Reliable printer options

[deandob]

All,

New member, just spent the last few hours reading the very informative posts on the forum, but still need help to select a 3D printer. I'd class myself as intermediate in experience, I have had 2 previous printers, a Makibox - to learn about 3D printing, and recently have done a lot of printing with a MakerBot replicator 2 temporarily borrowed which I now have to return hence in the market for something new.

I'm working on industrial prototypes in ABS so the 2 main concerns are print quality and reliability. Both the Makibox and the Replicator 2 have proven troublesome, with problems of warped prints (especially during the first 10% of a print), blocked extruders and even a broken mount in the replicator. I have learnt along the way and can mostly

Features I'm looking for:

- Quality build with reliable components
- Able to produce high quality parts, repeatedly
- Speed isn't so important (but not super slow either)
- Heated bed, with a covering that doesn't stick
- Slight preference for a single extruder (for faster / higher quality prints) but most models in the this price range tend to be dual which is OK.

- Wifi (saves having to shuffle SD cards, and I don't want the printer near my work area due to fumes & noise)
- Rigid Metal frame all round with acrylic windows to seal (I found keeping the heat around the print helps with warping, as well as noise & fumes)
- Price between $500 and $1000
- Value for $$ important, and quite OK with a quality Chinese printer
- Reasonable shipping costs to Australia
- Build area not that critical (150 - 250mm W/H/L OK)

Narrowing it down to the following:
QIDI X-Pro
Flashforge Creator Pro
wanhao duplicator 6

Anyone have experience with any of these three to offer some feedback / recommendations? Or other models that would be suitable?

Many thanks for the feedback.

[jeffmorris]

If you live near a MicroCenter store, try the PowerSpec 3D Pro which is a clone of Flashforge Creator Pro.

[curious aardvark]

or qidi also do a creator pro clone.
Oh also an upgraded one with modern touch screen and - presumably - a better board :-)
https://www.amazon.com/QIDI-TECHNOLO...&keywords=qidi
wifi, remembers where it was if power is interrupted.
That's all down to the touchscreen.

Flexible removeable build plate is a nice touch.
Not as good as printbite - but a decent alternative :-)

[deandob]

The Qidi does look like a good printer and the wifi convenience certainly helps.
Re: microcenter, unfortunately I'm based in Australia and no postage option is available.

Are any of the 3 printers I mentioned above better than the others from a reliability & quality perspective and I'd prefer a single extruder as my current replicator 2 messes up the print when the 2nd extruder drags over the print but to have a printer that doesn't warp or curl the bottom of the print would be an important factor.

[curious aardvark]

just unscrew the nozzle you're not using. That's what I did on my creator. Ignore the crap about heating it up first. Just clamp the heatblock with pliers and use a spanner on the nozzle. I always change mine cold. That way you don't get burnt and the metal doesn't expand and lock in place.
That way you still have the dual extruder option, but also no hassle.
Mind you my knp has properly calibrated nozzles and I've never had an issue with either nozzle.

The wanhao has the larger print volume, but lacks the up to date screen and board of the qidi.

quality and reliability - all very good companies with good reputations, don't thuink there's much to choose between them. My 5 year old flashforge creator was an amazingly reliable machine. Think a stepper driver has gone. But that's after over 1500 hours of hassle free printing.

Personally, having printed quite a lot of things that wouldn't fit the standard rep clone build volume - I'd probably go for the wanhao.
I'm fortunate enough to have a machine I've left for dual extrusion. But until I start playing with the soluble support filament I've got. It doesn't get much dual extrusion use.
If you genuinely don't care about the larger print volume, then the qidi is hands down the best of the three.

I don't get why anyone would want to use 3d printed abs - it's just awful. But each to their own :-)
There are a lot of - what i would consider - better options for unenclosed machines in the same price range.

[deandob]

Great feedback on the relative merits of the machines on my short list, thanks curious aardvark.

Can you expand on your comments about 3d printed ABS being awful, are you suggesting alternative material (eg. PLA) which allows a wider choice of unenclosed printers with better features for a lower price?

[curious aardvark]

yep.
Abs was desinged for injection moulding - and it's fantastic for that.
It was designed to shrink when cool to pull away from the mould and make it really easy to remove.

Because of this it's awful for 3d printing where you print and cool in very thin layers.
Even in a warm, enclosed print volume each layer will cool and shrink. Unless you have a temperature controlled actively heated printing enclosure kept at least at 70c.
Then there is very little point using abs. the layer adhesion will always be extremely poor, making prints weak.
And you don't get thermostatically controlled print volumes in anything but top end industrial fdm printers.

With something like a replicator pro clone - the print volume is around 40-50c. So while abs will print a lot better - it'll still be weak and prone to splitting and cracking.

I spent the first 6 months I had a 3d printer using abs.
When i switched to pla I was amazed at both how much stronger and more durable the prints were, but how much easier it was to print with as well.

In comparison the pla and other materials available for 3d printing - many of which don't need heated enclosure - shrink less, have much better layer adhesion and are generally tougher and easier to use than abs.

There are a whole host of specifically designed for fdm printing filaments around now. many can be printed in unenclosed machines and all superior to 3d printed abs.

It's no secret round here I like deltas.
https://tevo3dprinterstore.com/produ...3d-printer-kit
As kits go that's a damn good one.
I know it's more money - but the formbot t-rex is worth looking at, drooling over and wondering how long it'll take to save up for one:
http://www.formbot3d.com/formbot-lar...ize_p0018.html

Also well worth looking at is the new prusa i3 mk3: https://shop.prusa3d.com/en/3d-print...3-mk3-kit.html
Has some very cool features and is thoroughly up to date and in budget


See and I haven't mentioned makibox once lol
I was one of the people who's machine was waiting shipping in a container in hong kong when it all went tits-up. As I ended up with a flashforge creator and the lesson that you never ever buy from crowd funding sites - It all turned out okay as that has been a great machine.

[deandob]

Thanks for the tips on alternate filaments, after weeks of 3D printing with ABS (and frustration with curving bottoms and globs of ABS pulling the print off the bed) I hadn't considered alternate filaments as I thought ABS was the material to use... Can you recommend any particular filament material that is suitable for prototyping (I'm a new startup focusing on building safety technology for the construction industry - so something that looks good and is robust). I'll look into the other printers recommended.

Regarding Makibox, I looked at it as a learning exercise and did enjoy watching the regular video updates from John about the development. Although it has some brilliant engineering (the suspension on the filament roller is one) it also had some pretty dumb stuff like insufficient material for the screws to hold the perspex and an X/Y arrangement that had a lot of slop when changing direction.