Cheap 3D Printer Recommendation

[charlieuk]

I just bit the bullet and ordered a original prusa i3 mk2 kit 7 week wait mind! By the time you spend a few hours f!!!ng about with a clone getting it set up the extra cost will pay for its self easy I figured. say 8 hours of faffing @ $40 a hour and a bunch of wasted prints and you have made your money back plus you have support, spare parts and constant development and upgrades available. The plan will be to use this for a while and then use it to help build something larger

[Desertboy]

I just bit the bullet and ordered a original prusa i3 mk2 kit 7 week wait mind! By the time you spend a few hours f!!!ng about with a clone getting it set up the extra cost will pay for its self easy I figured. say 8 hours of faffing @ $40 a hour and a bunch of wasted prints and you have made your money back plus you have support, spare parts and constant development and upgrades available. The plan will be to use this for a while and then use it to help build something larger

If you're into cnc 3d printing is not so hard as the tolerances are far more forgiving. Can't go wrong with a prusa really nice machines for the price point.

Getting an original kit you're paying for the guarantee of good smooth rails and bearings but other than that there's not a lot difference between decent chinese clones and the original.

You can of course get complete crap and the sub £300 ones I would start to worry about the linear stages.

For under £400 you can get very nice printer that does nice prints but as anyone into cnc knows you can also spend 20 times that to improve a couple of microns.

You have to decide what it is you want and how much is it worth to you.

Boyan Silyavski I disagree about the electronics nothing wrong with ramps/arduino for 3d printers on a budget in fact using arduino and cnc shield for my milling machine for now and will upgrade the electronics later as I believe a ballscrew is more important than running my steppers at full potential.

[Boyan Silyavski]

I dont see how one will sell a print having something less than Prusa MK2.

With my knowledge in CNC i needed about 2 months 24h printing to figure almost >90% how to make excellent prints, so i can say i am almost an expert in filament printing now. Not Super expert, mind. For that i need some more 1 ton of printed stuff in the next couple of years. having a crappy printer easily could translate that 2 months of learning to 2-3 years trying to figure stuff out.

Most of the people on 3d forums and Facebook groups dont have really a good idea about whats happening, but that does not stop them to give advice... beware of that. About 99% of them still dont comprehend the simple fact that you have to measure every time filament diameter and not touch the bloody extrusion multiplier in adjustments, which is for totally different purpose

I am not saying there is something wrong in the Ramps and Arduino, as obviously they are fast enough for what is needed. I am saying that a brand board with 5+ and 6+ good motor controllers 2xx will be more than 130 euro, as simply each controller is >10 euro, so you do the math. And yes, thats needed to maintain fast speeds on a bigger printer.

Quality components are expensive, even the PSU. Find me a not crap PSU at 24v around 180w for 20euro? Check how much costs the Tridonic LCU 180W 24V SR TOP i am using in my build...

[magicniner]

I'm a "material removal" kind of guy but I do fancy a fiddle with 3D printing, there are things I could usefully make where tensile strength and surface finish aren't major issues but I'd prefer to buy a complete kit to play with initially as time is something of which I don't have much spare.
I'd welcome suggestions based on actual experience, including things to avoid.
I'm thinking that if I go for something with a full aluminium frame I will at least have a base worth improving upon at a later date,

- Nick

[Robin Hewitt]

there are things I could usefully make where tensile strength and surface finish aren't major issues

Do it!

I have 1400 faulty circuit boards that need a very precise trim to put them right. It was so easy to make a Dremel attachment and regain control of a tricky situation. The M19 thread for the Dremel nose had to go on a separate piece to get the grain right. Print time around 4 hours...

[Boyan Silyavski]

I'm a "material removal" kind of guy but I do fancy a fiddle with 3D printing, there are things I could usefully make where tensile strength and surface finish aren't major issues but I'd prefer to buy a complete kit to play with initially as time is something of which I don't have much spare.
I'd welcome suggestions based on actual experience, including things to avoid.
I'm thinking that if I go for something with a full aluminium frame I will at least have a base worth improving upon at a later date,

- Nick

The Prusa MK2 mechanically made me laugh when i received it, but in reality it prints 24h non stop without a glitch. Its a well thought printer, but cheap to make printer. Its growling and making noise 10x as much as my CNC makes but it works and prints nicely. I could sit down and change that design to Hiwin rails, but thats their job to do, not mine, so i will not do it.

I dont know of a well thought printer thats mechanically sound. Maybe the Raise3d. What i dont like of that type of printers is that taking off the ready piece from the bed will do a lot of twisting and bending of all the frame and bed.

Again -- best deal for the money is the Steel Prusa from what i see around for cheap. Due to the quality components used. The electronics i mean.

[Robin Hewitt]

The only way to tell is by extreme close up. This is 0.2mm layers of ABS Plus on a printer that has the folded steel frame and profile rails.

Show is what you've got

[komatias]

I dont know of a well thought printer thats mechanically sound. Maybe the Raise3d. What i dont like of that type of printers is that taking off the ready piece from the bed will do a lot of twisting and bending of all the frame and bed.

The Raise3D pack a lot of tech in a very well priced package and prints like a dream. Most of the larger machines will allow you to remove the printer bed, all you need to do then is stick it in the freezer for a few minutes and the print pops off.

[Boyan Silyavski]

The Raise3D pack a lot of tech in a very well priced package and prints like a dream. Most of the larger machines will allow you to remove the printer bed, all you need to do then is stick it in the freezer for a few minutes and the print pops off.

Agree with that. What i said was a simplification of the facts. Its handy to have a couple of top plates to change. Furthermore i remember somebody proved that the glass on top of aluminum is not a problem and will not lead to losses and cold spots. Still, if one forgets or learns,prints flat PETG part - could trash the glass. Also plate could be PEI, which will eliminate said problem, but will be more expensive to have a couple of them so thick.