Best Printer for Modding?

Hi, I know many of you may answer ``RepRap``, but I`d like to ask which brand of 3D printer is best for being modified after purchase.

By this I mean a printer which I can modify if I want to buy a better-quality hot end, or change some other component to improve it.

Since I don`t feel I have the skills to build and calibrate a printer myself, I`d prefer to buy a printer instead of trying to make my own RepRap.

Thanks.

I've seen Ultimaker V1's that were pretty heavily modded and worked great. Pretty sure the kit is about $1200, but a fully assembled one will be pushing 2k. Good luck!

Rostock Max's get modified, but I will second Ultimaker v1 (which is open source I think). It's a fantastic machine, however, it too will require you to learn and do work on it to get the most from it.


However, there are also open source/Reprap kits and complete printers you can buy as well, which can be modded just as if you built it yourself. Makerstoolworks has the Memdelmax and Fusemax, Griffin 3d has the Griffin Pro, Ultibots has the Kossel kits, Boots Industries has Rostock and I believe something else... This list goes on. The point is, you don't HAVE to build a Reprap to have a Reprap. There are also people who sell their printers.

That being said,
Most home 3d printers come in two varieties, the simplest are the sealed, pre made, non-modifiable like the UP printer, which you can do little with. These require little skill or effort, but you can quickly outgrow their abilities as they are quite locked down. Then you have the modifiable ones. The modifiable ones are meant for tinkerers and require tinkering. Because of that, it would better for you to know how to assemble, configure it and spot problems. Even the best, pre-made, ready to go, will require you to mess with it, to get the most out of it and keep it running.

If your gonna spend that kind of cash, get a Flashforge Creator for just under $1000 USD assembled.

---

"Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience."

Three things:

1) Buy a kit. You'll know more about your printer by the time you're done. This makes modding much easier, if you know how everything is put together.
2) Whatever printer you go with, make sure there's a good community to help you out.
3) Regardless of what you buy, you'll need to calibrate it on occasion.

For Deltas, calibration is more involved, but not terribly difficult. Once you've got your physical parameters dialed in (rod length, radius, etc.), calibrating my delta usually takes me about 5 minutes-- that's largely because I'm very familiar with my printer, and know what amount of friction I prefer on the "paper test", and I know that if I get all four points right, I'm good to go. Initial calibration took a bit longer (about an hour, then a few more hours when I understood what I'd done wrong the first time).

Personally, I have a Kossel Clear, which may not have the best reputation, but the google group is helpful, the company posts on there, and they're good about fixing problems. Likewise, any RepRap style printer you go with, this forum will help out with. SeeMeCNC has an extensive on-line presence as well, and while he doesn't have a dedicated support forum, Brad from Ultibots supports his products well. I suspect you can get lots of useful information about the Griffin printer if you ask around here also.

Depends a bit on what you want to upgrade in the future. ReprapPro has a basic Prusa mendel style printer that is built to accept up to three extruders, so it is easy to add dual/tri extrusion to it in the future. Most of these printers have active communities that produce upgrades and updates along the way. Once you get into 3D design and start using your printer you'll find it's pretty easy to design many of your own upgrades.

Quote
grat
I suspect you can get lots of useful information about the Griffin printer if you ask around here also.

Absolutely.
Griffin has a support forum (and good documentation), I also answer questions here, and the Google Forums.

It's quietly building a following, but don't expect it to stay quiet for long, there are things going on that's not public yet, and more in the works.

I have built an OrdBot Hadron and the frame design, which uses Makerslide, really lends itself to modding. The frame is really rigid.
I have also seen variations that use v-rail or v-slot.

The electronics and bed are standard Reprap and the extruder can be anything you want. I have done a number of mods to mine. I have fitted a Wade extruder on the top with a Bowden tube to the x carriage. Dabbled (unsuccessfully) with twin extruders. I have also fitted acme threaded rods for the z axis, an anti wobble mount, all wiring in springs, solid state relay for the bed. Mine is still work in progress.

This question crossed my mind when I was starting off with 3d printing, and I went with Prusa i3. It's the easiest to understand with XYZ axis and probably the most reprapped machine. Heh, personal opinion of course. Feel free to poke around the forum and look for something you like.

Apparently, Arduino is coming out with a 3D printer ("Materia 101") and it's supposed to be amenable to modding:

[www.engadget.com]

Any opinions on it?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/2014 11:49PM by sanman.

I would get a kit for a RepRap. That gives you the whole "experience" and lots of knowledge, without taking a ton of time and effort to get working. Building these things is actually surprisingly simple.