After doing some initial design (still need to finish the Kongo but a 3d printer would make getting parts far simpler) my next project (not going to be armed) is going to have to have a 3d printer....or i need to learn how to use my mill and lathe to make oblong bearings and housings. next project will require either an azapod or a waterjet (can't tell which yet but it might be a waterjet in an azapod) and building such would be far simpler with a 3d printer. after looking around the 3dr looks interesting to me in that it will do the taller skinny prints without so much floorspace taken up thoughts?
after looking around more today basically i want a delta printer. rostock seems to have more builders
Out of curiosity, why a delta vice a quadrant bot? Tall and skinny is possible but the taller a given object is for a given base size, the more likely it is to tip over.
the delta seem to have smoother operation vs the quad and the non moving base is interesting to me. that and i havn't found many other types of 3d printers than can do as large a print for about the same build costs.
It can. The lower inertia of the delta design allows higher print speeds. The simplicity of the quadrant machine is nice and belt tensioning is much easier.
I'm also looking to build just one unit and as such want as high quality as i can build in as sort of time as possible. As such i will probably just get a kit such as the rostock max v2 which is $999.00 but saves me time and about 2k to get a comparable prebuilt unit up and running quickly. Plus having nothing but a dremel and handtools for the next 3-6 months keeps me from doing much enclosure building and much other than fine tuning. And if i get help printing parts for another from you or elsewhere by the time i drive to georgia (and find a weekend to do so) or buy and ship the printed parts i'm over halfway to a kit.
If you plan to print tall parts in ABS, you may need to enclose the printer and keep the chamber heated. Most of those Rostock printers you see printing big vases are doing it with PLA. It's not a showstopper, just something to consider. I know based on my experience that I would go for a large base plate build area and worry less about the build height, because the yield rate is better for short wide pieces than it is for tall skinny pieces. The 3DR is a nice little printer, that was what I was looking to build when I was considering a delta. The deltas from SEEMECNC and Openbeam are very nice if you are looking at kits.
Caleb, if you order the Rostock Max, you will be printing relatively quickly, a friend of mine has one. Once you get the frame assembled, bring it to the shop and we can fab up an enclosure pretty easily from cheap 1/4" lauan plywood.
this is intriguing cobblebot. 20x20x20 build area. think i could build just about everything i would want to with that and i can add a dual extruder to that fairly simply. found a griffin printer which is a delta of 18x18 but doesn't have heated bed parts yet.
'Go big or go home' is not a good plan for your first 3D printer build We will be happy to help with whatever you decide to build, but going with a well-known and well-supported (either thru a manufacturer or the user community) is a Good Thing.
Just curious but why not go with a large printer if you can afford to do so and have the space and ability to do so? More complications over a smaller unit or just trying not to have Buyers remorse?
My advice could be worth what you're paying for it... But here it is: There is a very steep learning curve associated with 3D printers and successful 3D printing. It is easier to take care of a smaller printer than a bigger one. There's is also less dynamic forces involved (belt stretch under load, oscillations) in a smaller bot. If I wanted to build a printer that big, I would NOT use aluminum extrusions held together with printed corner braces. Way too weak. If you are hell-bent on doing it, build a welded frame. It is also easier to get good prints on a smaller printer than on a bigger (on that scale, anyway) printer. The 8"x8" heated bed is in a sweet spot right now because a LOT of people have worked on it, and the design is pretty well optimized for even heating over the whole print surface. Note that many, many 3D printers use this size heated bed, including almost every quadrant bot and many Rostock variants. I have direct knowledge of several printers that have moved to proprietary heated beds and their owners have called/emailed trying to figure out why their parts peel up in places. Hint: the area right around the thermistor is the right temp, but there are cold areas. Brrr. Additionally, if you go to a printer with a 20"^3 volume (actually more than that, since that's the print volume), you will really need to think about heating the print volume and insulating the enclosure. On top of that, prints in an 8"x8"x8" volume can take upwards of 12 hours easily. When you're talking like 10 times the print volume, you could set the machine running and get a part in a week. Admittedly a really big part, but the amount of plastic that'll get wasted in random errors mid-print is mind-boggling. Also, on the big cobblebot order page... how many pics of a functioning machine are there? Even just searching 'cobblebot' yields very few pics. As opposed to Mendel, Rostock, et al where the link list is long and glorious. I trust machines with vibrant, well-established communities. Funny coming from me who bought a Mendel years back when no one I knew or had met was doing it, I know. I recommend a smaller printer because 90% or more of common tasks in this hobby and in daily life can be accomplished on an 8"x8" build plate, and the further one strays from common machines, the less likely one is to get good results, especially on a first printer.
taking advise of what you are saying, the well supported rostock max and the prebuilt smaller orion seem like good choices. shouldn't be making parts bigger than they can make. are delta's and in 3-8 months i will have a full metalworking shop including welders to build something bigger if i feel the need... not going to be purchasing anything for a printer until after the 21st so i actually finish my boat. but after that i want to seriously look at kits. i will keep looking for a non delta (or delta) single extruder that does 50 micron resolution in an 8x8 printable area that is under $700 in kit form up to about $1,400 for completed (i don't have the time or patience to go part hunting and waiting 8 weeks for bits to arrive in small chunks from hong kong). i know kossels are cheaper than rostock max but not that much for the loss in diameter.
well i'm going to get the rostock max v2. ordering either today or tommorow and putting it together in april should i order from matterhackers or seemecnc? is the matterhackers slicing tool actually worth anything?
Never used it, but if you don't like how it works, it's easy to get a new slicer... Cura and Slic3r are both free Find one you like and use it. I use Cura and Slic3r both, depending on the task, as one is good at some things and the other is better at others, they cover each other's weak spots nicely.
I do like filament from Matterhackers, though, I've never had a problem with them. Very consistent diameters, and their silver ABS makes nice superstructure.
worked on the rostock and tried to recruit people who live near me to build boats ( might actually have one or two)
ASSEMBLED. however i may have to take the head apart. if i have to remove it i'm replacing it with the upgraded one. left resistor smokes....alot will try tomorrow evening maybe just the rtv didn't cure fully.
