Who makes the best fully assembled 3d printer for the price

fubar62172 · Apr 13, 2015

I'm looking to get into 3d printing ,..can anyone point me in the right direction so I can get the most bang for the buck? I'll be doing prototyping and hobby use with it. One application would be to prototype motorcycle triple clamps so I'd need something that could hold a tolerance fairly close.Thanks for any info

pri0ritize · Apr 13, 2015

Look at the Wanhao D5. It's right around $2k, gives you a 12"X8"X24" printable size and turns out some very high quality prints. It really only prints PLA though so if you want to do acetone smoothing or something like that you'll probably want to try something that prints ABS. (The new version comes with a heated print bed but I've heard mixed reviews. Any machine around this price range isn't going to work without a little work though. You'll have to learn about heat settings as well as how your printer works with each type of filament that you buy. I've got 6 of them running right now and they do a pretty good job for me. I'd suggest you buy some extra nozzles as well.

Royldean · Apr 13, 2015

you can get makerbots at The Home Depot..... just sayin.

(When I saw them there, I asked the cashier if they had sold any.... answer was "nope.")

Pete F · Apr 13, 2015

The best 3D printer for what price?

Until you give an indication of roughly the price range you're looking at, it will be impossible to answer your question properly. You should also have an idea of what technology you're looking at using, ie resin, thermal extrusion, powder, etc. Each type of process has very different price points, but very different results. While it's probably safe to assume you're referring to thermal extrusion, a resin based system may be better for you if you need fine detail and tolerances. You will need to look into both and decide which is appropriate for you. The resin based systems have come down a lot in price recently, and with Autodesk releasing the resin formula as open source, the cost to run them will possibly drop considerably too.

Another critical consideration is the size footprint you need for the work you intend for it. A requirement for a larger printer will limit your choices considerably. Most plastic extrusion printers seem to fall within the 200 x 200 mm platter, with around the same Z, though a delta printer will have more z.

fubar62172 · Apr 13, 2015

Pete F said:
The best 3D printer for what price?

Until you give an indication of roughly the price range you're looking at, it will be impossible to answer your question properly. You should also have an idea of what technology you're looking at using, ie resin, thermal extrusion, powder, etc. Each type of process has very different price points, but very different results. While it's probably safe to assume you're referring to thermal extrusion, a resin based system may be better for you if you need fine detail and tolerances. You will need to look into both and decide which is appropriate for you. The resin based systems have come down a lot in price recently, and with Autodesk releasing the resin formula as open source, the cost to run them will possibly drop considerably too.

Another critical consideration is the size footprint you need for the work you intend for it. A requirement for a larger printer will limit your choices considerably. Most plastic extrusion printers seem to fall within the 200 x 200 mm platter, with around the same Z, though a delta printer will have more z.

I'd like to stay under 2k and as long as I can get 12" length would work fine
Thanks

Pete F · Apr 15, 2015

I think the XYZ Printing Da Vinci 1.0 would be one of the best value printers I have seen for a turn-key solution, which it sounds like you want. The print bed is a pretty standard 200 x 200 mm so you would want to consider very carefully if you really need 300 x 300 mm size as it will limit your options considerably. The printer basically just needs to be plugged in, turned on, and you're good to go. The retail price, around US$500 from Best Buy, is outstanding value in my opinion.

I saw this printer running at MTA 2015 and the prints were as good as they come in this style of printer. It has a heated bed so can print both ABS and PLA, and is very consumer friendly in that it's fully enclosed. The only real downside is that it uses proprietary filament cartridges. While they're relatively cheap compared to some I've seen, they're much more expensive compared to buying filament by the kilogram spool. I don't know if it's possible to crack the cartridge open and wind more filament onto the cartridge, but if so it would be hard to find much to fault in this printer in terms of bang for your buck.

fubar62172 · Apr 20, 2015

How muck movement should I expect on a pc appx 1.5" X 4" X 10.5"?
Thanks

tomwalz · Apr 21, 2015

I think Make magazine did a review of these a couple months ago.

I'm pretty sure the magazine is till on my desk.

Mike Henry · Apr 21, 2015

I have a Zortrax M200 printer that runs $2k or a little more and it can do a really nice job for a hobby 3D printer so long as you don't expect machined resolution and accuracy It's designed in Poland, made in China and available from resellers in the US. It won't do 12-in long pieces, though, and not many in the $2k price range will. Here's a sample print of a model Toyota manual transmission to give you an idea of what it can do.

motion guru · Apr 21, 2015

Mike Henry said:
I have a Zortrax M200 printer that runs $2k or a little more and it can do a really nice job for a hobby 3D printer so long as you don't expect machined resolution and accuracy It's designed in Poland, made in China and available from resellers in the US. It won't do 12-in long pieces, though, and not many in the $2k price range will. Here's a sample print of a model Toyota manual transmission to give you an idea of what it can do.

View attachment 137584

Uhhhhhh . . . I think your pressure plate goes inside the bellhousing not on the output shaft . . . just saying :typing:

All the same - very nice results from a $2k class machine!

