First Printer Build: Prusa, Mendel, or Rostock

Hi all; a friend and I are about to join the fascinating Reprap community by building our first very own 3d printers! But of course, we've run into the all-too-stated dilemma: which printer to start with? We are currently considering derivatives of the Mendel, Prusa, and Rostock. We are looking for a printer with a lot of support, upgrade able, state-of-the art, and of course relatively cheap and easy to make. We do have a hackerspace nearby, so machining some aluminum parts might be possible, but I've never done anything like that before..

Here are the models we are considering:

Mendel: We're looking at the MendelMax or Mendel90. The later model seems to be recommended most as a first build at the moment.

Prusa: I hear everyone complaining about the threaded rods.. but they certainly are popular. We're looking at the i3.

Rostock: sexy delta printing!! Seriously though, the reduced weight of the moving parts must make a difference. I dont think they have quite the support that Prusa or Mendel has, but Reprap wiki has a good write up and I dont hear about flaws too often (might just be because a lack of information though). Looking at the Kossel, Rostock, or Rostock Max.

Did I miss any? Also, my friend and I will be building two identical printers, so hopefully that will make troubleshooting with each other much easier.
Thanks for the help!

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/2013 07:35PM by The_OG_Hamburgler.

I'd pick something others can help you with to start with, I'd be tempted by the Mendel90, though there is nothing wrong with the MendelMax.
I have a delta bot and like it a lot, but there are enough extra steps with configuration and potential gotchas that I wouldn't recommend it to a first time builder.

---

___________________________________________________________________________

My blog [3dprinterhell.blogspot.com]

i wouldnt recommend a prusa mendel i2, although the i3 looks promising and easy to build, however the mendel max i think would produce a much higher quality product. as far as setting up the firmware, each machine is different, for instance my machine has an lcd screen and opto endstops, so that took a little bit to find out what exactly to change, but i did finish it, and it works great. the delta bot configuration should be no more of hassle than what i went through for my prusa, everything has been done before so someone can tell you how to do it. I would recommend a rostock of some sort. I have to say that using extruded aluminum is so much stronger and easier than using threaded rods, also if you can use open rail, maker slide or v slot that is very easy and good as well.

haha its funny you mention a friend will be building one with you, thats the reason i built mine in the first place, he asked me to help him make one, and asked if i wanted to make my own. unfortuneatly due to his perfectionist nature he still has not finished his yet(he was supposed to print me the parts... haha).

now whichever you do decide, make sure the parts you get are of good quality,

Ebay motors are generally decent in quality, when you find a set of motors post the link up here and i can tell you if they are good or not(the ones i got rock, but they had 4mm shafts instead of 5mm, but they came with 2mm pulleys that worked with my belts, and heat sinks)

The printed parts can be hit and miss. the set of parts my friend got must have been printed at a super low tempurature and like %5 fill, they sort of work, but we had to get new gears, my parts however were great although they were pla and depending on your hot end, they could deform. Im sure someone here on the forum would be willing to print you exactly what you want at a reasonable price, even custom pieces.

Dont skimp on the hot end, get something durable and with many reviews, i made the mistake of getting one from a kickstarter, the QU-BD, and it was a complete nightmare, it never worked and i eventually switched to a europa hot end which i bought on ebay from bradley c fudge. i hear good things about his SG2 hot end as well.

Now for a power supply, dont mess around with the atx pc power supply units, just get a 12v 30a unit from amazon, it has worked out great and its voltage is adjustable in case you need some extra juice.

For the electronics, if you want to keep it simple, look for one of those all included type, that has the arduino chip built in, with the stepper drivers and most importantly screw terminals for connecting the endstops and steppers, those molex connectors are hard to find in town.

You probably are going to want to get a heated bed, and at this point the extra 20 or 30 bucks for it is not going to break the bank, find one that is etched as apposed to plated and you should be ok(i think mine is plated but it works so?!?!).

