Good second printer for mid-range
Hi Group,I have a (what I think is a good) starter printer - a MonoPrice Mini V2. I have done some simple prints on it, and have the basics down. However, the printer fails quite a bit and of course has some limitations. So I am thinking of adding a second printer to my repertoire.
My use case is:
Hobby Printing - Mostly consisting of
Robot pieces / outside shell / simple gears / etc.
Project pieces (shells for Arduino and Raspberry Pi projects around the house for home automation, etc). Just a nice wrapper so it's not ugly wires.
Small useful household items (a hanger for my toothbrush, a shelf bracket, that kind of thing).
maybe some figurines. I have a kid who wants to print some stuff and paint it.
Usage is minimal. I am not going into business with it. I don't have the time or energy to set up prints every day before I go to work and every night. More likely it will be something where I may work on the model over the weekend and print one day while I head to work.
Printer requirements:
I would like to be open source. OR at least accept all filaments. I see a use for PLA, ABS, possibly PETG. I may want to play with other filaments (although I doubt I will be using metal. Wood might be interesting.... ).
I guess with ABS, it would require a heated bed.
Should the bed also be enclosed? Because of the ABS? Or is it better to enclose it myself? (that is not beyond my ability)
I would LIKE to have a self leveling bed. Maybe it's just me, but I seem to struggle with that on the Monoprice.
Multi filament would be nice - I can see a use case for it. I can live without and get that as my third printer if I can't get it with my budget and other desires. Not as concerned with color as mixing materials.
Budget - mid level. I won't blink at $300-$800. I could go as high as 2K. If I go above that, it has to be for a specific benefit (like gee.... that 2K budget is nice, but for 2.2K, you can get a printer that's bed can heat another 40 degrees which will allow you to do x....)So please don't take that budget as a hard not to cross line if there is reason. However, don't go WAY over (no matter how great a print quality I will get from a $400,000 printer, it's not in my range. Even a 5K printer I would have a difficult time swallowing for a hobby).
Skill level - beginning to intermediate. Pre-assembled is great. However, I don't mind some assembly required. I enjoy putting things together. I would not qualify myself as highly skilled in the 3D Printing realm. Fiddling, I can do. Screwdrivers, I can use. However, if you need to be an expert before it will print, it's probably above my skill level. I don't mind learning how it works so I can improve upon it as my skill level progresses - but it should be able to do some stuff before i need to drill holes in it.
Desired - less print failures. :-) (I have a feeling this is a matter of my bed leveling and other minor things that I need to address in how I print which no printer is going to solve. But the Monoprice does seem finicky. I am hoping a higher quality printer will maybe be a touch more forgiving).
So... what would you recommend for my second printer? What are the features? What am I not going to get?
Thank you in advance!