3D Printer - looking for wisdom

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mechanicalmagic
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3D Printer - looking for wisdom

Post by mechanicalmagic »

I'm thinking about buying a 3D printer. Do I need it? Well, about as much as I need a 12" Lathe or a Bridgeport. The current attraction is that I'm not as mobile as days past, and a desk top machine might live in my (warm) computer room.

What do I want to do with it? Few of you know that I'm also an EE type. One of the constant issues is packaging the boards/batteries/controls in something convenient.

I'm leaning toward the Makerbot 2X. I know there are cheaper machines, but I think there is a pretty good chance this one has been debugged by now.

Anyone have some experience or wisdom on the subject?

Dave J
Every day I ask myself, "What's the most fun thing to do today."
9x48 BP clone, 12x36 lathe, TIG, MIG, Gas, 3 in 1 sheetmetal.
hammermill
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Re: 3D Printer - looking for wisdom

Post by hammermill »

make magazine reciently put out a mag/book covering most of the 3/d printers you may find interesting reviewing.


http://makezine.com/volume/guide-to-3d-printing-2014/ hope that helps
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mechanicalmagic
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Re: 3D Printer - looking for wisdom

Post by mechanicalmagic »

Thanks for the magazine reference, I bought it. I don't get Make, (the grandkids do).

I saw 3D printing using concrete extruder a couple years back. The work envelope was a cube about three feet on a side. I can imagine a big one forming a house, or at least utility vaults.

Brave new world coming.

Dave J
Every day I ask myself, "What's the most fun thing to do today."
9x48 BP clone, 12x36 lathe, TIG, MIG, Gas, 3 in 1 sheetmetal.
hammermill
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Re: 3D Printer - looking for wisdom

Post by hammermill »

make has been a interesting mag, i have frequently bought used cheep copies to share with kids to see where thier curosity will go.

one of the interesting duds has been electroluminiscent wire i passes out 20 kits to a group and none incopriated it into a textile project.
earlgo
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Re: 3D Printer - looking for wisdom

Post by earlgo »

Before I became independently wealthy (retired) the company I worked for purchased a $45k Fortis 3-D printer made by Stratasys. It just opens the imagination about what one can do with it that you can't do with conventional machining. Some of the demo pieces we saw at trade shows were just amazing.
Unfortunately the ABS plastic used is quite expensive. Seems like it was $15/ cu inch. BUT it was a kick to use when someone else paid the bills.
Oh, and there are jewelry stores that use them to print sterling silver, stainless steel and other metals.
Some major medical companies and aircraft manufacturers are investigating printing parts from titanium. so the technology is here to stay.

--earlgo
Before you do anything, you must do something else first. - Washington's principle.
rustyh
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Re: 3D Printer - looking for wisdom

Post by rustyh »

I remember an article that predicted we will all have one in the home before long. There would be a huge on-line database containing all the parts of appliances we use in-home. When a part would fail we would just access the database and print out a new one. The reality, I imagine, would be much different and I can't imagine it working unless one had a working knowledge of appliance repair. I have a good number of relatives and friends that barely know how to use a hammer... :roll:

They keep my rational for buying more shop machinery alive....bless 'em.... :lol:

I did see last week on tv a unit printing out a concrete house, especially useful in disaster zones.
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DianneB
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Re: 3D Printer - looking for wisdom

Post by DianneB »

rustyh wrote:... printing out a concrete house, especially useful in disaster zones.
That would be one HUGE printer!
hammermill
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Re: 3D Printer - looking for wisdom

Post by hammermill »

here is a feel good printing storey

3D printer saves three-legged kitten
Small 3D printer company gives three-legged kitten a second chance

By now we’ve heard of human body parts such as ears, bones, and even kidneys being 3D-printed, but how about a cat leg? Though cat owner Jenn Ruliffson wasn’t exactly sure how her kitten Sasha was injured, she knew something was up, as the kitten began dragging both of her back legs.



Sasha, the injured kitten whose leg will be replaced with a 3D-printed prosthetic. Image via bizjournals.com.

Ruliffson took Sasha to the nearby Jacksonville Humane Society for surgery in Jacksonville, FL, and according to a local newspaper, Sasha’s injury was so bad that her back right paw actually fell off. But thanks to Forge, a 3D-printing business located in Jacksonville, the kitten will soon have a custom-designed 3D-printed prosthetic leg.

Forge owners Bryce Pfanenstiel and Adam Dukes are currently designing the leg in hopes of attaching it to Sasha with a hinge to simulate a back paw. The studio, which is a custom workshop that digitally scans images to create molds that are pumped out of a specialized 3D printer, opened in July and is the only one of its kind in the city.

After the surgery, Sasha is missing three inches from the ankle joint down on her back right leg. Scanning the dimensions of her missing limb into Forge’s specialized software wasn’t an option, as Sasha isn’t comfortable letting strangers touch what’s left of her leg. Pfanenstiel and Dukes are in the process of making a cast for the kitten’s existing back paw and scanning that instead. They took measurements by hand to create the schematics for a first prototype.

For now, Sasha is making good use of her remaining stump, hobbling around the house and finding ways to claw her way onto the couch. Ruliffson requests that Forge adds soft padding and toe articulation for her kitten, hoping to give her confidence and improve her ability to jump. The company is considering offering Ruliffson a significant discount since creating the prosthetic provides a learning experience for them.

Story via bizjournals.com.

i have also read of the use in making prostetic hands for youths
Inspector
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Re: 3D Printer - looking for wisdom

Post by Inspector »

This is a possibility for later this year.

http://www.peachyprinter.com/

Pete
grimm
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Re: 3D Printer - looking for wisdom

Post by grimm »

I have been kicking the idea around to get one too, even the wife is on board. If it helps here is the criteria I have been following to find the right printer for me:

Things that you must check for:

- at least 100 micron resolution, the higher the resolution the more smooth the surface will be. You can always sand the surface to smooth it, but any work you don't have to do is a bonus.
- find a printer with a work envelope that is large enough to make what you want to make, just like a mill. :)
- raw materials, there are about a dozen different materials these printers use from ABS plastic, to liquid resins, to titanium powder. This depends on how you want to use the objects you make, model making will be different from making a master for casting or a part for a rocket motor.

Things that are nice to have:

- multiple print heads so you can print multiple colors or materials at the same time (if you are interested in the extrusion type printers).
- print speed, depending on the model and resolution print speeds can get pretty slow.
- 3d graphic skills, if you know a 3d modeling package then you can make your own designs and not have to rely on pre-made models.
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mechanicalmagic
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Re: 3D Printer - looking for wisdom

Post by mechanicalmagic »

Grimm,
Looks a lot like my list. I also would like an established USA company. Local User groups would be a big plus, but I have not found a group yet. I do have Techshops within driving distance, but not sure how much info I can get there.

Dave J
Every day I ask myself, "What's the most fun thing to do today."
9x48 BP clone, 12x36 lathe, TIG, MIG, Gas, 3 in 1 sheetmetal.
grimm
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Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2011 2:34 am
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska

Re: 3D Printer - looking for wisdom

Post by grimm »

I think that Makerbot is pretty well established but they are still beyond my budget. :(

http://www.makerbot.com/
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