12" i3v for first printer

[printbus]

One thing to watch for is that some of the build guide for the 12-inch printer hasn't been fully updated. The section on adjusting the stepper drivers, for example, still reflects the trimpot process used with the RAMPS board. Rambo uses a digital/firmware adjustment, so a completely different procedure would apply, should adjustment of the stepper motor drive levels be required.

Early adopters of the 10-inch printer typically found their MEGA2560 & RAMPS to be preloaded with firmware for the 8-inch printer, not 10-inch. The changes to fix this were minor, but it was still a frustration for some when sides of initial large prints were arbitrarily missing. At least with the 12-inch printer, the use of a different electronics suite should help ensure the boards arrive preconfigured with the right firmware.

[AbuMaia]

It's really something like veneered MDF or other hardboard material.

Huh, so that's why the wood shavings from when I drilled out my fan/light/power switch holes looked like paper.

[old man emu]

Back in the day when the i3 8" was the bee's knees, I painted my woodwork mainly for aesthetic reasons. However, I have had a number of experiences of having MDF soften and swell when liquids landed on it. You might think that water droplets and suspended vapour (humidity) would be the only culprits, but my printer has been in the firing line of WD40, grease, anti-freeze and such because it has been in my workshop. Since I moved house it has come closer into the living space, and it's a bit hard keeping a 2 year-old's juice bottle away from Poppy's maker thing.

Besides, to me, Baltic pine laminate just screams IKEA.

Old Man Emu

[TechMasterJoe]

Back in the day when the i3 8" was the bee's knees, I painted my woodwork mainly for aesthetic reasons. However, I have had a number of experiences of having MDF soften and swell when liquids landed on it. You might think that water droplets and suspended vapor (humidity) would be the only culprits, but my printer has been in the firing line of WD40, grease, anti-freeze and such because it has been in my workshop. Since I moved house it has come closer into the living space, and it's a bit hard keeping a 2 year-old's juice bottle away from Poppy's maker thing.

Besides, to me, Baltic pine laminate just screams IKEA.

Old Man Emu

love the CAPS on IKEA....
just dropped an Order for a 12" been thinking of ordering a 8in for days but just bit the extra and got the big guy. mostly because i like the Z adj and Rambo board/screen upgrades.
as far as warp is I'm not worried about it i work in a machine shop and we have a 35 foot by 18 foot 5 axis water jet i use all day lol.
I teach Master-Cam at night and have been using both master-cam and solidworks for around 9 years now the bed can't warp if it's 1/4in 7075 alu Faced to ±.0003
i plan to use 1/8" stainless steel sheet as a print bed etched to a finish much like 3000 grit compound, but i do plan on coating the melamine mdf.

[JohnA136]

I run the XL LCD Display on my Kossel and the Full Graphical Display on my i3Prusa. Both give the same information but the Graphical is easier to read and I like that better. We use the Ramps 1.4 on my i3Prusa and all of the kits we build in our Seminars while my son's i3 Prusa uses a Ramps. He just wanted to see if that was any better/different but they both seem to work the same.

[WhiskeyTango]

All the reviews I've watched and read all point to Makerfarm as being one of the best kits you could ever buy. I have a 12" i3v on the way now and while it isn't my first 3D printer, it looks like it will far outshine my heavily-modified Printrbot Simple which has been my workhorse for the past year. I would think if you are at all handy with tools you'll be fine with it...I've been studying the online instructional videos and they look great, plus others here (Printbus particularly) have some great build tips/guides so it looks like you'd be in good hands.