3D printers
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Re: 3D printers
In general Scot is right you certainly don't get the quality that is achievable with a powder based machine.
The software at least on the UP creates all the support structures automatically and in most cases very successfully but it can be difficult to remove in some inaccessible places. This means the design has to be done in such a way as to overcome this. Having said that the one place it does score is the saving of time. Even though at the time 2-4 hours to print a chassis seems slow, you can still get through a few iterations in a couple of days compared to about 10 days for Shapeways and where it really scores is when you find you have made a mistake in the design meaning a reprint and another 10 days and £30 on the Shapeways route.
All in all I am pleased with my printer I had already had some parts made on an UP before I bought it so I was aware of most of the limitations and once you have the design sorted repeat builds to replace damaged parts are straightforward.
As to cost I don't suppose I will ever recover the £1500 but once that cost is conveniently forgotten the running cost are quite low and as the picture below shows these 10 chassis would have been the best part of £300 at Shapeways.
![Image](http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n66/PeterW_2006/P1000832_zps818678d6.jpg)
The software at least on the UP creates all the support structures automatically and in most cases very successfully but it can be difficult to remove in some inaccessible places. This means the design has to be done in such a way as to overcome this. Having said that the one place it does score is the saving of time. Even though at the time 2-4 hours to print a chassis seems slow, you can still get through a few iterations in a couple of days compared to about 10 days for Shapeways and where it really scores is when you find you have made a mistake in the design meaning a reprint and another 10 days and £30 on the Shapeways route.
All in all I am pleased with my printer I had already had some parts made on an UP before I bought it so I was aware of most of the limitations and once you have the design sorted repeat builds to replace damaged parts are straightforward.
As to cost I don't suppose I will ever recover the £1500 but once that cost is conveniently forgotten the running cost are quite low and as the picture below shows these 10 chassis would have been the best part of £300 at Shapeways.
![Image](http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n66/PeterW_2006/P1000832_zps818678d6.jpg)
Re: 3D printers
Maybe we just work in different ways; I don't think I've ever had to have something re-printed from Shapeways because I've made an error in the design, as I obsess over every tiny detail in my CAD designs. Maybe it's the other way round though; maybe I obsess over the details because the cost and time of a reprint from Shapeways discourages me from making mistakes. Either way, both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages. I can certainly see the worth in being able to quickly and cheaply get a prototype made in order to test a concept, but for machines that are going to compete I'd always rather have the peace of mind that they were printed by professionals on a professional-grade machine, rather than by me on a hobby-grade machine, which would almost certainly mean the end result was lower quality.
There's also the time considerations. I don't have as much time to work on my robots as I'd like to, so I'd rather spend that time actually designing and building rather than tinkering and troubleshooting with my tools. Once again though, it's just a case of whatever works for you and brings you the most pleasure
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There's also the time considerations. I don't have as much time to work on my robots as I'd like to, so I'd rather spend that time actually designing and building rather than tinkering and troubleshooting with my tools. Once again though, it's just a case of whatever works for you and brings you the most pleasure
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
Scott Fyfe-Jamieson, Captain of Epic Robotics. Champion of AWS38/41/42.
http://www.epicrobotics.co.uk
http://www.epicrobotics.co.uk
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Re: 3D printers
I have been thinking about getting a decent lathe, but a 3d printer would get more use. I don't want to spend a fortune but I want good detail in the parts.
What 3d printers do you guys have, what are the pros/cons would you recommend it or do you know of something else good on the market?
Andy
What 3d printers do you guys have, what are the pros/cons would you recommend it or do you know of something else good on the market?
Andy
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Re: 3D printers
What do people make of the Robox printer: http://robox.cel-uk.com/robox/rbx1.html
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