3D Printing in Ireland??

meglome · 01-02-2014 7:01pm #1

Hi all. I suspect you guys will have some experience getting 3D printing done in Ireland.

Suggestions on where to go?
And how is it priced, by size, by time etc?

With the price of some of the printers now there must be a temptation to buy one if you've got a lot of prototyping to do.

Thanks.

Peter T · 05-02-2014 9:53pm

Depending on what you need done traditional methods can still be cheaper and more effective. To have a 3d printer thats worth while your talking 200k+ for the machine and resin cartages vary from 1k to 3k. Cost for parts is time and material used. Also big parts need alot of support material so thats a cost people tend to overlook. If your interested in getting parts done I can get you a contact with a high resolution printer.

something123 · 17-02-2014 12:16am

I use Shapeways. They even email you back about your mesh, let's say if some parts are too thin etc. to make sure you get a good print.

techeng · 24-02-2014 9:59pm

Verus Precision in Sligo provide a contract 3D printing service
Can be expensive as they are really geared towards industry, but they are very helpful
http://verus.ie/

alansimpson · 26-02-2014 10:10pm

I know you asked for 3d printing in Ireland but I have found Quickparts out of USA very good. Cheaper, quicker and easier to use. Just send SDL file choose process and material and you get immediate quote.

I was mosty interested in engineering parts and it has been a few years.

The cheap desktop printers for under €3k I would say are do not have the quality of resolution and flexibility of materials for serious parts. Even printers around €50k would be very limited.

I have use Laser Prototypes in Belfast who have some decent printers however Quickparts still beat them on price and delivery times.

Try a few different processed and materials to see what give you best results.

edjennings · 10-07-2014 5:19pm

3D printers are quite cheaper now compared to 2 years ago. I have a Makerbot Replicator 2 3D printer at home. For starters, purchasing a simple 3D printer will do. Price ranges from £300-£500 (unassembled) and £600-£2500 (assembled). You just have to invest in good quality materials such as this 3d2print's elastic rubber-like filament. Remember also the proper usage of exact intruder diameter and good software for designing and modelling.

alansimpson · 10-07-2014 6:08pm

Just got a Reclicator II at work .. Nice piece of kit. Uses PLS and this is a bit water porus. A little soak in acetone for a few seconds makes parts more water-tight at the expence of some distortion.

Another materials for Replicator II less porus to water than PLA?

Faktuu · 21-10-2014 11:11pm

Maker bots are overpriced pieces of ...
and if you are looking for out of the box experience i`d say Zmorph way better than makercrap
it`s like comparing berlingo (zmorph) to pink mini cooper(makerbot)
one is versatile affordable and for everyone
the other one expensive, breaks easy, will do some jobs not all and self respecting man would never be seen in one
(if i remeber correct makerbot does not even have a heated bed)

as a person who has built a printer with +500h of print time and tons of research done i can guaranty you that one does like to lick windows if have a replicator, sorry thats just the way it is.

Paul Lee · 03-11-2015 2:23pm

In my experience I would concur with the opinion about Makerbot. I've had terrible experiences with quality of machine and service. Ended up sending an "R2X" back to the US and had to go to a lot of trouble to get the money back.

Otherwise:

Ultimaker is a good middle of the road hobby printer. They have been deployed in schools in Ireland with great success (I believe) and I have a colleague who has had positive experience, though like any hobby printer they need attention and maintenance. Do your own research also.

Form 2 looks very interesting - haven't tried it yet.

I work with a Stratasys Mojo which is a pretty good prototyping ABS machine. It is a pretty hefty price at €10K but it has probably a 1% failure rate or less, which is far better than hobby printers. e.g. I fixed a car part with it.

One very fundamental point about 3D printing is the ability to model. I'm the only person I know who can competently model for 3DP. This should not be the case, but the education system is practically ignoring this massive problem.

Sorry I can't post URLs

Mark74 · 12-11-2015 2:19pm

i have a makerbot and find it to be hit and miss. takes a while to get into the rhythm of the machine. Hairspray on the build platform helps to get a better bond...which was an ongoing problem for a while.

As for bureaus, as the others have said..laser Prototypes up North, & Shapeways are in holland so avoids import issues from US companies.
& Proto Labs in the UK give a quick turnaround.

Mark74 · 12-11-2015 2:20pm

oops sorry, old thread. (cant edit my original post.)

Paul Lee · 12-11-2015 4:57pm

I presume with any new post this goes to the top of the list the same as a new thread would, right?

GreyEagle · 01-07-2016 6:34pm

I'm in the Drogheda area and I need to print a 3D printer object that I have designed on Tinkercad. Does anybody know if there someone who can do this?

stevie_d · 02-07-2016 12:15am

https://www.3dhubs.com/3dprint#/?place=Drogheda,%20Co.%20Louth,%20Ireland&latitude=53.717856&longitude=-6.35609850000003

or you can select others not necessarily in your locale

Seanless84 · 28-11-2016 8:28pm

Hi guys I know this page is old but I thought I'd let you know about our business. We're based in Wicklow and we have a kickstarter campaign running for our L2S 3D printer now.

You can see the video @ kickstarter.com/projects/209520056/l2s-3d-printer

Thanks

3D Printing in Ireland??

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