MakerBots, RepRaps and UP!s: It's 3D printers!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > MakerBots, RepRaps and UP!s: It's 3D printers!

theparag0n: May 5, 2007; INITIATE STANDING FLIRTATION PROTOCOL beep boop

Hellz yes, a 3d printing thread.

I've started collecting parts together in the last few weeks for a RepRap Huxley (mini mendel), if i've not missed anymore parts from my BoM the final cost should be coming to about �350.

I'm writing up the build process here, one of my aims is to improve the documentation and build instructions around the huxley, as it is currently woefully under-documented.

# ¿ Nov 24, 2010 17:01

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# ¿ May 2, 2024 07:14

theparag0n: May 5, 2007; INITIATE STANDING FLIRTATION PROTOCOL beep boop

Spent the entirety of today building this little feller, who needs to go outside or talk to other human beings?

# ¿ Dec 23, 2010 23:43

theparag0n: May 5, 2007; INITIATE STANDING FLIRTATION PROTOCOL beep boop

krushgroove posted:

OK I guess before I start trying to save up to buy various bits and pieces I should make sure that the RepRap (the only thing I've priced up so far) isn't going to be outmoded or obsolete in the next couple of years. Can anyone tell me how long has the current version been out, and are the electronics due for an upgrade soon?

RepRap is an ever evolving project, but the good news is you can use your reprap to make the new bits for itself!

Right now, i'd suggest going for the Prusa Mendel, as its the best documented, simplest, and cheapest reprap.

Use a 1.75mm hotend for higher resolution printing, and RAMPS-based electronics (arduino shield + pololu)

# ¿ Dec 30, 2010 00:57

theparag0n: May 5, 2007; INITIATE STANDING FLIRTATION PROTOCOL beep boop

ptier posted:

My only "issue" with the Huxley is the effort that people have to use to pop the piece off the surface after it has cooled. But then again, I also noticed that they have a piece of glass on top of the heater, so it shouldn't damage anything.

If you print PLA onto heated glass, once the print finishes you can cool the glass, and the print detaches itself, and can be lifted off.

# ¿ Feb 13, 2012 12:20

theparag0n: May 5, 2007; INITIATE STANDING FLIRTATION PROTOCOL beep boop

leo_r posted:

Hello!

Now that I'm grown up and have a real job, I think it's time I give in to my long standing desire to have a 3D printer.

The specific use case I have in mind (although I have a feeling once I have one I'll be printing left right and centre) is custom brackets - the kind of thing that joins together a pile of servos and electronics into one single thing. Making a robot chassis out of wood is always a horrendous process - being able to design something in CAD with all the correct mounting holes and hit print would be wonderful!

I'm based in the UK, so if anyone else lives here hearing their experiences on shipping and local suppliers would be brilliant.

I think �500 ($800) would be a reasonable expenditure. I can be flexible (having recently learnt that somebody I know puts that much up their nose every month, I'm feeling slightly more generous in budget), but something like a Replicator 2 would be too much.

The printers I've identified so far as possibly suitable are:

1. RepRap Prusa Mendel. I like the ethos of RepRap, the community seems large, and if I wanted to I could extend it. It looks like a mostly-assembled kit comes in at �450-�500. I also like the fact it has a fairly large heritage behind it. If anyone has any recommended suppliers (UK/EU based preferred) I'd appreciate hearing about them.

2. Solidoodle. I've seen it mentioned a few times in this thread, although most recently for their poor shipping.

3. Printrbot.

My principal concerns are:

1. Community - I've owned enough obscure devices to know that if you go with the flow you're much more likely to find the support you need. It's great saving $100 but if you're the only person with any technical knowledge who owns a device then when it breaks you're screwed.

2. Cheap filament - I think all 3 can use fairly generic ABS, but I may be wrong?

3. Not too involved. I'm perfectly capable of populating circuit boards, but I don't really want to. Assembling a kit is fine, but assembling from scratch seems too much like hard work.

