General 3D Printing Thread


 
I remember reading that somebody is usin PLA from New Image Plastics. Its quite a bit cheaper per lb than ultamachine but they have a 10 lb min order per color so I wanted to make sure it's quality before ordering.

Got this back after emailing them.

The* current price for PLA filament in 3mm Black, or Natural is $7.95 per pound.
The current price for PLA filament in 1.75mm Black or Natural is $9.95 per pound.
*
Filament may be produced in basic colors of Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, Orange and Purple at an additional $1.00 per pound.* Minimum order of 10 pounds is require in any one color or diameter.
*
The filament may be on 5# cardboard spool at no additional cost.
If filament is spooled on to small 1Kg spools. there is an additional charge of $5.00 per spool.
Minimum of 5 spools required.
*
Price does not include shipping.
We ship on your companies UPS or Fed Ex account, or if an account is not available the UPS ground shipping may be charged direct to the cc provided for payment of an order.
*
Estimated lead time for orders placed is at 3 weeks.
*
 
NickAuxier said:
I remember reading that somebody is usin PLA from New Image Plastics. Its quite a bit cheaper per lb than ultamachine but they have a 10 lb min order per color so I wanted to make sure it's quality before ordering.

Got this back after emailing them.

The* current price for PLA filament in 3mm Black, or Natural is $7.95 per pound.
The current price for PLA filament in 1.75mm Black or Natural is $9.95 per pound.
*
Filament may be produced in basic colors of Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, Orange and Purple at an additional $1.00 per pound.* Minimum order of 10 pounds is require in any one color or diameter.
*
The filament may be on 5# cardboard spool at no additional cost.
If filament is spooled on to small 1Kg spools. there is an additional charge of $5.00 per spool.
Minimum of 5 spools required.
*
Price does not include shipping.
We ship on your companies UPS or Fed Ex account, or if an account is not available the UPS ground shipping may be charged direct to the cc provided for payment of an order.
*
Estimated lead time for orders placed is at 3 weeks.
*
Click to expand...

I've used their ABS and it's definitely quality. The only problem is the 10 lb min. I really only order black from them because it's the only color that I burn through fast. I order everything else from protoparadigm now and am of the opinion that they make the best filament that I have used. I order ABS and PLA from them and have never had an issue with diameter inconsistency.
 
NickAuxier said:
Do you find that you print more in abs or pla?
Click to expand...

Depends on what I'm printing. ABS has better temp resistance so it is more versatile. PLA, on the other hand, is much stiffer. In some cases, I like the sheen from the PLA so I print with that as opposed to ABS. Overall, though, I use more ABS than PLA.
 
Tom Kole said:
I use autodesk123d beta. There is a link to a download somewhere in this thread.
Click to expand...

Ok, so now I understand the difference between 123D beta and 123D that autodesk lets you download now. It seems that most if not all that are linked on this forum are from 123D beta which the non-beta version will not open.

Tom - I found the link for the beta in this thread but it now points to the current non-beta release. Does anyone know of somewhere that I would be able to get a copy of 123D beta9 for the Mac?

It makes no sense for Autodesk not to include the ability to open 123D beta files. :mad:

I know that the stl files for most things are published but it would be nice to be able to play around with the designs to help get acclimated to the 3D process.
 
Troy,
this is the best I can do.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/autodesk-inventor-fusion/id529580720?mt=12

I never archived a mac copy of 123DB9. :(

However, Inventor Fusion will open 123D files. The problem then becomes 123D users can't open IF files. :(

Perhaps we should all abandon 123DB9 and move to Inventor Fusion. Seriously. I think the biggest reason I don't use it now is the fact that I've got so much time invested in parts that it would probably kill me to move to inventor fusion. There is one quirk that IF has. When it opens a 123D file it imports every part as a separate component, regardless of it's relationship in 123DB9. So if you have a large assembly or multi-part component and import it into IF you've got a lot of work ahead of you recreating the relationships between components. :( PITA.

But if you're starting out fresh give IF a try.

Matt
 
NeilHeuer said:
I may have missed this but where did you get the plans (I assume it isn't a kit) for your printer?

Thanks!

Neil
Click to expand...

Neil, not sure who you were directing this to but I designed mine in 123d and then built it from my prusa I2 and aluminum extrusions that I purchased through Misumi.

Matt, I agree with you. I've been dragging my feet but guess that it is probably time to start converting. I may not convert the case over until HM4.1 is released though.
 
Matt, I'm in the process of mirroring your files and have posted links in the first post of the 3d printed case thread.
 
