3d printers

Alzone

Hi All,

I was thinking to buy myself a 3D printer some day but I am not sure where to start, what software to use. etc...

Was wondering if anyone has already some exprience with that device or any toughts?

Cheers

5uspect

3D printing is a very broad term. It can range from cheap desktop systems to expensive industrial systems which support different materials at high resolutions.

What type of work have you in mind? Are you familiar with the Makerbot?

Alzone

5uspect wrote: »

3D printing is a very broad term. It can range from cheap desktop systems to expensive industrial systems which support different materials at high resolutions.

What type of work have you in mind? Are you familiar with the Makerbot?

Thank you for your answer. Just had a look at the Marketbot and i actually looks very good. It looks like the one from cubify but a bit more expensive. Also, I wouldn't know what differenciate them really. Are all of the printer can use the same materials (plastic, tissue, others) ? Like for exemple, would it be possible to print "clothes" and toys? As well, different colors?

I would like to be able to use the printer to create Arts object and from time to time quick fixes for home

Is there any 3D modelling software that you would recommend?

Thanks again.

5uspect

Software is a whole other kettle of fish. It has to at least output what ever file formats the printer supports.

High end stuff like Solidworks is great but expensive. PTC's Pro/Engineer is also popular with Engineers, but it's got a horrendous interface and also really really expensive. Which is odd as PTC made a great little app called Pro/Desktop which was simple to use if a little buggy.Not sure if it's still available.

Google sketckup has now been sold on but still appears to be free:
http://www.sketchup.com/
I'm sure there are others, the 3D printer may even come with some rudimentary modelling software.

Some printers just print a single material, typically a plastic like ABS in some boring colour. Others can print a range of materials. This and the resolution which they can resolve features is correlated with cost.

InTheTrees

At this stage of the game you'd want to be pretty confidant of the type of material you'd want to print in before laying down that much cash.

There's many different types of material and they're printed in slightly different ways by different printers. You can print ceramics, sandstone, flexible plastic, and Stainless steel and they're all different machines.

I'd recommend using a printing service.

Take a look at the Printing companies "materials" page. I've used two different companies for printing:

www.shapeways.com

and

www.imaterialise.com

Shapeways is possibly the industry leader and they do an excellent service. There's around 10 different materials you can print in at varying costs.

They'll even print in Gold.

iMaterialize is smaller but trying to compete with Shapeways so is a good alternative. They have a larger range of Ceramic colours than shapeways.

InTheTrees

You can use any 3d software for modelling. I use 3dmax.

The key is that models for printing need to be Closed. Welded solid and Closed.

And if possible hollow, because you also pay for printing the interior of a model it reduces costs substantially if you make a model hollow.

Shapeways recommends the Free 3d Utility program Netfabb Studio, to check for solidity and it'll also measure 3d Volume which is vital in determining price.

mitosis

There's a few on Kickstarter.

One here http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/vision3dprinter/the-vision-not-just-a-3d-printer-a-dream?ref=live

stevie_d

HI, although this thread is old it's the most recent one I could find on boards re:3d printing, which is testament to how this technology is,

http://sciencegallery.com/makeshop run 3d printing workshops using an Ultimaker https://shop.ultimaker.com/en/ultimaker-kits/ultimaker-kit-new.html,
they're a nice bunch down there and the workshop was run over two nights and you get to print your own small model at the end.

I bit the bullet recently and bought an Ultimaker too, still waiting on delivery, from my research the ultimaker seemed like the best choice, I guy I was talking to was going the route of http://www.lpfrg.com/product/creatr/, there are many differences between the two and different reasons why we chose our respective printers, I went with the UM, because it's a kit you have to build and it's all open source and there seems to be adecent community of folk to support you , He chose the creatr for exactly the opposite reason he wants plug and play out of the box , I haven't spoken to him since but hope to be in touch and compare notes between the two.

Software wise, useage is varying Between High end Solidworks and 3dsmax to Sketchup and other free softwares, after completion in modeller it has to be exported as .stl file to be imported into a slicing software which breaks it down into code "G-code" which the printer understands.

Hopefully this sheds some light on your curiosity and feel free to ask anymore questions and hpefully I can post pics and stuff whnI get up and running. And I'm sure it'll have it's section soon.

InTheTrees

stevie_d wrote: »

Hopefully this sheds some light on your curiosity and feel free to ask anymore questions and hpefully I can post pics and stuff whnI get up and running. And I'm sure it'll have it's section soon.

Thanks.

You bought a kit. Well done. Pictures of the build process in progress would be great. Whats it like to build? It sounds daunting, I'm certainly in the plug-and-play camp.

What kind of size can it print? Types of plastics? Colours?

I'd love to get one, I could really keep it busy. But I've enjoyed using different machines with different materials at shapeways so its hard to commit.