I'd love to hear of any experiences with the three (especially from people who've used more than one 3D printer). Currently I'm tending towards a Mendel Prusa, but if anyone thinks something else that I've not heard of (so much has happened in the 3D printing space in the last year!) would be worth investigating, please mention it. I know there's a lot of RepRap derivatives that might be worth investigating.

The RepRapPro Mendel will do what you want.

Its made by Adrian Bowyer (who started the whole reprap project), It uses Melzi Electronics, which come preassembled and are hard to gently caress up, and is a well designed printer from a well respected UK company.

http://reprappro.com/Mendel

# ¿ Dec 3, 2012 17:43

theparag0n: May 5, 2007; INITIATE STANDING FLIRTATION PROTOCOL beep boop

Chainclaw posted:

However, a new problem has cropped up. My Y layers get offset each couple of layers. Nothing seems to be bumping into the contact that sets the Y position at zero, so I don't know what to do next.

Check the grub screw holding your Y pulley to the stepper motor, i've had this issue before when it came loose.

# ¿ May 17, 2013 16:44

theparag0n: May 5, 2007; INITIATE STANDING FLIRTATION PROTOCOL beep boop

Bad Munki posted:

I'm looking at putting together a mendel90, the sturdy variant, since I'm equipped to do mdf all day long. But man, all those printed parts. I've found kits that are just the printed parts for $75, is that reasonable or silly? Anyone know a better source? I'm trying to put this together for our budding makerspace, and we have a puny (basically non-existent) budget for now, so I'll probably be donating anything I have to buy.

Where are you? Our Hackspace got a dibond mendel90 donated, I can print you a set of parts to pay it forward if you pay shipping :cheers:

# ¿ May 27, 2014 21:23

theparag0n: May 5, 2007; INITIATE STANDING FLIRTATION PROTOCOL beep boop

Last week our Mendel90 spool snagged, the printer climbed up the filament, and it spent 8 hours wiggling itself, climbing up and crashing down while valiantly attempting to complete the print.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZhuCOPJNs8

Hͥͫ̌ͣ̇e͈̙̖̪͕͔ c͖͊̂̍̉̍ͥͨó̹̜̺̘̬̋͋͐m̮͙͎̰̯͖̌̒̎ͥ́e͊s͖͖ͧ

Took it down, relevelled the X axis, printed again right off. Get a Mendel90.

# ¿ Dec 5, 2014 16:56

theparag0n: May 5, 2007; INITIATE STANDING FLIRTATION PROTOCOL beep boop

Fayez Butts posted:

gently caress, my local place just bumped up to $250/month full time.

Holy balls, we're �10 a month ($17)

# ¿ May 1, 2015 15:32

theparag0n: May 5, 2007; INITIATE STANDING FLIRTATION PROTOCOL beep boop

frumpykvetchbot posted:

Thing that holds the FPV goodies

Hows your layer adhesion? Those tall thin columns are setting off my "OH GOD SUPER FRAGILE" brainparts.

# ¿ Jun 10, 2015 11:55

theparag0n: May 5, 2007; INITIATE STANDING FLIRTATION PROTOCOL beep boop

I've been trying to figure out what the scam is, and am coming up blank.

AliExpress keeps all transaction funds in escrow until both the buyer and the seller confirm they are happy with the transaction, so even if its a scam, you can reclaim all your money.

# ¿ Oct 5, 2015 14:53

theparag0n: May 5, 2007; INITIATE STANDING FLIRTATION PROTOCOL beep boop

I figured out the scam. They're 'shipping' via china post, offering you a partial refund because the listing said UPS, which releases the remainder to them if you accept it. I wrote a full thing up at http://thinkl33t.co.uk/anatomy-of-a-scam-the-tale-of-the-40-3d-printer/.

# ¿ Oct 5, 2015 16:09

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# ¿ May 2, 2024 07:14

theparag0n: May 5, 2007; INITIATE STANDING FLIRTATION PROTOCOL beep boop

Upload the gcode somewhere and we can have a look - he might just not be waiting long enough for hotend to be at temperature.

# ¿ Feb 10, 2016 11:16

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