I see the point about 123D beta, being no longer available for download is a problem. Autodesk has SO many apps out there, I am wondering why you decided on Inventor Fusion as opposed to 123 Design? I was under the impression the 123D Beta app evolved to be 123 Design so I kinda figured that would be the direction things would go? I have no experience with either of these apps, I did load 123 Design once hoping it would be more similar to 123D Beta than it is (and be able to open/edit the 123D Beta files) but it was way different so I went back to the Beta. I've just started to get comfortable using 123D Beta and am not looking forward to learning a new program, or two... So I figured I would pose the question, 123Design or Inventor Fusion and why?

EDIT: I just noticed this from AutoDesk.... "Goodbye Inventor Fusion, Hello Fusion 360"

So 123D Beta gave way to 123Design, and Inventor Fusion gave way to Fusion 360 already. This raises the question(s) why move to Inventor Fusion if it is being eliminated (like 123Beta) and can we expect ANY of these apps to be available for the long term from AutoDesk? Not sure if Inventor Fusion will create files that can be opened with Fusion 360 or other 3D apps? I just noticed Fusion 360 is only available in 64-bit version while Inventor Fusion is available for both 32-bit and 64-bit, so that's one thing....

I don't know much about Mac's, not sure which/if any of these apps are available for the Mac, but can't Mac's run PC software these days anyways?
 
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Neil,

I took a slightly different approach. Like Tom, I first built a Prusa i2 (bought the plastic parts, then sourced everything else myself). I learned a lot in this process, and wanted to build a second machine. In looking at the designs for machines I stumbled onto the Prism by Buback. I liked some parts of the design, but didn't like others. So, I forked it and re-designed the entire thing from the ground up. I think I have a single component that remains unchanged from the original design. Right now I'm retrofitting my larger printer for dual extrusion, but with the holidays development has slowed. :(

Everything I do is up at github.com\akhlut but I haven't synced in a while.

If I had to do it over again, would I? Probably. I've learned so much from designing my printer that I cannot begin to express how liberated I feel from the consumer culture that surrounds me. I have a very critical eye for design now, and when looking at things think "I could design that, and do a better job of it too." That byproduct alone is totally worth it.

Enough rambling. If you want to build a machine from scratch Tom or I can help you with that as we've both done it. And if you decide to buy a kit don't hesitate to ask about it on this thread - we're here to help!
 
RalphTrimble said:
I see the point about 123D beta, being no longer available for download is a problem. Autodesk has SO many apps out there, I am wondering why you decided on Inventor Fusion as opposed to 123 Design? I was under the impression the 123D Beta app evolved to be 123 Design so I kinda figured that would be the direction things would go? I have no experience with either of these apps, I did load 123 Design once hoping it would be more similar to 123D Beta than it is (and be able to open/edit the 123D Beta files) but it was way different so I went back to the Beta. I've just started to get comfortable using 123D Beta and am not looking forward to learning a new program, or two... So I figured I would pose the question, 123Design or Inventor Fusion and why?
Click to expand...

Ralph,

I think the reason we stuck with B9 was that 123Design was total crap at the time of it's release, and AFAIK it still is. That and it needs Windows 7 to run, which is a dealbreaker for me as I'm still on XP. XP4EVR!

Inventor Fusion is a lot to take in, and I don't blame you for not wanting to learn another package. Hell, In reality I'd love to stick with B9 forever. But there comes a time when it makes sense to make a break with the past and to learn new things. HM4.1 seems like as good a spot as any. Of course that will mean that I need to create new part libraries to replace the old ones I'm giving up. But I guess that's part of the learning process.

The good things about Inventor Fusion:
- Similar to B9 in workflow
- Better .stl output (no more signing in)
- Parametric!
- There is a manual! :D
- Much closer to industry-standard software (Autodesk Inventor)
- It's free!

Bad things about Inventor Fusion
- It's already deprecated
- It's a resource hog (they all are)
- It's not B9

I'm sure that this list of pros and cons could grow. Why don't we just shift to Fusion360? Sweet, sweet Jebus that program looks nice, but I've heard that there is a subscription coming to that product which is expensive (~$25/month/app/user). That and it's windows7 x64. :(

Also, for all you folks out there with 3D printers! There are some interesting tools coming out of Autodesk these days.

http://labs.autodesk.com/utilities/memento
http://labs.autodesk.com/utilities/miller
http://www.123dapp.com/sandbox
 
OK, I guess I'm gonna load up Inventor Fusion and give it a go this weekend...

Thanks for the link to the other apps, glad to see "Project Miller", I've been wanting an app that I can preview my objects and g-code in for a while now. The name is a bit ironic isn't it...
 
What does a homemade printer cost?

I think the problem I have is after building the printer is drawing the pieces. I have a woodworking business and we have a CNC machine and the biggest barrier we have is drawing the pieces. I am not a drawing kinda guy. I think it might be fun to build a printer and i think the way it works is awesome! Totally different than our CNC machine.