And how are prices? I imagine they'll fall somewhat and then settle. Its still not that easy a technology for just anyone to pick up.

stevie_d

InTheTrees wrote: »

What kind of size can it print? Types of plastics? Colours?

And how are prices? I imagine they'll fall somewhat and then settle. Its still not that easy a technology for just anyone to pick up.

Printing Approx 200mm x 200mm x 200mm, Plastic types are more commonly PLA,Polylactic Acid, Which is Bio-plastic and is somewhat Biodegradeable and ABS Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene,Which is a Thermoplastic,

Other people are also using Nylon, and there is this new material which was literally only invented a couple of months ago, which uses wood particles mixed with some type of resin(I think) but gives a wood effect. http://www.wired.com/design/2012/11/3d-printer-wood-filament/

You can get nearly any colour aswell as Clear and Neon Types too. Heres a link to what the types of prints from The Ultimaker,
http://davedurant.wordpress.com/2011/10/12/ultimaker-faq-but-what-about-the-quality-of-prints/

It is supposed to be the best quality and speed, but, go on the Rerrap boards and you can expect a lively debate, I was talking to a guy in Austria last night and was slagging me because I didn't buy one of these from his store http://www.reprap.cc//index.phpmain_page=product_info&cPath=9&products_id=65
which are suppsed to be good have a feature missing from the UM which is a heated bed (supposedley makes printing ABS better)and a lot cheaper than
the UM, might be my next buy, Just as I'm writing I just got word that my mahine has been shipped so should have it next week sometime, so it could be a very plastic Christmas in my house this year. Will post pics and stuff as I go on.

3D Printer Enthusiast

I purchased the

Leapfrog 3D Printer - Creatr Model www.lpfrg.com

ordercsi@gmail.com Irish Distributor

It beats everything else regarding envelope size, volume, accuracy, resolution and best of all - PRICE-. Again all the software is open source and easy to use. Their website is very supportive plus they have an Irish Distributor ( ordercsi@gmail.com ) who is very helpful and competitive in price.

I can get filament through the Irish network very fast in all colours and material - ABS, PLA etc.

I use this for business as well as pleasure and I cant wait to see their Xeed model which I believe will be January.

The difference between Leapfrog and any other similar spec system is what I mentioned earlier but also the structure of the system it`s built very well and not a garage type set-up, it`s a real solid workhorse plus it came under Warranty!!!

It`s an amazing piece of kit.

stevie_d

Did we meet at a 3d Printing workshop recently?,
I was talking to a guy who was talking about purchasing one of these, wanting to compare notes on between the two,
I have looked at the Cretr Model and it's a good looking sturdy machine alright,
I went with Ultimaker because at the moment they are the ones still getting all the good press, Speed,Accuracy, Resolution,

but yeah the price is good for a built machine, Ultimaker have started selling built kits but they're close to 2k after vat,

I went with a kit too, cause I do want to see what's under the hood, and yeah the garage attitude is starting to wear on me now a bit,

I was left short a part on my extruder so can't finiinsh building it, emailed them and they were a bit laid back about updating on what they were doing aout it , sent them a snippy mail asking what was going on and got a reply telling me to stop being impatient!!!

So think I'll be looking at Mendel Max, for kits http://www.reprap.cc//index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9&products_id=65, a lot cheaper too and highly recommended and very adaptable heated bed, dual extreuders,

what kind of pricing on the filament? I've tried a couple of different sources to see which shapes up the killer is on transport.

thinlizzy2012

Im really interested in 3d printing and am looking at buying one. does anyone have any recomendations or advice? looking at maybe the printrbot JR or LC (money is a problem, needs to be as cheap as possible), also maybe the portabee..
also how difficult is it to put together kits? is it worth paying the extra and buy an assembled kit if the option is available? i have no real technical experience, Im sure i could figure it out but dont want to spend a load of money and not be able to put it together

Anywhere in the dublin area to try out 3d printers, demonstrations etc??
Thanks!

5uspect

I'm going to merge these threads together so we have one place to discuss this technology.

InTheTrees

thinlizzy2012 wrote: »

Im really interested in 3d printing and am looking at buying one. does anyone have any recomendations or advice? looking at maybe the printrbot JR or LC (money is a problem, needs to be as cheap as possible), also maybe the portabee..
also how difficult is it to put together kits? is it worth paying the extra and buy an assembled kit if the option is available? i have no real technical experience, Im sure i could figure it out but dont want to spend a load of money and not be able to put it together

Anywhere in the dublin area to try out 3d printers, demonstrations etc??
Thanks!

I've been using these people:

www.shapeways.com

Lots of different machines/materials available.

