looking for hassle-free 3d printer under 3K$

[jhenrikb]

TL;DR just want a printer that can print PC, Nylon and/or other very strong materials hassle free. Budget is (for now) 3k$ but can be increased if there are no options.



Good afternoon

I was initially looking into buying the Prusa Mk3.

However I need to make parts that can withstand generelly more than what PLA and PETG can. I make some parts for my roadbike, general garden stuff for my wife and engineering parts for work.

The prusa CAN print PC, nylon.. But I Read a lot about warping and problems since it doesnt have an enclosure.

Anyone got and can recommend a 3D printer that is more or less hassle free?

Ive looked at:

Creatbot DX but according to reviews it wasnt that good.

Zortrax M200 - appareantly only good with ABS?

Raise3D - Currently too expensive, but maybe if its the only good thing i can justify it.

Markforge Onyx pro looks like my perfect chose, except for price of printer and the materials are damn expensive. According to their eiger software, some of my parts would be more expensive than ordering them online with high grade material like aluminium.

regards

[curious aardvark]

yeah markforge have kinda taken a page out of carbon's book and priced thems elves out of the market for anyone but a large compabny with more money than sense.

So to start with - you NEED a printer with a heated and enclosed build volume. You also need a hi temp hotend that can run at 300c for extended periods and ideally a heated bed that will hit 120c

you haven't mentioned size of build volume.

As far as hassle free goes - it's fdm 3d printing - their is always hassle of one type or another. If nothing else you need to learn the ups and downs of each material.

If this is fora commercial venture, then I would suggest you look at something like the leapfrog bolt. idex (independant dual extruders) are going to be your friend for supports and mixed material prints.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...d_printer.html
Okay it's nearly $9000 - BUT it's what you asked for :-)
Possibly my favouriter fdm printer to date.

Cheaper machines worth looking at:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CKV7D2E...detail-bullets
raise 3d pro 2 https://www.raise3d.com/pro2/

Probably more about - but you won't get hassle free with the lower end price ranges :-)

qidi xplus also well worth a look, though you might need to upgrade the hotend: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JCKNQSZ/ref=emc_b_5_t

If build volume isn't a major issue then look at the latest qidi tech x pro: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076BLQWHY?tag=hidevour-20

[jhenrikb]

haha 9k thats more then the funmat HT which Ive heard some positive about.

Thanks

ill check it out. The Qidi seems to have a lot of good reviews, and the MAX version for 1500$ looked interesting.

[curious aardvark]

there are better printers around for things like PEEK - the funmat doesn't look too bad. But given the specs - it's lying about the PEEK.
For good PEEK prints you need much higher temps than the funmat is capable of.

this is the best hi-temp machine I've seen: https://minifactory.fi/3d-printer/

[jhenrikb]

there are better printers around for things like PEEK - ...

Yeah that's what I read too. But that's not a concern as peek is just crazy expensive. It should print ultem OK.

Qidi max really drew my attention. It's just 1400$ only AliExpress. Lots of good reviews on Ali and Amazon, but I can't find many videos on it. or website reviews. Makes me think those reviews are paid for. Something just doesn't feel right.

[curious aardvark]

it's very new - qidi are totally legit.
One of the best chinese manufacturers. Known for excellent after sales service and support and for using quality components.

The qidi max has only been around for a few months in - what is essentially - a saturated market.
95reviews on amazon is high for a new 3d printer. And the 5 star rating is most likely genuine.
Qidi ARE NOT creality !

for the price the x-max is probably the best ready built machine around with a decent build volume.
Plus comes with the 300c easy-swap hotend.

Read a few reviews - look pretty genuine to me. Clearly native english speakers and people who have bought the machine, not had it to review.

Seriously - look around at posts about qidi and their machines on here. I can't recall any negative comments. When they released their first replicator pro, we enede up with a thread with 410 pages !
I reckon this forum alone accou8nted for a good percentage of their sales - purely on recommendation.