Advice on HiRes printer choices

[JimB]

how strong do the parts need to be - ie: what kind of stress does the most stressed part take and in what directions.

There should be minimal loading, the intention is to confirm "unloaded function", that is to say, do the bits work together correctly? This is intended to be a Proof of Concept before going to the much more expensive steel fabrication, and so the device function can be quickly and simply demonstrated.

Oh and start thinking and working in millimetres.

I did my apprenticeship in both mm and inches, can machine to either thous or microns, but I got lazy I'll bear your advice in mind!

Also how you design the parts makes a HUGE difference.

Parts designed specifically to be 3d printed will be stronger and mush easier to print than parts you just designed without taking 3d printing requirements into account.

How do I learn the specifics of "Designing for 3d Print"? I use FreeCAD and am reasonably able with that, but it sounds like there is more to it...are there documents/videos that will help with my design style?

Probably the best suited to your purposes at the moment would be a flashforge replicator pro 2 - unfortunately It's pretty new and i can't find a UK distributor.

Thanks...I'll have a look.

How 'handy' are you with mechanical things ? ie: would you be happy with a build it yourself kit ? as opposed to a ready built machine ?

Pretty handy...before I got into computer networking (I'm a freelance consultant) I was a ships engineer...you got to be handy when you're thousands of miles from anywhere and something breaks A kit sounds like additional fun!

[JimB]

You wrote "Probably the best suited to your purposes at the moment would be a flashforge replicator pro 2 - unfortunately It's pretty new and i can't find a UK distributor."

I went on the FlashForge site, found a FlashForge Creator Pro 2, but no Replicator. I also found a MakerBot Replicator 2....did you mean flashforge replicator pro 2?

[JordanAvery]

You wrote "Probably the best suited to your purposes at the moment would be a flashforge replicator pro 2 - unfortunately It's pretty new and i can't find a UK distributor."

I went on the FlashForge site, found a FlashForge Creator Pro 2, but no Replicator. I also found a MakerBot Replicator 2....did you mean flashforge replicator pro 2?

Which one did you end up choosing?

[AutoWiz]

How do I learn the specifics of "Designing for 3d Print"? I use FreeCAD and am reasonably able with that, but it sounds like there is more to it...are there documents/videos that will help with my design style?

This wisdom is going to largely come from hands on experience. You might find some stuff to read and learn a little on the subject but you will really learn when you print an object 12 times in as many different ways for yourself. Some filaments have different qualities and so are better for different functions. PLA for example is a great looking filament. It makes great shelf trinkets. But PLA loves to separate at the layers. So you can always take anything printed from PLA and throw it to the floor and it WILL break at the layers. This is an important piece of information we can take away a few things from. First We should plan to print our object so the way it gets loaded is not going to stress or pull apart the layers. And also this very much tells us that maybe PLA is better for things like lithophanes or busts or figurines. But for actual functional parts we should look to better filaments that will not separate at the layers. PETG for example has layer separation problems opposite to that of PLA. With PETG if we print on bare glass we will break the glass trying to separate the print from it. PETG will break right through the layers each and every time. And so we will find a lot of functional printed parts we can buy on this here internet are printed from PETG. I am years into forcing my 3d printers to reinvent themselves regularly. The best thing you can do is just jump into the fray and try a bunch of different things paying attention to your results along the way. There is also a huge thing with infill density and perimeters or wall thickness and designing your part with these things in mind along with the idea of where your part needs its strength. You just have to pick a starting point and make sure you share your successes with the group.

[JimB]

Anyone who cites experience as the greatest teacher gets my vote! I have gained some valuable insight from your post, AutoWiz, and for that I thank you! I'm ready to dig into this subject, and it looks like I have found the forum where the knowledge lies (been to others and dind't get replys, let alone answers )