8 ms·

Monoprice now has $400 3D printers

46 points by ck2 11y ago

ck2 11y ago
can any experts explain the difference with their low end $350 model? http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=13860 http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=13860 I have no clue what I am looking at in difference other than the $350 one is open metal frame and the $400 looks like a wooden box. The $400 one was recently $500 so I assume it is a better value?
- OopsCriticality 11y ago
  A few key differences: the $350 model has a heated build platform, larger print envelope, but slower print speed. The heated build platform allows one to use a wider variety of materials---in my experience however, for these consumer printers it's better to stick to using PLA for anything but small objects, unless you're specifically designing for FDM. The steel frame should be an advantage (weight and stiffness to dampen vibrations) but the weights listed on the spec sheet show the $350 and $400 models to be pretty similar. In the end, I don't know that there's much of a difference based on the spec sheets. It'll probably take someone with direct experience with these models (or the printers they're based on) to decide between them.
  - surge 11y ago
    IME, you want a heated bed for PLA too. It's also not difficult to mod a 3D printer with a heated bed.
  - mdorazio 11y ago
    Without a heated bed, I'll take HIPS over PLA any day. Way fewer misprints with it over the course of several kg worth of filament.
  - Damogran6 11y ago
    The direct drive extruder would allow the use of flexible filament as well. While they're similar weights, the metal printer will be much more dimensionally stable than wood.
johnhattan 11y ago
Looks like Barnes & Noble is gonna be selling a "Da Vinci Jr 1.0 3D printer" for $250 in their stores on Black Friday. No idea how it compares to the Monoprice printer.
- ck2 11y ago
  3 out of 5 stars on amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V3J8JEG http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V3J8JEG Looks almost like a toy for kids.
  - georgemcbay 11y ago
    Yeah that looks like the Easy-Bake oven of 3D printers. Having said that, I've got a XYZPrinting Da Vinci printer (the full size 1.0 version) that I bought when Amazon was selling them for $400. For that price it was/is an amazingly good value (and I say that as someone who has a lot of experience with 3D printing, RepRaps, etc) if you build or buy a cartridge resetter so you don't get stuck buying their filament (they basically use the razor blade model). I've had it running for about a year now with absolutely zero issues, though I can't speak for their software since I run it using Simplify3D.
  - makomk 11y ago
    I believe the low-end DaVinci printers also have DRM on the filament reels so you can only use their filament.
    - kefka 11y ago
      That is correct. The cartridges are chipped. Not only that, but if the printer breaks down, they are completely closed source and effectively unfixable. If you want a good printer on the cheap, try here: www.aliexpress.com/item/Black-Factory-High-Quality-Precision-Reprap-Prusa-i3-DIY-3d-Printer-kit-with-2-Rolls-Filament/32357171936.html?ws_ab_test=searchweb201556_9_79_78_77_80,searchweb201644_5,searchweb201560_8 It's $220, free shipping. It's a Prusa i3, easily moddable, fixable, and complete open source software stack. I know 2 people who have them. And aside the initial tuning (which is always fiddly), the printers are rock solid.
Tepix 11y ago
I'm waiting for the Tiko 3D printer to arrive that I backed on Kickstarter for $179. The original delivery was to begin in November, however it's delayed (surprise!) - however, it sounds as if the delay isn't so bad so I hope to have it early next year. The Tiko is at a really sweet price spot. While I've had access to an Ultimaker printer (around 1000€ when it was purchased), at below $200, even just occasional printing makes it interesting to have a 3d printer at home.
- ck2 11y ago
  $3 Million raised from 16K backers, wow https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tiko3d/tiko-the-unibody-3d-printer/description https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tiko3d/tiko-the-unibody... looks kinda small though
  - Tepix 11y ago
    The print colume is 2.7 liters, I believe it's cylindrical (125mm diameter). Compared to the Ultimaker which has a pretty big printing volume of about 21x21x20.5cm (9 liters).
- sp332 11y ago
  I backed Peachy printer https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-peachy-printer-the-first-100-3d-printer-scanner#/story https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-peachy-printer-the-fi... Delivery was estimated July 2014, and I'm still getting emails from them about how they're getting ready to begin production.