Also there's a load of great videos on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-E6vRfnijw

stevie_d

thinlizzy2012 wrote: »

Im really interested in 3d printing and am looking at buying one. does anyone have any recomendations or advice? looking at maybe the printrbot JR or LC (money is a problem, needs to be as cheap as possible), also maybe the portabee..
also how difficult is it to put together kits? is it worth paying the extra and buy an assembled kit if the option is available? i have no real technical experience, Im sure i could figure it out but dont want to spend a load of money and not be able to put it together

Anywhere in the dublin area to try out 3d printers, demonstrations etc??
Thanks!

Hi, I'm nearly a month into using my Ultimaker, had a few bumps on the road, missing bits, and, then just getting my head aroound it, all, but,It really is a great piece of kit. I've talked to other users who compared the UM to other kits on the market that they have previously owned and it comes out on top every time. There are so many manufacturers popping up now it's overwhelming, I'm reading about a new machine released once a week now, and the Chinese government are diving on board recognising it's importance so expect a slew of new machines any time this week!!!!
The Printrbot is supposed to be good but has a very small build size, mendal max see links in previous posting are supposed to be ok too and I saw one for 'bout 700 on Reprap austria , nice guy who runs the site too.

I suppose it depends on what your finished product is going to be, if perhaps just in manufacturing where perhaps aesthetics are not an issue, then cheap machines might be good.
quality and speed and that's where the trade offs begin, some are supposed to be hi quality but can take up to days to print, some are fast but lo quality.

The resolution of printing is measured in lines rather that pixels as on a pc, mm height per layer. but should really be measured in microns as anything on my machine above .2mm is mush.
If you're not techie ,then buying a kit wouldn't be a great idea, although there is some great support on forums,

I know some guys who are looking at putting together a night for people with printers not only UM, I'll let you know if I hear anymore.
If you'd like to try some stuff you could send me a model file and I could print it for you. There would be certain restrictions i.e. size but let's know.

stevie_d

Here's some useful links I'll add more as they come to mind

http://reprappro.com/
http://www.mendelmax.com/
http://www.3ders.org/index.html
http://www.lpfrg.com/product/creatr/
http://www.ultimaker.com/
http://blog.grabcad.com/
http://www.thingiverse.com/
https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups&hl=en#!forum/ultimaker
https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups&hl=en#!forum/mendelmax
https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups&hl=en#!forum/makerbot
https://www.facebook.com/3dprinterdotnet

Free Software
http://www.artofillusion.org/
http://www.openscad.org/
http://free-cad.sourceforge.net/
http://www.blender.org/
http://www.sketchup.com/
http://www.123dapp.com/
http://labs.autodesk.com/technologies/fusion(limited on windows expires in April no expire on Mac)

stevie_d

The first pic hopefully will give you an idea of quality settings, the second pic shows PLA plastic and the seconfd this new wood type filament (very exciting)

stevie_d

A wee project with Loza Wool exploring 3d printed decorative buttons for knitted garments, This is their logo

stevie_d

As mentioned in above post there is a meet for 3d printers as well as interested parties and possibly other CAM (Computer-aided manufacturing) Machines, Laser Cutters , CNC routers , I THINK, this is what was relayed very sketchily to me.

Anyhow if interested in any of this and want to have a look at 3d printing there will be at least two of them there, and I'm told there could be a variety of makes rather than just mine and another Ultimaker.
Friday 18th January

It kicks off at 6ish

Recyclism Hacklab
Dunlop/Oriel House, Corner of Westland Row
& Fenian St. Dublin 2, Co. Dublin, Ireland.

stevie_d

Hi , There is a Fabricon meet-up for those interested in 3d printing and perhaps other cnc machines , This Saturday 13.00 -15.00 @ TOG http://www.tog.ie/location/

FlashD

InTheTrees wrote: »

Also there's a load of great videos on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-E6vRfnijw

Wow!

I remember looking at this technology a few years ago and being blown away with the ideas and potential. It's amazing how far its come in such a short space and where its going for the next 10.

InTheTrees

Its very exciting that the price of the printers has fallen.

Its also exciting as a 3d modeler, to find an extra dimension(!) to work in and an area where our skills are in demand.

But its still very early days. I wonder just how much demand there is for 3d printers and how much the price can fall?

stevie_d

There's a shop in Rathmines that is now doing 3d printing , you can in and watch models being printed

www.3dprintingdublin.ie
https://www.facebook.com/3dPrintingDublin?fref=ts

SirJobey

NASA are apparently making a food printer for astronauts, I no longer want to be a dentist! Space food for the win!

zom

stevie_d wrote: »

There's a shop in Rathmines that is now doing 3d printing , you can in and watch models being printed

www.3dprintingdublin.ie
https://www.facebook.com/3dPrintingDublin?fref=ts

Unfortunately they are not printing guns:




But you can always try to print yourself:

http://www.dannychoo.com/zh/post/26119/

stevie_d

Amazing vs Creepy