upgrade to a new printer

[PCeM]

Hello Folks

New guy here at the forum, nice to meet you all.


I bought a Lulzbot taz 6 several years back and after many years of great service and learning the ins and outs of the 3d printing i figured that the TAZ6 has some limitations even though for what i need it, its fine.

I have been looking here and there to familiarize my self with the available and affordable options.
I wanted to move up and get an SLS printer or something equivalent.
The SLS style printers seem to be great but the high initial cost and the high consumables seems that its not really worth it for me.

I was looking at some older Machines from Zcorp but while they appear to be great, the raw material availability seems to be a major issue along with the support if something goes wrong.

I am looking to move from the "prototype" look prints to a more professional finish that will be robust. Nylon Printing is preferred but i am ok with other materials that can hold up to some heat/and strength .

I am using Shapeways when i need finished products and i am very pleased with that. I wanted to see if i could print something similar to that at home.


what do you 3d Printer gurus recommend ?
Budget is around $5k.


Thanks

[PCeM]

so much for a 3d printing forum...

[curious aardvark]

jeez give us a chance. You do know what time of year it is ? And that most of us don't actually spend our entire lives online :-)
what's your actual budget ?

without one the only thing that makes sense would be to go the resin route.

Some large volume machines around at decent prices and the resin cost has come right down as well as including, flexibles, tough resins and hi-temp resins.

Yes you've got some post processing, but nothing compared to any sls machine.

The cheapest 'budget' sls around is the formlabs fuse 1.
The post processing machine, costs more than the printer and is twice as large.

So realistically it sounds like resin would probably be your best choice.

give me a budget and I can add some machine recommendations.

But unless you've got a $20,000 plus budget - sls is probably out.

[Martin_au]

Have you tried nylon, or nylon+filler (glass, carbon fibre) through your lulzbot?

[PCeM]

jeez give us a chance. You do know what time of year it is ? And that most of us don't actually spend our entire lives online :-)
what's your actual budget ?

without one the only thing that makes sense would be to go the resin route.

Some large volume machines around at decent prices and the resin cost has come right down as well as including, flexibles, tough resins and hi-temp resins.

Yes you've got some post processing, but nothing compared to any sls machine.

The cheapest 'budget' sls around is the formlabs fuse 1.
The post processing machine, costs more than the printer and is twice as large.

So realistically it sounds like resin would probably be your best choice.

give me a budget and I can add some machine recommendations.

But unless you've got a $20,000 plus budget - sls is probably out.

yeah i dont think the SLS is the right approach for what i want to do. as much as i would love to have one, i cant afford it.

I was checking some youtube videos on the sla options just to get an idea as i know almost nothing about them.

I was looking not to spend more than 5k. i figured that should be a feasible upgrade from the Taz6. My taz 6 is definitely my workhorse and i rarely had any issues with it, and only minor issues actually (in most cases my fault)

i had used a 1.75mm tool head i found online with a tool steel nozzle; i cant say i am overly impressed with the print quality but the intention was to use that with a palette 2s pro. I am willing to try the v.31 dual extruder if it will give me consistent results.

[PCeM]

Have you tried nylon, or nylon+filler (glass, carbon fibre) through your lulzbot?

i tried to print in ABS in the very beginning when i got the taz 6 but i couldnt really get layer adhesion. i also didnt have the enclosure at that time and the lack of experience did not help. i was reading controlling the room temperature is key for printing ABS.
I had bought carbon fiber filament but i was advised not to use it without a hardened nozzle as the carbon fiber is abrasive. i didnt investigate the matter further. i mostly do cnc laser/machined parts so for the functional prototype it was enough. but i want to utilize the machine and perhaps print actual parts that i can use

[curious aardvark]

well one option - as long as you're not in ahurry - would be the new prusa.
https://www.prusa3d.com/product/original-prusa-xl-2/

even the full spec with multiple toolheads would be well within your budget. Think that comes in at around 3500 euros.

But at the end of the day, it's just an fdm printer. Albeit it a very good one with a lot of cool features.

For the quality upgrade thugh resin really makes the most sense.
You don't get the design versatility of the powder approach, so still have to take overhangs etc into account.
But finish quality is actually higher than sls.
https://phrozen3d.com/collections/re...er?aff=3#specs

largest one I can find at a sensible price.

[PCeM]

well one option - as long as you're not in ahurry - would be the new prusa.
https://www.prusa3d.com/product/original-prusa-xl-2/

even the full spec with multiple toolheads would be well within your budget. Think that comes in at around 3500 euros.

But at the end of the day, it's just an fdm printer. Albeit it a very good one with a lot of cool features.

For the quality upgrade thugh resin really makes the most sense.
You don't get the design versatility of the powder approach, so still have to take overhangs etc into account.
But finish quality is actually higher than sls.
https://phrozen3d.com/collections/re...er?aff=3#specs

largest one I can find at a sensible price.

thats actually really nice. i didnt see that before. i wanted to do 2 extruders as in my head i thought it was either 1 or 2 but seeing 5 extruders is a very cool option. multiple colors + support material is definitely a great option to have. i didn't think of this before

thank you ! this is some great information

[curious aardvark]

see, have a little patience and we will deliver :-)

There are a few videos on the machine on youtube.

Working through the slicer options for a five toolhead print could take a while though :-)

It also has a semi-enclosed option with a dinky sliding door:

[PCeM]

see, have a little patience and we will deliver :-)There are a few videos on the machine on youtube. Working through the slicer options for a five toolhead print could take a while though :-)It also has a semi-enclosed option with a dinky sliding door:

Indeed! a few days had passed and didnt see much of a movement in the forum so i thought it was a dead forum. my apologiesyeah i highly doubt i will ever utilize a 5 toolhead print. 2 in most cases. 3 in a rare case. i have been using 1 for the last 3-4 years and i have been pretty happy haha.