Hi,
I'm looking at getting a 3D printer, I want to get something decent that will do good prints (don't want to have my own 3D printer then still have to get shape ways to print it as I can't get the quality needed) but also don't want to pay more than I have to.
What do you guys recommend?
One that really caught my eye was this:
http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/3d-printers/8874900/
Being an SLA printer I should be able to get really good prints I think but it is very expensive, definitely the highest I would go. I also fear it will be relatively expensive to print things and maintenance costs may be high. Open to opinions? I wonder if a similar price FDM machine would be better or if I'm being silly and should go for a cheaper £500 model.
3D printers
Moderators: BeligerAnt, petec, administrator
Re: 3D printers
Resin prints are often extremely brittle.
A reasonable FDM should do fine for ants. I use a Prusa i3 for mine and it has been great, can be tricky to run at times though.
A reasonable FDM should do fine for ants. I use a Prusa i3 for mine and it has been great, can be tricky to run at times though.
Nuts And Bots - For all your components and ready built antweights!
Alex Shakespeare - Team Shakey / Nuts And Bots / Team Nuts:
AWS 44, 45, 49, 51 & 55 Winner - Far too many robots!
Alex Shakespeare - Team Shakey / Nuts And Bots / Team Nuts:
AWS 44, 45, 49, 51 & 55 Winner - Far too many robots!
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Re: 3D printers
I have an UP plus (£1500 when I bought it) which is a good starting machine because there are less setting to worry about but as you progress this becomes a limitation.
I bought a second machine the Prusa I3 because I wanted more control but it doesn't have a heated bed as standard and I have found PLA seems to fracture more easily.
I have just added a heated build plate and it seems to be working well with ABS but you probably will not get good results instantly there is quite a learning curve.
As Alex says the resin material is apparently quite brittle and the fact you are limited to one material is a big drawback.
BQ who do a Prusa I3 kit for £359.99 have bought out a Mk2 version which looks nice see http://www.3dprintworld-aylesbury.co.uk/printers .
The 3D printed parts have been replaced by aluminium and the whole mechanism seems a bit more precise but it is £599.99 and they had one running in the shop the other day and it did look good.
One I haven't yet seen in action but looks good is the HelloBeePrusa which is like the I3 but has heated bed and two heads as standard for £478.80 see https://www.goprint3d.co.uk/hellobeeprusa.html
All the cheaper ones come in kit form although 3D printworld do offer a build service for around £100.
Sorry if this has just made the choice harder it is not an easy decision but you can certainly get results good enough for Antweight robots for under £600.
I bought a second machine the Prusa I3 because I wanted more control but it doesn't have a heated bed as standard and I have found PLA seems to fracture more easily.
I have just added a heated build plate and it seems to be working well with ABS but you probably will not get good results instantly there is quite a learning curve.
As Alex says the resin material is apparently quite brittle and the fact you are limited to one material is a big drawback.
BQ who do a Prusa I3 kit for £359.99 have bought out a Mk2 version which looks nice see http://www.3dprintworld-aylesbury.co.uk/printers .
The 3D printed parts have been replaced by aluminium and the whole mechanism seems a bit more precise but it is £599.99 and they had one running in the shop the other day and it did look good.
One I haven't yet seen in action but looks good is the HelloBeePrusa which is like the I3 but has heated bed and two heads as standard for £478.80 see https://www.goprint3d.co.uk/hellobeeprusa.html
All the cheaper ones come in kit form although 3D printworld do offer a build service for around £100.
Sorry if this has just made the choice harder it is not an easy decision but you can certainly get results good enough for Antweight robots for under £600.
Re: 3D printers
If you want a cheap but effective one, check out the Wanhao Duplicator i3. Pre-built, metal framed Prusa i3 for under £300. There's a big community of users who mod them so you can get some surprisingly high quality prints with a bit off tweaking.
http://www.technologyoutlet.co.uk/produ ... licator-i3
Edit: Or check to see if there's a makerspace near you. Should be able to use one of their printers for free on an open day.
http://www.technologyoutlet.co.uk/produ ... licator-i3
Edit: Or check to see if there's a makerspace near you. Should be able to use one of their printers for free on an open day.
Re: 3D printers
Anyone got any thoughts on these:
http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/3d-printers/8625705/
We've got them at Uni and they seem pretty good
http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/3d-printers/8625705/
We've got them at Uni and they seem pretty good