MendelMax self (half-) sourcing in Melbourne...?

Hi All -

Firstly, thanks to everyone I chatted to at the last Melbourne 3D printer meeting out at CCHS... it was inspiring to see your work, watch some 3d printers in action, and experience the joys of inhaling straight ABS fumes for an hour or so. Magic.

I've decided to give the Mendel Max a go. I'm fairly sure it will be a costly mistake, but that is the only way I learn, so... here goes.

One thing I am even more confused about than before the meeting is where on earth to get the bits. I want to try avoiding the $1200ish price tag of the complete kits, but I'm not averse to buying kits for some of the more complicated parts - like the hot end, electronics, etc.

I know this is a common question, and lots of info is out there on the net, but this info tends to go out of date quickly and isn't generally Oz-specific.

If anyone local can point me in a few good general directions, I'd be uber grateful.

Hope to see some of you again soonish, next time with a printer in the making...

Cheers,
Jon.

And while I'm here:

- Printed MendelMax Parts:
Would anyone in Melbourne (CCHS crew?) be willing to print me a set of MM parts? I was considering purchasing them from a pro supplier, but would rather pay someone local to do it. If you can run off a set of decent quality bits for me, I'll pay you a comparable amount.

- Ordering T-Slot extrusions from Misumi
Is there a work-around for their unwillingness to ship to individuals? Or a local supplier? Or does anyone in Oz have experience using an alternative material, such as the 20x20 extrusion from linearbearings.com.au ?

Any member of CCHS can use the printers in the space to make parts, so if you can't, then it's just a matter of seeing if you can get someone to do it for you. Contention for the printer can be a bit high though, especially with a number of people already printing MendelMax parts.

One of the CCHS members is trying to see about getting a bulk order of extrusion. I'll ping them and see if I can get an update.

Jon Wrote:
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> - Ordering T-Slot extrusions from Misumi
> Is there a work-around for their unwillingness to
> ship to individuals? Or a local supplier? Or does
> anyone in Oz have experience using an alternative
> material, such as the 20x20 extrusion from
> linearbearings.com.au ?

If you can't get in on a bulk order as Cefiar mentioned, you can still get Misumi to ship to you. Make up a business name and use that, they won't care. I have an LLC that I don't actually use for anything except for ordering stuff as a business. They aren't going to check if you have a valid business though, and you can just be a sole proprietorship

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Schweet. Thanks for the tips.

@Cefiar - I'd definitely be interested in going in on the bulk order. I'm happy to get in touch and sort it out if you're willing to PM me some contact details?