3D Printer

[frank9129]

With all of the new innovations it is difficult to determine which 3D printer is the easiest to use.
I was considering making a chassis and maybe a body or two, and maybe a wing.
Which one do you guys like, and how difficult is it to learn for an old slotter.
Thanks

[chappyman66]

Well....you can get kits for a couple hundred.
I lucked into a Dremel 3D20 for $400. Fully enclosed, it printed perfectly right out of the box.
I have made guide flags, inline motor pods, and chassis of various designs.
The first thing I printed was a new spool support so I can use normal size spools
The filament is cheap via Amazon.

It is limited to PLA but that's been ok so far.
Buy a good slicer program....I use Simplify 3D since it makes Dremel files.
So far I have used Tinkercad and Thingiverse (free online) for design work.

[ccobra]

For the time I like the extruded filament, FFF, using the 3mm filament. One thing I wish my Luztbot Mini had would be a network hookup. As it is, I use it with another computer to print out a project that can print from 1/2 hour to 8 hours. The first Printer I had was a Solidoodle that used the 1.75mm filament. Another thing to check is the temperature. For the ABS filament that I use, requires 250 degrees C for the best results. You'll need to check the material of the platform for when I was using the Solidoodle, I had to use hairspray to get the parts to stick. The Mini uses a Borosilicate Glass/PEI platform and I've never had to use hairspray with it, just replaced the glass about a year ago and got around four years of printing on the original glass. The program I use is the CURA program which I find to be quite easy to use and runs a lot quicker than the program that I downloaded for the Solidoodle. One thing about the Solidoodle was it was only good for a 45 minute print before it would start acting up from the heat.
The programs that I use are Netfab for cleaning up and modifying the downloaded files and Inventor for modeling up a part. I like the Mini for I can model up detail like tubular frames as long as I make them 3/32" diameter or when I do front suspension detail I use a cylinder within the coil spring so that I can print out the springs at 0.035 to .050 inch diameters.
I've looked a a couple of Stereolithography printers but those still look pretty messy to me and like with the Mini, I would like to print some things a little larger that 6x6x6 which is just 1/32. With the FFF Printer, you have to be concerned with how you set the part on the platform to be printed. With the way it does print in layers, the parts will be brittle and break at the layers, even with the 250C temperatures.
Hopefully this doesn't make you change your mind for these printers can be a real hoot to print out slot cars and honey-do jobs around the ol'homestead.

[ccobra]

I should add, no matter which printer you get you'll need to run some practice runs on the items you want to print for those will end up in the trash or an ice cream bucket as a reminder. Just this morning I was printing out another chassis and and body with some of the space used up with some boxer engine parts. Wow, did I ever screw the pooch on that print. I ended up starting over again for most of the print was just a 'ball of strings' and what did was worthless for there was a lot of loose strings attached. So, be ready to experiment and have fun for it is just like watching a CNC, for it is quite satisfying when the end product takes shape after watching the head move in a X-Y-Z directions.