[Buildlog] is it possible to make a prusa i3 for less than 250$ ?

and moreover: is it worth it?

Hi all! I'm Tobo27 and this is my first post and topic in this forum! Let me explain you what is going on!

Some years ago, by surfing the web, I discovered the 3d printers world, I was amazed. But unfortunately at the time it was quite expensive to buy the components, and in order to build a Prusa mendel, I needed to find someone who already had a 3d printer and pay him to print the parts, furthermore there was just a small and expensive market also for the steppers, extruders ecc.

Today things are different, I could surf for 10 minutes and buy many different kits for a prusa, even spending less than 400$, this is awesome! But I'm a student, I have to save money.
By the years I purchased many things from china, mainly electronic stuff: Arduinos, LCDs, ICs ecc, saving a lot of money and with a decent quality. I decided to search in this site I usually buy things from (I don't know if I can link it, so I will not), in order to see if buying the components separately would reduce the total price.
This site has a feedback system, I didn't look for the lowest price only, but for the lowest price from the sellers with best feedbacks.

167$ is the final price for almost everything except frame and rods just 167$ for steppers, bearings, Ramps, Arduino, Plastic parts, heated bed ecc ecc. (if you want I can list all the stuff and prices) 83$ under my budget!
I may have saved too much for the extruder....way too much, and I'm worried because it was 7$ for a J-head like extruder
But if it doesn't work I will buy a better one without wasting too much money (I'm also trying to figure out how to build one).

In my mind, my prusa will have a wood frame like this:



Which is, in my opinion, the best value for money in my situation.

Now I'm looking for the rods, trying to understand if I can cut all, by myself, or if I need particular machines or precision.


That's pretty much all In 15-20 days I'll receive all the goods and I'll let you know if this was a good Idea or a total waste of money!


Tobo27.

With the Prusa i3 you don't need a lot of precision for the rods. You can cut them with a simple hacksaw. Good luck !

---

Collective intelligence emerges when a group of people work together effectively. Prusa i3 Folger (A lot of the parts are wrong, boring !)

Thank you for your help!

Of course you can do a "Space Station" experiment and go to an insanely low total price but....don't go to low.
Indeed, purchasing parts from the place where almost everything is done is advised.
If you are lucky and all arrives in one piece, then you're on to something.

But, if you go below a certain price, the quality moves from "decent" to "crap"
And in the end, when you sum it up, it'll cost you more.


To sum it up: why do you need a printer? Is it a hobby or do you need to print some parts? If it's a hobby...then the price is not the first topic. And if you (only) need to print some parts, I'm sure you'll find somebody who can print them for you for a small price.
In the end, everything is gonna be a mix of time and money.



good luck, whatever you're up to :-)

Quote

To sum it up: why do you need a printer? Is it a hobby or do you need to print some parts?

It's a mix My first hobby (and field of study) is electronics. It happens too many times that I need plastic parts for my projects, for example I needed supports and frame parts for a robot I was building. I always end up with something made of wood, or little pieces of steel recycled from who knows where. So My robot now looks like a steampunk wall-e

In addition, I'm thinking about using the mechanics of the 3d printer, replacing the extruder with a laser for drawing circuits on the photoresist instead of the current UV lamp and transparent mask.

I have time to build it, and i'm interested in doing it, no rush, like a "weekend project".

Thank you man


p.s. I forgot to write this in the first post: please let me know if you don't understand something I write, English is not my first language, i'll try to be clearer

Don't forget the heated bed, and decent extruders seem to start out at $50 or so minimum. Your smooth rods need to be close, but the threaded rod I would start out on the long side.

Perfectly possible I think, but be prepared for more work/troubleshooting than you would get if you spent a little more on key parts. You will save yourself a lot of grief if you don't skimp on the hotend, and a cheap heatbed can be a lottery (it may heat unevenly, and/or not be able to reach ABS temperatures). I would order one or 2 spares of items such as stepper drivers and bearings, if you are buying cheap ones from China.

