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Merry Christmas to everyone, and a happy New Year. I'm interested in getting a printer to aid in my modeling hobby, something to make wheels, gears, and other parts. I'm sure there is all the info on the forum I need, but so far I haven't been able to find it. As a rookie, I was thinking of something small to start with, fully assembled if possible, and less than $600. Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.
I'd be inclined to direct you to a Prusa i3 kit at that price.
When speaking of wheels, gears. What are the pitch diameter, any idea how small they are?
I printed myself several gears and the teeth is too small, you're just going to get awful results.
In general, features close to the size of your nozzle are approaching the limits of the machine's resolution. An SLA printer like the Form 1 can do much higher resolution prints, however the resin is expensive(around $100 a liter), and the finished print isn't as durable.
Thanks for your input. I've still got a lot of research to do,so I'm a long way from a purchase. So far, it seems that a printer in my range might be put to better use building parts that don't require a lot of strength or precision. I am also thinking about a small mill to make wheels and such, maybe just buy the gears. I like the Form 1 printer, but it is out of my price range at this time. Thanks for your help, and I look forward to learning more.
- I've printed quite a few gears for a small hobby helicopter and have had good results. It does take a bit of refining to get right, but very possible. I wrote a small article HERE on how to get the best results with them.