looking for a good 3d printer

**EddyCurrent** · 23-07-2017

Boyan,
As you might expect, I spent days weighing up one printer against the other in the required price range. Thought about building one but didn't really want to, I looked at the links to sellers in Spain that you posted in another thread and was just about ready to order the black steel Prusa when I came across the Creality CR-10.
Now in cnc terms there are what we might describe as undesirable elements, single Z drive, rollers for bearings, etc. but in reality on a 3D Printer I'm finding it's not a problem provided repeatability is there.
Also with the steel prusa it was interesting to see the price rise as options were added on, so after many hours of reading and watching videos, my choice was the CR-10, it's size being another positive for me.

**Ger21** · 23-07-2017

These are supposed to be very good for the money.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/QIDI-TECHNO...rds=3d+printer

I didn't think I'd have any use for a 3D printer, but may buy one of these.

**Boyan Silyavski** · 23-07-2017

In 3d printers there are so many things that may look mediocre but if they are tested and working it just works. At the same time so many things could look engineered properly but with a hidden fault . So the decision is always difficult. I have the Original Prusa MK2. I laughed at it when i opened the box and started to respect it when i fixed some little obvious faults. It just works, and works and works and will work. I rarely stop it at all. Anyway, i am sure there are many options nowadays. But i say it again, crappy electronics is what i hate most.

**cropwell** · 23-07-2017

Originally Posted by Ger21

These are supposed to be very good for the money.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/QIDI-TECHNO...rds=3d+printer

I didn't think I'd have any use for a 3D printer, but may buy one of these.

Yes Gerry, put it side by side with the Wanhao 4DS - you will see the differences are just cosmetic, but if the price is better.............

My friends (correction - friend) said to me 'What are you going to use that for' when I bought the printer. Two days later he asked me to design and print a bespoke cup to hold coins in his Jag.

You get to the point with some things where the question is 'Shall I buy an item - or print it?'.

Some things you just can't buy https://www.dropbox.com/s/yv6cbor60s...8_Pro.mp4?dl=0

Cheers,

Rob

**Ger21** · 24-07-2017

Nice.
Never seen a 3D printed Lithophane before.

**Ross77** · 24-07-2017

Thanks for all the responses, lots of options to look at. leaning toward the QIDI for a complete machine but also looking at E3d for extruders as they seem really good.

If i was to build, is there a wish list of extruders, heat plates and controllers? not to fussed on looks as long as it will be fast and and produce quality parts. Ta

**A_Camera** · 24-07-2017

Originally Posted by Zeeflyboy

Routers don't make good printers, they really have opposite requirements in most respects.

Printers ideally need to be fast and light in the moving parts. It is of course possible to put a print head in a router but it won't make an ideal printer.

I think this statement is wrong and a bit simplified. Yes, printers need to be fast but no, they don't need to be light in the moving parts, why would they? But... hopefully I have first hand experience about this soon because I have just recently started a 3D printer conversion project for my own router and just recently ordered some parts which I think may be needed. I have no experience in 3D printing, but what I have seen is that it is in fact very slow. Just made a model of something which a 22mm tall 70mm diameter cylinder and test printed in Slic3r and according to that, it would take over one hour to print it. To mill it will take about 10 minutes. Of course, that's because all the void must be filled with plastic, but having a look at the G-code, it clearly shows that even most Chinese routers with moving gantry and a maximum speed of around 4000mm/min can easily keep up the pace. My router with 9000mm/min will definitely outrun all the most popular 3D printers in both speed and acceleration. But this is just theory so far. I still need to build the necessary parts together to be able to easily switch between 3D printer and router, since I don't want to permanently convert but want to switch between the two.

The only real advantage of a dedicated 3D printer I can think of is that routers are normally noisier than 3D printers and also much larger and heavier. But I don't think size and weight can be a disadvantage for a 3D printer, except that if you only want a 3D printer then it is unnecessary to make it heavy and large because it only makes it more expensive.

Anyway, this is going to be my autumn project, currently just collecting parts and playing with different software. Maybe I'll start a thread later on about it.

**Boyan Silyavski** · 24-07-2017

The advantage of a dedicated printer is that the thing runs 24h non stop for months and the router soon you will need for sth else. Print jobs are ridiculously long if you want a quality piece as a result

**A_Camera** · 24-07-2017

Originally Posted by Boyan Silyavski

The advantage of a dedicated printer is that the thing runs 24h non stop for months and the router soon you will need for sth else. Print jobs are ridiculously long if you want a quality piece as a result

Yes, a dedicated higher quality printer is of course better for longer jobs or if the main activity of a machine is printing. If in the end I decide that I like the results out of my conversion I will build a dedicated printer, but for occasional printing and for testing the concept, the software, finding out pitfalls and so on, at least for now, I will go on with the conversion. Converting is a pretty simple and cheap task and most of the parts are needed even for building one, and in fact, even if I bought one, most parts can be used as spares.

Though, if you can stand the higher noise of a router converted printer, I don't see why that can't run as long as necessary. Generally it isn't a good idea to let a printer work unattended for too long, so non-stop running is at least for me, out of the question unless I install special fire guards and a sprinkler system above or inside the printer.

**Zeeflyboy** · 24-07-2017

The point is that while it will work, a router just makes a poor 3D printer compared to something that is designed with 3d printing in mind.

If its all you can do for space/cost/trying out the idea/whatever then fine, as mentioned it will function but an ultimaker or something will run rings around any router conversion in actual day to day usability, productivity and reliability long term.

The reason why I say light is because it's much easier to build something that is fast and can run for hours on end efficiently if it is light. Note that light does not mean flimsy - a rigid printer is a good printer, but it just doesn't need the same bulk as a router, but needs to run for many hours on end with a lot of fast movements... personally I'd much rather have a light machine with belts vs a heavy machine with screws doing that, both for my sanity from noise and from a wear/tear and energy efficiency stand point.

As for leaving it printing, sometimes you have no choice. I've had 20hr+ print jobs and there really is no viable way of pausing in the middle. I personally set my printer up with a monitoring webcam and a smoke alarm tied to a smart power socket that will shut down the power if the smoke alarm goes off, but I've been printing for many years without any safety issues - there are several failsafes built into the printers themselves to prevent thermal runaways etc so they can be relatively safe left to their own devices.