Tom printed me a case for my heatermeter and I just stare at it in amazement :)

Thanks!

Neil
 
NeilHeuer said:
What does a homemade printer cost?

I think the problem I have is after building the printer is drawing the pieces. I have a woodworking business and we have a CNC machine and the biggest barrier we have is drawing the pieces. I am not a drawing kinda guy. I think it might be fun to build a printer and i think the way it works is awesome! Totally different than our CNC machine.

Tom printed me a case for my heatermeter and I just stare at it in amazement :)

Thanks!

Neil
Click to expand...

Well Neil, the actual building of the printer is one thing, but once it is built and tuned and working.... from then on it's pretty much just "drawing pieces".... LOL

In order to create the 3d models to print you need to navigate some sort of 3D design program which will likely output STL files. Even if someone provides you STL files for an object you will have to slice it up into layers with a slicer application which results in the file called g-code that the printer actual uses to create an object. The slicer has to be set to match your printer, and tuned to the type of design you are printing to add support material etc so you kinda need to do that yourself, although you could print g-code files on a printer that is very similar to the printer they were created for. Bottom line, to run a 3D printer you need to deal with the 3D object files a LOT... at least right now.... New stuff is coming around that will create objects from scans, pictures, and the 3D modeling/slicing/printing software development keeps marching on so it will surely get easier as time goes by.... For now plan on doing a lot of fiddling with the object files.
 
RalphTrimble said:
Well Neil, the actual building of the printer is one thing, but once it is built and tuned and working.... from then on it's pretty much just "drawing pieces".... LOL

In order to create the 3d models to print you need to navigate some sort of 3D design program which will likely output STL files. Even if someone provides you STL files for an object you will have to slice it up into layers with a slicer application which results in the file called g-code that the printer actual uses to create an object. The slicer has to be set to match your printer, and tuned to the type of design you are printing to add support material etc so you kinda need to do that yourself, although you could print g-code files on a printer that is very similar to the printer they were created for. Bottom line, to run a 3D printer you need to deal with the 3D object files a LOT... at least right now.... New stuff is coming around that will create objects from scans, pictures, and the 3D modeling/slicing/printing software development keeps marching on so it will surely get easier as time goes by.... For now plan on doing a lot of fiddling with the object files.
Click to expand...

Yeah! We use g code on the cnc. It's good stuff but takes quite a lot to generate that code with a drawing application. We use alphacam for the CNC stuff but its a different approach with carving out materials vs printing which lays the material down...

Neil
 
Neil, I've recently been getting into cnc milling and I can tell you that the preparation of 3d files for cnc is significantly more difficult than for 3d printing. The drawing of files is mostly the same but cnc is much more post processing and tool path dependent than 3d printing. If you can do cnc, 3d printing should be a breeze.
 
Neil,

as far as cost is concerned I have to give you the crappy answer of "it depends". :(

There are so many variables, and given your line of work and the materials you have on hand it may be relatively inexpensive.

Given that you've got a woodworking shop and a CNC on-hand I would highly recommend you take a long, hard look at the Mendel90 by nophead. He's a long-standing member of the reprap community and has designed a really good machine.

http://hydraraptor.blogspot.com/2011/12/mendel90.html
http://reprap.org/wiki/Mendel90
https://github.com/nophead/Mendel90

As for the plastic parts, I'm sure someone on this thread would print them for you. The mechanicals can easily be sourced from sdp-si and mcmaster and might run $100. Then you have the 3D-printer specific parts that you'd need:

Universal costs:
(5) stepper motors - 200 or 400 step motors, doesn't really matter which.
(1) electronics setup - do yourself a favor here and spend some extra $$$ on quality components. Avoid 2-layer A4988 based drivers like the plague as they will overheat without active cooling. Personally, I prefer DRV8825-based drivers from panucatt.com - they are designed to dissipate heat and are the cats miaow in terms of performance. If you must have an all-in-one board (which I don't recommend) the RAMB0 from ultimachine is a good choice. Otherwise I'd recommend RAMPS1.4, which is very modular. It's nice when you accidentally blow something up and don't have to throw away the entire $200 board.
(1) hobbed bolt (http://shop.arcol.hu/item/hyena is what I use anymore)
(1) hotend - there is much discussion and debate here. Hotends can vary from $50~$150, but personally I run J-Heads which are pretty bulletproof if bought from hotends.com I'm sure others will chime in here.
(1) heated bed - this can be either a PCB heated bed driven directly by the electronics or a silicone heated bed driven by 120V AC

For the universal costs, you can expect to pay around $300. Hopefully, someone will print you the component parts at cost - this is something that reprappers do to promote the spread of repraps/3D printers.

You should head over to reprap.org and forums.reprap.org and take a look around.
 
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