one quick important question. thank you all :)

[L3k]

hello everyone my question is if it is possible to print out a large rectangular piece in segments and glue it to make the final product and if so how?

i will include the detail below of my situation but the question above is what is most important to me, thanks to anyone who is willing to help

i removed the sunroof on my track car and ordered a carbon fibre replacement to be made by a gentleman online however its been 7 months and at this point i have to think the guy just ran away with the money ill deal with paypal to try to recover the cash. anyways no 3d printer that i can afford is large enough to make the part that i need in one shot roughy a rectangle 24x50 inches so if i can make this part in segments this will more the justify me buying a nice 3d printer (any suggestions in $500-$700 are welcome) also i will need to figure out how to even make this shape but thats a problem for a later day

[fred_dot_u]

What you suggest is certainly possible and if you consider the high quality of a GENUINE Prusa i3 Mark 3 printer, you'll get pretty good results. You would want to design the part in one piece and then use something like Meshmixer to segment them. Many items on Thingiverse are engineered to be printed in pieces and glued together. Many people are fond of using super glue (CA) but for your application, with vibration and exposure to the elements, a quality epoxy would give better results.

PLA may not be able to handle well the heat of the summer sun or the build up of temperature within the vehicle. ABS or PETG is likely to give you better results.

There are larger printers than the Prusa that might also be competitive in price, but I would suggest that you examine forums specific to the printer you are considering. Observe complaints, problems and modifications for any given machine and this will give you an idea of the troubles you may have with a specific model. My experience with the local library's makerspace Prusa i3 Mark 2.5 has been quite favorable, while research of other models continue to reinforce the decision to recommend the Prusa. A fellow maker recently purchased the i3MK3 kit and is equally happy with his selection.

I do suggest the i3 kit, as you will gain the experience of assembly and learn more should you have any complications.

[L3k]

thank you so much i am going to look into the Prusa i3 Mark 3 printer you suggested i might just order it this weekend any retailer you have dealt with before?

[PaulHuang]

Hello the idea with that will come to what part your try to print
if it is too big it gonna cost a lot plastic 1kg = 20 dollar on averge
and depend on where you gonna put
but for most case
if you cna print thick around 10mm and connect 2 panel together with strong screws
will be no problem at all
but still depend on where you put

[PaulHuang]

rectangular piece is super easy to deal with
casue it can be anyway to let it connect together

[fred_dot_u]

I think in both cases of which I am familiar, the orders were placed directly with Prusa. Joe Prusa is well known for a very high level of quality customer support. The second maker managed to connect a wire incorrectly, damaging a small component. He had a replacement, no cost, a week later, even though he recognized it was his error. Also, Prusa's email support is equally high, as well as the support information on the web page.

[Joe LePaul]

I can recommend the Prusa i3 Mark 3 printer as well.

[curious aardvark]

good printers but not that large a print area.
Instead have alook at the formbot t-rex/raptor.
http://www.formbot3d.com/formbot-rap...ing_p0022.html

The raptor is a tad overbudget, but with a build volume approx 10x that of the prusa - a much better investment for larger prints.
The fewer tiles you need to glue together the stronger and more durable the roof will be.

Forget abs. It's crap unless printed in a heated build environment - and even then, where fdm is concerned, pla is always better. Pet-g is pretty good, cheap and once you've dialled it in (can be tricky) extremely tough.
But spend some more money and use ninjatek's armadillo polyurethane filament and you should end up with something as light and tough as the carbon fibre job.

There are a lot of premium filaments around these days - most people never try them and still only think of abs, pla and pet-g, I've tried most and the armadillo is as good as ninjatek say it is. Plus really easy to print with. Also uv and chemical resistant.