advice needed for 3D printer

Thread Starter

t00t

Joined Jan 22, 2015
73
Hi guys , was looking at a few 3D printers recently and really wanted to get this one

https://re3d.org/

Its kina a big investment for me so I was thinking if anyone has any advice or any other better brand to introduce .

Basically I need a 3D printer to print sample designs for my clients . I see this is the only non desktop size 3D printer that is on the cheaper side .

thank you .
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
Hi guys , was looking at a few 3D printers recently and really wanted to get this one

https://re3d.org/

Its kina a big investment for me so I was thinking if anyone has any advice or any other better brand to introduce .

Basically I need a 3D printer to print sample designs for my clients . I see this is the only non desktop size 3D printer that is on the cheaper side .

thank you .

If you are going to spend 8500 or more, you should spend at least $500 trying to figure out which one is best for you.

Research the things 3D printers don't do well and compare your options.
Thin sections,
unsupported sections,
multiple colors,
multiple materials,
excellent surface finish
excellent surface detail
excellent strength
mineral or glass-filled materials
paintable materials
low distortion
optical clarity


Sometimes, you might just be better off outsourcing the printing process to a 3rd party and waiting one or two days to get your parts. No investment, no maintenance, no service calls, no upgrades, no big, hot, noisy printer buzzing away in your office. Someone else takes your drawing and looks at the best surface to print from, converts it to an .stl file, considers wall thickness, in-fill percentages, in-fill pattern, converts that to a G-code files. Then reprints because something failed during the print - the part slid off of the build-plate (bed), the filament did not feed correctly, the part warped because of uneven heating, the layers did not bond together well because of a hundred different reasons.

The more I see people use 3D printed objects, the higher their expectations become. Kind of like digital cameras. Everyone had to have one initially but nobody was happy with the resolution, low storage space or inability to convert them to a printed page that looked like a, ahem, photograph. Same with 3D printing. You are going to spend $10,000 and use it a half-dozen times and then notice that your competitors have better resolution so you have (a) a burning desire to upgrade to a better 3D printer, or (b) outsource to a 3D print service shop that has a half-million dollar printer that can do everything and have parts back to you in two days.
 

nerdegutta

Joined Dec 15, 2009
2,684
I don't think I'd buy a printer that uses filament on a roll. I'd go for an SLA or SLS printer. Why? Because of the resolution, and the complexity of the model you want to print.
 
Top