Choices for high quality & reduced build hassle (YA new build question)

So with the summer months coming up I will have a little downtime and want to get serious and build a machine. I've been following this for a long time and asked this question a while back but things evolve rapidly here so al the great advice people gave me last time is probably out of date by now I am looking for advice on what mechanics/electronics/etc I should choose.

I am looking to optimize for two things: high quality of printed parts, and limited build hassle. Here is what I mean by those:

High quality parts: tolerance to +/- 0.5mm is probably good enough, more is usually better. Limited blobbing, etc. preferred. Mainly I am looking to make mechanical parts, gears, etc. to test fit before machining them. 4" X/Y/Z printed area is probably sufficient.

Limited build hassle: I would prefer designs that are commercially-supported, well-documented, and more widely-used. If I have to choose, I will choose "more proven" over "higher performance."

Faster printing would obviously be a plus, but quality and reliability are more important. Parts/plans/kits should be available now (lead time is OK, I just don't want a pre-order).

Price-wise I am somewhat open, would rather spend more now and get it right. $1500 is probably my upper limit.

I have a complete small-scale CNC machine shop in my basement based on machines I converted myself. I'm not a mechanical engineer or electronic designer, but I can follow clear instructions.

I'm looking for recommendations for both the mechanical and electronic parts.

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From what I've seen, the main contender right now seems to be the MendelMax, though part of me is also pulled towards the Prusa as it seems like it might be capable of good enough results and is more "mainstream."

Thanks in advance!

I did Prusa V2 which is well documented and used. The build area is ample for your requirements, and the cost certainly is well below your budget. As for the quality, it's all the the tweaking and calibrating for me. Im sure there are more accurate machines than mine but I am fairly happy with where I am at now. Im interested to see what others say.

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Ryan
Quality Engineer & Hobbyist
thingsandtrains.blogspot.com

MendelMax.

Don't get me wrong, the PrusaV2 is an excellent machine - I love mine. But I could have built 2 mendelmaxes in the time it took to build my Prusa. Between measuring, cutting, grinding and jigging I wasted alot of time. If you want to get up and running with (so far as I know) superior prints then MendelMax is what you want.

I'm working on a MendelPrism right now, but it has a fairly small userbase ( < 10) at the moment, so that's out of the running for you.

Good luck!

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- akhlut

Just remember - Iterate, Iterate, Iterate!

[myhomelessmind.blogspot.com]

Yes the Prusa took forever to build compared to others ive read

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Ryan
Quality Engineer & Hobbyist
thingsandtrains.blogspot.com

My Prusa i2 took only a few hours to build. The calibration process is the long part. I have to imagine the Mendel Max to be a much more sturdy machine due to its construction.

Clarification: Mine was not a kit. It would certainly have been faster if it was.

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- akhlut

Just remember - Iterate, Iterate, Iterate!

[myhomelessmind.blogspot.com]

MendelMax's instructions talk about a drill press as recommended equipment and "a fair amount of effort" to tap holes in aluminium profiles, which in turn are available from a company that really doesn't look like one that deals with private customers. (The website tells that you have to print out, sign and send back a written agreement to get an online account...) I haven't built a MendelMax, but all that doesn't sound like less hassle than a Prusa.

ttsalo Wrote:
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> MendelMax's instructions talk about a drill press
> as recommended equipment and "a fair amount of
> effort" to tap holes in aluminium profiles, which
> in turn are available from a company that really
> doesn't look like one that deals with private
> customers. (The website tells that you have to
> print out, sign and send back a written agreement
> to get an online account...) I haven't built a
> MendelMax, but all that doesn't sound like less
> hassle than a Prusa.

I never had to sign anything to order from Misumi. I do have an LLC though, which may help. They don't verify that your business is real, so you could make up a business name.

Also, you do not need a drill press for a MendelMax. I have a drill press, and did not use it when building my MendelMax. Tapping the aluminum extrusions is very easy if you use cutting oil.

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I buy stuff from Misumi all the time. Never had to sign anything. Maybe I'm an outlier and snuck under the radar. You could always make up a company name and label it as a sole proprietorship. They can't argue with that.

The great thing about the extruded aluminum machines is the ability to order cut-to-length extrusions. Damn near perfect.

Literally, I assembled the skeleton of my Prism Mendel in about an hour. Couldn't believe it.

Never again threaded-rod machine, never again.

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- akhlut

Just remember - Iterate, Iterate, Iterate!

[myhomelessmind.blogspot.com]

I just finished assembling a mendelmax and I agree, it's astonishing how easily it went together, and how few parts have to be carefully aligned.
Having said that up to date build documentation is none existent, and I could see it frustrating someone with no experience.

I haven't actually printed anything on mine yet, I need to hob a bolt, and I've been busy since I did the assembly.

akhlut Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I buy stuff from Misumi all the time. Never had
> to sign anything. Maybe I'm an outlier and snuck
> under the radar. You could always make up a
> company name and label it as a sole
> proprietorship. They can't argue with that.

Do you live in US, EU or somewhere else? I live in EU and I'm pretty sure I would be committing a crime if I bought something with a fake VAT number while pretending to be a company (giving the VAT number is a requirement in business to business commerce).

Sure, the Prusa's threaded rod frame is a bit fiddly to get accurately assembled, but the hour spent on that is probably less than the time spent hunting down accurately cut MendelMax frame profiles or accurately cut and drilled Mendel90 frame parts.

ttsalo Wrote:

>
> Do you live in US, EU or somewhere else? I live in
> EU and I'm pretty sure I would be committing a
> crime if I bought something with a fake VAT number
> while pretending to be a company (giving the VAT
> number is a requirement in business to business
> commerce).
>

Not all businesses are registered for VAT. In UK you have to have a certain turnover per quarter before you are required to register.

BW
Sally