Some questions and doubts about filaments like PLA and resin

[TheLow]

Hello i am Stew
I am intersting in buy a 3D printer but after read some articles and reviews all my doubts not seem to be solved. Some people buy 3D printer like Ultimaker that work with filaments ( PLA, ABS and more) but i am looking for something little but more modern and fast like 3D printer of FormLabs, like the Form 1+, but the Form 1 work with liquid resin and UV light. Both 3d printer cost the same but use different technology to print, so i want know what is the best investment?

Thank you all

[EagleSeven]

Liquid Resin looked Way too Messy for Me , so went with filament type printer.
Filament printer is much more Versatile and much bigger selection of object files are available online.
You can get a CTC-Bizer for $450. now on eBay, which is a great printer to learn on,
then upgrade to more expensive type if you have a need.

[dbregman]

Different technologies for different needs. Resin seem to be more detailed - but more complex - and as EagleSeven said messy - with more post processing. Also the build sized are not as large. Filament or FDM printing seems more accessible and has been on the market a bit longer, so there is a wider offering of printers and materials.

[djprinter]

Formlabs is NOT fast, it's slower than most filament printers. The peeling process, where the resin is peeled off the bed to print the next layer, slows things down and causes a ton of problems. Supposedly the company "carbon3d" has solved this and has a resin printer that prints in thin air and does so 100 times faster. No word yet on what they'll charge, but considering their primary investor is google, my guess is that it will be a consumer machine priced competitively with ultimaker and formlabs.

BTW, the ultimaker is one of the most expensive FDM printers, cheaper options like the flashforge are 1/3rd the cost of the form labs.

[dunginhawk]

I will be the first, or 10,000th person to say HELL YES to the flashforge creator pro. It was my 2nd printer, and is amazing. The quality I get out of that printer is amazing. Combined with my multiple geckotek build plates for different materials, its the perfect printer. If they had one with double the build size, id own one of those.

THe makerfarm prusa i3v 12" was my third printer (still own it) and has been a BIG workhorse for me. its a kit, but easier than the rostock max v2 (my first printer) to put together. If you tinker enough, and mod it you can get some great quality prints from it. I added auto bed leveling, additional layer fans, a solid state relay and a metal bed to help. Its a great printer for the money.

Now my fourth printer which I am just starting to play with. (in fact its printing the torture test right now, and by all accounts its KILLIN IT) is the Lulzbot taz 5. Ive decided to re invest 1/4 of my profits for print jobs back in to upgrading my printers. My latest job paid well, so in comes the taz. All indications are that this thing is simply amazing.

[TheLow]

Formlabs is NOT fast, it's slower than most filament printers. The peeling process, where the resin is peeled off the bed to print the next layer, slows things down and causes a ton of problems. Supposedly the company "carbon3d" has solved this and has a resin printer that prints in thin air and does so 100 times faster. No word yet on what they'll charge, but considering their primary investor is google, my guess is that it will be a consumer machine priced competitively with ultimaker and formlabs.

BTW, the ultimaker is one of the most expensive FDM printers, cheaper options like the flashforge are 1/3rd the cost of the form labs.

Yes its true now i know, i hear something about 3D Carbon and seen some videos, it's really interesting new technology but i think that It will not be an affordable products.

Anyway there are a post about the new Form 2 by FormLabs, http://top3dprinterkits.com/formlabs...rinter-review/

[TheLow]

I will be the first, or 10,000th person to say HELL YES to the flashforge creator pro. It was my 2nd printer, and is amazing. The quality I get out of that printer is amazing. Combined with my multiple geckotek build plates for different materials, its the perfect printer. If they had one with double the build size, id own one of those.

THe makerfarm prusa i3v 12" was my third printer (still own it) and has been a BIG workhorse for me. its a kit, but easier than the rostock max v2 (my first printer) to put together. If you tinker enough, and mod it you can get some great quality prints from it. I added auto bed leveling, additional layer fans, a solid state relay and a metal bed to help. Its a great printer for the money.

Now my fourth printer which I am just starting to play with. (in fact its printing the torture test right now, and by all accounts its KILLIN IT) is the Lulzbot taz 5. Ive decided to re invest 1/4 of my profits for print jobs back in to upgrading my printers. My latest job paid well, so in comes the taz. All indications are that this thing is simply amazing.

What's your latest job?? XD

[djprinter]

Yes its true now i know, i hear something about 3D Carbon and seen some videos, it's really interesting new technology but i think that It will not be an affordable products.

Anyway there are a post about the new Form 2 by FormLabs, http://top3dprinterkits.com/formlabs...rinter-review/

What about the Carbon 3D makes you believe that it won't be priced for the consumer market? From a manufacturing standpoint, it will likely be less expensive to produce than the form 1.

[TheLow]

What about the Carbon 3D makes you believe that it won't be priced for the consumer market? From a manufacturing standpoint, it will likely be less expensive to produce than the form 1.

when Carbon 3D models will be release for the market?

[curious aardvark]

saw the form 2 in action last week - fast it isn't.

Each layer goes through 4 seperate processes to print.
The part is dunked into a thin layer of resin. Then the laser flashes round all the bits to be printed - a lot slower than I was expecting it to. Then the part is lifted out of the resin, the resin is scraped across the vat and a new layer sloshes back across then we're back to the part being dunked back into the vat for the next layer.

The carbon 3d and the other one that works in a similiar manner, just seem to pull the part from the vat with none of the lifting, dunking and wiping.
So I would expect them to be a lot more expensive - not necessarily because it'll cost more to make the machines - but because people will pay more for the speed.

Now to the realities of fff versus resin machines.

At the moment the resin for the same weight is 2-3 times more expensive than filament.
It also lacks the massive range of filament types that fff has. This will no doubt change in the neft couple of years.
Resin machines also tend to have much smaller build volumes.

So unless you really need ultra high resolution prints - for the most part you will be better off with an fff machine.