someone with a printer you could talk to, if not a healthy sized users group. You could still run into bias if, say, the person you're talking to sells their own printer design. Go to http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/List_of_Hacker_Spaces and start drilling down into the map.
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Apr 15, 2014 04:53
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Have about 50 hours on the 2X at work, and it's been completely plug and play other than user error. We're currently playing with the dissolving filament a lot.
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Apr 15, 2014 21:13
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I've been struggling with our 2x. Lots of jams during dual extrusion prints. Out of the hundreds of hours I've put on since january it's only completed like 3 30+ hour prints. My longest so far was a 67 hour print. I think the nozzle needs a better heat break to minimize the melted zone. When it tries to retract the filament tends to split, leaving a chunk in the nozzle, especially with HIPS. I also think since they're using the stepper motor as essentially a heatsink for their hot end that this might be getting the hobbed end too high causing it to dig into the filament more than necessary I'm pretty impressed with it's reliability in movements but the extrusion issues are far too common.
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Apr 15, 2014 21:26
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Thanks for the MM2 info, it sure sounds like a good pick. I've been to two hackspaces that are not listed in there, in Detroit area: TechShop in Allen Park has a MakerBot Replicator, the wooden frame version (if I remember correctly). I haven't used it, but it will probably be my go-to for initial test runs. OmniCorp might also have one, but I think it was out of service for a while. I don't know of anyone in the area having a RepRap model. I'm mostly curious if there are any advantages to getting an "established" one or is the reliability practically the same across the board? Also, opennes of the platform is always a big plus in my opinion. I have some experience with Arduino, like trying to build a gravity based printer similar to Hektor project by Jurg Lehni. I've abandoned it at some point after realizing that I could not find ropes with a manageable amount of slack when holding a can of spray and the print head a few meters from each side. I've actually managed to write the software both for Arduino to run steppers and a SVG to path converter in JAVA that feeds the Arduino from a PC. Not GCODE, but some similar "protocol" of my own making. In the end, the too much variability in the rope deformation, as well as not having access to materials that could help, made me abandon it. It was in Croatia at the time and there I couldn't even find solenoids to buy that weren't ridiculously expensive. I think that the experience should be enough to get me started. It won't be "inventing hot water" as I did with that project as these 3D printers have a lot of other people's experience already built into design. I'm looking for something that will end up being reliable enough, while keeping the cost down. Building it on my own is another plus. I plan on using it a lot and sharing one in a hackspace with other people who fiddle with it too with it might end up being too costly with time spent in re-tweaking it.
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Apr 15, 2014 21:39
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gbut posted:Reliability.
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Apr 16, 2014 23:18
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Anyone got any opinions on the MakerGear M2? I was looking at getting a Makerbot Replicator 2X for home, but this thing caught my attention. It seems surprisingly highly reviewed on Amazon, for one thing. Has a heated bed for ABS prints, steel frame and machined parts, and the price is surprisingly low. The dual extruder feature of the 2X is not a make-or-break thing for me, mostly because I like to finish and paint my printed parts anyway. Edit: The reason I'm not considering just the straight-up Makerbot Replicator 2 is that I want to give printing in ABS a try, and these both have heated beds, which I understand is a prerequisite to printing in that material. Harvey Baldman fucked around with this message at 16:07 on Apr 24, 2014 |
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Apr 24, 2014 15:36
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My M2 is running next to me right now. I brought it to work to entertain the rugrats during "take your child to work day". It's a great machine for the price. The only finicky thing about it is the initial bed leveling, but after that it will hold true for a long time. Mine has been printing constantly the past 400 hours or so with next to no maintenance and no failures. edit: it has earned its reviews on Amazon. The company is easy to deal with, support is fantastic. I'm a fan.
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Apr 24, 2014 17:08
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insta posted:My M2 is running next to me right now. I brought it to work to entertain the rugrats during "take your child to work day". This is good to hear. I think I'll throw down for the M2. The Replicator 2 I've been exposed to is a nice machine, but demands constant blood sacrifice in order to work properly.
