Is RepRap Morgan the next default RepRap?

[RepRapVN]

I 've learn that Reprap Morgan is intended to be the next default RepRap. Does it mean that people will be building RepRap Morgan instead of Prusa I3? Anyone know ETA on when RepRap Morgan is proved to be the offical version of RepRap project? At present the kits seem to be not as cheap as they guarantee, that this 3D printer will cost lower than $100. The offical site sell the kits for $400 each. Anyone know why they are so expensive?

[KDog]

I don't anticipate that the Morgan will ever cost under $100. If you add up the cost of just the basic items you end up pretty close to $400. I imagine that he is not making any money at all on those kits. The retail price for a controller board alone is around $100.

As far as availability goes, they are not mass producing kits yet so the ones that do become available are getting snatched up pretty quick. He has some forums on his blog site. You might try asking about availability there.

Cheers,

KDog

[papabur]

Mostly the electronics...theres really no way around the expense of all the electronics needed...the big hitters are the control board obviously and the firmware(arduino board), Nema motors are not cheap either...your looking at 200$ EASY just for the bare minimum in electronics for a decent 3d printer..in my opinion.

[Vanguard]

At least it is getting closer to the self replicating portion of the name.

[Nicholas Seward]

I don't think the Morgan is going to be the default. RepRap Simpson and RepRap Wally are arguably more in line with the RepRap ideal but I don't think they will be the default either. It will take a while until these non-Cartesian bots have a community that can support inexperienced non-technical users. However, Quentin Harley and I are only getting started. (Among others.) We are knocking around a lot of ideas of what the ultimate machine needs to be. Expect to see some interesting super cheap machines in the next couple of years.

Cost: We are actually getting pretty close to the $100 mark. Expect to see controllers for <$50 in the future. Hot ends for <$15. Steppers for <$10. Everything else we have gotten under $40. That is <$145.

Disclaimer: At this point labor is getting to be a major factor so you will have to build your printer from a kit to get a price under $200. This is in reference to the near future based on what I know some of the companies out there are doing.

[RepRapVN]

Thanks Nicholas. RepRap wiki says the Morgan is going to be the default: http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRap_Morgan . RepRap Wally seems to cost much for PLA: "Printing Wally is no small task. The printed parts take almost 1kg of PLA and 40-45 hours to print a complete set. Nicholas Seward recommends PLA printed at a 0.3mm layer height and 15% infill with 3 perimeters." (http://reprap.org/wiki/Wally) . I think Wally won't be the default RepRap until it takes less PLA.

[Nicholas Seward]

Thanks Nicholas. RepRap wiki says the Morgan is going to be the default: http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRap_Morgan . RepRap Wally seems to cost much for PLA: "Printing Wally is no small task. The printed parts take almost 1kg of PLA and 40-45 hours to print a complete set. Nicholas Seward recommends PLA printed at a 0.3mm layer height and 15% infill with 3 perimeters." (http://reprap.org/wiki/Wally) . I think Wally won't be the default RepRap until it takes less PLA.

A few things. Quentin Harley intends this to be the next default. (RepRap is not really a monolithic thing. It is just a bunch of semi-like minded people working to make self-replicating machines. Anyone can make these wiki pages and they are not moderated unless they are extremely misleading or false.) That is different from it being the next default. Prusa i3 is by all accounts the default and it looks like it is unlikely to be supplanted any time soon.

Wally is around 800-900g and I think Morgan is between 500-600g. That is hardly a difference in cost. $6. Also this is only a difference of about 18 robot hours. (Hours I don't have to do anything.) I am working to reduce the weight of the plastic in Wally but it is important to note that it is not a big issue.

To be clear, I am quite certain that Wally, Morgan, Simpson, Rostock, etc are not going to be the default build until they are easier to setup, use, and calibrate. We are already cheaper and easier to build.

Join the Anti-Cartesian League and let's get these machines front and center!

[RepRapVN]

Hi Nicholas,
I agree, $6 and 18 robot hours are not worth considering. But, what if 10, 100, 1000 people are building them (RepRaps), it will be $60, $600, $6000 and 180 hours, 1800 hours, 18000 hours. The aim of RepRap project is to make 3D printing available for everyone and it's goal is to spread over the world not excluding developing countries. Talking about developing countries, $6 makes sense. So it is very nice to know you are working to reduce the weight of the plastic in Wally, that can contribute to the success of Wally in countries like China, Vietnam, Thailand...I see the nice things of Wally is it's design - very elegant and solid. Morgan uses PVC pipes which can save the cost but look odd.
Hung,

[Nicholas Seward]

One more note: $6 and 18 bot hours isn't the whole story. RepRap is about having a machine that can make itself. It would be an easy thing to use no plastic. However, the idea is that you use plastic to replace things that you can't print (vitamins). So you have to consider the overall cost of the bot and the ease of acquiring parts. I am quite certain that Wally is cheaper overall than Morgan. (Don't get me wrong. Morgan is a great machine and more mature than Wally is.) My point is we should really not worry about the amount of plastic or the amount of time it takes to print it. If you are printing a machine for a neighbor what is the difference between a day or two. Plastic is getting cheaper every day. In the last 6 months, plastic costs have gone down by about 25%. Costs could still go down by 50% and the filament makers can still make money. That is not to mention the new hobby level filament extruders that have hit the market.

I am designing a version of Simpson called BOB Simpson. (BOltless and Bearingless) He costs about $20 in plastic right now with hardly any vitamins to speak of. If I could recycle plastic and turn it into filament I can get it for the cost of electricity.

Moral of the story: Minimizing plastic use should be done only after you minimize everything else if you are interested in the cheapest self-replicating bot. (If that isn't your goal then no worries. RepRap has a spectrum of bots. Those that are quick to print and assembly but aren't as self-replicating and those that aren't quick to print and are highly self-replicatable. Pick what works for you. In other words, there isn't really a default. You have a spectrum to pick from. In the future, you will only have more choices to pick from.)

[Vanguard]

Very well said Nicholas ! I have been hoping that somebody would start working on something that would grind up old pop bottles, water bottles, etc, so they could be turned into filament. We have the filament extruders, it is the grinders where we are failing.

I have thought about food processors, and leaf grinders, but thinking about is as far as I have gotten. An easy to build, safe to use, plastic grinder would completely revolutionize the 3D printer world, and the way plastics are recycled. A LOT less trash in land fills !