If you have any more questions i will add this thread to my notifications and ill try to answer as quick and best as i can good luck!

aduy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> i wouldnt recommend a prusa mendel i2, although
> the i3 looks promising and easy to build, however
> the mendel max i think would produce a much higher
> quality product. as far as setting up the
> firmware, each machine is different, for instance
> my machine has an lcd screen and opto endstops, so
> that took a little bit to find out what exactly to
> change, but i did finish it, and it works great.
> the delta bot configuration should be no more of
> hassle than what i went through for my prusa,
> everything has been done before so someone can
> tell you how to do it. I would recommend a rostock
> of some sort. I have to say that using extruded
> aluminum is so much stronger and easier than using
> threaded rods, also if you can use open rail,
> maker slide or v slot that is very easy and good
> as well.
>
> haha its funny you mention a friend will be
> building one with you, thats the reason i built
> mine in the first place, he asked me to help him
> make one, and asked if i wanted to make my own.
> unfortuneatly due to his perfectionist nature he
> still has not finished his yet(he was supposed to
> print me the parts... haha).
>
> now whichever you do decide, make sure the parts
> you get are of good quality,
>
> Ebay motors are generally decent in quality, when
> you find a set of motors post the link up here and
> i can tell you if they are good or not(the ones i
> got rock, but they had 4mm shafts instead of 5mm,
> but they came with 2mm pulleys that worked with my
> belts, and heat sinks)
>
> The printed parts can be hit and miss. the set of
> parts my friend got must have been printed at a
> super low tempurature and like %5 fill, they sort
> of work, but we had to get new gears, my parts
> however were great although they were pla and
> depending on your hot end, they could deform. Im
> sure someone here on the forum would be willing to
> print you exactly what you want at a reasonable
> price, even custom pieces.
>
> Dont skimp on the hot end, get something durable
> and with many reviews, i made the mistake of
> getting one from a kickstarter, the QU-BD, and it
> was a complete nightmare, it never worked and i
> eventually switched to a europa hot end which i
> bought on ebay from bradley c fudge. i hear good
> things about his SG2 hot end as well.
>
> Now for a power supply, dont mess around with the
> atx pc power supply units, just get a 12v 30a unit
> from amazon, it has worked out great and its
> voltage is adjustable in case you need some extra
> juice.
>
> For the electronics, if you want to keep it
> simple, look for one of those all included type,
> that has the arduino chip built in, with the
> stepper drivers and most importantly screw
> terminals for connecting the endstops and
> steppers, those molex connectors are hard to find
> in town.
>
> You probably are going to want to get a heated
> bed, and at this point the extra 20 or 30 bucks
> for it is not going to break the bank, find one
> that is etched as apposed to plated and you should
> be ok(i think mine is plated but it works so?!?!).
>
>
> If you have any more questions i will add this
> thread to my notifications and ill try to answer
> as quick and best as i can good luck!

Thanks for the very detailed reply! Yeah, I'm leaning toward an i3 or Mendel90 I think, because I can probably machine an aluminum frame here. Why do you say the MendelMax will produce a higher quality product?

I didn't put too much thought into the type of stepper motor. I see a lot of people selling "NEMA 17" motors: [www.ebay.com] - how are they?

Caveat I've built neither, but if I were starting today, I'd take a Mendel 90 over an i3.

The primary reason is the attention to detail in nopheads design.
Most builds don't include any details on how to run wires etc etc. It's not hard, but it's a surprising pain in the ass the first time you build.
The Mendel90 has all of that resolved for you, it also puts connectors where you actually need them to make dealing with failures easier.

As for the MendelMax producing better prints than a Mendel90, I own a mendel max they are good printers, but I don't see anything in the design that suggests the Mendel90 would be in anyway inferior.

