3d printer?

[Dave Cav]

Since we don't have a 3D printer forum, this is the closest I can get, I guess.

I have some money left over in my school shop budget I need to spend before the end of the year (Aug 31). The CAD guys have been after me for a while to get a 3D printer for small projects. I would like to keep the budget around $1000 if possible, and would like to get something with support available, not a no-name orphan with an incomprehensible manual. I have been thinking MakerBot, but I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks

[Bill Munroe]

Haven't tried it, but Airwolf has an assemble yourself unit for about $1,300. A buddy of mine just bought an upscale model from them for his workplace and seems pretty impressed with it.

[Dan Hintz]

Define "support". For $1k, you're not going to get professional support by any stretch of the word... you're pretty much limited to (company-supported?) forums filled with users. Not necessarily a bad thing, but you can't expect any "We'll ship parts to you same-day" to fix any issues.

[William Adams]

Inventables sells the Up! Mini 3d printer for $899 which would leave you some budget for filament.

Their customer service seems quite good judging from the Shapeoko forums.

[Dave Cav]

Define "support". For $1k, you're not going to get professional support by any stretch of the word... you're pretty much limited to (company-supported?) forums filled with users. Not necessarily a bad thing, but you can't expect any "We'll ship parts to you same-day" to fix any issues.

I agree; I'm not going to get Epilog-level support for a simple entry level 3D printer; I'll settle for a US phone number with someone who speaks native English on the other end, and parts that don't have to come off of another machine in China; we had a laser like that at my last school and it was a nightmare.

[ed vitanovec]

Solid Doodle has 4 3D printers and prices are, $499, $599, $699 and $999.

[Dan Hintz]

I agree; I'm not going to get Epilog-level support for a simple entry level 3D printer; I'll settle for a US phone number with someone who speaks native English on the other end, and parts that don't have to come off of another machine in China; we had a laser like that at my last school and it was a nightmare.

I have a SoliDoodle 2, and though I have never tried, there's no way I would expect someone to answer the phone for a tech question. That's what the forums were designed for. There was nearly a mutiny in the forums when SoliDoodle was pushing back shipping dates on their units by several months because they supposedly couldn't keep up with demand (i.e., they didn't have a good grasp on what they were doing)... this is NOT a business model that lends itself to tech support above and beyond answering the occasional email or forum post. At the sub-multi-$k mark, there is simply no room to pay someone for one-on-one technical support via phone. If you want that level of support, you really need to be at the $10k+ mark (Objet, et. al.).

[Clark Pace]

I have a ebay CTC 3d printer from china. Makerbot clone. It's fun, but I have not found way to make money on it yet.

[james mcgrew]

I make the Bases for a Company which is well on its way in this Business !!

www.zverse.com

[Matt McCoy]

I have a SoliDoodle 2, and though I have never tried, there's no way I would expect someone to answer the phone for a tech question. That's what the forums were designed for. There was nearly a mutiny in the forums when SoliDoodle was pushing back shipping dates on their units by several months because they supposedly couldn't keep up with demand (i.e., they didn't have a good grasp on what they were doing)... this is NOT a business model that lends itself to tech support above and beyond answering the occasional email or forum post. At the sub-multi-$k mark, there is simply no room to pay someone for one-on-one technical support via phone. If you want that level of support, you really need to be at the $10k+ mark (Objet, et. al.).

Dave, I like Will's suggestion. The Up printers are pretty straight-forward and dependable with the capability to produce nice prints. Also, if service is a big consideration, Inventables is pretty outstanding and a good place to consider buying your printer. The folks there are genuinely enthusiastic about digital fabrication and very helpful. They are responsive, extremely knowledgeable and have a lot of experience selling and supporting schools, universities, libraries, and maker spaces. Most items they carry will ship the same day.

At the $2K price point, I like Aleph Objects. They make an open printer -- both hardware and software -- that you can repair, upgrade, and tweak. You can simply print new parts. They are very responsive and helpful too.

[Dr. Steven Welch]

Dave,
If you don't mind building it, MakerFarm has a really good kit for well under 1K. Colin, the owner, is excellent when it comes to support. He has good videos for assembly and he is quick to answer any questions via email. I've never had it take over an hour for him to respond to my email request (usually just a matter of minutes).

The kit's are laser cut ply that is bolted together. They include a heated bed (allowing you to print multiple materials). The only thing required is a PC power supply ($40.00 or so from a big box store or Amazon). You will also need a couple of pieces of plate glass (got mine from a big box store). You don't need a special glass. I use Aqua Net Extra Super Hold hair spray to make the parts stick to the heated bed. This is much cheaper than Kapton or painter's tape you will read about and works just as well. I've never had a part come off when it wasn't supposed to.

There are a number of MakerFarm users out there and some have posted some really neat modifications. You should definitely check out Zennmaster on his website and YouTube.

If you decide to go this route and have any questions, I would be happy to try to answer them.

[William Adams]

FWIW, I just wrote up a page on 3D printing on the Shapeoko wiki: http://www.shapeoko.com/wiki/index.php/3D_Printing

and I've just finished up converted a small CNC router to a 3D printer by bolting on an extruder: http://www.shapeoko.com/wiki/index.php/RepStrapOko

Still adding to the pages --- if anyone has any suggestions or questions I'd be like to hear them.

[Jason Kowell]

At my place, we have an Afinia, Lulzbot Taz4, and Makerbot 5th gen. The Makerbot is easily the best, though it is well outside your posted budget. Time is money, so for us, the fact that setting up the Makerbot is so much quicker means that, even costing twice as much as the Taz, it is still the more economical option in the long run. Of the other two, the Afinia is a pretty good option at $1300. The only issue is that leveling the build plate is annoying, especially since you have to do it before printing anything.

I have no idea if any of them offer education discounts, but it can't hurt to ask.

[Clark Pace]

I got mine off of ebay. A ctc brand. Kind of no name, but it was very simple to get going. As easy as any other solid doodle or the like. It was $800 shipping included. I had a thermal head go bad, and they shipped me a new one with a days. It was a good experience as far as support. Especially for a china branded machine.

[Steveo O'Banion]

We purchased 3, BFB 3D printers almost two years ago. These printers have two extruders and print with either PLA or ABS plastic.

It's been a nightmare and the other two teachers (one an engineer) gave up on them. I'm originally a shop teacher (among other things) and had the most success with my printer, because I spent the most time keeping mine running. I now have all three, two have a broken extruder.

So our school system decided to go with Makerbots instead. They haven't arrived yet, but one of our teachers had one for a month and ran it non-stop, the results were good. I'm a little leery, Makerbot has been panned on Amazon and one user spoke of the issues with 3d printers in general. I'm actually looking at a CarveWright to use instead.