Newbie to 3D printing -- Need advice on which 3D printer to purchase

Hey all, I've been waiting on the hobbyist 3D printing scene to jump in on buying a system; this is really more of a "do it for fun" purchase for me. I generally dabble in robotics and hobbyist electronics, mechanical engineering, physics, etc. I've built computer systems since I was 9 years old, and I am very proficient in everything tech, although programming is definitely my achilles heel. Mostly I want a 3D printer for building my own parts, or general creativity on projects I am working on. I waited last year to make the leap into 3D printing since I didn't really see the cost-to-benefit ratio that good. Now a year later, there are many new options right around my budget of $800~ or less.

Here is my criteria:

-Prebuilt system with customer support & user forums / support
-Decent sized print area (8 x 8 x 8 approx)
-Auto-leveling Hot bed
-Compatible with a variety of exotic filaments
-Modifiable hardware/software for expandability and tinkering
-Dual extruder (or at least expandable to dual)
-Easy to work with extruder system (I'm not too knowledgeable about this part of the machine)

Ideally it would be a printer that I can get someone soon, within a month or so, and well documented. After some research on what's available (or soon to be available), I've narrowed down to these few systems (but feel free to add on to this list for me) in no particular order:

1. Solidoodle 3
http://store.solidoodle.com/index.ph...&product_id=79

2. XYZ Da Vinci 1.0 (or 2.0 when available??)
http://www.amazon.com/XYZprinting-Da...dp/B00H7VEU0G/

3. Ez3D Phoenix
https://www.phoenix3dprinter.com/phoenix.html

4. Kossel Clear ABS Kit
http://www.blueeaglelabs.com/collect...s/kossel-clear

5. RepRap G3D
http://gadgets3d.com/index.php?route...&product_id=93

6. Robo3D PLA+ABS v1
http://www.robo3dprinter.com/collect...ully-assembled

My son and i are very happy with our makerfarm i3 and Colin has a new i3V just released. Worth a look its not prebuilt but not hard to assembly.

Oh and welcome to the forum..

I would personaly build a Ultimaker 1 or makerfarm i3v ^^

With kits you generaly learn how everything works, you should know that when you also build Computers ;)
Only negative about ultimaker is that they don't have a heatbed, but i think you can add one yourself, aint sure.

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Originally Posted by DrLuigi

I would personally build a Ultimaker 1 or makerfarm i3v ^^

With kits you generally learn how everything works, you should know that when you also build Computers ;)
Only negative about ultimaker is that they don't have a heat-bed, but i think you can add one yourself, aint sure.

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My suggestion is the same as Dr. Luigi's. If you get a kit and work through the process of getting it together and working, you will be in a much better position to enjoy your printer. It really helps to see how everything fits together and works. I feel strongly enough about this issue that even though Dr. Luigi had already suggested that, I'm saying it again.

Firstly I would like to thank everyone for their responses and input! I have taken a look at the Ultimaker previously, but that one is a bit out of my price range (looks to be in the upper $900-$1000 range).

I did see a Prussa i3v kit as mentioned; however how is the wood(acrylic?) frame in terms of noise and print quality? Does it affect it at all? I do like the 50 micron ability from the i3v... any quirks or problems I should know about with the i3(v)? Does it have an auto-level probe? Any issues with the extruder in the long run (is it plastic or metal? Should I upgrade it? Can I go dual extruder?).

Sorry about all the questions, I'm just trying to get the most info I can from users that have actually used these printers, since it's a pretty big investment for me :).

Again thanks everyone for your input and I look forward to contributing to the forums in the near future!

same question as op, however, whats the best and fastest one on the market now? willing to pay upto 5k for industrial business work.

Does best mean smallest layer thickness? Minimum feature dimension? Lowest cost of ownership? Best quality components? Easiest interface? Most scalable?

Note that the Ez3D is around 10 weeks for delivery, per a blog post they put out just today. They're likely still working through their Kickstarter backlog.

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Originally Posted by cjalas

...I did see a Prussa i3v kit as mentioned; however how is the wood(acrylic?) frame in terms of noise and print quality? Does it affect it at all? I do like the 50 micron ability from the i3v... any quirks or problems I should know about with the i3(v)? Does it have an auto-level probe? Any issues with the extruder in the long run (is it plastic or metal? Should I upgrade it? Can I go dual extruder?)

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I opted for the MakerFarm i3v, but I haven't received it yet. It doesn't come with an auto-level probe, but it could probably be added if you're ready to deal with the necessary firmware change. The extruder is the only 3D printed parts on the i3v, and you pick the hot end you want to go with when you order it. It's a single extruder printer, and I can't speak to what it would take to add a second. A few have provided build results in the MakerFarm forum here, so that would be an area to check out. I think the i3v has only been out a month or so, so there isn't a lot of info to be found on it.

Why did I go with the i3v? I thought it provides a good compromise on cost and design. Sure it'll be my first 3D printer and I may not know better, but it seems to me the aluminum extrusions are used where they are important, minimizing any concerns with the wood frame. Most of the extrusions and stuff appear to be identical to those from the likes of openbuildspartstore, so I know I can buy piecemeal parts should I want to tweak things or even rebuild it to my liking. I'm also a tinkerer at heart, so I look forward to building this up on my own.

i want it so i can print souvenir coins in our shop as well as other small jewelry. it will also need color and specific metals for the coins.

This is unfair !!

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Originally Posted by tunetown187

i want it so i can print souvenir coins in our shop as well as other small jewelry. it will also need color and specific metals for the coins.

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Specific metals? Better start with a whole lot of gold. There are 3d printers that can produce metal objects directly, but they're in a whole different price category from the ones discussed in this thread. EOS makes a nice one; I think you can pick one up for $800k or so. If you want to print the same part in different colors of metal at the same time, though, you're going to have to wait a while for the technology to catch up with your dreams. (That will give you time to save up...)

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com