Just don't make the same mistake I did and start out with a RepRap! Boy it prints great once you really get to know it, but it suuuuuuuuure takes a while!
Just don't make the same mistake I did and start out with a RepRap! Boy it prints great once you really get to know it, but it suuuuuuuuure takes a while!
I'm sorry you feel that way. I completely disagree. I'll try to limit this from being a huge rant about 3D printing and experimental technology since I am pretty passionate about the tech behind 3D printing, but...
If it weren't for the RepRap project then none of us would have 3D printers. I feel like there is merit in having to build your printer from parts, having to tune and upload your own firmware, and having to spend time dialing in every nut and bolt - physical ones as well as metaphorical ones. These machines are not without flaws, every single 3D printer out there will require some level of maintenance and experience some level of failure. Even your regular 2D paper printer has problems, and that technology has been around for decades. The difference between being able to solve your own problems, and calling a printer a "piece of junk" because it doesn't work right away out of the box, is how familiar you are with the technology itself.
If anyone is interested in 3D printing in general, I absolutely have to recommend buying a kit printer and building it yourself. You will have a much greater understanding of the mechanics and the concepts of the machine than if you bought one to "just plug it in and it works", which is important when it inevitably has a problem. It's the difference between being able to understand why something is going wrong and being able to fix it, and having to ship your printer out to the manufacturer and have them repair it and spend weeks waiting to be back printing again.
I have 3 printers - one is a MendelMax which was a kit, and 2 which I completely designed and built from scratch that are based on the Prusa i3. When something goes wrong - and it always does - I have the knowledge of the machines to be able to troubleshoot it very quickly and get myself back in the game. At the hackerspace I work out of, we have 3 printers and one time someone came up to me to ask what the issue was with their prints not coming out right. I was able to identify the problem after watching it print for about 30 seconds because I understand the way the machine works.
Now I will again admit that I am a hobbyist in the 3D printing field, and that I love the tech behind them and I want to be familiar with the workings of the machine. And I realize that not everyone will feel that way, some people just want to print things and that's fine. But I feel like you are discounting a really great lesson of building a RepRap by saying it's a mistake. I guarantee you know more about 3D printers than most people having built and dialed in yours, than someone who buys a Makerbot or an Ultimaker or a Makergear and doesn't know how to fix the simplest of problems or understand why some prints are having failures. You're better off having had the experience.
You may want to slightly consider the fact that not everyone in the world may be mechanically inclined to do so. Plenty of people need to hire someone to fix that paper printer sometimes, right? We buy cars, yet not everybody is an auto mechanic.
Don't get me wrong, I get what your saying, just adding some food for though. Some people would likely prefer something more of a "push button" printer, and that's okay if they do. Different strokes for different folks.
You're totally right, and I didn't mean to suggest that there isn't a place for "just press go" type printers. I feel like in general the technology really isn't there yet, and that those type of printers have the same issues that kit or hobby printers have, and usually the difference is you *can't* perform repairs on them. Either because the machine is locked down, or you would void your warranty, or you'll break something even worse.