selecting first printer

hey there! I'm looking at 3D printers for purchase, and I could use some direction.

this will be my first printer, so I am looking for something generally easy to use. I'm looking to *not* get overwhelmed right out of the box. I realize there's a lot to this in the first place, between setup/learning the programs required to get it going and figuring out how to make what I intend, so as close to plug-and-play as possible would be fantastic. kits are right out.

I'm going to be making very small components that will be used to make a device function, and as such, it will need to be well-formed and fairly precise.
specifically, I'll make gears and a spool, and possibly other components, as part of a music box movement. the gears will be small. the spools will have small bumps/tines in them that will strike against metal teeth, causing the teeth to resonate. the small bumps have to be precise enough to hit the right notes. I expect the spools will have a lot of wear and tear from scraping against metal constantly; it's got to be strong. so far, I'm looking at ABS for this reason. also, I live in Texas where summers can get up to around 110ºF, and its possible the product will be left out in the heat at some point. I hear rumor that PLA is much more malleable in heat, and can warp - can I get verification? am I on the right track here?

since I'm working to make such small components, size is not a factor.

finding a 3D printer that has what I need outweighs price. I'm naturally hoping a less-expensive printer will do the job I want, but if I have to wait save up for the right 3D printer, I'd rather do that than find one now to mess around with that doesn't have what I need for my projects.

suggestions? I know there's a lot of good information out there, but since my print jobs need to be functional, I thought I'd start my own discussion and see what I can find out - most reviews and discussions seem to be lacking in this regard...

Hey Shaelyn, I also live in TX and I have a PLA only printer and LOVE it! I have the original Dremel Idea builder (gelding FF Dreamer) that I found a deal on (new open box) one from Craigslist about a yr ago. I have owned several 3D printers over the last couple yrs and this is the only one that has hands down just worked!! I would not hesitate in buying another. Their's TONS of cheap ones these days. But I would stay away from Kits. Unless tinkering with software and hardware is your thing. Then by all means go for it!! What ever you buy make sure it has a strong online presence (YouTube, Forums, manufactures website) and other forums so that when you have questions you have a place to ask. Also what ever printer you get start with PLA till you have figured out the corks with your printer. Just keep everything as simple as possible till you have learned more about 3D printing.

As for your music box idea you may want to design your pin drum with either metal BB's or brass studs into either the PLA or ABS drum? Other wise the comb will just wear bumps off in no time.

well to start with STOP looking at abs and start looking at pet-g. :-)

One of the best machines around is the wanhao duplicator i3: http://wanhaousa.com/products/duplic...us-steel-frame

Important things is to have a heated bed. This massively expands the types of filaments you can use and also makes printing them much easier.

The best thing to do is to buy the printer, go here: http://www.globalfsdusa.com/?target=main
Buy some samples of different filament types and start playing :-)A

lso check out thingiverse - quite a few music boxes on there.

Component wise I;'ve made gears as small as 5mm across by 1mm thick. I've also made 3mm x 2mm rubber tires with a 1mm axel hole.
That's pretty much on the limit of clean fdm prints.
Anything smaller and you'll need a resin based sla printer, and a lot more money :-)

Like Curious Aardvark said, that Wanhao Steel Plus looks like a great machine! Monoprice is going to be selling it too for only $389 shipped on Oct 13th.
https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Mak...eywords=Wanhao

You're not likely going to get the strength you need for small gears with a FDM printer, unless you make molds from your prints and cast them.

Precision will also be a challenge with FDM, everything needs to be calibrated, clean and working perfectly to get gears that are perfect enough to be balanced and smooth.