Best printer to build for a 1st timer

Hi, I am new building 3D printers but have used as a design engineer for many years.

I am based in Napier and was wanting some advice which printer to build as a starter. I have many tabs open reading all about it, but cant info much info on what is the best way to start. I think I want to order a kit and build for the 1st one to save on time sourcing parts and progress from there, good idea? Where is the best place to buy a complete kit?

Any help would be great, cant wait to get into it!

Mendel Prusa is still the best first time printer.
There are plenty of kits on ebay and a kit is the better option for a first time build as they come with everything and the savings sourcing your own parts is minimal. Exception to that is I would get the rods and motors locally off Trademe.
There are also plenty of stores selling kits and some of them are good and reliable. I have bought from these guys MakerFarm many moons ago and had good service but there are planty of them around - maybe ask here first for references.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/24/2013 08:23PM by Wired1.

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Richmond, New Zealand
Thingiverse ~ YouTube

Vik at diamondage has a good kit for a Rroofl Kit Version 1.0


Web Link
[reprap.org]
[diamondage.co.nz]

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/25/2013 02:03AM by magic.

To start, I want to say that I have never owned a 3d printer, so all the info I have to give is from trying to read everything under the sun there is about 3d printers (for the past weeks), and watch videos. After looking at all the available resources, I pretty much "narrowed" it down to these printers (with prices): The Ultimaker (1200 euros for kit, v4 just released April 16th), the MakerGear M2 (1475 for kit, upgrade from prusa model), the Felix 2.0 (1295 for kit), the Type A Machines Series 1 (not available in kit form, 1400 for single, and 1700 for dual extruder), the Tinkerines Ditto 3d (900 for kit), and the Tjiko Snap! 3d (900 kit wood, 1000 kit plastic). All six of these printers have their own advantages and disadvantages, so I recommend that you look at all of them to see what is best for you. I did put together a kind of pros/cons for each printer for another forum post, so I'll copy it here, in case it helps:


Ditto 3d

pros:
price
best quality prints I have seen for a sub 1000 dollar wooden kit printer
min 100 microns z layer, but can do close to 50 microns with adjustments
North America based support
Currently PLA only, but they will offer a heat bed upgrade kit next month for ABS printing.

cons:
XY min resolution info not stated
Doesn't use the best quality components like the M2 and Ultimaker
Not much included when it comes to software, instruction, and help (they are making a software add on based on Ponterface)



The Series 1 and Tjiko has very similar pros and cons to the Ditto, although there aren't any future plans to add a heat bed upgrade to the Series 1 (Tjiko comes with a heated bed), as far as I know.



Felix 2.0

pros:
seems to be great quality
50 micron z layer min
heated bed for ABS and PLA
upgradable (you can upgrade the 1.0 to the 1.5, and soon you can upgrade the 1.5 to the 2.0, so it is somewhat easy to keep up to date)
display add on available

cons:
Nor many people own a Felix, and pretty much no one owns a Felix 2.0, so I can't get much info on quality, or ease of build (the 1.5 required soldering, although I have been told the 2.0 does not)
Not much info on support or what software to use (I own a Mac with with OS X 1.8 btw)



MakerGear M2

pros:
RAMBo board upgrade (better than RAMPs apparently... does Ultimaker use RAMBo?)
Uses precision linear rails operated by 2GT belts with alu pulleys
heated bed for PLA and ABS
SD card slot standard
Great quality prints... I have seen a 20 micron z layer print that was very high quality
metal body
US based support
The Creator software they offer for $125 seems like a great one stop software solution

cons:
No MakerGear made optional display
Some prints look better than others... most prints I see look good, but the Make Magazine stress test wasn't as good as I would like it to be, but they may have been due to software, and not hardware issues



Ultimaker

pros:
best quality components for maximum accuracy
bowden extruder design for minimum weight and maximum accuracy
NetFabb and Cura software
best support from fellow Ultimaker owners (this google group specifically)
Great quality prints... Many people feel it is the "Ultimate" when it comes to home/office 3d printing.
v4 just released April 16 (Could someone fill me in on the upgrades that the v4 kit has)
optional display

cons:
high price (although understandable... higher price components maker for a higher prices 3d printer)
no head bed for ABS printing, and no upgrade offered by Ultimaker (am I missing out by not being able to print ABS, or do most people find the fact that the Ultimaker can't really print ABS not an issue?)
Europe based support
The Make Magazine Stress Print had a lot of stringing issues, although I heard this issue was fixed (was it?), although the other parts look great.


