TOPIC:

Thinking of buying a 3D printer for work (and hobby use ) but there is so much choice out there that I don't know where to start. Any recommendations?

I would also consider building my own as my work gives me access to a wide range of motion control equipment. However I don't have huge amounts of spare time, so maybe a kit is a better option.

Budget - maybe up to about £500. Could go more than that if there was an exceptional reason to.

I've built one of the cheapest Delta printer kits available (flsun from China) and I posted a bit about it here:
tamiyabase.com/...mitstart=0

I like the printer, but I'm no expert, not even close.... it makes ok prints, but the secret is with calibration and of course print settings. The better settings, the better prints.

If you're looking for a printer to start producing parts I would look for something better/larger than mine, but if you, like me, does for the fun of building it and to admire the technology, a cheap printer might suit you well.

I have a CTC Dual printer which is a chinese copy of one of the makerbot printers and from what I can tell is actually better. It cost me about $550 AUD delivered and came pre-built. Its print area is about 200 x 150 x 145 mm, but I've not tested its limits. I bought the CTC printer as it reviewed well and come with two print heads so I could run ABS and PLA at the same time.

Pics and usage can be seen here -> www.tamiyaclub....er/&page=1

Overall I am happy with the CTC printer, but I did have to do a number of upgrades and still need to finish a few more.
Upgrades included or will included:
- aluminium braces for the bed holder as its flimsy. This is leading to the print bed warping between prints, which is a common problem for 3D printers, bracing it should help a lot.
- printed filament holders and a second roll holder, plus bought some teflon tubing. Now the filament feeds from the roll with no issues.
- better axis mounts, they wobble out of the box! I printed PLA ones and they are much better, helps improve print accuracy.
- an LED lighting system just so its easier to see the prints
- the sides were open so I blocked them off with perspex to keep the inside more thermally stable
- better extruder feeders, the new ones are spring loaded so feeding is smoother.
- tempted to also put a glass top on the print bed. This is meant to make it easier for the print to stick with the need for painters masking tape etc. But so far I've any issues I've had with the print not sticking seems to be due to not levelling the print bed properly.

I also looked at places like Thingiverse to see what upgrades people were printing.

It seems to me that any cheaper printer will need upgrading to make it print to its potential, but I also found it was a good way to learn about the machine.

For the price I'd recommend the Dual CTC printer, but in saying that while I could print out of the box, to make it print well I had to do a number of upgrades, especially for printing ABS. Also check all the screws, many were very lose when I got it!

Thanks guys. I remember seeing a 3D printer from Hobbyking a few months ago that looked quite good. It was a kit and had clear perspex sides that formed a box. It was a cartesian model with ballscrews if I remember right. Can't find it now though.

Edit: Found it. It was the Turnigy Fabrikator, but it does not seem to be available any more