Best sub $5,000 3D Printer?

[catlover]

I'm looking to spend $5,000 or less on a 3D printer sometime this year. Does anyone have any feedback on what the best option would be for me? I need a decent build size, but nothing too large. I plan on using it to make a variety of different things, from toys for my kids, to replacement parts for my shop. I know there are a lot of printers out there. I would like either a filament printer or a stereolithography printer. Please let me know what would be your choice for under $5,000.

[MeoWorks]

Hey catlover, welcome to the forums.

Are you looking for prebuilt or would you like to build one yourself? There are a ton of options either way but depending on which you choose, you'll either spend a lot or save a lot.

[catlover]

Hey catlover, welcome to the forums.

Are you looking for prebuilt or would you like to build one yourself? There are a ton of options either way but depending on which you choose, you'll either spend a lot or save a lot.

Thanks I'm the least handy male on the planet. I need something prebuilt without a doubt.

[MeoWorks]

Ok, so I'm guessing maybe you might want to lean towards more SLA with that budget. The tech is still maturing and there aren't a lot of options out there, but the prints will come out better if you find a good one. Formlabs I believe has one of the better ones. Keep in mind that resin is still relatively expensive compared to ABS or PLA filament.

[kudo3D]

You should check out our Titan 1, with a patent-pending technology, which is the only versatile high-resolution professional-grade stereolithography printer in the market for different applications. The Titan 1 specs are comparable to that of $50,000 printers. All for $2999.

I can send you a picture of biomedical tissue scaffolds we printed for a biomedical research institute. It's only 1mm by 2mm! Additionally, we also can print the tallest up to 10 inches tall and have the biggest build volume for all desktop SLA 3D printers.
Here is a comparison with other printers in the same range:
http://www.kudo3d.com/products/ (scroll to the bottom) If you have any questions, you can email me at catherinepark@kudo3d.com.

[raysspl]

If build volume is factor for you, then I suggest the IdeaPrinter F100L. We use it all the time & it's been very good with a lot of our builds. It's low maintenance (aside from cleaning the nozzles & extruder but that's from letting it sit with the used filament for a very long-time)
Check here http://eezitec.com/collections/3dpri...00l-3d-printer

We also have the new Airwolf 3D Axiom as another option & also has a big build volume.
http://eezitec.com/collections/3dpri...rwolf-3d-axiom

[Strongback]

Seeing that you want to print toys for your kids, I'd recommend a filament printer simply because I've no idea how hazardous the print materials from Resin printers and Stereolithography printers are.

I do however know, that there's a great deal of freedom on the variety of different materials you can print with should, you use a filament deposition printer, so I guess that's the way you'd want to go, because you can print in plastics that won't poison your kids.

5000$ is a pretty large budget though, so you could get pretty large print volume with that.
Depending on the size and quality you'd want from your product, I'd either go for Ultimaker Extended or Lulzbot TAZ 5.

Personally, I'm getting TAZ 5, due to it being modular and open source, so I can upgrade it as more parts come in and customize it in a way I see fit.

However, if you're looking straight up ease of use and simplicity, getting a large expensive printer might not necessarily be for you.

[SandervG]

I agree with FDM if you want to print for your kids. Als because it is cheaper, and it is an accessible technology that even your kids can use and learn. It can inspire them to learn to 3D modeling.
@Strongback; Ultimaker is open source as well. There are plenty of community upgrades available if you check out their forums! Example.

[curious aardvark]

no question, I'd get a hyrel.
http://www.hyrel3d.com/

The ultimate in versatility and great support and build quality.

Not just plastics, but just about every other substance you can think of.

[Marm]

ANybody else notice this thread is >1 year old? The arduino forums have a little warning popup if you are replying to a thread >90 days old, maybe something like that would be useful here.....