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Hello everyone, first post and soon to have my first printer. I have been searching (with very little results) for reviews and/or opinions on the Plastic Scribbler Asterid 2100. I did find some information on http://www.soliforum.com/ but nothing real useful.

A bit about me and my needs:

I am fairly computer literate, not a programmer but using windows, office, Mac OSX and IOS products are not an issue. I am very well versed in Corel Draw and I have some experience with Adobe Illustrator. I am not a programmer but I have several friends who are. I also realize that this will be my first printer and most likely not my last, so getting this printer will most likely be a step to the next (more expensive) printer in the future. I expect that my biggest learning curves will be in learning the software to develop 3-d models to the scale that I need them and learning the nuances with the printer settings for the different printing media.

As far as fabrication, I am very familiar working with tactical nylon, metal milling, wood working, Kydex, and leather. As a hobbyist, I make holsters, gunsmith, build tactical nylon vest and equipment, and build models. Prototyping is something I enjoy. I am interested in printing parts for many of the models I build to further enhance them and eventually scratch build. An example of what I want to be able to print is here: http://www.modelermagic.com/?p=65981

Based on what I have read and videos I have watched, I am looking for printers that are capable of the following:

Relatively large build volume =>200mmx200mmx200mm

Fully assembled

Good customer support

Price preferred <600.00 but I would be willing to pay as much as 2K if the printer was the right one.

Multiple print media (ex. PLA, ABS, etc…) from what I have learned, this will require high temps and-

Heated Bed

Metal Hot-end

Open source software (so I can choose what to use)

Standardized and open source filaments (so I choose what to use)

So other considerations that I am not too sure about are:

Print resolution?

Enclosed or open?

Print speed?

Print noise?

Turnaround time to receive the printer as well as tech support.

Effects of temperature and humidity on printing, my workshop is in my basement.

I have explored the following two lists of printers to develop my decision:

https://www.3dhubs.com/best-3d-printer-guide

http://www.3ders.org/pricecompare/3dprinters/

I am really interested in the Plastic Scribbler Asterid 2100 here: http://www.plasticscribbler.com/products/item/109-asterid-2100

For the following reasons:

As far as I can tell it meets all my requirement to include

Capability and features

Price

Use of open source

Can be enclosed with very little effort

Large build volume

The company is located just 20 minutes from me (huge positive)

The owner has responded to all my emails and questions within hours rather than days.

My only real concern it the lack of reviews, I look forward to the insight that you guys can share with me.

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Heya! Hmm, In all honesty, I haven’t seen the asterid 3d printer before. Based upon the website, it seems to be packing quite a punch for that price tag.

The Flashforge Creator may be another good option for you and it seems be meet all of your requirements. A lot of people get the flashforge as a starter printer and upgrade from there once they get the hang of it.

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Don’t know that one neither. Maybe @Pot8oSH3D, @AtomJaay or @Christian_CAD know of it?

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Hey. Like Alex, I haven’t seen the Asterid before but it looks like a really sturdy piece of kit. There are a great many talented engineers putting together their idea of the perfect 3D printer and offering it for sale and this seems to be one of them. It’s not an especially original design which is why the spec concentrates of the components used. It’ll probably be a very reliable machine and, so long as the guy manages to stay in business, you’ll get technical support direct from the horse’s mouth. FWIW, I’d probably lash out the extra $100 or so on the 2100, if only for the fact that it would be more “future-proof”.

cheers!

AndyL

Pot8oSh3D

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Guys thanks for the comments. I think I will fire the shot and get it. I hope to become fairly active on this forum in the future. I expect I will be asking a ton of questions.

Thanks again,

Jeff

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“The company is located just 20 minutes from me”

That may be all you needed to say. If you have a positive experience with the printer be sure to spread the word like a fanatic. Local for the win!

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Nice, looking forward seeing you then! :slight_smile:

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Totally with you there, Jay. That can be worth thousands when you have a rush job and some spare part needs replacing.

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Hey guys, sorry it has taken me so long to review my purchase. This is a short review I have done on my Plastic Scribbler Asterid 2100.

I purchased the Asterid 2100 in February 2015 for Plastic Scribbler. I chose this printer for several reasons, first the features like a heated bed, size of build platform, fully assembled, open source software, and the range of available media for the price could not be beat. Second, the company is local to my state (GA) and I like supporting local small business. Third, if I run into a big problem, they are a short drive or phone call away. Lastly, I spoke to both Tim and Mike Manasterski and they went the extra mile in every step in the process of me getting this printer.

I work for the government so I am always broke, I saved and was able to get this printer in February but I did not have any immediate plans to use the printer. I build models and other things so it was a natural progression of those hobbies.

On the day I picked it up (I chose to pick it up rather than have it shipped), I met with Mike at his house and brought my MacBook with me. Mike helped me load and configure the software on my Mac and we did some test prints. Make went to great steps to make sure I understood how to load, calibrate, and generally operate the printer. Overall, I think I spent 2 hours with him and all his help really went way beyond what I expected. All this was well after I had already paid for the printer, Mike did not have to do this but I am so glad he did.

So this is my first 3D printer, my knowledge is very limited on this subject. I read a lot of reviews and watched a lot of videos to finally decide on this printer.

Once I got the printer home, I set everything up and test printed the traffic cone to make sure I still understood the basic operations of the printer, everything went perfectly.

So since February, I have been playing with several 3D modeling programs (Rhinoceros for Mac, SketchUp, and Blender) to develop my modeling skills. I think most new people to 3D printing think that the printer is the hard part, its not. Making 3D models of the thing you want to print is the hard part. Anyway while working on some costumes for Dragon Con I wanted to incorporate some printed pieces. This would serve to test my abilities with 3d modeling and 3d printing. While designing a retro science fiction ray gun I decided to print the grips for the ray gun. Since this was to be a prop for a costume there was no need to make a functioning trigger. I built the grips (one left and one right) in blender and printed them in white ABS. I glued them together, sanded them, patched some areas with bondo and resanded them. Eventually I painted them added some chrome vinyl graphics and clear coated them. I was very pleased with the results. I did experience some warping on the outer edges and I will endeavor to find solutions for this in later prints. I am not sure how to attached pictures here so the link to the build of this costume (if interested) is here:

http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=244683

Another part of the costume I used the printer for was the antenna I attached to the retro science fiction helmet. Again I built this model in two parts and printed it in ABS giving it the same treatment as the grips; however, for the antenna I added an LED and battery pack. Again I was very pleased with the results.

After this first real world use of my Asterid 2100, I am very pleased with my purchase and its operation. I would recommend this printer to anyone looking for a 3D printer with these great features.