Hey Guys, I am wondering what 3D Printer would be the best for a budget of $1,350. I was looking at a XYZ Printer, or Makerbot. I already have the Da Vinci Junior.
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Build a CoreXY if you have the aptitude - you already have a Da Vinci Jr, so you can print parts. The larger Da Vinci machines are junk, and Makerbot isn’t far behind at this point. I just built a D-Bot and it easily rivals a couple of $3500 printers I’ve worked on.
Alternatively, at that price point, pick up a Duplicator 6, it looks like a good UM/Zortrax clone, and the Ultimaker 2 is another printer I’ve worked on that I was pleased with. Also, stay away from things that have proprietary bits, like filament or filetypes (i.e. Zortrax/Da Vinci/3D Systems) as almost everyone regrets it sooner or later.
Enza3D
3
Hi there!
I would suggest a Flashforge Dreamer! I have one, along with an Airwolf and a Form, and the Flashforge really is the workhorse of the bunch. I use it for just about everything, from prototyping mechanical parts to printing detailed models. It has a fairly small footprint (unlike like the Airwolf, that thing is huge) and fits comfortably on a desk.
Flashforge is lesser known than Makerbot, but I have had a much better experience with the Flashforge than any of the Makerbots I’ve used. Aside from a few clogs here and there, it’s run really well despite being used daily and having a whole assortment of odd filaments thrown at it. The Dreamer is also a dual extrusion printer straight out of the box, which for it’s price is really great. While you may not be interested in dual extrusion now, it’s a really nice feature to have when you’re more experienced. Even if you have no interest printing in two colors, the ability to print with two different filaments allows you to print supports that are dissolve-able so your prints can be very complicated but still print really well.
Yes, I want to have dual extruders to print Water Soluble Supports. I saw the Da Vinci 2.0 Duo has that and can print PLA, ABS, and Water Soluble Material. I noticed that I can get a refurbished Makerbot 5 for more than the davinci and it only has 1 extruder, but it also has a camera, internet connection, and is bigger print area. Do you think Xyz Da Vinci 2.0 Duo is worth it?
What does proprietary bits mean? Does it mean you have to import your .stl file into their softare and export the file using their software. For example xyz is .3W and you can only print in a xyz printer with a .3W file. Does makerbot have this?
Enza3D
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Makerbots will always be more expensive than competing models, but unfortunately the price of the printers doesn’t reflect the quality of the printers. Their quality has really gone down with newer models and as they commercialized, which is a shame because earlier models of the Makerbots were great machines. I can’t speak for the quality of DaVinci because I’ve never owned or used one.
It’s really easy to add a camera to a printer, you just need the camera, housing for it (which you can print!) and a Raspberry Pi. An example of that can be seen here Raspberry Pi Camera for 3D Printer by SmartBlug - Thingiverse. The ability to connect over wireless to the printer can also be done using a Raspberry Pi (http://www.instructables.com/id/Add-WiFi-to-your-3D-Printer/). I really don’t print over wireless when I can avoid it, there’s just too many issues that can arise with live transferring data that way. As for build size, that’s something you are going to have to determine. If you don’t plan on printing larger than the size you have, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. It’s also not too difficult to break up a big model to accommodate your bed size.
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Enza3D
7
I believe by proprietary bits, he means the company that created the printer forces you to use their products for it to operate properly/remain in warranty (also known as DRM for hardware). The software side of it is just like you describe, the printers are only designed to accept files from the software you purchase from the manufacturer. The XYZ only will accept .3W, but all of mine are open printers and will accept G-code in just about any file format (I switch between Astroprint, Cura and Simplify regularly). Some of them require you to use only their filament otherwise the printer will reject it or you void the warranty on the machine; for educational printers, the schools have to buy and use only Makerbot filaments in their machines. It’s little things like this you really need to watch out for.
Makerbot is/was definitely making moves towards DRM and material lock-in on their printers, which makes sense considering this is how Stratasys operates. A chip goes on the cartridge/filament and if that chip isn’t there, the machine won’t print.
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Thanks, that is exactly what I was talking about. Not only is it likely not good for you - for example, you’ll find you want to print with an unsupported material, or need to adjust a setting that their software doesn’t have, and you’ll be SOL. It’s also bad for everyone, as it allows/encourages more fragmentation and closed systems that don’t advance the field at all.
I also haven’t owned a Da Vinci, but I have worked on them and can say, without a doubt, that the larger models are junk rivaled only by $200 aliexpress kits (I’m looking at you, spontaneously-combusting Geeetech)
The Dreamer isn’t a bad machine, but it suffers from the same issues as all the other Makerbot dual extruder clones, in that leveling the nozzles can be a pain and the extruders ooze quite a bit.
jacks1
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I’ve been looking at the Prusa i3 Mk2. The upgrades look really good and well within your budget. Http://shop.prusa3d.com
Can’t say how these compare to the Flashforge but I can say support is very good.
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Enza3D
11
Yep, leveling is definitely a little tricky with both extruders, especially because my left one is tad bit lower than the right one. And the oozing, always the oozing. Unfortunately for the original poster has set, these issues will be unavoidable with a dual extrusion machine as far I know of.
If I got a flash forge dreamer, does it except 3rd party filament? Do I have to use their software to print or can I use any G-Code software. I noticed Da Vinci says to have a separate extruder from the 2 it comes with in the Duo to print water soluble material. Do I need that for this one? Does it have a heated bed? I like the price of the Dreamer and how it looks.
Enza3D
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It readily accepts 3rd-party filament; they have no DRM on it, so as long as the printer can reach the temperature required to extrude the filament it can print anything you throw at it. I’ve printed just about every kind of filament that’s on the market with it (with the exception of polycarbonate and some of the very expensive exotic filaments like Tungsten ABS) and it’s handled them all nicely. You don’t have to use their slicing software but you do need to make sure you install the right drivers on your computer or other slicing programs won’t be able to connect to it. I use it exclusively with Simplify 3D and have had no issue with it.
The extruders it comes with can print PVA and HIPS out of the box, but I would suggest upgrading the nozzles to something a bit more durable if you plan to print specialty filament on it. The metal PLA filaments (CoppeFill, Protopasta Stainless), carbon fiber PLA, and filaments derived from wood (Timberfil) are particularly abrasive and chew through brass and aluminum fairly quickly.
I only plan to print Normal PLA, ABS, and Water Soluble Material. It should be able to do that right?
Enza3D
15
By water soluble, are you referring to PVA? If that’s the case, then yes, it can print all three.
I want to print PLA In one extruder and water soluble material in the other so I can wash away the support. Is that PVA?
Enza3D
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Most likely, I can’t think of any other water-soluble filaments off-hand. But that will work fine!
What about buying a refurbished one? Is that still good?
Enza3D
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Mine is actually a refurbished one, so yep!
