Best 3D Printer for a Budget of 1,350

Johnnyo1012 · 2016-06-29T17:45:17.000Z

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 · 2016-06-29T17:53:05.000Z

Most likely, I can’t think of any other water-soluble filaments off-hand. But that will work fine!

Johnnyo1012 · 2016-06-29T18:00:27.000Z

What about buying a refurbished one? Is that still good?

Enza3D · 2016-06-29T18:07:16.000Z

Mine is actually a refurbished one, so yep!

Johnnyo1012 · 2016-06-29T18:10:45.000Z

Great Thanks!

Enza3D · 2016-06-29T18:16:09.000Z

No problem! Feel free to reach out to me in the future if you need help with it

Johnnyo1012 · 2016-06-29T21:16:51.000Z

Thanks!

Johnnyo1012 · 2016-06-29T21:48:04.000Z

Can you set different temperatures for different extruders. Can one be 230 and the other 200 to print to colors that melt and different temps.?

Enza3D · 2016-06-30T01:16:37.000Z

Yep, the extruders can be controlled independently of one another!

Johnnyo1012 · 2016-06-30T13:12:45.000Z

Can I print NijaFlex? Is NijaFlex ABS or PLA?

Enza3D · 2016-06-30T13:20:42.000Z

Yep! I’ve printed several things in NinjaFlex, you just have to adjust the settings accordingly. NinjaFlex belongs in the TPE/TPU plastics family; it’s neither PLA or ABS but it’s own thing entirely.

I’ve successfully printed the following filaments (all the prints you see on my Hub were done on the Dreamer):

CopperFill & BronzeFill
Timberfill
PLA
PLA-PHA
ABS
BioSilk
NinjaFlex & SemiFlex
Watson
Carbon Fiber PLA
Stainless Steel PLA
HIPS & PVA

I’ve attached an image of a very small print that was done with NinjaFlex, next to a penny for reference.

20160630_091826.jpg3264×1836 1.47 MB

Johnnyo1012 · 2016-06-30T13:30:42.000Z

Thanks, What does carbon fiber PLA and Stainless Steel PLA Mean? Does it have those things in it to make it stronger?

Enza3D · 2016-06-30T13:45:14.000Z

The stainless steel PLA (SSPLA) isn’t really stronger than normal PLA, but it’s more dense and can be polished to look like stainless steel. It’s made by adding steel powder to PLA while it’s molten, so that when it get extruded into filament, the filament is a mix of steel and PLA. I can upload some pictures of that later so you have an idea of what it looks like, and some examples can be seen on Proto-Pasta’s website (Stainless Steel PLA | Metal-Filled PLA Filament – ProtoPlant, makers of Proto-pasta). It’s definetely a lot tougher and harder than normal PLA, or even the copper/bronze PLA composites. When I sand Stainless Steel PLA, it takes a lot longer and chews through sandpaper like there’s no tomorrow.

Carbon Fiber PLA (CFPLA) is significantly more rigid than normal PLA, so it’s great for drones and other RC vehicles. Like the stainless steel PLA, it’s made by mixing little strands of carbon fiber into the PLA before turning it into a filament. I use the one made by Proto-Pasta (Black Carbon Fiber Composite | Carbon Fiber PLA Filament – ProtoPlant, makers of Proto-pasta). Unlike the Stainless Steel PLA, the Carbon Fiber PLA finishes really nicely with about the same amount of work it takes to sand normal PLA.

I would recommend upgrading the nozzles if you plan on running a lot of exotics through any machine though, they are not kind to the stock brass.

I have attached a picture of a Carbon Fiber, Copper, and Stainless Steel piece I did then polished for reference

20160630_093833.jpg1563×2031 1.58 MB

Enza3D · 2016-06-30T13:46:01.000Z

One other thing with these filaments, watch for clogs! Any of the metal based ones love sticking to the nozzles so it’s important to unload them once the print is done.

Johnnyo1012 · 2016-06-30T13:58:50.000Z

Do I need to upgrade the nozzles if I print PLA, ABS, PVA, Carbon Fiber, and Stainless Steel, and NijaFlex?

Enza3D · 2016-06-30T14:08:13.000Z

PLA, PVA, ABS, and NinjaFlex will all print fine with the stock nozzles.

For Stainless Steel and Carbon Fiber, the brass nozzles the printer comes with will be ok for a little bit, but over time the abrasiveness of those filaments is going to chew through the brass, which means your extrusion nozzle diameter is going to get larger and larger. This is not good, since then you have no way of telling the slicer what size that hole is and your extrusions will lose consistency.

Upgrading to hardened steel is not too expensive (check out E3D’s ones http://e3d-online.com/E3D-v6/Extra-Nozzles) and really benefits you in the long run. You can print just about anything with the hardened steel nozzles and they’ll last much longer than the brass will.

Johnnyo1012 · 2016-06-30T14:15:22.000Z

What Size do you get? Can I tell the slicer what size it is? My Da Vinci only lets me choose .3 or .4

Enza3D · 2016-06-30T14:21:13.000Z

I use 0.4 mm with the Dreamer; most slicers should allow you to define the nozzle size to be whatever you want. DaVinci will limit because of proprietary software and DRM but that won’t be the case with the FlashForge.

Johnnyo1012 · 2016-06-30T14:25:27.000Z

If something breaks do they have extra parts available?

Enza3D · 2016-06-30T14:55:51.000Z

Yes! Pretty much anything you might need http://www.flashforge-usa.com/shop/parts-accessories.html?limit=30, that link is for the US, if you’re not state side then there is an equivalent website based in china (the actual companies base) http://www.ff3dp.com/