3D Printer - looking for wisdom

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hammermill
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Re: 3D Printer - looking for wisdom

Post by hammermill »

info to share


The student-made Deltaprintr surpasses the Makerbot Replicator 2 at a quarter of the price
3D Printer leverages robotic techniques to create a mega-grade device for all students

If your employer or school lacks the tools you need, the common approach is to voice a complaint and return to your desk with your head down, like a man-child. But Shai Schechter, Andrey Kovalev, Yasick Nemenov, and Eugene Sokolov are not man-children. After realizing that not all universities are equipped with the tools needed to teach 3D sculpting, the four young entrepreneurs decided to build their own affordable 3D printer; this is how the Deltaprintr was born.

The humble device isn’t your typical “affordable 3D printer.” Yes, it’s affordable, but unlike its colleagues, Deltaprintr actually packs the horsepower of a $2,200 Makerbot Replicator 2. Moreover, Deltaprintr costs between $450 and $650 depending on whether you acquire the assembled or unassembled variant.


Deltaprintr’s 100 Micron resolution matches that of the Replicator 2

This cost saving is directly attributed to Deltaprintr’s clever design, not substituting lower quality parts. The printer’s design is based on the Delta robots used in the packaging industry, to provide accurate, high speed printing with fewer moving components than traditional 3D printers. This translates to a direct cost cutting to the customer.


Customary to delta robots, Deltaprintr's 3 arms are connected to universal joints at the base


In an interview with Electronic Products, Shai points out that increaing the printing speed of a traditional Cartresian printer involves keeping many more parts in sync makes it difficult to maintain accuracy. “When you ramp up the speed on a Cartesian printer, it has to keep all these parts in sync at all times to keep the resolution high, and that is where the challenge is. On a Deltaprintr, you only have one moving part, essentially, the hot end. This allows the printer to move much faster and keep the resolution high.”

Print volume
A minimal carriage design lets you slide the assembled carriage onto the extruded aluminum beams without requiring any adjustments. If the default volume of 942 cubic inches doesn’t suite your fancy, swapping the beams with longer one is all it takes to expand the print volume. The 10 inch diameter build platform may also be widened by replacing the top and bottom wooden pieces. An expansion pack will be provided in the near future for those who wish to upgrade their Deltaprintr.

The huge print volume results from the inclusion of a 65lb Spectra fishing line that’s responsible for moving the arms. Shai told EP that this is one of his favorite features, “When people see the printer from a short distance away, they don’t understand what is moving the arms until we point out the fishing line and then you watch their eyes dilate! It’s a great feeling seeing someone inspired”

Material type and nozzle size
Deltaprintr uses 1.75mm PLA filament extruded through a 0.4mm nozzle attached to a J-Head hot end. Printing speeds can reach 200mm per second, but vary depending on material and selected settings. Deltaprintr’s material upkeep cost is a significant highlight of the product, costing $0.74 price per cubic inch for the default size, or $0.34 price per cubic inch with the expanded rods. This is signficantly cheaper than the Makerbot Replicator 2’s $5.36 price per cubic inch and makes for a very school friendly product. You won’t cringe after ever printing job.





Other unique features
Recalibrating the printing bed level is part of the regular maintenance of 3D printers, but not the Deltaprintr. Deltaprintr uses a probe attached next to the hot end to automatically recalibrate the printer for you, by poking the bed in a grid pattern and adjusting for any errors in levelness. This way, the printer ensures exact prints every time. Additionally, each Deltaprintr unit comes with a custom-built LCD attachment. No need to upgrade.

Q&A with Shai Schechter
1. How did you achieve such a low level of price per cubic inch? (It’s very impressive!)
The low price was achieved because most of our components are off the shelf. Where we saw there was room for improvement, we decided to custom design it. Most of our components are shipping from overseas, so finding the right resources was important as well.

2. What sparked your decision to use a 0.4mm nozzle over a 0.35mm persay?
We went with a 0.4mm nozzle instead of a 0.35mm because 0.4mm allows you to push the plastic faster and therefore let you print faster. A 0.35mm nozzle would require higher temperature to push the plastic at the same speed. Many users believe that the smaller the nozzle, the better the resolution. That is not exactly true. If your machine is tuned very well, then you can use any nozzle and you won’t notice any defects regardless of the nozzle size.

3. What were your primary design challenges when balancing cost and performance?
One hard decision we had to make was the LCD screen. Those things are expensive and are why many people offer it as an upgrade option when they sell 3d printers. So we took the extra step here and decided to design our own electronics that has the LCD integrated into it - no more upgrades! This allows us to lower the cost of manufacturing. We believe everyone should have a great experience using their printer and having an LCD is part of it.

4. What was the most complicated component ever fabricated with the Deltaprintr?
I would like to say that the most complicated component would probably be the hot end. It’s a very delicate process and in some way is a work of art to figure out a good design for the hot end. Therefore, we decided to use the already proven J-Head hot end Design.

5. Deltaprintr is immensely affordable compared to other delta robot base 3D printers, how did you manage to cut so much of the cost? Was it through the removal of the heating bed?
Yes the Removal of the heated bed did help significantly. We would otherwise need a larger power supply, which also makes shipping more expensive.

Visit Deltaprintr’s Kickstarter page to procure your own printer
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mechanicalmagic
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Re: 3D Printer - looking for wisdom

Post by mechanicalmagic »

hammermill wrote:Visit Deltaprintr’s Kickstarter page to procure your own printer
I haunt Kickstarter from time to time, 3D printing is quite popular these days.