  - Tepix 11y ago
    At least it sounds as if there's still hope. I quite liked their statement: “I am sorry that I predicted such early shipping dates in the campaign. I was completely naive about the shipping dates, and the amount of time required to really take the Peachy to v1.0. I should have done more research on how long hardware product development takes, having said that I don’t think research would have made me wise enough. I know now that getting a grip on how long R&D takes really requires one to experience it first hand. I do know one thing, I was dead wrong about our original shipping dates, and I posted those estimated dates without having the skillset to really estimate them. I’m also glad we didn’t stick to our estimated shipping dates. When you’re wrong about something its disastrous to not admit it and just stick with the original plan. If we had shipped what we had at the original shipping dates we would have disappointed everyone. The printer didn’t work that well and wasn't designed to be produced in high volume. Today, after a lot of R&D, we have something that we can’t wait to send you.” - Rylan Grayston
rottyguy 11y ago
What are the more practical uses of 3D printing at this point? Is it still in early adopter phase? Are (everyday) users saving any money by having their own 3D printer?
- exelius 11y ago
  I don't view 3D printers as a money saving device -- they're still too inaccurate, which means you can waste a lot of material (read: $$$) on misprints. For anything a normal consumer would buy, it would be cheaper to make 100 injection-molded parts than a single 3D printed one. They save money for engineering firms; but the money they save is the time spent waiting for a part to be delivered. They're invaluable for people who are already "makers" though. Let's say you built an Arduino/RPi weather sensor (lame use case, but insert any use case here) and you need a way to mount it on a pole on the outside of your house. You can either find something on Amazon you think might work and go the trial-and-error route, or you can design a simple bracket in a CAD app and 3D print it.
  - dublinben 11y ago
    Most practical uses for 3D printing parts are still inferior to CNC milling or wood carving. Rapid prototyping remains the most useful task for 3D printers.
    - shiftpgdn 11y ago
      A hammer is better at putting nails into wood than a screwdriver is. Hobby CNC mills like the Xcarve or the shapeoko only have a 3"~ Z axis. That's on top of the normal limits of carving out of a solid block of material vs printing from nothing. I don't disagree though. Much of what people demonstrate with a 3d printer would have come out better with a hobby CNC mill.
  - hippich 11y ago
    for the range of 100 parts 3D printing is still more viable for many cases than injection molding. mold alone will cost on average $5k in China. Also, not everything can be injection molded. There is certainly a place for 3D printed products (I know, since I am selling some)
bcks 11y ago
The MOD-t from New Matter sells for $400. I've not used it myself, but saw it at the Maker Faire in NYC: https://store.newmatter.com/#!/mod-t-3d-printer https://store.newmatter.com/#!/mod-t-3d-printer
michaelmior 11y ago
The Maker Select[0] is also available for $350. [0] https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=107&cp_id=10724&cs_id=1072403&p_id=13860&seq=1&format=2 https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=107&cp_id=10724&cs_id...
- LesZedCB 11y ago
  I just received this printer a week or so ago. It's an absolute steal for the money. Here's a part of a phone car holder I printed last night. It took five hours with a layer resolution of 0.15mm and a shell of 0.4mm with a 20% infill. http://imgur.com/a/4U9Xz http://imgur.com/a/4U9Xz I think overall it's a great printer! with a printable area of 200x200x190mm (8x8x7 inches) and a heated bed, it really can't be beat as an entry level printer. Edit: here are a few others that I didn't skimp as much on the print settings with. http://imgur.com/a/c7IGV http://imgur.com/a/c7IGV
  - michaelmior 11y ago
    Awesome! Thanks for sharing :)
  - cbgb 11y ago
    FYI: The second imgur link doesn't actually show any pictures. The first one looks great, though.
    - LesZedCB 11y ago
      hmm, works for me in an incognito window. Sorry, I wouldn't know how to fix that. :(
praveenster 11y ago
I think 3D printing is similar to copier/printer technology about 15 years ago. Back then, you could have your own deskjet printer at home by that was only for low quality stuff. If you wanted professional prints, you would go to a Kinkos etc. Now you can get great quality prints at home with a cheap lazerjet. Similarly, I think in the next 10 years 3D printing will evolve to a point where everyone will have one in their home.

