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.