Need help picking the right 3D printer (and filament)

Hey everyone,

I came across this forum while researching printers and thought I'd stop by. I'm an engineer working for a urethane manufacturer. I'm really interested in 3d printing and want to purchase a printer for my work to help with production, specifically mold making. What makes my problem a little more unique is that since all the parts will be used during the molding process, they will be in ovens ranging from 150°F to 225°F. Obviously I can't have any thing that i print melting into our urethane or changing shape (other than shrinkage/expansion). Since its for a company and I expect will be able to save us lots of money i'm have a little extra $$ to play with on printers and materials.

So here's the run down:

• I'd prefer a closed in printer as its going to be in a factory which isn't the cleanest area in the world (if not i can buy some kind of cover i guess)
• I don't think duel extrusion heads will be needed but it might be nice
• Needs a build volume of at least 6" X 6" X 6" (bigger is better but this will cover a lot of what I would need)
• Need material that will have at a minimum a glass deflection temp of 225°F (is that the right material property?)
• I can work with a few different filament thicknesses, if its too rough then i'd have to incorporate a sanding operation or a bead-blast to each printed part. I'd like to avoid this but if need be, its still acceptable.
• Price wise I'm looking for something that's under $5000 USD, but for the right machine I would go a little higher (not sure if i'd want to invest a ton in the first printer though...)

So really if anyone has any thoughts or suggestions for me I'd love to hear them. Right now I think once I pick everything I'll try to get some samples made to test it out before buying.:D

First of all, welcome to the forum. There are a lot of talented people here and I'm sure you'll get the help you need.

Search this forum for threads that ask for printer advice. There are a lot of them. It's a common question and I think if you'll search around you'll find a lot of info that you can use to make your decision.

Here are a few I found. Not sure how relevant they are as I didn't read them all but it's a start:

http://3dprintboard.com/showthread.p...printer+advice
http://3dprintboard.com/showthread.p...printer+advice
http://3dprintboard.com/showthread.p...advice+printer

Hey Tom,

I think I might be able to point you to a few companies.

First, finding something with those specs within your budget should be relatively simple. I'm not too sure what you mean by, "work with a few different filament thicknesses." If you're talking about 3mm and 1.75mm, you're going to need two different printers, or at least different extruders (could check out Lulzbot for this, I believe they have a 1.75mm extruder that you can change out the 3mm one with. Costs extra though).

I wouldn't be too worried about an enclosed platform coming with the printer, you can always build one out of acrylic for less than $30. With that in mind, I would recommend the MakerGear M2. Amazing print quality, especially when paired with Simplify 3D.

If you're looking for high quality check out Airwolf's printers. Their enclosed (I believe) and offer a range of different models (dual extruders, high temp).

Check out the Wanhao 4S (build envelope slightly too small, 5.7 inches is the smallest dimension). You can get one for ~$1,100 shipped (dual extruder), great entry level printer.

Just a warning with dual extruders, most of them suck. I wouldn't rely on them to give you multiple colours at any decent quality level.

Good luck!

Also look at the Makerfarm Prusa i3 printers. You have to assemble it. But, that's the best part. By doing so you learn everything about the printer and its components. Anyone who thinks they can buy a printer and plug and play and never have to learn some of the technical bits surrounding it and the technology, will be surprised the first time they have to pull a head or replace a component, and realize they have no idea how to do so. If you assemble (and it's easy) your printer, you know it intimately. And that's a good thing.

The Makerfarm will be less than $800 but is as good as printers costing 3 times that much. I get spectacular prints out of it and have dual extruder hexagons that work very, very well. Visit the Makerfarm forum here if you want more glowing reviews about them. Also see this thread about a double extruder that a user (clough42) has developed and is selling. It's a really good upgrade.

http://3dprintboard.com/showthread.p...ouble-Extruder

Here are some examples:

http://3dprintboard.com/attachment.p...tid=4555&stc=1http://3dprintboard.com/attachment.p...tid=4556&stc=1

Of all the prints of this torture test that I've seen posted online, this is the cleanest one I've ever seen, printed by my Makerfarm i3:
http://3dprintboard.com/attachment.p...tid=4557&stc=1