Lookin for a 3d printer could use some help

[Saxonmalone]

Hey I've been looking around for a 3d printer and there is so many out there I'm not sure what to get. What I'm looking for is user friendly, multi color printing, that can print in laywoo d3, pla, and abs and has software that is compatible with 3d scanners. Hopefully one with the least amount of problems also. I'm willing to pay up to 5k but would rather spend less.

[RobH2]

Hi Saxomnalone. Not dismissing you but there are a number of post in this forum that discuss various printers and their merits. I'd suggest you read a host of those and then pull out the manufacturers that sound attractive and read more on their websites. Here's just one thread to get you started: http://3dprintboard.com/showthread.p...hlight=printer

Welcome to our forum and I hope we can help.

[awerby]

What do you mean by "multicolor"? If you're talking about a printer that would produce a full-color replica of something you'd captured with a 3D scanner, none of the currently-available hot-extrusion printers can do that, and they are the only ones that use PLA, ABS etc. If that's what you want to do, the only printers that can do it (that I know of, anyway) are the 3DSystems Projet (formerly Z-corp) machines, which print in a consolidated gypsum-based powder and the MCOR Iris, which prints in layers of paper that are glued together and cut. Neither of these can be purchased for anything close to your stated budget, but there are service bureaus you can send your files to that will print them using these machines.

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com

[Saxonmalone]

Rob- understood but I'd rather discus it with other people myself and have the ability to ask questions not just read posts.

Awerby- No I meant printing into at least two or more different colors of filament doesn't have to be the same color as my scans.

[RobH2]

Sure, I realize what you are after. You can read those and post new comments and questions in them to continue those conversations. Not busting your chops, just trying to keep it more consolidated instead of starting a new thread about something that there are lots of threads about already. If you communicate in the existing threads it makes it easier for other users to find the info in one place instead of having to read a whole bunch of threads about the same thing.

Having said that, opinoins are as varied as choices for printers. When it comes down to it, you'll be making the decision about yourself. No one is going to be able to tell you what printer to buy. Cross referencing multiple threads on multiple forums, along with reading a ton on the manufacturer's site, you'll find that perfect printer. For 5K I think you'll have a nice machine no matter which one you choose. That's a good budget for a printer unless you are setting up a business to market a product. You can spend upwards of $100K if you need to but in the $5K range, I don't think you'll find any of them inferior. If you want to spend less than $1000 on a printer, then there are a lot of things to think about.

[JohnA136]

I agree with Rob, there are already a lot of posts regarding which printer to use. The CUBE Pro comes with a single, double or triple extruder and has a HUGE printing envelope (You can print a full size basketball). Looks promising at under 5K with the triple head.

[RobH2]

Cube Pro really does look nice. I can't figure out how much filament is in what they call a "cartridge." They are $99 and we all know you can get a couple pounds of ABS 1.75mm for less than 1/3 of that from Amazon. Triple heads would be awesome so you could print two colors and also still print dissolvable support material.

[mkapras]

Check out ORD Solutions RoVa3D - has up to 5 water-cooled print heads. They have a forum on here. it looks interesting.