TMI. RepRap circles.
Posted by Dan H
|
Re: TMI. RepRap circles. January 27, 2013 08:29PM |
Dan,
If you want a parts list you need to provide what machine and what version you want to build.
Prusa i1, i2 or i3?
A Prusa i2 is a very good starter machine, which is fairly easy to assemble and get up and running so long as you have all the parts on hand. Hate to say this, but a kit is probably the most economical way to get the parts for this machine. Self-sourcing each part is a good lesson if you're planning on getting into the hobby in a serious way, but if you just want to print out some mustaches or other objects off of thingiverse then a kit could be your path of least resistance. BTW, I don't sell kits and I'm not affiliated with any kit producer.
So what is your ultimate goal with a 3D printer? Knowing your output requirements would go a long way in steering you in the right direction.
As for the widespread alternatives...
A Prusa i3 is a superior machine, but is not widely available as of yet.
A Mendel90 is probably one of the best machines on the market, is relatively inexpensive to build and is a superior machine (maybe the best machine).
A MendelMax 1.5 is a high-quality machine and is widely available. MendelMax 2.0 is still in beta, but looks very good.
A Rostock is the sexy new kid on the block (delta vs cartesian), but probably isn't a good choice for your first machine.
Then, of course, there are the closed-source machines. But we do not speak of them here as they are evolutionary dead-ends.
And don't take this the wrong way, but...
Dan H Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Nobodies looking for handouts. But you fail to
> realize, that MY TIME is NOT FREE either.
We don't really care about how much money you make or how long it takes you to do something.
This isn't a business, it's a creative community. Good luck demanding anything from us.
As a community we have no interest in presenting information in a pretty, easily digestible package - that's the job of people who want to monetize the information here. The other issue is that this reprap is in a constant state of flux - documentation is outdated the moment it is published. We tend to innovate first and document later, or more commonly never as we're on to the next issue.
That's not to say that the information isn't out there. Sure, it may be tough to find - hell I find new stuff all the time on the wiki - but it is out there, somewhere. And use the forums as a resource - there is a ton of information in our heads and 99% of the time we can point you in the right direction.
Just remember, there is no stupid question here.
- akhlut
Just remember - Iterate, Iterate, Iterate!
[myhomelessmind.blogspot.com]
If you want a parts list you need to provide what machine and what version you want to build.
Prusa i1, i2 or i3?
A Prusa i2 is a very good starter machine, which is fairly easy to assemble and get up and running so long as you have all the parts on hand. Hate to say this, but a kit is probably the most economical way to get the parts for this machine. Self-sourcing each part is a good lesson if you're planning on getting into the hobby in a serious way, but if you just want to print out some mustaches or other objects off of thingiverse then a kit could be your path of least resistance. BTW, I don't sell kits and I'm not affiliated with any kit producer.
So what is your ultimate goal with a 3D printer? Knowing your output requirements would go a long way in steering you in the right direction.
As for the widespread alternatives...
A Prusa i3 is a superior machine, but is not widely available as of yet.
A Mendel90 is probably one of the best machines on the market, is relatively inexpensive to build and is a superior machine (maybe the best machine).
A MendelMax 1.5 is a high-quality machine and is widely available. MendelMax 2.0 is still in beta, but looks very good.
A Rostock is the sexy new kid on the block (delta vs cartesian), but probably isn't a good choice for your first machine.
Then, of course, there are the closed-source machines. But we do not speak of them here as they are evolutionary dead-ends.
And don't take this the wrong way, but...
Dan H Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Nobodies looking for handouts. But you fail to
> realize, that MY TIME is NOT FREE either.
We don't really care about how much money you make or how long it takes you to do something.
This isn't a business, it's a creative community. Good luck demanding anything from us.
As a community we have no interest in presenting information in a pretty, easily digestible package - that's the job of people who want to monetize the information here. The other issue is that this reprap is in a constant state of flux - documentation is outdated the moment it is published. We tend to innovate first and document later, or more commonly never as we're on to the next issue.
That's not to say that the information isn't out there. Sure, it may be tough to find - hell I find new stuff all the time on the wiki - but it is out there, somewhere. And use the forums as a resource - there is a ton of information in our heads and 99% of the time we can point you in the right direction.
Just remember, there is no stupid question here.
- akhlut
Just remember - Iterate, Iterate, Iterate!
[myhomelessmind.blogspot.com]
|
Re: TMI. RepRap circles. January 28, 2013 10:49AM |
Dan H Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So what is your ultimate goal with a 3D printer?
>
> Using it.
*sigh*
Using it for what? Printing large things or small? High or low detail? What trade-offs are you willing to accept in the speed vs quality area?
>
> As far as a BOM is concerned.. There is no simple
> link.
Again, buy a kit, especially for a Prusa i2 - all the thinking has been done for you and they're only a little more than self-sourcing.
> For example The mendel90 page, which i did find
> indicates that the BOM has to be created, Using
> OpenScad. Of course going to openscad, another
> open source site, you have to download the source,
> and compile it.
nophead sells full kits at very reasonable prices. Best to get one from the guy who designed it after all.
> So you cant actually do anything related to the
> goals of the "RepRap Movement". Instead you have
> to be a Software Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, an
> Electrical Engineer. And waste countless hours
> repeating work that has already been done.
