3d Artist looking to build 3d printer

I am looking to build a 3d printer to print my zbrush work. Zbrush can export in a format for 3d printers. I am a total noob at building a 3d printer, though I have built many computers and worked construction quite awhile and am familiar with most tools(saws, drills etc...). I really am overwhelmed that there are so many and I don't know which to build. I would like the height printable to be at least 12" high if possible and 6-8" x and y. Can anyone recommend a build? I was reading about the eventorbot. But I am not sure. Thanks

Hi,

I like you was new at this 3D printing (also not an expert on 3D drawings) and was a bit scared on over taking this project without any experience.

However I built this incredible machine in 3 days (for a noob I was told this was quite fast) and its working great! I only have problems with the Z-axis due to the coupler pieces were el-cheapo made. But so far all that I've printed has printed well.

I have the Mix G1, and bought it here, I'm in no way owner or related to this business, but I was well received and they gave me great support during the building process.

It was also quite cheap ($499.00 for a 3D Printer). I'm very happy with this machine, the print size is 17x15x17 cm (LxWxH) so it may be quite small for what you're looking to print in height, but I'm pretty sure that most repraps are as easy to build and use as this one.

So in the end whichever seems most appropriate to you would be fine, don't be too scared about taking this project, since its quite easy!
Just make sure your printer settings use the right filament settings otherwise you may find yourself trying to melt ABS using PLA's settings and you'll end up disappointed

I was also looking into the Prusa Mendel which seems quite large too, but don't quote me on that

Good luck!

Don't buy the mixG1. Trust me, it's crap.

You are going to be hard pressed to find a printer that can go as high at 12" on the Z axis. Most are doing well to get half that. Off the top of my head, I'm only aware of one that has that kind of build volume, the Rostock MAX, but I'm no expert on the different 3D printers out there.

One site that does a side by side comparison can be found in the link below. Be aware that not all printers are created equal and price does not necessarily equate to quality.

[www.3ders.org]

Honestly if you want to print something 12" high it would be better to print it in 2 halves and glue it together. A print that tall is going to take forever and could be ruined at any point by an extruder jam or other similar mechanical fault. Also once you get that tall, any "moving bed" printers - I.E most, will have problems since the top of the part is going to vibrate like hell unless you move very slow.

I think a large rostock could fit the bill, but I know nothing about them so can't advise if this is a good route for someone new to 3D printing!

I'd definitely look to print in sections and glue together afterwards. If the print goes well the join will be no more noticeable than the layers

I'll second that. But this time, I will add some details.
The construction of the extruder was absolutely abyssmal. After attempting to print a simple object, the extruder would jam, the bearing holders would loosen, and the extruder hot end would continuously loosen itself during operation. To make matters more interesting, the extruder head was printed out of PLA, which as most knows, has a glass transition temperature of 50 degrees celcius. Hot extruder plus PLA equals a partially melting extruder feed mechanism. I bought this thing way back in March of this year and have yet to be able to print more than a handful of things without something going wrong.

Check out Brian Evans blog: [hardwired.cc] He is an art professor based in Denver and does lots of work with 3d printers and other technology. Brian also wrote a fairly good book (although probably outdated now) on 3d printing.

Cheers,

KDog

First let me say this - I agree with everything that's been said above about big printer issues.

Here's a way to do a tall printer (that's not to say you *should* do a tall printer):

On a box frame Prusa i3 design, the Z axis is the cheap axis to expand. The weight of moving "stuff" does not go up much when you do a taller Z. You could double or triple the Z height and only have the 5mm Z thread rod as added moving weight. You would need longer thread rod and longer 8mm smooth rod to equal your new Z height. The box frame is just a wood box. it's pretty easy to see what needs to be done to make it taller. I'd probably make it thicker and out of heavier material as well. Things like motors and electronics should be fine. You would need to tweak the max height when you configured your firmware.

Again - just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Unless your goal is to print a lot of spiral vase designs, this will be a slow printer. Even with the spiral vase approach, waving the whole thing back and forth as the Y carriage moves around could be an issue. Of course if day(s) long prints are ok .....

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I'm sure the original poster who made one post and never came back got a whole lot out of that .....

The other problem with tall prints I've found is bed adhesion, if the item doesn't have a large solid base.

As the object gets taller and taller, the lever force on the bed increases, and objects can get shaken off the bed.

So if you want to print tall objects, I'd recommend you don't want to use a printer tha moves the bed in Y (or X)

A delta bot may be a better fit for what you are looking for.

Delta's certainly are interesting. There may be one in my future....

That said, an ~ 8' x ~8' x >=12' (say 200 x 200 x 300 mm) build area (the OP's requirement) is a bit of an odd one for most printers. It's a bit big (x and Y) for the current crop of Delta's. It's a bit tall for the current crop of Prusa's. You certainly could build something with an aluminum frame to do it. Since the person with the need never did a second post. It's a bit tough to know what they really wanted to do. The reality of print times on large prints may have been as much the issue as any other. The thread didn't even make it to temperature controlled enclosures ....

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The thread didn't even make it to temperature controlled enclosures ....

LOL

You do have to admit that there is a "pealing the onion" process that goes in in these threads. Until they get to 5 or 10 pages (and 30 posts from the OP) you really don't have all the information.