Is there a device similar to the Micro3D that can make larger prints?
I’m talking something self leveling/calibrating that works right out of the box.
I’ve tried to build my own printer, but the company (QU-BD), not only sent me the wrong item, but it was also crushed! No matter what I have tried, it wouldn’t work right and they never replied to my emails beyond an initial assurance that a crushed product should still work fine.
I was originally going to save up for a Micro3D, but now I find myself needing to print items upwards of 16 inches long and a foot wide. I have a budget of 1k but I am unsure if a consumer printer exists that is capable of achieving that for the price listed.
If anyone can point me to one, I would be GREATLY appreciative!
Well, first off, there is no Micro3D. Not yet and I’m going to skeptically guess not ever.
But I’m just trying to say that there are no truly plug-n-play 3d printers at this juncture and ESPECIALLY not for very large prints and super most especially not for under $1000.
For that price no. But honestly if you want a printer to print that large you would have to build your own. For $1000 you could build a great printer. The build area depends on what you decide on but it isn’t an out of the box process. I built my printer and in my opinion it is the best way to learn. Not to mention cheaper.
That’s a huge print desired from the given budget, I can’t think of any commercial machine that’s close in desired price and build volume. One kit might, but the name is escaping me. One thing you can do is use net fab or Blender to cut models down into sections and glue them together.
And @John_Davis what makes you think that they won’t release their printer? They got a huge 3.4 million from kickstarter and look like they have their stuff together better than makibox did. Just curious as to if I missed something.
They will get to market, but starting at that scale will likely crush them for a while. Expect the final price to be significantly higher. Problems always follow any launch… This price point brings newbies and they can be difficult. It will be a tough road for a while. The Mod-T will get to market too. Same expectations. We are working on a new low cost printer that will be available assembled and in kit form… We sell sooo many Simple makers kits but I want to move on past wood printers once and for all. The new one will be metal with a few injection molded parts. We will see how it goes. Hopefully we can get it past beta we aren’t even there yet- it’s a drawing right now.
Brook
How long is 16 inches. Mine is 410mm wide 300mm deep and “can” print 540mm high ive one one print 500mm high just to show I can but honestly after that that part if the z axiz doesnt even know what my build plate looks like. If I where honest a machine that can print 300x300x400 will print anything you will reasonably be able to. Right now im printing the top section of a trophy ( I can print the whole thing on one printer) the part is 254x165x114 it cup so its pretty much an outside shell and print time at 0.2 layers os 15 hours (cura estimated about 13 hours) my printer is big enough to print the whole thing as one. And it was my initial plan but overhangs mean supports and that adds material and time to the print. 35 hours on 2 machine devide the time. The estimated time with no support is 41 hours and with supports 70 hours. Thats 3 days to make something I can do in 1 the trophy will ge assembles and glued and then gold plated. So big printers are nice but the limits we face are not size its speed
@Brook_Drumm Do you know the M3D guys? I only spoke to them at a show in NYC before their Kickstarter but was really put off by the cobbled together mockups they were displaying, the single functional unit that was not printing every time I stopped by, the small/sketchy prints they showed, the evasive answers they gave and the absurdly high expectations they were setting, especially for the price point.
I love the idea behind kickstarter as it gives people a chance to get their ideas funded and rolling. But I feel like within the last couple years I’ve been more skeptical to back large projects like the micro. Maybe @Brook_Drumm could give more insight on this but I feel like either there are more startup fails on there now than when kickstarter was young or maybe it’s just the popularity of the website driving up news. And I don’t mean unfunded but funded projects that don’t really hit the mark afterwards.
My first printer was based on the gmax design which was meant to be a 16"x16" build plate but never worked very well, and certainly not for anything that large. That said, I was able to build it for $750 for all the parts and around $1,000 after upgrading a bunch of stuff.
Right now I’m working on @Cohesion3D , and what I like about my frame design is that it’s scalable, meaning that I can make all the way up to a 2’ x 4’ printer just by cutting the metal longer and a few small design tweaks.
I can provide you with the design files so you could source and build yourself an 18"x18" model but I would also warn you that trying to learn 3d printing on a large machine is difficult. I got my initial experience with a Printrbot Plus a year ago and that was crucial to how far I feel I’ve come today.
Rigidbot “Big” has a build volume of 16x10x12 but it is as far from plug and play as you can get. Additionally the company has still not filled all of their kickstarter pledges from 2 years ago. It will make good, big prints but it is a hobbyist machine and requires lots of upgrades and tweaking to get it dialed in. Price with mods would be very close to $1K.
I’m thinking I am going to be unable to fill that large print commission so I plan to forward it to my local makerspace. That said…
Has anyone here used the Dremel 3D Idea Builder? I just stumbled upon it (a google banner add that adblock missed!), and I’m thinking it is perfect for me (they have tech support), but I worry about the proprietary filament they use. Ideally I would be printing largely in woodfill.
Worth mention, it’s print area is 9” x 5.9” x 5.5” / 230 mm x 150 mm x 140 mm. Not great, but better than the Micro3D.
@John_Davis no, I don’t know them. I met them at a show and I light heartedly scolded him about all his crazy claims. He said they figured out a way to print abs without heated bed. Right. He said, and I quote, “we figured out a way to print with loose belts.” Right. He also said it would be made in the USA. Right.
Even if the machine does perform relatively well, leadership like that will sink the company.
My advice:
Be brutally honest with your customers
Set expectations realistically
Stop claiming the introductory price is real- just tell people what the final price will be.
Get to freakin market.
Don’t make in China. Ever.
Make a great machine in metal, move to injection molded plastic much much later. Not out of the gate.
Make a great mid level machine if you want to take market share
Don’t race to the bottom. The winner may be the looser.
we aren’t even there yet- it’s a drawing right now.