| The Breakroom > The Water Cooler |
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| picclock:
I am considering investing in a 3d printer in the near future. Ideally one which would produce parts in nylon and abs. I have seen a very low cost kit called a two up : http://www.productchart.com/3d_printers/5843 which looks too good to be true. Does anyone have one of these or an alternate and what are the pros and cons of the machine you have ? What is the best UK website for info on these devices? The idea of being able to produce custom gears and other small parts in nylon/abs seems very attractive to me. Best Regards picclock |
| Pete49:
More than happy with my Da Vinci 3D printer. A couple mods and now I use aftermarket filament. That one looks a tad under whelming. Pete |
| Arbalist:
I get the impression that any of them will produce pretty looking "prototypes" but you'll likely need something better than a budget model for working parts. If possible try a get some actual samples before committing. Surface finish from some of them also leaves a bit to be desired. |
| picclock:
@ Pete49, Arbalist I looked at the Da Vinci one but was put off by the need to use filament cartridges. My limited research has shown that some very exotic materials are now available, and that nylon can be used with little alteration. The two up is very much a budget machine, but from what I have read may be too troublesome. I am now considering a Prusa i3 kit, which has a water jet cut aluminium frame. As you can specify the extruder head, I can select one which will do the higher temperatures needed for stronger materials. The link to the kit is slow to load, http://semiu.co.uk/product/prusa-i3-complete-kit/ , the photographs are poor, however the information I can find about it seems to indicate that it will do the job. Will try to get some actual prints from the chap. AFAIK, the surface finish is determined by the nozzle size. So a small nozzle size will give a good finish but will take a long time to print. The mechanical positioning resolution of the printer is 0.0125 mm in X and Y and 0.00025 mm in z. Intend using E3D-online v6 nozzle which will go down to 0.25mm. Still very much at the considering stage - far too much work on to do anything about it at this moment, but I like the possibility. Best Regards picclock |
| awemawson:
I'll be extremely interested to hear how you get on with your investigations of 3D printers. It's my next intended acquisition once I've properly set up and got used to my laser engraver. Most of the 3D printers I've seen to date have been little more than toys (with a nice low price) or top end industrial kit using exotic materials and a matching price tag. I'm looking for something in between these extremes that can do useful work to a fair finish and reasonable working volume. |
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