Salvaging Old 2D Printers for 3D Printer Parts?

[JMK]

Has anyone had any success doing this? I know there are several parts in the older 2d printers that could be used in building a 3D printer. i.e. the rail systems. What other parts can be useful? Is it worth going to yardsales and ebay and looking for old printers, or do you find that it is cheaper and easier to just buy the parts that you need specifically?

JMK

[Kingoddball]

Cheap to buy parts - $7 for 2 meters of steel rod (rails).

I wouldn't buy the printers, try some old fashioned dumpster diving!
Big companies often toss these in bulk. Or even goto your local dump, they generally have piles of these (e-waste/go green schemes and recycling).

[intohim]

Haha, I must admit that I have picked some trash for parts in the not so distance past. It's ashame to see such good parts go to waste

[Davo]

People used to take pride in making something functional out of something broken, even if it just meant reusing a hinge.

I think two things have reduced this behavior: advertisements tell us that new, shiny stuff is more gratifying; also, new stuff isn't built as well - much of it seems designed to fail and require replacement, and isn't worth repurposing.

Anyway, I say use it if you have it already, or if it's free. Our first prototype was built almost completely from salvaged parts, to prove the concept.

[intohim]

I know a few people that use salvaged parts as much as they can for their RepRaps. It's just getting harder though with people wanting to innovate more. Newer usually means better quality.