Hi, I’m very new to 3D printing (actually never done it). I’m looking for a printer that would meet the following criteria
-Will be used for printing small signs ( 2 feet long x 1 foot high x 2 inched thick)
-must be able to print several colours (for logos)
-must be able to print fairly quickly (what times could I expect)
Lastly how would I take a PDF image and print it. If I wanted to replicate a logo is this the best way to do it?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Any recommendations on printers is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Jack
Hi Jack,
In answer to a few of your questions! For 3D printing you will need a 3D model, you cannot make a print of an image, or PDF file. So you will need a 3D modeller that can take your PDF, and translate it to a 3D file.
I also think that the size you require your prints to be will be too big for most 3D printers. Also, unfortunately, 3D printing is mostly done in one single solitary colour, at most, there can be two colours, with a dual extrusion printer, however they are still quite new in the 3D printing world. Your print will have to be painted after printing to achieve the desired effect.
Also most 3D printers have issues with printing large, flat objects, and can experience warping or other issues, a print will take a few hours at least on the size that you want to print.
I can refer you to our 3D printer guide, which shows the most commonplace printers on our platform, and their qualities. Most of those will be too small for your needs, and all of them print in only a single solitary colour: Best 3D Printer Guide 2023 | Hubs.
Best,
Benny
Going off what Benny said, you will have a hard time finding a printer that can print 2 foot in any direction without spending around $5000. You can check out the Fusion3 machines. I would search “large format 3d printers” on the internet. What I would recommend is a smaller printer and printing your signs in sections and gluing together or you can get fancy and add snap-together joints. As for multi colors, most machines only do one but there are some out on the market that print two and only one that I can think of that does three, 3d Systems Cube Pro Trio. You can also change colors throughout prints.
Second, depending on how the file was made you can use rhino but all that does is give you the outline, you would still have to extrude the proper distance to give the right thickness.
Hi Jack,
Those are really high requirements (especially multi colours) for almost all desktop printers in the market and I can think of no one that perfectly fits your descriptions. Anyway, I think your best choice would be Stratasys’ PolyJet Series, such as Connex (very amazing but could be very expensive too). Or maybe you have to turn to industrial printers.
Generally speaking, however, to print such a large thing with a desktop FDM printer, we usually split it into different parts and then glue them together. As for multi colors, you can use mixed color filament IF you do not have particular requirements, say, a sign reads OK, “O” must be red, and “K” must be blue.
If you still think about doing it with a desktop printer, then I suggest you give Xinkebot’s ORCA2+ a shot. It’s roughly 16 inches in length, 16 inches in width and 18 inches in height.
All the best,
Luke
