Is there anything better than the Prusa i2? And can I get help self sourcing it?

I want to self source a Prusa Mendel i2. If all goes well, i'll upgrade to the i3. I plan to follow this guys guidelines, print my own parts, and use the websites that he used.

[repraplogphase.blogspot.com]

First, I'm wondering if there's a better printer out there that would be cheaper to self source, about the same build area, and ability to print to .1 mm? I want to be under $450.

Second, Can I get any help self sourcing this thing? I'm mainly afraid of the RAMPS board and all of the other tiny parts that you'll need (vitamins) that the blogger doesn't mention. I can solder fine but I'm wondering what parts I'll actually need to get. If you follow his link, the RAMPS board is $45 and he says the electronics cost him about $175. What am I missing?

Any help?

If you really want to get into 3D printing and really understand all the parts and their significance, you should take the time to do as much research as possible and not rely on people in forums to spoon-feed you everything.
In the 3D printing industry, you pretty much get what you pay for. There are plenty of printers better than a Prusa, but what are you willing to pay?

Almost any printer can do a 0.1mm layer height. That doesn't mean the print will have great quality, it just means it will take forever to print and have finer layers.

I would personally spend more and build a MendelMax derivative or a Kossel Mini.

To directly answer your last question:
The RAMPS board will still require being populated with stepper drivers, plus the Arduino board itself.
mechanical/opto/hall endstops.
Thermistors
Heated build plate for ABS and pretty much everything else besides PLA
Random wiring
Fans for cooling things off
Power supply
SDRamps for printing from SD card without computer connection
LCD for RAMPS in order to actually control the printer without a computer connection
stepper motors

I could keep going, but you need to really do some more research to truly understand what it takes to build a 3D printer

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/2014 10:13PM by MrBaz.

motors, probably also the polulu steppers, end stops and wiring.

An i2 is a bit dated at this point. It was my first printer and the frame is crazy difficult to build and get straight compared to newer repraps. The i3 is the latest prusa version and lots of folks are happy with it. I've been checking out the smartrap (search thingiverse) and am pretty excited to build one.

As far as electronics pricing goes:

stepper drivers will cost you ~$10 each (4 needed)
arduino board ~$30
stepper motors ~$15 each (4 or 5 needed)
hot end w/thermister and heater - varies but a good one is $60 to start (comes with heater and thermistor)
heated bed (optional) is $25 or so (with thermistor)
endstops ~$5 for three
ramps - $45
psu - $25 or salvage from old computer for free.

You can probably find these thing for cheaper on ebay but you get what you pay for.

Have fun and welcome to the reprap insanity