3d printer

[J_K]

I just got my junk email from RS and on promotion is a new 3d printer kit.
http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/products/7933506/?cm_mmc=Responsys-_-InsertCat-_-InsertPla-_-InsertIte
Looks cheap..
I can;t justify £499 for a toy but oh what a toy it would be.

 

[gulf]

Ive seen parts made with a 3d printer,very impressive,what i dont know is how is the picture/drawing/info whatever thats used ,is programed into the machine?There doesnt seem to be much information about the programing skills required to work them?

 

[J_K]

No idea.
I thought that you'd need an autocad or similar 3d drawing and then some software would convert that into slices for the machine to make.
Never really looked into ti to be honest.

 

[clift_d]

Quite funny article in the Guardian about this here

 

[wyn]

This looks interesting .....3D printing with a mig welder.

 

[J_K]

The bloke from the Guardian seems like a bit of a technological muppet.
Not the best person to really test something that might take a bit of working out..

 

[PhillipM]

I would imagine the resolution would be terrible with a normal MIG welder attached.
A TIG cup with auto-feed could be pretty impressive though.

 

[jimi_boom]

The apprentice here has just asked me about that very same printer, the only thing i would say about them is you have to look at the space envelope that is available for printing in.

The printer from RS isn’t that big really.

Also they are great for rapid prototyping and your right J_K the work better if the model is created in a 3D cad package then normally with the industrial printers there is an independent piece of software that produced the model for you.

I have just finished the design of a new valve and had several rapid prototype version made for sales people to take as the real valve assembly weight over 50kg.

I have also known certain companies to use printers to print fully functioning pressure retaining fittings as they can be used up to around 8bar.

 

[Robotstar5]

Maplins have had one on sale for a few months - link

 

[julianthegypsy]

The RS one looks to be better than the maplins. The filament is 1.75mm against 3mm and it says its accurate to 0.5mm.

 

[Normsthename]

I made my own 3D Printer
Best thing I made was a custom Switch Holder for my Motorbike
Do a search for RepRap you will finds Tons of Information.

Andy

 

[Shox Dr]

I went to the gadget show a couple of yrs ago, and had a very interesting talk with an exhibitor: Nearly all 3D printers are restricted by IP Patents. such as Resolution, dimensional size, water soluble plastic.

 

[nodeward]

we use them loads at work do all sorts of stuff, id love to have one at home but they are still a bit expensive, how much did yours end up costing in parts?

 

[Normsthename]

how much did yours end up costing in parts?

I guess mine cost approx. £250 Max. To build

Andy

 

[Shox Dr]

I made my own 3D Printer
Best thing I made was a custom Switch Holder for my Motorbike
Do a search for RepRap you will finds Tons of Information.

Andy

Did you have to seal it to keep the rain off it

 

[rkde]

I have had several hobby 3D printers and they have all been rubbish or at least quite limited, best thing I did was to get rid of them. They only really worked well with PLA which degrades quickly, ABS would delaminate and produce poor prints.

Then I purchased a proper stratasys 3d printer and everything is perfect, prints always perfect, support is never an issue. All the hobby printers I have seen have been rubbish for anything of any real size. I would not waste money on them.

OK mine cost £15k but its worth every penny and is so different and the quality of the parts are a world above the hobby printer however for a bit of fun the little hobby prints have a place but they are not close to a professional printer in any way

 

[BrokenBiker]

the one in RS will print images drawn using the software they are giving away for free.

 

[nodeward]

yeh one of ours at work is a stratasys and its excellent but like you say it was pricey!
i had my suspicions that the 'hooby' type machines would be a bit rubbish would be interested to see what of results people are getting with the home built stuff