3D Printer Prices

So we all know that 3D printers are literally all over the board when it comes to a price you can spend. Literally from $200 all the way up to millions of dollars one can spend on one of these high tech printers. My question for you is at what price point is the best bang for the buck, and what printer would you say is the best deal at that price point.

Basically what I am asking is at what price will your 3D printer provide the most/best utility per dollar spent? I know this questions could be answered a hundred different ways by 100 different people, but I figured it would be an interesting topic for conversation.

Lol, that's a tough one to answer because "Utility" of a 3d printer can be defined differently for everyone . Anything in the Ultimaker, or Replicator price line uses is something that will give you reliable accurate prints. Sure you will need to dish out $1200-$2500 depending on the printer, but it will be money well spent in the long run.

Having said this, there are some promising cheaper printers making their way into the market. For an absolute beginner these could often be a way to get your feet wet.

I am a technical sales rep. for an Ottawa, Ontario firm that sells MakerBot and 3D Systems equipment, ranging from the sub-1000 Cube to the $450,000 + Pro X series. Our average printer sale is $80,000. The price is not really the important consideration when selecting a 3D printer, at least not when you should first select the technology.

3D printers are only tools. Hammer, screwdriver, wrench, saw - these are also tools.

Is a $10 hammer better than a $2 screwdriver? Not when you are trying to drive a screw!

Likewise, people should first select the technology they need and then determine which model/manufacturer provides the best bang for the buck.

I needed a bunch of TARDIS models made, so I used a MakerBot - it provided the quality, materials and speed that I needed. I didn't use our $80,000 ProJet HD 3000 since I didn't require an exceptionally high accuracy, smooth surfaced, acrylic model.

Our company also offers a 3D print service, so we can provide a variety of printing technologies so our clients don't have to buy a 3D printer.

Of course, it would be great to see a list of equipment, sorted by technology and then ranked by price. That would be a monumental undertaking!

As written, prices are difficult to compare, all depending on need. I am in the situation to consider purchase of a printer for metal printing. Still am not sure about the solution to go for, but need will be for different metals, including titan, as some customers need very corrosion resistant items. Where do those printers start, price-wise ? Assume printable size/volume as ZPrinter 650 (254 x 381 x 203 mm). Using a 650 for prototyping.
Is it any second hand market ? Or is it only "by chance" you can find second hand printers ? I know several companies selling their equipment due to "wrong" investment, often too optimistic to what market are ready for.

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Originally Posted by kaupang

As written, prices are difficult to compare, all depending on need. I am in the situation to consider purchase of a printer for metal printing. Still am not sure about the solution to go for, but need will be for different metals, including titan, as some customers need very corrosion resistant items. Where do those printers start, price-wise ? Assume printable size/volume as ZPrinter 650 (254 x 381 x 203 mm). Using a 650 for prototyping.
Is it any second hand market ? Or is it only "by chance" you can find second hand printers ? I know several companies selling their equipment due to "wrong" investment, often too optimistic to what market are ready for.

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To print directly in metal, consider $400,000 a starting point.

To print models that can be cast (lost wax casting), $90,000 will get you a machine with large build volume. For $5,000 you can get a Micro-SLA device for casting purposes, but the models are very small.

Direct metal printing is VERY expensive at this point in time.

In the $2500 and under range there are a lot of printers available. Often they don't give their specifications, sometimes they fudge quite a bit.
Critical specs are: nozzle size, maximum resolution in all three axes, MTBF (Mean time between failures), controller interface.
Useful information is the settings needed for the slicer software if you are expected to configure it yourself.
I use 3 Makerbots, and I am surprised how often they fail, and how slow the company responds to such failures. Also, they are following in the footsteps of Stratasys, finding ways to raise the cost of printing by customizing the filament delivery system.

Direct metal printing - who are the big operators (printer suppliers) ? 3D Systems, Arcam, Optomec ???
As for other printers, like ZPrinter 650, it is from time to time good offers available, as I wrote earlier, especially when companies have
understood that they have miscalculated the market, and "over-invested".
I would guess something like that also happens to owners of direct metal printers ? But where to find the market place for this ?
Maybe those printers are so attractive that they easy are replaced by either supplying company, or the owners by themselves ?

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Originally Posted by 3DSteve

Is a $10 hammer better than a $2 screwdriver? Not when you are trying to drive a screw!

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Thank you for making sense and speaking truth.

My teacher is getting an anonymous grant each semester, he already has a dual injection, after that, get yourself either a makerbot digitizer, or a couple of cubes if you want to make lots quickly. seriously, the more the merrier if this is your job.

Anonymous grants are called bribes in my country.