I have a Folgertech Kossel 2020 (Delta) kit, and while I was able to assemble it and get it functional, it has proven to be quite a PITA to get it calibrated, and generally, I think I bit off too much attempting to do a low cost delta kit as my first foray into 3d printing…
So, I want to try again…
I am interested in getting a “beginner” 3d printer (NOT delta style) that is either plug’n’play, or nearly plug’n’play that can produce decent prints with minimal setup, and high quality prints with tuning and mod’ing.
It doesn’t need a big print volume, but I want it to be (easily) expandable to do larger prints in the future, and “hackable” would be a good thing as I wish to mod it as I get more skilled/knowledgeable.
I don’t need it to be enclosed as I have a large format CNC router table (a big ol’ 8ft x 4ft that I could use to create my own enclosure quite easily.
If you aren’t aiming for a delta design, have you researched for your consideration a Prusa i3 printer? I suggest the genuine model, rather than a clone, which will be more expensive, but carries with it support of good reputation. I have not yet watched the video, but the builder took 11 hours to construct from the kit, while suggesting that it would take realistically only five hours, had the video portion been excluded. There are many models of the Prusa i3 printer in clone form, with an astonishing range of prices, but consider that the pricing may also give an indication of the quality of the product (or lack of!) Of course, one can purchase a fully assembled Prusa i3 at a premium, but where’s the fun in that?
The Prusa is open source, which means if you have a specific mod in mind, someone may have already created it.
@Fred_U - I am indeed considering the Prusa i3 Mk2, but one of my strong desires is that the printing volume be easily expandable, and it seems this would be quite difficult to do with the i3 considering it’s frame…?
That’s understandable. One would then have to examine the options for printers using generic frame design of extrusions. You would possibly push the limits of rigidity with a smaller design scaled up, but could increase the cross section of the extrusions to compensate.
There was a crowd-funded printer called The Beast, described as being able to print large volume with up to four heads. I followed the forum for a while, but the number of posts from people with trouble getting things to work properly had me exit stage left in short order. The general flexibility of the design created problems for many, but could have been resolved with appropriate attention to joints and extrusion size. Of course, larger extrusions and stronger brackets would have meant more expense, never a good thing for a crowd-funded project! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1624260277/the-beast-a-large-and-precise-4x-extruder-3d-print
The Mk2 has a pretty large bed already, there shouldn’t be much if any reason to increase the size. If you really need a larger printer down the road, you can always canibalize the delta to build a larger printer.
As for your delta, they are a PITA to calibrate. Definitely not recommended imo for a first printer (though I did the same as you, but with a Rostock Mini). All 3D printers are going to need some TLC though, so why not give it a second chance. I believe Escher3D has a manual auto-calibration process using his least-squares (?) calibration routine found in the RepRapFirmware. It might help you dial in the calibration a little easier. I also always found the Minow blog a good resource for manual calibration to get me started.
Perhaps I am looking for a unicorn (“easy” to use right out of the box, with decent quality, and inexpensive, but expandable)…
While I consider myself a decent tinkerer, I find that my skills fall in the unfortunate gap between “needs hand-holding for everything” and “can build one himself from scratch”… Mechanically, I am comfortable with building kits, but my experience with the 2020 Kossel from Folgertech kind of traumatized me (lots of software setup issues, very poor instructions, cheap 3d printed parts that broke because they were warped/misprinted, and crude firmware support for the Delta configuration), and the calibration issues (which I still haven’t figured out)…
Now I just want to start with a SOLID simple base printer that I can mod/expand without having to worry about basic functionality…
@John-Paul_Hopman - yeah, I was kind of thinking “do/will I really NEED a larger bed?”… Perhaps not…
I’ve been thinking/looking for a way to cannibalize the delta for a more traditional cartesian (or similar) printer, but again, just kind of paranoid that I will end up with some failed Frankenstein printer that either does not work, or works poorly…
Re: giving the delta another go… Well, maybe… I’ve tried NUMEROUS calibration methods (it has an inductive proximity sensor to calibrate with, but I can’t get it to work properly with all the firmwares I’ve tried) … I also have a warped printer bed plate, so that’s not helping things… Generally, the whole experience with the FT 2020 Kossel kit has been a nightmare, but I think it is equally because my newbie level of expertise as well as the general difficulty of the kit. I think for an expert, the kit would be okay as an expert would probably be able to better diagnose and fix the issues I have been struggling with…
Here’s the thing though. Mechanically, I am pretty good. And, as you point out, I can CNC cut my own parts to do mod’s…
However…
I want to start with an easy 3d printer that I don’t have to wrestle with just to get decent prints. (I feel like I burned myself by selecting the Delta Kossel kit as a first shot). My thinking is that, once I get comfortable with the workings of the basic printer, I can then start doing my own mods to expand it…
One thing I’ve learned through the experience with the Delta is that not being able to print anything after 2 months of trying (and that is AFTER I had the printer assembled) is just… horrible…
@John-Paul_Hopman - yep, been following some SUPER long threads on the FT Delta… Unfortunately, I seem to just have bad luck in that the solutions that work for others don’t seem to work for me (or lead to other problems)… It’s just… frustrating… but it was a good lesson in not biting off more than you can chew…
No printer is easily expandable’ as far as print volumes is concerned. It involves new frame pieces, heaters, belt or rod changes etc etc. Easier to buy for the largest print volume upfront or as many do, use your printer to build another!
You could recycle some of your kossel bits to create an ultimaker clone but then you’d still have to have parts printed somehow and cut all the frames which is the opposite of your desire for a simple set up.
@Chengster_N - thanks for the honest feedback. I guess I will change my goal to just being able to reuse some parts from my kossel some day and focus on mastering the basics of 3d printing so I can print parts for a bigger printer.
that I could use to create my own enclosure quite easily.