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3-D Printing

It uses proprietary filament. I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot flaming barge pole.

I've got personal experience with both cartiesian (LulzBot TAZ) and delta (Rostock MAX and Orion) configuration printers. I'd recommend either one of those - but they're more than the $350 disaster that Newegg is selling. You can find the TAZ (5 I think) here: http://www.lulzbot.com and the Rostock MAX & Orion here: http://www.seemecnc.com. (I write the user & assembly manuals for the SeeMeCNC printers).

g.
 
So, in other words the filament is the key to the whole deal? I'm assuming the filament is replaceable. What is the acceptable lifespan of the filament and its cost?
 
Non-proprietary filament is the #1 must-have. Second consideration should be support for the product - both from the vendor and the community surrounding the vendor.

Filament may have a shelf-life, but I've not discovered it. I print in both PLA and ABS - some of my material is nearly 3 years old and it still prints fine.

Filament is typically sold in 1kg spools and can run anywhere from $15 to $40 per spool, depending on vendor and quality. I've heard good reports from people that have purchased Hatchbox filament from Amazon. Their filament is around $28 for PLA and $22 for ABS (1kg spools).

One big benefit to both the SeeMeCNC and LulzBot printers is that they're 100% open source end to end. From the hardware design, to the firmware, to the host software. The SeeMeCNC offerings have the advantage of being delta configuration, which means the rapid speeds are faster and the part isn't moving while printing. The plastic parts are also injection molded instead of printed like on the LulzBot printers. SeeMeCNC actually makes their own molds and injects them on-site in Goshen, IN.

g.
 
geneb said:
Non-proprietary filament is the #1 must-have. Second consideration should be support for the product - both from the vendor and the community surrounding the vendor.

Filament may have a shelf-life, but I've not discovered it. I print in both PLA and ABS - some of my material is nearly 3 years old and it still prints fine.

Filament is typically sold in 1kg spools and can run anywhere from $15 to $40 per spool, depending on vendor and quality. I've heard good reports from people that have purchased Hatchbox filament from Amazon. Their filament is around $28 for PLA and $22 for ABS (1kg spools).

One big benefit to both the SeeMeCNC and LulzBot printers is that they're 100% open source end to end. From the hardware design, to the firmware, to the host software. The SeeMeCNC offerings have the advantage of being delta configuration, which means the rapid speeds are faster and the part isn't moving while printing. The plastic parts are also injection molded instead of printed like on the LulzBot printers. SeeMeCNC actually makes their own molds and injects them on-site in Goshen, IN.

g.
Click to expand...

Thanks for all of that good info. Would it be possible for you to post a photo of one of your 3-D projects?

P.S. What I have in mind is a custom stock for an AR-15 type rifle.
 
You're quite welcome. I'm always happy to introduce a new person to another rabbit hole. :D

Gale Crater: (downloaded from a NASA website some time ago)
http://www.geneb.org/images/gale-crater.png

Spitfire (the WWII fighter) elevator bellcrank:
http://www.geneb.org/spitfire/bellcrank-1.jpg
http://www.geneb.org/spitfire/bellcrank-2.jpg
There's a couple of design issues with the model that need to be corrected. This was printed on my Rostock MAX v2 and is roughly 330mm long. It was printed as a test. Eventually a corrected model will be printed at 2% oversize and then will be turned into an aluminum casting via the Lost PLA casting method. (think Lost Wax with plastic instead of wax.)

Raspberry Pi case:
http://www.geneb.org/images/picase.jpg

Here's a design I did for an ASR-33 platen knob:
http://www.geneb.org/asr33/asr33-knob.JPG
Unfortunately I don't have a photo of the printed part. If the person that I made this for reads this, please post a photo of it! :) I've been told the fit was excellent.

Here's a prototype of a Messerschmitt Bf-109K4 instrument panel I'm working on:
http://www.geneb.org/109k/images/wip-panel-24jan15.jpg
All the bezel rings and the gunsight mount are 3D printed.

g.
 
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