However... after posting all that info, I got an email from someone telling me to check out the QU-BD Revolution printer, which seems, after more research, to be one of the better, if not the best, choice for the price. QU-BD started by taking a makerbot mk7/mk8 extruder, and redesigning it to be much lighter, simpler, and less expensive. The best improvement, some may say, is it's light weight. This means that you don't need a bowden extruder setup for maximum speed and accuracy, so it's just as accurate, but more reliable. The Revolution is also pre-assembled, and only costs 800 or 1000 (for the XL version). They have a new set up called the RPM, which uses much more heavy-duty parts (I think it weighs 50 lbs), and it has a CNC add on, so you can do 3d printing and CNCing with the same machine (parts have to be swapped out when changing between the two). So I think I am probably going to get a Revolution or an RPM, although the Deltamaker uses the QU-BD extruder set-up, and is another great and accurate printer, but at 1800 (sale price... soon will go up to 2000), it is a bit expensive, and does not ship until Fall 2013 (September or later).

I hope this helps!
Jimmyz

Where are the URLs for the printers?

Or are 1,000 people supposed to use google to find info on the printer instead of you providing them since you already have the URLs.

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Bob Morrison
Wörth am Rhein, Germany
"Luke, use the source!"
BLOG - PHOTOS - Thingiverse

Yes that is good but all of those 3d printers are made in the USA, So shipping a kit from the USA is going to get you in the back pocket $$

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/26/2013 04:42AM by magic.

@magic: Ultimaker is based in Holland not the United States. The fact that they use the EURO (€) should have been a HINT.

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Bob Morrison
Wörth am Rhein, Germany
"Luke, use the source!"
BLOG - PHOTOS - Thingiverse

But what is it going to cost you, to ship one to nz

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/26/2013 05:36AM by magic.

Don't forget the 15% GST that customs is going to sting you with.

Well I am a newbie on the 3d printer front so all I can provide is a New Zealand perspective which will be a little slated to the rest of the world. I have built a small number of printers so far. Mendlemax, both the later 1.5 and the later still model ? which includes the linear rail replacement for the Y axis. I have also made Simons OB1, Prusa iteration 2 and just working on an iteration Prusa 3. I can say that for someone in New zealand with slightly reduced access to material there are a number of choices. For abssolute simplicity of constuction the Prusa I3 is hard to beat. It is very easy to put together and there are a number of of local firms who can cope with the laser, water jet cutting of materail. The Prusa i2 is simple but there is alot more physical input needed. The mendelmax's probaably provide the best print qualityv(though this is a bit of a contentious issue), it's more a question of speed. Mendelmax better at high speed but equalled by Prusa I3 or I2 at a lower speed. The Mendelmax's in New Zealand are a little tricky as the requirement for import of 20x20 extrusion maybe an issue. The OB1 (or OB1.4) are great as they use extrusion readily available in New Zealand. they work well and could be a solution.

hardly a noob if you're onto your 5th printer build

Thanks for the great advice, has helped a lot!

After much more research I have decided to build a Prusa i3. Any advice on build, sourcing parts, version to build, and any other tricks and tips.

Thanks Mike

I've only been doing this 3d printer thing for about 6 months so I am totally a noob with a lot to learn. I am just stating to branch out a little now, I find it very satisfying when I can't find something I want or a part doesn't fit and after half an hour with Heekscad (thanks to Wired1) I can print something of my own design. (Though truthfully I find it takes about three goes before I get it right). My next project will be a printer design from scratch, if I succeed (and it's a big if) I expect it to take a while. Even if it doesn't I hope to have learn't a bit more.