Also I hope you have costed in the price of fixings (nuts, bolts, springs, etc), you may be surprised how much they will come to if you try to source all those yourself. There are people on eBay, and eMaker, who will sell you just the fixings, that may be the cheapest option (the downside of that is you don't get many spares to use for the inevitable tinkering afterwards).

I guess you're aiming for something like this (you don't have to use that colour of PLA though )

---

Tim

Printers:
Prusa i3 (plywood box frame)
RAMPS 1.4 and Arduino Mega

Mendel 90 (sturdy)
Smoothieware

My RepRap Blog

:-)
Don't worry Tobo27, my native language is also not english.

You say you have time.
That's good because it's gonna cost you a lot of time.
And it's gonna cost you money anyway.

And, since you have the time, spend the first part of the project THINKING !
Analyse some designs, read some articles (there are allready some good books on the 3D printer topic) and analyse the BOM translated into your possibilities.
(for example, some stuff are cheap in USA but crossing the ocean increases the price more than double)



Speaking about time, I've spend almost all my spare time in the last year or so on this topic, 3D printers.
And I don't regret it.
But...it was a lot of time.
A LOT!

Result?
Two projects out of four completed, the third is allmost complete and the fourth....the filament maker...mh...still pending.

Check below...atleast the images :-)

Project1: Frankie. Cartezian evolved from PrintrBOT
frankie03 by alexella, on Flickr




Project2: Delta printer.
http://forums.reprap.org/read.php?387,367880




Project3: CoreXY printer.




But, it'll take a lot of time and .. understanding from your partner



take your time and...enjoy the ride

PS: check this SMARTRAP.
It's a simple printer, created with ... scarcity in mind.
I think, cheaper then this is...to carve it in plastic with your pocket knife :-)


http://smartfriendz.com/

Wow guys! Thanks for your support and suggestions!

@plankton that's exactly what's in my mind it looks quite beautiful and stable, I hope I'll make something that good

Ebay will be my first choice if I'll need spare parts, Now I can wait a month for the goods coming from china, but during the realization, waiting so much time would be a problem.


@alexella
having made many projects over the years, I know I'll spend money and time swearing and fixing problems, but that's why I like it Everyone can build a 3d printer, but the satisfaction of making one is priceless

Man! the last printer seems so solid! I guess it will print better than a commercial one! Even though the frame seems a little bit expensive


Thanks again to everyone!

so, tobo27, what's your progress?
show some pictures...


Yes, my corexy looks and IS solid.
Still tuning my prints but overall, I'm satisfied.

However, currently, I'm mostly satisfied with the Delta Printer.
Except the reduced footprint (140mm square or 18cm circle), it's fast and quiet and reliable.

Sorry for the late answer, but basically I didn't work on the printer from february till July because of university.

This is what I've done in the last month:

[www.youtube.com]

40% infill, 0.35mm layer height, 0.4mm nozzle, it took 39 minutes to print the holder. I know it's very slow, but I like it I think I'll switch to a bowden extruder to speed up the print

"slow" has a ... special meaning in the 3d printer world.
But I have no problem with this.
I'm not into production, I'm into.. havin' fun.


Bowden will allow faster moves (less weight on printer head) but it will add other issues (oozing, stronger filament push requirements, more wires...).
As far as I'm concerned, I'll stick with bowden on Delta.
On others, direct drive is the best.

Well, I'd put the lower end price closer to $50 if you can handle a soldering gun. Linear rails can be had for 0$ from your local auto repair shop that replaces shock absorbers. Linear bearings can be made from paraffin soaked hardwood and it wouldn't suprise me if they were more accurate than the cheap ones. Hot ends cost about $10 from China. Surplus stepper motors can be found in old printers, new they are only about $10 each. The extruder frame can be made from wood and the gear can be cut with a dremel or even a hand file.