Help needed to build a RepRap printer. Which one to build? Where to buy?

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am a newbie to 3d printers. I was searching around to buy one for myself to learn the basics of this awesome technlogy and came across RepRap Project. I need help finding a printer, both where to buy, and which one to buy, since I am a beginner.

Your help is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Well I myself am looking at the Prusa i3v by makerfarm. It offers greatly increased stability over the Prusa i3 and though it is about twice as much, at least the 12" i3v is. But of course that is a huge build platform, I have done a bit of research, and Im pretty sure it is one of the best deals for the value, print quality, print size, and all around versatility that is currently available, However if I'm wrong, I would love to know some that are comparable, or even better. I would look into it if I were you. Good luck, and let me know if you find a good one that suits your needs and isnt the Prusa i3v!

Thank you, Eric.
Where should I buy one of them? I also am looking at the Prusa i3 module so far, but what is the difference between Mendel prusa i3 and prusa i3? How hard is it to build a printer? As a beginner, do you think I will be able to build it myself with no experience in 3d Printing?

You can buy a kit, Makerfarm's Prusa I3V can be recommanded. It's based in USA, and you can order on their website, google it. Please don't buy a cheap kit or you will learn under maximal pain. To find a good kit depends of your location. Which area are you from ?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/04/2015 07:06AM by Zavashier.

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

I live in Europe, Azerbaijan (more precisely, Eurasia) , but I am assuming US Market would have the best quality printers. Shipping from a close-by country (e.g China) is not an option for me, I prefer it to be shipped from US. How hard is it to build an unassembled kit? Are all Prusa labeled printers upgradable? If I purchase a kit, can I build it right from the simple tools like screwdrivers and pliers?

You can get excellent quality printer kits from Europe too, which is where much of the diy 3D printer development work takes place. I have built an Ormerod kit from RepRapPro and a Mini Kossel kit from Think3DPrint3D (both based in the UK), and I can recommend both. The Mini Kossel is the more straightforward of the two to build, but it has a smaller build plate.

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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].

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sasaidli
I live in Europe, Azerbaijan (more precisely, Eurasia) , but I am assuming US Market would have the best quality printers. Shipping from a close-by country (e.g China) is not an option for me, I prefer it to be shipped from US. How hard is it to build an unassembled kit? Are all Prusa labeled printers upgradable? If I purchase a kit, can I build it right from the simple tools like screwdrivers and pliers?

Well, I bought a kit from USA and I get the worst chinese quality ever... As you can see, you can buy rubbish or good kits from anywhere ! For example, the last chinese Geeetech Prusa I3 is much better than mine, for a lower price ! Last but not least, expedition and custom fees cost me 1/4 of the overall price of that american kit. It matters. It it cost you more or close to a mounted Ultimaker or Replicator clone, that's out of interest.

What I would idealy want in a Prusa i3 kit :
- amuminium frame and bed
- threaded ACME Z motors shaft with brass or derlin nuts
- wade style extruder
- branded or alike good hotend
- non exotic control board

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

Do you have info on gee tech, I'm definitely interested in there printers...

I'd say makerfarm, if you're in the U.S. (Faster shipping times). I've just spent a few months looking for a second printer in kit form, they seem to strike the best balance between price, quality and customer support.

Thank you gentlemen! I have made up my mind to go with MakerFarm. Which specifications do you reccomend? I am thinking a 12" model with 1.75 mm hotend. What is the difference between 1.75 mm and 3 mm hotend?

Depends on how the printer is set up. I've only used one setup, but from what I read (Could somebody confirm this):

3mm is good for bowden extruders (I doubt you would want one on a makerfarm i3v), bad for direct drive (hobbed bolt likes to strip it) and good for geared extruders.

1.75 is good for direct drive and geared, but bad for bowden.

Depending on where you order from, 1.75 can be more expensive than 3mm

Avoid the Magma hotend in the order options, lots of people can't get them to work very well at all.

The J-head is good for PLA, but tends to melt at the temperatures needed for ABS and other materials.

I ordered the .4 hexagon, it seems to have good reviews and there's nothing to melt at higher temperatures. But with an all-metal hotend you need to have a fan blowing over part of it so it doesn't jam.

I would have to recommend 1.75mm.

If I'm wrong on any of this, please feel free to tear me a new one and explain why.

I fially ordered my first printer. It is a Prusa i3v module by MakerFarm with 0.4 mm hexagon nozzle for 1.75 mm filament. Build volume is 8" x 8" x 8". Not too big, but I thought I would not need a larger build volume yet. What do you guys think, how good of a choice is it?

I originally was looking at the makerfarm printers, however I decided against them due to the wood frame.
I would prefer an aluminum frame. I have been leaning towards the Wilson TS from this mjrice on ebay.
[www.ebay.com]

The plywood frame is much better than thin acrylic ones. The I3v uses aluminium profiles as guides. That makes the frame even stiffer. I saw some kits with 3mm aluminium frames. I would prefer a prlywood frame instead. I would reconsider on a 5mm or better aluminium frame.

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

We also have some high quality kits with alu frame: [www.charlies3dtechnologies.com]

We are not the cheapest but we are proud on our kits and quality!

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www.facebook.com/Charlies3DTechnologies
www.charlies3dtechnologies.com/webshop
webshop@charlies3dt.com

I like your frame very much, and you provide a wade extruder and a Jhead, three important points. IMHO you can even do better with printed parts. Especialy for the Xcarriage, the end stops holders, the Y motor mount and Y belt attachement. Both are out of date. Many models do better now. I like better belt tensioning system too. Regards

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/05/2015 04:20PM by Zavashier.

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