Cheap 3D Printers

[jamesmcintoshjr]

the buccaneer fiasco wound up being such a **** show, definitely overpromised and underdelivered, so glad I stayed away from that one, almost threw money at it and went with a replicator 2, which I've actually been really happy with despite some slight problems (worn out wiring harness and I had the gantry slightly misaligned). Very minor considering I've put over 600 hours through it since January. The great thing about Makerbot is indeed their service, and they don't appear to be going anywhere. That being said they have a bad habit of shipping, let's call them beta, printers. I waited a year for the rep2's kinks to get worked out before jumping in and glad I did.

airwolf 3d actually have really nice machines, but a bit pricey. But a nice and big build volume, (12"x8x12") which is what I'm after these days.

I've done so much 3D printing lately for work I managed to convince my company to budget for a Makerbot z18, so they can assume the risk for the build quality on that one, as well as pay for the service agreement, can't wait for that thing to happen.

All this being said it is nice to be able to use service bureaus when all else fails, especially if you're going for super detail that FDM/FFF can't give you. SLS and stereolithography and poly jet printing being relatively accessible vs. just a few years ago. Definitely exciting times for those with are hobby and for those of us lucky enough to have our hobby making stuff cross over into our daily work.

 

[jamesmcintoshjr]

I actually ended up going for the Craftbot on Indigogo. It's a company that was already working on production of their printers, but needed additional funds to keep the production line moving. They answer any and all questions within a day and post almost daily (sometimes twice a day) updates. The dedication to their backers, proof of product availability, and complete transparency as they go through each step of the process made me feel confident enough in them as a company to back the campaign.

I just checked out their indiegogo, that one looks really promising and I like that they're already in production. The design looks to be similar to replicator 2s, with some improvements. Very tidy design which would make them fairly easy to service, and that's a good sized build volume for the money, esp with a heated build platform. Print quality they've posted in their updates is very very good.

Gonna keep an eye on that one. Good find! Only issue I can see is that parts and service would be coming from Hungary, so international shipping and time zones apply. But for a quarter the price of a rep2 I could deal with that

 

[JBradley]

I gotta keep beating the solidoodle drum- I am super satisfied with my solidoodle 4. It's 8x8x8 for $600. They just came out with a dual extruder version with 12x12x12 for $1200 and a smaller dual extruder for $800.

A 3D printer is not really something to get as cheaply as possible. They are worth investing in. Not only because they have a very real risk of burning down your house but because you want quality prints coming out of your machine. Saving a few hundred bucks isn't really worth hours of frustration and dozens of failed prints. (Warning: every beginner 3D printer user will screw up a lot of prints. Be ready for this.)

 

[Lamia]

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/cobblebot-3d-printer--2/x/8171396

You have a second chance to get in on the 15"x15"x15" Cobblebot at the $299. He is also doing enclosure with air filtration, dual extruders, and a 15" heatbed as optional upgrades. He also offers Astroprint at a lower price and long service than on Astroprint's website.

 

[santiclause]

It looks like a good printer, and if you fund $999 it comes in a build size of 20x20x20 I believe that's one of the biggest around especially for that price. I may hop on this, I'm working on getting the funds lol.