46 points by ck2 11y ago

ck2 11y ago

can any experts explain the difference with their low end $350 model? http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=13860 http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=13860 I have no clue what I am looking at in difference other than the $350 one is open metal frame and the $400 looks like a wooden box. The $400 one was recently $500 so I assume it is a better value?

OopsCriticality 11y ago
A few key differences: the $350 model has a heated build platform, larger print envelope, but slower print speed. The heated build platform allows one to use a wider variety of materials---in my experience however, for these consumer printers it's better to stick to using PLA for anything but small objects, unless you're specifically designing for FDM. The steel frame should be an advantage (weight and stiffness to dampen vibrations) but the weights listed on the spec sheet show the $350 and $400 models to be pretty similar. In the end, I don't know that there's much of a difference based on the spec sheets. It'll probably take someone with direct experience with these models (or the printers they're based on) to decide between them.
- surge 11y ago
  IME, you want a heated bed for PLA too. It's also not difficult to mod a 3D printer with a heated bed.
- mdorazio 11y ago
  Without a heated bed, I'll take HIPS over PLA any day. Way fewer misprints with it over the course of several kg worth of filament.
- Damogran6 11y ago
  The direct drive extruder would allow the use of flexible filament as well. While they're similar weights, the metal printer will be much more dimensionally stable than wood.

johnhattan 11y ago

Looks like Barnes & Noble is gonna be selling a "Da Vinci Jr 1.0 3D printer" for $250 in their stores on Black Friday. No idea how it compares to the Monoprice printer.

ck2 11y ago
3 out of 5 stars on amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V3J8JEG http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V3J8JEG Looks almost like a toy for kids.
- georgemcbay 11y ago
  Yeah that looks like the Easy-Bake oven of 3D printers. Having said that, I've got a XYZPrinting Da Vinci printer (the full size 1.0 version) that I bought when Amazon was selling them for $400. For that price it was/is an amazingly good value (and I say that as someone who has a lot of experience with 3D printing, RepRaps, etc) if you build or buy a cartridge resetter so you don't get stuck buying their filament (they basically use the razor blade model). I've had it running for about a year now with absolutely zero issues, though I can't speak for their software since I run it using Simplify3D.
- makomk 11y ago
  I believe the low-end DaVinci printers also have DRM on the filament reels so you can only use their filament.
  - kefka 11y ago
    That is correct. The cartridges are chipped. Not only that, but if the printer breaks down, they are completely closed source and effectively unfixable. If you want a good printer on the cheap, try here: www.aliexpress.com/item/Black-Factory-High-Quality-Precision-Reprap-Prusa-i3-DIY-3d-Printer-kit-with-2-Rolls-Filament/32357171936.html?ws_ab_test=searchweb201556_9_79_78_77_80,searchweb201644_5,searchweb201560_8 It's $220, free shipping. It's a Prusa i3, easily moddable, fixable, and complete open source software stack. I know 2 people who have them. And aside the initial tuning (which is always fiddly), the printers are rock solid.

Tepix 11y ago

I'm waiting for the Tiko 3D printer to arrive that I backed on Kickstarter for $179. The original delivery was to begin in November, however it's delayed (surprise!) - however, it sounds as if the delay isn't so bad so I hope to have it early next year. The Tiko is at a really sweet price spot. While I've had access to an Ultimaker printer (around 1000€ when it was purchased), at below $200, even just occasional printing makes it interesting to have a 3d printer at home.

