Newbie Advice

[newfiebackflip]

Good Day everyone,

I am a total newb to 3D printing and I am looking at getting a printer in the future. I have searched the forums for a while and the more I read the more I get conflicted.

Price will very much be the issue as I am on a single family income but I do not mind saving for a little bit longer to get something of great quality.

At first all I wanted was something with a very large build volume that produces quality prints so I can print cosplay stuff like helmets etc so I figured the TAZ 5 would be the way to go. I have also talked to Ultimaker (not Makerbot) and they responded to my emails right away; which to me it means they have excellent customer service. Now I hear about this company Wanhao who have cheap printers. Their print quality looks fantastic and from what I have read their customer service is not the best. How is their software?

Have many of you attempted to make any cosplay gear by printing it in sections and bonding it together? Am I to focused on the build size? Here are the qualities I am looking for.

1. Print Quality
2. Customer Service
3. Size
4. Slicing software
5. Open Source
6. Ability to use a wide variety of filaments
7. Dual Extruder.

Thank you all for taking the time to read and putting up with questions that may have already been answered in older posts.

[LambdaFF]

Welcome
A few comments.

I have also talked to Makerbot and they responded to my emails right away;

I advise you to look at the makerbot thread here and you will find that their 5th gen products are pretty awful and that their tech support has been overwhelmed due to that. I wouldn't be surprised that their sales team is reactive though.

Dual extruder;

This is generally considered more difficult to use and setup properly. It depends on your general patience and tech proficiency.

How is their software?

Most rep rap printers rely on open source software like Cura and Slic3r. You can download those for free and get a feel. People agree that they get the job done. Simplify3D has been a real plus, but it is not necessary to get started.

1. Print Quality

Several options :
A/ take a look at the "I made one" feature in thingiverse and you'll see what various machines have done.
B/ take a peak in this forum, for instance I posted those : http://3dprintboard.com/showthread.p...al-Plus-prints
C/ you can select a few printers and order parts on 3d hubs to see the output quality

2. Customer Service

Yes, important, especially if you are not too tech inclined. I am very satisfied with Printrbot support. Some companies have a very good community helping for the troubleshooting. If you go for a pure reprap (prusa, mendel, ...) then the forums look quite efficient and full of info.

6. Ability to use a wide variety of filaments

After experimenting, I have found that PLA and PET are sufficient for my needs but a high temp nozzle is necessary for the last one. Hot bed and high temp nozzles (all-metal) are what you should look for if you want a wide range of filaments. Some extruders are not performing well for flexible filament : bowden are more difficult I hear so try and look for a direct drive.

You might also want a machine that can do the levelling on its own, that is a nice feature.

I do not work for printrbot, but I am a very satisfied customer. If you have limited funds, you might be interested in this section :
http://printrbot.com/shop/refurbishe...ed-printrbots/

[newfiebackflip]

Thanks Lamb.

I should correct my original post, it was not Makerbot but instead it was Ultimaker.

[djprinter]

Ultimaker is what I would recommend if price isn't a big issue. Flashforge Creator Pro is the best "bang for your buck," service might not be as available but the community using it is huge and helpful.

[Wolfie]

Lambda has some good points. Though, I would partially disagree with one. PLA and PET are decent for many things. However, for your purpose, COS play costumes, I would think ABS would be the go-to media. Unlike PLA and PET, it can be acetone smoothed and you can use acetone to bond parts together.

I own a Taz 5. Very pleased. It came with a Hexagon hot end which is an all metal hot end. For personal reasons, I have switched to a E3Dv6 hot end. And the conversion took little effort. I have shims as well as a modified cooling fan shroud available to downlaod and print off Thingiverse that will make the conversion effortless. However, I recommend that you run the Hex hot end for a while. You may well be satisfied with it.


As for software, slicr and cura are pretty much the standard faire in new printers. Be wary of any that requires proprietary software or filament cartridges. Start with Cura/slicr. Get your feet wet and gain some experience. Then if you desire more (and you will), I suggest investing in Simplify3D. Not cheap. But its worth it. VERY worth it. It will work with virtually all printers that are open source for software. And I suspect it may even work with some not so open source.

While its not cheap, the Taz 5 does seem to fulfill most of your criteria. Its a well built box. Standard software. Easy set up. Prints with virtually all available filament materials (Nylon, HIPS, PLA, ABS, PET, Metal filled, Wood filled, etc). Large print volume. Hardware open source. Software open source. Dual extruder capable (addon).

Love my Taz. I have modified the extruder base. Changed the hot end. Added a larger cooling fan. Added LED strip lights, etc. All adaptations are available here:
http://www.thingiverse.com/Wolfie/designs

[Bobby Lin]

I use FlashForge Creator Pro as a 3d Printer for Beginners. That printer is excellent and it is custom tailored for your specific needs.