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Apr 24, 2014 18:22
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To follow up on this, my M2 traveled home fine, and immediately began another 44 hour print. No recalibration. This is a large print, the printer isn't slow.
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Apr 25, 2014 14:14
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Can you recommend filament for it? I'm looking at getting both PLA and ABS, but the weird mix of reviews on every single goddamn roll of filament on Amazon makes it impossible for me to know if I'm about to buy garbage plastic or not.
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Apr 25, 2014 15:23
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Funky Bunch Wikia posted:Can you recommend filament for it? I'm looking at getting both PLA and ABS, but the weird mix of reviews on every single goddamn roll of filament on Amazon makes it impossible for me to know if I'm about to buy garbage plastic or not. Apparently some of the best PLA for the M2 is the stuff MakerGear sells. They have a custom extrusion, but I haven't used it. Others on the google group have and love it. I use Ultimachine quite successfully, but the black filament comes out matte. I've tried MatterHackers PRO, and when it works it's nice. The blue jammed my nozzle, and the white had a bulge in it. The other colors have so far been fine. SainSmart is also acceptable. For ABS I just got Tim Elmore's Filastruder (he's a goon) and use that. Make sure you get the melt filter nozzle. Remember to run PLA at 220C on the M2 and ABS at 245C. The nozzle temps are funky.
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Apr 25, 2014 17:04
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I didn't see any post on samart offering little printing services so I figure I'd ask here. I am looking to get a few credit card sized objects printed and one of the services in the OP is quoting me $13,423 dollars because either their software is reading the size wrong or SLS is really that expensive. What should I expect to pay for these things and what material should I use? The first one will hold an antenna about the length of my forearm and the second does very little except protect the pins when I slam my plane into a tree. I missed the boat on rcgroups for $25 for all 3 of the objects which is kind of depressing. http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:301493 http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:223012
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Apr 28, 2014 02:41
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Hit up makexyz.com and find someone in your area. Those should be a few bucks max. I do ship 
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Apr 28, 2014 04:39
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Just for reference, the library near me that has a 3d printer charges $2.00 flat per project, plus $0.25 per gram of plastic, so $25 for three objects even seems a little overpriced (unless that includes shipping or really big items)
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Apr 28, 2014 05:35
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tehk posted:I didn't see any post on samart offering little printing services so I figure I'd ask here. I am looking to get a few credit card sized objects printed and one of the services in the OP is quoting me $13,423 dollars because either their software is reading the size wrong or SLS is really that expensive. What should I expect to pay for these things and what material should I use? The first one will hold an antenna about the length of my forearm and the second does very little except protect the pins when I slam my plane into a tree. I missed the boat on rcgroups for $25 for all 3 of the objects which is kind of depressing. I could print you some parts if you'd like. I've done it for some other goons before. The Antenna holder could be made of PLA or ABS, and the protective cover I would make of ABS, as it is cooler with being hit into things. I replaced some of the carbon fiber parts of my multi rotor with ABS printed parts for when I hit the ground. Edit: That quote for 13,423 is insane, but I've heard of similar quotes from other people I've worked with. PM'd UberVexer fucked around with this message at 08:10 on Apr 28, 2014 |
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Apr 28, 2014 08:07
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tehk posted:I didn't see any post on samart offering little printing services so I figure I'd ask here. I am looking to get a few credit card sized objects printed and one of the services in the OP is quoting me $13,423 dollars because either their software is reading the size wrong or SLS is really that expensive. What should I expect to pay for these things and what material should I use? The first one will hold an antenna about the length of my forearm and the second does very little except protect the pins when I slam my plane into a tree. I missed the boat on rcgroups for $25 for all 3 of the objects which is kind of depressing. Did you use Sculpteo and forgot to change the scale from cm to mm?. I just did the same thing and initial price was $10k!. Changed to mm and it was $10.32
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