Beginner Questions Regarding Which Printer to Build + Other things

So, I recently took big interest in reprap, rapid prototyping and 3D modeling, but I have ~zero~ engineering background, which puts me at a bit of a loss for building and designing a reprap from complete scratch. This goes without saying I want to learn, but I want more to get printing sooner, so I'm going for a kit. I found the RepRapPro Huxley on their site and I thought it was a decent machine for what I wanted to do, but I was told in IRC that the Huxley is "outdated". A trip to the wiki led to a dead end and I was unable to find information beyond 2012 on any printers regarding their releases. So, here I am.

Basic info for what I'm looking for:

• Budget: ~$600 USD
• Purpose: Printing tabletop game model placeholders, small part organizers (boxes for holding screws, jewelry, etc), and specialty containers
• Size: Small enough to fit in a sedan trunk
• DOES NOT need to be ABS ready

Questions:

1. What are some suggestions for printers that fit the above list?
2. Is the Huxley listed on RepRapPro's site really outdated?
3. Is there any models out there that achieve a similar profile that are within my budget?
4. Assuming I get a model working, would the Huxley, or any suggested model, be able to create parts for larger repraps if I want to upgrade in the future?

Thank you all so much in advance.

Edit: Just to clarify something, my budget is not completely set, with plenty of wiggle room up to 1k, but 600 is what I'm trying to shoot for.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/08/2015 04:22PM by Dwarfish.

I might get beaten up here for suggesting a non-Reprap, but the Printrbot Simple Metal is pre-assembled for $599. There is still a little bit of a learning curve (as there is with every 3D printer), but it's less, considering I consistently hear good things about Printrbot's customer service. The only real downside to the Simple Metal is that it has a 6"x6"x6" build volume, which is smaller than most printers, but still likely to be enough for what you want it to do.

Alternately, the Makerfarm Prusia 10" kit is also $590, though you need a bit more know-how to get it together, since it is a kit after all. The increased print volume may or may not be worth it to you.

Now I'm sure someone with more wisdom will be along after me to give better or more updated advice.

@Feign

I'm totally not afraid of getting down and dirty or buying parts, but I'm not very handy, if you know what I mean. My access to special tools is limited, and I'm not very skilled at using any tools outside of wrenches and screwdrivers, anyway. The only reason I perfer a kit is that it has less tool and prep requirements and, to me at first glance, has a shorter up-and-ready build time. I can also learn to use specialty tools, definitely, but again, it will increase build time.

In short, I'd perfer a reprap kit as opposed to local sourcing simply for conveinence. I definitely want to learn how to build and operate a reprap for the learning experience, but I don't want to spend time researching every part or tool to buy.

In the future, when I have more expertise, I'd love to source my own parts and build a reprap completely from scratch.

Thank you for your suggestions though. Even if you didn't suggest repraps, very bit helps.

You might like to consider the RepRapPro Ormerod (low cost, 32 bit electronics with web interface, easy 2-nozzle conversion) or the Mini Kossel (also low cost, takes up less room, but electronics somewhat dated if mainstream). I did a comparative review of building them at [miscsolutions.wordpress.com].

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Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

I will second the Makerfarm 10 inch i3v kit. It is well designed and easy to build. You will need to know how to soder some parts, This will require a soldering iron (link to a good one below), and the ability to use simple hand tools. I would recomend you get a J-head with the kit it is the best beginner print head, possibly the best printhead period. Go ahead and order a spool of filament with your printer so you can get started right way. Expect a build time of about 10-15 hours if you are a complete novice.

Soldering iron

Makerfarm i3v 10

I pieced mine together. You'll need to solder some. I ended up having an extra arduino with ramps 1.4 and another e3dv6 hotend (spares). The most pain in butt for me was measuring my distance travels to calibrate the printer as my markings were coming off because of the lm8uu bearings and changing my acceleration and jerk settings to fine tune it. Other than that it wasn't bad at all and don't cheap out on parts because you'll pay for it (poor fitting pieces).

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/13/2015 12:31PM by frostin.