3D PLA printers are non-trivial to build, but very do-able at a hackerspace.
http://reprap.org/wiki/Prusa_Mendel_%28iteration_2%29
3D Printer for less than $400
11–20 of 80 posts
Re: 3D Printer for less than $400
#12[deleted]
Re: 3D Printer for less than $400
#13Does the market need a cheaper printer, or a better one? I've used 6 types of 3D printers. (Extrusion type, ABS or PLA) 3 from the 'consumer' grade and 3 from the 'pro' grade. Each of the consumer grade printers was an exercise in frustration. All the printers had ugly, clunky software, but the pro printers would almost always make the thing I wanted. The consumer printers I've tried take 3 or 4 failures to get 'set…
Not only that. General stories have led me to be HIGHLY skeptical of any Kickstarter projects that make extreme claims. The more far-reaching the claim, the lower the chances I would even consider investing. This one meets my personal criteria for "I'd get a better return just burning the money, at least then I'd get some heat."
Re: 3D Printer for less than $400
#14I would order this, but I have already heard about people getting ripped off from kickstarter. I know that most of these people actually deliver what they are supposed to on their end, but one bad apple can cause hesitation when it comes to my hard earned cash.
I don't buy things from kickstarter in the thousands unless it's a proven name in a business. I often buy things in the hundreds, and have yet to be truly stiffed (although delays are a certainty)
Re: 3D Printer for less than $400
#15I would order this, but I have already heard about people getting ripped off from kickstarter. I know that most of these people actually deliver what they are supposed to on their end, but one bad apple can cause hesitation when it comes to my hard earned cash.
There are two kinds of "ripped off" when it comes to Kickstarter:
1.) They collect the money to do the project, attempt to do the project, and then fail for one of a hundred reasons and don't deliver a product.
2.) They collect the money to do the project, never actually try to do the project, and never deliver a product.
The first example is the nature of Kickstarter and embodies the risk that you take on if you choose to fund a project. Often times people feel like this is the same as being ripped off, but it's not.
The second example is just getting ripped off.
Re: 3D Printer for less than $400
#16From what I understand, margins are pretty good right now for ~$1k+ printers. This however looks looks too polished for the price they are trying to deliver. Reliable wifi connectivity, air filtration, fancy box, mobile apps, cloud software, scale to weigh amount of filament in the hopper... hmmmm. Existing sub $400 printers[see below] havent shipped in mass quantities yet (well, besides the printrbot jr). Whoever ge…
The scale part of it is rather simple ... you can get sensors for measuring the amount of pressure cheap and easily, just some calibration and you are set.
Re: 3D Printer for less than $400
#17"Best layer resolution: 100microns" So 0.1mm in z, but what about x and y? Or does the above imply that they are all 0.1mm? Is that for the final product output or is that a nozzle head movement resolution?
From Pirate3D in comments:
"@Usman Glad you asked! What is the minimum printable detail? >> We can get the facial features on printed figurines. Do you have any specific test print in mind?
What is minimal wall thickness? >> We use a 0.4mm nozzle. We pjrint our single shell objects at this thickness (0.4mm)."
So, 0.4mm min. XY resolution.
Re: 3D Printer for less than $400
#18Printrbot Simple is $299. http://printrbot.com/shop/printrbot-simple-beta/
My son wants to get a 3d printer for his birthday (and he wants to print a lot of airplanes with it) and I think it'd be a fun project to do together; to learn about computer controlled robots and programming with OpenSCAD. I've been reading the Printrbot forums and there's a bunch of work to do to get a good print, which is fun, but probably won't get the best prints. I'm not sure if I want a "consumer" or "hobbyist" printer given that it's going to be for education and fun...
EDIT: Though having read the page, this looks totally awesome, and if I could buy one right now then I probably would (instead of the printrbot).
Re: 3D Printer for less than $400
#19Seems as though it may require you to upload all G-code or .STL's to Pirate3D's server for printing. Question addressing the issue was just asked in the comments section.
IP questions as well as hardware behavior with spotty internet connection both jump up as potential issues in my mind. I would imagine this is for a standardized file preparation & troubleshooting service.
I wouldn't be interested in purchasing a 3D printer that I cannot directly feed G-code or STL's to without an internet connection or someone else's server getting involved.
[EDIT] I stand corrected, there is a 'backup' mode for printing without involving their servers or network connection.
Re: 3D Printer for less than $400
#20[deleted]