TeachMePlease · Apr 21, 2015

Mike Henry said:
I have a Zortrax M200 printer that runs $2k or a little more and it can do a really nice job for a hobby 3D printer so long as you don't expect machined resolution and accuracy It's designed in Poland, made in China and available from resellers in the US. It won't do 12-in long pieces, though, and not many in the $2k price range will. Here's a sample print of a model Toyota manual transmission to give you an idea of what it can do.

View attachment 137584

That's pretty freakin' cool.

Next time, print it all as one piece, with support material.

Mike Henry · Apr 21, 2015

Oops - just another reason why I stopped working on cars a few decades ago <g>.

There's an engine to go along with the transmission:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmK_LWOqRp8 <==== Engine video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB34I33Bqrg <==== Transmission video

I printed the engine as well, but it has more issues with the ABS I used for the print.

Mike

RC Mech · Apr 21, 2015

Mike Henry said:
I have a Zortrax M200 printer that runs $2k or a little more and it can do a really nice job for a hobby 3D printer so long as you don't expect machined resolution and accuracy It's designed in Poland, made in China and available from resellers in the US. It won't do 12-in long pieces, though, and not many in the $2k price range will. Here's a sample print of a model Toyota manual transmission to give you an idea of what it can do.

View attachment 137584

I believe we've found the elusive $2000 3D printer with presentable resolution.

pri0ritize · Apr 21, 2015

Most $2000 printers have resolution comparable to this now. The ones I've been using have layers as small a .1mm. It definitely takes some time to print though.

Pete F · Apr 22, 2015

pri0ritize said:
Most $2000 printers have resolution comparable to this now. The ones I've been using have layers as small a .1mm. It definitely takes some time to print though.

Agree, from what I've seen they're all getting right up there, and it seems like it's more a case of fiddling with the setup as much as the mechanics. Most are using pretty basic motion control hardware and the same hot ends. I think there are definitely some BAD printers being produced, but not so much one (of this type) that rises above the rest in terms of quality. The main thing is the good brands come "pre-fiddled" so you should be able to get some decent results straight out of the box after some basic levelling etc. but you do pay for that convenience.

That's a very nice print Mike. I'm not so sure about the assembly, but the quality looks good.

diyengineer253 · Apr 22, 2015

I have a solidoodle 3, the newer 4 is awesome and is a lot less expensive than the competition.

Zahnrad Kopf · Apr 23, 2015

Mike Henry said:
I have a Zortrax M200 printer that runs $2k or a little more and it can do a really nice job for a hobby 3D printer so long as you don't expect machined resolution and accuracy It's designed in Poland, made in China and available from resellers in the US. It won't do 12-in long pieces, though, and not many in the $2k price range will. Here's a sample print of a model Toyota manual transmission to give you an idea of what it can do.
View attachment 137584

Wow. VERY nice. Details of that build?

RC Mech said:
I believe we've found the elusive $2000 3D printer with presentable resolution.

No kidding! THIS I am interested in learning more about.

wippin' boy · Apr 23, 2015

you all just spent a week slammin' a guy who's hobby grade machine making plastic brickerbrak to nonmachining resolution did not belong on this sight because his project of choice was a bowl not a toy car. :skep:

WTF

TeachMePlease · Apr 23, 2015

wippin' boy said:
you all just spent a week slammin' a guy who's hobby grade machine making plastic brickerbrak to nonmachining resolution did not belong on this sight because his project of choice was a bowl not a toy car.

WTF

Whoop de doo... A fookin' bowl. Oh, look, a shitty cube with no known dimensions or tolerances.

This is a working freakin' model with good surface finish, and if we don't know the tolerances, we at least know it all went together as it should (Well, not TOTALLY as it should

)

Big difference.

wippin' boy · Apr 23, 2015

facts not in evidence
judge Judy would toss the statement.

it may be that this is a tight little model that was made to superior spec. than the bowl.
but he didn't say that.
maybe it took two days of hand filing each piece. maybe the parts were designed such that +/- 1/8" would still let the parts go together to create something that looked like a drivetrain.

maybe that bowl virtually mixes pudding pops by itself.

I love the guys model, it's cool shit. I hope the machine he bought serves him well and last for generations.

even if the mainland Chinese device issuperior. we hear people on this sight everyday squealing MADE IN AMERICA or die tryin'

why do we hate the guy from america trying to break in with his own machine. one slightly optimistic statement and he has been hung out to dry as a selfsearving spammer. maybe instead of you fucking spammer something like go make us something cool and we will have another look. maybe you ain't ready for prime time with that body of work

I think the hate talk is unnecessary.

(now watch it turn out he's really whole up in Samali and his profits go right to the Taliban. just my luck)

TeachMePlease said:
Whoop de doo... A fookin' bowl. Oh, look, a
shitty cube with no known dimensions or tolerances.

This is a working freakin' model with good surface finish, and if we don't know the tolerances, we at least know it all went together as it should (Well, not TOTALLY as it should )

Big difference.

Who makes the best fully assembled 3d printer for the price

Aluminum

Aluminum

Stainless

Titanium

Aluminum

Titanium

Aluminum

Stainless

Titanium

Diamond

Diamond

Titanium

Stainless

Aluminum

Titanium

Hot Rolled

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

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