ck2 11y ago
$3 Million raised from 16K backers, wow https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tiko3d/tiko-the-unibody-3d-printer/description https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tiko3d/tiko-the-unibody... looks kinda small though
- Tepix 11y ago
  The print colume is 2.7 liters, I believe it's cylindrical (125mm diameter). Compared to the Ultimaker which has a pretty big printing volume of about 21x21x20.5cm (9 liters).
sp332 11y ago
I backed Peachy printer https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-peachy-printer-the-first-100-3d-printer-scanner#/story https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-peachy-printer-the-fi... Delivery was estimated July 2014, and I'm still getting emails from them about how they're getting ready to begin production.
- Tepix 11y ago
  At least it sounds as if there's still hope. I quite liked their statement: “I am sorry that I predicted such early shipping dates in the campaign. I was completely naive about the shipping dates, and the amount of time required to really take the Peachy to v1.0. I should have done more research on how long hardware product development takes, having said that I don’t think research would have made me wise enough. I know now that getting a grip on how long R&D takes really requires one to experience it first hand. I do know one thing, I was dead wrong about our original shipping dates, and I posted those estimated dates without having the skillset to really estimate them. I’m also glad we didn’t stick to our estimated shipping dates. When you’re wrong about something its disastrous to not admit it and just stick with the original plan. If we had shipped what we had at the original shipping dates we would have disappointed everyone. The printer didn’t work that well and wasn't designed to be produced in high volume. Today, after a lot of R&D, we have something that we can’t wait to send you.” - Rylan Grayston

rottyguy 11y ago

What are the more practical uses of 3D printing at this point? Is it still in early adopter phase? Are (everyday) users saving any money by having their own 3D printer?

exelius 11y ago
I don't view 3D printers as a money saving device -- they're still too inaccurate, which means you can waste a lot of material (read: $$$) on misprints. For anything a normal consumer would buy, it would be cheaper to make 100 injection-molded parts than a single 3D printed one. They save money for engineering firms; but the money they save is the time spent waiting for a part to be delivered. They're invaluable for people who are already "makers" though. Let's say you built an Arduino/RPi weather sensor (lame use case, but insert any use case here) and you need a way to mount it on a pole on the outside of your house. You can either find something on Amazon you think might work and go the trial-and-error route, or you can design a simple bracket in a CAD app and 3D print it.
- dublinben 11y ago
  Most practical uses for 3D printing parts are still inferior to CNC milling or wood carving. Rapid prototyping remains the most useful task for 3D printers.
  - shiftpgdn 11y ago
    A hammer is better at putting nails into wood than a screwdriver is. Hobby CNC mills like the Xcarve or the shapeoko only have a 3"~ Z axis. That's on top of the normal limits of carving out of a solid block of material vs printing from nothing. I don't disagree though. Much of what people demonstrate with a 3d printer would have come out better with a hobby CNC mill.
- hippich 11y ago
  for the range of 100 parts 3D printing is still more viable for many cases than injection molding. mold alone will cost on average $5k in China. Also, not everything can be injection molded. There is certainly a place for 3D printed products (I know, since I am selling some)

bcks 11y ago

The MOD-t from New Matter sells for $400. I've not used it myself, but saw it at the Maker Faire in NYC: https://store.newmatter.com/#!/mod-t-3d-printer https://store.newmatter.com/#!/mod-t-3d-printer

michaelmior 11y ago

The Maker Select[0] is also available for $350. [0] https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=107&cp_id=10724&cs_id=1072403&p_id=13860&seq=1&format=2 https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=107&cp_id=10724&cs_id...

LesZedCB 11y ago
I just received this printer a week or so ago. It's an absolute steal for the money. Here's a part of a phone car holder I printed last night. It took five hours with a layer resolution of 0.15mm and a shell of 0.4mm with a 20% infill. http://imgur.com/a/4U9Xz http://imgur.com/a/4U9Xz I think overall it's a great printer! with a printable area of 200x200x190mm (8x8x7 inches) and a heated bed, it really can't be beat as an entry level printer. Edit: here are a few others that I didn't skimp as much on the print settings with. http://imgur.com/a/c7IGV http://imgur.com/a/c7IGV
- michaelmior 11y ago
  Awesome! Thanks for sharing :)
- cbgb 11y ago
  FYI: The second imgur link doesn't actually show any pictures. The first one looks great, though.
  - LesZedCB 11y ago
    hmm, works for me in an incognito window. Sorry, I wouldn't know how to fix that. :(

praveenster 11y ago

I think 3D printing is similar to copier/printer technology about 15 years ago. Back then, you could have your own deskjet printer at home by that was only for low quality stuff. If you wanted professional prints, you would go to a Kinkos etc. Now you can get great quality prints at home with a cheap lazerjet. Similarly, I think in the next 10 years 3D printing will evolve to a point where everyone will have one in their home.