One major thing on my list is: ready to print, NOW.
While I realize they all require a fair amount of tinkering, I not looking for a construction project. This is akin to buying old iron and spending a year to get it re-furbished. I applaud folks that like to do this, but life is too short IMHO.

So, I'm looking at two printers, maybe spend some $ this weekend.

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.
Mike-
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Re: 3D Printer - looking for wisdom

Post by Mike- »

Seems like these would be a great way to "print" mold form masters (patters) for sand casting.i wonder if they will eventually be cost effective enough to just print things like drive wheels directly, with or without finish machining being required afterwards.
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seal killer
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Re: 3D Printer - looking for wisdom

Post by seal killer »

Dave--

Did you make a decision on the 3D printer this weekend?

--Bill
You are what you write.
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DianneB
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Re: 3D Printer - looking for wisdom

Post by DianneB »

I don't know if he did but I did! :wink: After researching, learning, and pondering for a few weeks, I ordered a RepRap on Friday.

I have 5 patterns to make in the near future and a friend took my 2D CAD drawings and made them 3D - he is also having them printed for me but after seeing the 3D models and how easy it was, I asked myself why I bother making wooden patterns. I have been playing with SketchUp, importing 2D CAD drawings and leaning to make them 3D myself so a printer was the missing link. Not to mention building the RepRap kit should be fun - always loved building things! :mrgreen:
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seal killer
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Re: 3D Printer - looking for wisdom

Post by seal killer »

Dianne--

Be sure to post pictures of your new printer . . . and what you print with it.

--Bill
You are what you write.
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mechanicalmagic
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Re: 3D Printer - looking for wisdom

Post by mechanicalmagic »

seal killer wrote:Dave--
Did you make a decision on the 3D printer this weekend?
Nope. The local used machine listed on Craig's is a bit overpriced, and the seller has not responded to emails. New is an option, but after talking with Makerbot sales, they are politely telling me me to wait for the 5th generation, out in February. I'm torn, I don't deal well with delays and waiting.

In the meantime I'm trying to refresh my 3D CAD program memory, old dog remembering new tricks (slowly). If I can get a ?.stl file for a couple little projects, then buying a printer will become a high priority.

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.
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seal killer
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Re: 3D Printer - looking for wisdom

Post by seal killer »

Dave--

I want to see something you printed on the new printer-thing! (Did you get a new printer-thing?)

--Bill
You are what you write.
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DianneB
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Re: 3D Printer - looking for wisdom

Post by DianneB »

seal killer wrote:Be sure to post pictures of your new printer . . . and what you print with it.
I eventually get around to things! :wink:

My RepRap printer:
RepRap
RepRap
Patterns for the foundry for my Coalbrookdale locomotive:
Patterns
Patterns
The ABS patterns will be used in the lost wax casting process so I hope the foundry gets it right the first time because that represents 2 days of printing time!
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seal killer
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Re: 3D Printer - looking for wisdom

Post by seal killer »

DianneB--

That is way cool!

How long did it take to get the printer up?

--Bill
You are what you write.
araspitfire
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Re: 3D Printer - looking for wisdom

Post by araspitfire »

Does one NEED a 3D printer?

I respectfully submit, that if you are looking in on this forum, then the answer is yes... really.

I have been working my way into owning a Lathe and Mill for years. Space and budget kept me away.

3 years ago I 'discovered' reprap 3D printers, and what they could make. and got hooked.. I designed my own.. and used it to print a mendel. I then bought a Chinese PP3DP UP! printer. During the journey of building my own, I really developed the need for a Lathe and Mill, so now I have one.

Couple nights ago I designed a little hinge plate and used a couple copies of it to help me learn to use my Mill. I realised just how much quicker and easier it is to take a CADD file and produce a finished part with a 3D printer. Of course it would have been made of ABS instead of Aluminium. But each job has an optimal tool. I'm sure I'll be using my printers even more that I'm making stuff out of metal.. I'll design with the printed parts in mind and save lots of time and have much more complex designs because of it.

IMO Makerbot is a good choice, I watched them develop into an innovative company, and feel that they are making a good product.

But don't be put off by buying a kit. Most 3D printers can be gotten running in a long weekend by people like us. I know a guy here in The Netherlands who offers an assembly class with his kits and has his customers printing at the end of the day.. (9:00 AM start even...)

The stuff you won't know... you won't know even if the printer is ready to go... (how to design for 3D printers, how to adjust the slicer for best output.. etc)... Knowing the details of how your printer is put together give a lot of insight to how to adjust the parameters.)

All old and out of date, but if anyone is interested in seeing me get into reprap 3D printing...
http://araspitfire.blogspot.nl/

Al...
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DianneB
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Re: 3D Printer - looking for wisdom

Post by DianneB »

seal killer wrote:DianneB-- How long did it take to get the printer up?
I bought the printer as a kit and it took 2 days to assemble. For anyone in THIS hobby, it is a piece of cake!

It took me another 2 days to become familiar with the computer interface and to calibrate the printer (having NO CNC background) and the pattern pieces were printed over a 3 day period. The larger pieces took around 5 hours to print each one.

By far the majority of the time went into learning to draw in 3D. Despite having over 20 years CAD experience, learning 3D isn't coming easily. I know WHAT I want to draw but the challenge is in how to do it so the printer interface will accept it as a valid 3D entity. I am STILL trying to learn how to do more things in 3D, like create a taper (draft angle) and how to transition from one shape to another (like round to square). I have a feeling I will be learning 3D CAD for a long time to come! :shock:
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