

New 3D printers that cost less than $500 - tjaerv
http://www.wired.com/design/2012/11/portabee-printrbot/

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ChuckMcM
Interesting attempt to capture the low end of the market. As a Replicator
owner (and a "Cupcake" user) the things that make for a good 3D extrusion
printer are rigidity, flow control on the extruder, a heated build platform,
and most importantly _moderated air flow_. All of the 'open air' printers
suffer from print failures when a cool breeze causes the plastic to freeze to
quickly, shrink and then warp off the platform.

Bottom line is that you can build your own Reprap for less than $500, get to
know it very well, and have a lot of fun. But if you want to buy a 'tool' and
start doing 3D prints with it, you probably won't be satisfied with the <
$1000 printers out there.

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replicatorblog
Totally agree. I have a TOM and unless I surround it with lamps that produce
enough heat to keep the "build chamber" warm, it's unable to print anything
other than coins or very small dimensional objects. I'd even go as far to say
the Formlabs Form 1 is the only "Real" 3-D printer worth considering. All the
extrusion based systems are more expensive geek toy than too.

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heriC
I disagree. The proprietary resins used in printers like formlabs are
expensive. The plastic items produced in this manner often lack structural
integrity, and they are always small in the lower printer price ranges. So if
you want figurines, formlabs is maybe the way to go, but that's about it.

Most of the fused deposition printers (like the MendelMax, AO-100, reprap
Prusa (2 and 3) can print in more materials (ABS, PLA, even Polycarbonate),
and produce larger functional parts than things like FormLabs. The main issue
is the striping, which is less "pretty."

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZwjvZ79iYo>

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replicatorblog
I don't think striping is the main issue - It's the lack of repeatability.
Because of patents on things like heated build chambers, it's hard to get
consistent, dimensional parts off hobby machines. If you have access to one of
the higher priced Stratasys systems, I agree that FDM is competitive.

Formlabs technology works much better at the low prices. While their resins
are proprietary, when you factor in the cost of wasted plastic (and time) due
to failed print jobs, it's not bad.

And Formlabs, and stereolithography based systems generally, have many
benefits beyond figurines. Consumer electronics shells are much better suited
to that format. As are most designs that have undercuts or voided internal
geometries. They can also produce parts in a variety of materials, e.g. wax
for jewelry castings.

I'm all for the experimentation and low cost machines, but they're far closer
to toy than tool.

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heriC
It depends what you are doing. Agreed, tuning does add work and makes
repeatability more of a challenge, but that comes with tradeoffs--the ability
to print in more mediums (chocolate!).

I'd be uncomfortable using formlabs type resin parts for anything with load or
wear, using them within machines, joints for a table, replacements for
dishwasher parts, etc. I can't print anything of size with formlabs type
printers. If I want to make a quadcopter body, or a modern-art lamp, I'm SOL.
You have valid points--just are valuing use-cases differently than I do.

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ComputerGuru
I was in the market for a 3D printer a while back, but I was really put off by
how low quality, amateur-esque the entry-level 3D printers were (Reprap and
co) at the < $1000 price mark; while on the other hand, how freakishly
expensive the professional 3D printers were ($15,000+). I was surprised at the
lack of options in the middle. Replicator 2 seems to be a step in the right
direction, but it's not quite there yet IMHO.

Does anyone have any recommendations in the $5k range? A larger chamber size
is an absolute must.

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s_henry_paulson
I'm not sure what you consider a "large" chamber, but formlabs is supposed to
start shipping in April.

<http://formlabs.com/>

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throwaway1979
I'm surprised they didn't mention the Solidoodle. $499 for the base model.
I've ordered it ... hope to get it before the end of the year.

The main reason I'm getting it is to explore the software tools for 3D
printing. I don't expect professional grade prints from the device. When I was
in grad school, we had access to one of the 10K+ 3D printers. However, it was
a big hassle using those (required chemical baths to remove filler material,
etc.).

What I am very surprised by is the number of companies trying to make 3D
printers. While competition is usually good for customers, I am concerned that
the large number of offerings will fragment the user base.

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dchichkov
Yep. A Solidoodle 2 user here. Used two printers, one of the earlier serial
numbers, and a very recent built. Can recommend it. Pretty neat design. No
troubles, comes ready to print...

Disclaimer: I'm not in any way associated with Solidoodle, aside from being a
customer.

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tlrobinson
I think the more interesting segment of the 3D printer market is the slightly
higher end printers that are much easier to use than the cheapest ones. A
really cheap 3D printer takes a lot of effort to keep running well
(calibration, etc).

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rorrr
I'm not so much worried about the cost of the printer, it's $50/lb price of
the plastic that's bothering me.

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daniel-cussen
If printer ink is unicorn blood, printer plastic is made of its pulped horn,
or maybe even its stem cells.

~~~
JoeAltmaier
Actually printer ink is very similar in price to human blood:

<http://www.cockeyed.com/science/gallon/liquid.html>