No. No you don't. I am none of those things and I've happily been part of the project for a while now - printing things for people, developing new components to suit end-users needs and modifying existing designs to improve them. My contributions are small and affect only a few, but I'm doing what I can to move the project forward. The currency of the reprap project is contribution and support. Some can do more than others, but we work toward a common goal.
The top two tiers of Maslow's hierarchy illustrates RepRap fairly well.
I started out with zero applicable skills - I have a degree in economics (which really goes a long way in preparing you to build a reprap). But I taught myself how to build a reprap, the electronics necessary and the software. And I've become a fairly proficient 3D modeler along the way.
What I'm saying is that I've taken the time to invest in myself. That investment has paid dividends by providing the capability to give back to the project and community. I have been able to bend this technology to my purposes as well, and in having done so created utility.
> Your movement is going no where because of this.
> The countless number of people who post, in forums
> and on wiki's, who love talking more than
> technical data are only making things worse.
Actually, the wiki is kind of like a gatekeeper - it helps separate the wheat from the chaff.
> Thanks for your post.
You're welcome.
> Its clearly more costly than purchasing a
> professional quality 3d printer, which actually
> comes with a warantee.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Dan -
Well, you can build a reprap for a fraction of the cost of a "professional quality 3D printer", and get quite good results.
Maybe you just don't have the patience or grit necessary to get into this project.
There is no instant gratification here.
Seriously examine your motivations and expectations. Maybe you should temper them by taking a look at the output of these machines close-up. Hold the output of a reprap in your hands then weigh it against your expectations. Also consider this - getting a reprap up and running isn't a trivial matter either. If you can honestly say that you're excited by the prospect of spending a weekend calibrating a reprap to get an accuracy of 0.01mm, then maybe the project is for you. But if that sounds like a tedious, painful process full of frustration then maybe this isn't for you.
I just get the feeling you won't be happy with anything - many people with more money than time usually aren't.
I suspect that you are but the first in a long line of interested people who have been bitten by the 3D printing bug, only to find out that there isn't some auto-magical tool that makes it super-easy and cheap to get your hands on one.
Good luck.
- akhlut
Just remember - Iterate, Iterate, Iterate!
[myhomelessmind.blogspot.com]
-------------------------------------------------------
> So what is your ultimate goal with a 3D printer?
>
> Using it.
*sigh*
Using it for what? Printing large things or small? High or low detail? What trade-offs are you willing to accept in the speed vs quality area?
>
> As far as a BOM is concerned.. There is no simple
> link.
Again, buy a kit, especially for a Prusa i2 - all the thinking has been done for you and they're only a little more than self-sourcing.
> For example The mendel90 page, which i did find
> indicates that the BOM has to be created, Using
> OpenScad. Of course going to openscad, another
> open source site, you have to download the source,
> and compile it.
nophead sells full kits at very reasonable prices. Best to get one from the guy who designed it after all.
> So you cant actually do anything related to the
> goals of the "RepRap Movement". Instead you have
> to be a Software Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, an
> Electrical Engineer. And waste countless hours
> repeating work that has already been done.
No. No you don't. I am none of those things and I've happily been part of the project for a while now - printing things for people, developing new components to suit end-users needs and modifying existing designs to improve them. My contributions are small and affect only a few, but I'm doing what I can to move the project forward. The currency of the reprap project is contribution and support. Some can do more than others, but we work toward a common goal.
The top two tiers of Maslow's hierarchy illustrates RepRap fairly well.
I started out with zero applicable skills - I have a degree in economics (which really goes a long way in preparing you to build a reprap). But I taught myself how to build a reprap, the electronics necessary and the software. And I've become a fairly proficient 3D modeler along the way.
What I'm saying is that I've taken the time to invest in myself. That investment has paid dividends by providing the capability to give back to the project and community. I have been able to bend this technology to my purposes as well, and in having done so created utility.
> Your movement is going no where because of this.
> The countless number of people who post, in forums
> and on wiki's, who love talking more than
> technical data are only making things worse.
Actually, the wiki is kind of like a gatekeeper - it helps separate the wheat from the chaff.
> Thanks for your post.
You're welcome.
> Its clearly more costly than purchasing a
> professional quality 3d printer, which actually
> comes with a warantee.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Dan -
Well, you can build a reprap for a fraction of the cost of a "professional quality 3D printer", and get quite good results.
Maybe you just don't have the patience or grit necessary to get into this project.
There is no instant gratification here.
Seriously examine your motivations and expectations. Maybe you should temper them by taking a look at the output of these machines close-up. Hold the output of a reprap in your hands then weigh it against your expectations. Also consider this - getting a reprap up and running isn't a trivial matter either. If you can honestly say that you're excited by the prospect of spending a weekend calibrating a reprap to get an accuracy of 0.01mm, then maybe the project is for you. But if that sounds like a tedious, painful process full of frustration then maybe this isn't for you.
I just get the feeling you won't be happy with anything - many people with more money than time usually aren't.
I suspect that you are but the first in a long line of interested people who have been bitten by the 3D printing bug, only to find out that there isn't some auto-magical tool that makes it super-easy and cheap to get your hands on one.
Good luck.
- akhlut
Just remember - Iterate, Iterate, Iterate!
[myhomelessmind.blogspot.com]
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