---

___________________________________________________________________________

My blog [3dprinterhell.blogspot.com]

Polygonhell Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Caveat I've built neither, but if I were starting
> today, I'd take a Mendel 90 over an i3.
>
> The primary reason is the attention to detail in
> nopheads design.
> Most builds don't include any details on how to
> run wires etc etc. It's not hard, but it's a
> surprising pain in the ass the first time you
> build.
> The Mendel90 has all of that resolved for you, it
> also puts connectors where you actually need them
> to make dealing with failures easier.
>
> As for the MendelMax producing better prints than
> a Mendel90, I own a mendel max they are good
> printers, but I don't see anything in the design
> that suggests the Mendel90 would be in anyway
> inferior.

I've heard that the Mendel90 has way more parts, and in my naive mind, more parts = more things that could go wrong. Also, most of the makes are wood. Is this ever a problem with swelling (I live in a pretty high humidity place)? Is there an aluminum version of the frame?

The_OG_Hamburgler Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I've heard that the Mendel90 has way more parts,
> and in my naive mind, more parts = more things
> that could go wrong. Also, most of the makes are
> wood. Is this ever a problem with swelling (I live
> in a pretty high humidity place)? Is there an
> aluminum version of the frame?

All these kits have more parts than you'll want to count, the vast majority of them are fasteners.
I haven't counted the parts in either printer, but make sure you are comparing like to like the Mendel90 probably includes all the wiring parts connectors, wires etc, and the I3 probably doesn't.
I'd probably order Dibond parts from Nophead if it were me, most i3 builds are wood as well, it's available, relatively strong and easy to laser cut.

I don't think there is anything wrong with either printer, but I'd go with the 90, it's an opinion and probably worth what you paid for it.

---

___________________________________________________________________________

My blog [3dprinterhell.blogspot.com]

the reason i like the mendel max is because the aluminum extrusion, its just a great material to work with and its very easy to attach things to. not to mention its just very stiff and strong. but yes the mendel90 is a very well thought out design as well, nophead certainly knows what he is doing. also im sort of biased towards aluminum extrusion since the printer i am designing uses it, and its just been fantastic to work with and so easy to design parts for.

Hi,

If this is your first printer - and you're not somewhat whos been building smilar stuff for a while then i suggest the prusa mendel i2.
reasons:
1- alot of support
2- u will have alot to learn (both in terms of how to build, and what manuals to look for)
3- easy to upgrade to multi colour and other stuff
4- rather cheap.

i must say rostock is awesome.. and i do plan on building one myself soon! but im GLAD i didnt start there! ever since i got the parts for my first printer and built it (prusa i2) i got to know all the stuff i need to focus on, and the upgrades i should be doing - thats something that will help me in my next designs.
As for prusa i3 - its good, especially with the aluminium sheets rather than the smooth rods, but its more expensive and there is less support for that too! (for the time being atleast..).

If you decide to go with prusa mendel i2 and need a help with the BOM then let me know, im gathering a -good- BOM here and will be finished soon.
Also if you're looking for buy cheap (but good quality!!) ramps/belts,bed etc feel free to send me a PM i can sort u something! all in the spirit to support the community!

I'd agree with badmanjoe that an i2 is a good choice for a first printer.

Print quality is dependent on the quality of the electronics, hot end and the assembly and configuration skills of the builder more so than the design of the frame. One frame design may have some advantage (or disadvantages) to other designs but all else equal you'll be able to get quality prints from any properly tuned and configured printer. If an i2 is built now some of the parts will be transferable to another build, electronics, hot end, motors, bearings and perhaps some rods and hardware. It's a good choice for a first printer though the other designs have some advantages but you're going to find the most availability and parts for an i2 currently. If you're confident in your maker/hacker/builder skills either a Mendel 90 or Rostock would be an excellent choice.

Thanks for all the great responses so far, they've been very helpful. To save money and give us more flexibility, we'd like to self source most of the parts. Is this particularly difficult or expensive to do with the mendelmax, mendel90, or i3?

no not hard.. maybe the aluminium sheets and so are the toughest i beleive. the rest isnt that hard to get