3 ms·

I own a 3D printer. It's an Ultimaker (they are coming to the US [1]) and I'm using it for prototyping. Some things that you almost never read about consumer 3

by huuu 12y ago

I own a 3D printer. It's an Ultimaker (they are coming to the US [1]) and I'm using it for prototyping. Some things that you almost never read about consumer 3D printers: * 3D printing is hard. * You cannot print 'everything'. Overhang is always an issue. * Most prints take hours (as in 'a full day') to print. * You cannot print fast and have a good quality print. * There are a ton of factors that influence the print quality. * Every type / color of filament needs it's own settings based on trial and error. * Great 3D print examples are mostly print on +$50.000 printers. I think the Ultimaker and Makerbot are the only brands that deliver good reliable consumer printers. But I'm also keeping an eye on Formlabs. [1] https://www.ultimaker.com/blogs/news/2014/09/16/ultimaker-launches-in-north-america https://www.ultimaker.com/blogs/news/2014/09/16/ultimaker-la...

jonhohle 12y ago
I usually come into these threads to say the same thing. From 2000-2003 I did IT support for a lab with SLA, FDM, SLS, LOM, and Z-Corp machines (and wrote some supporting software for many of them). In addition to your list: * parts often need some type of post processing to be viable long term (it depends on the process, support removal, sanding/bead blasting, resin injection, curing, etc.) this can take many additional hours. * different machines have different tolerances That said, I'm surprised overhang is an issue. This is a solved problem. Machines like FDM use a non-binding support material; support is intrinsic to SLS, Z-Corp, and LOM processes; SLA is the worst since the support material is the same as the building material. To the best of my memory, in these big commercial machines support creation was done as part of the slicing process (or some other solid model preparation) in software before the part was sent to the machine. That said, this is the first home 3D printer that I've been excited about, and the price point is killer. Also, if they haven't licensed tech from 3D Systems, how long before they are sued.
- huuu 12y ago
  Well I think overhang is still an issue for single extruder FDM printers (like the Dremel one). The slicer can generate supports but in my experience this will cause some of these issues: * Print times will double or triple. * Sometimes its really hard to remove the support material. * You will need a lot more material. * Support structures can break while printing because they are thin. * The slicer doesn't create the right support. So most of the time I end up designing support structures myself.

by huuu 12y ago

jonhohle 12y ago

I usually come into these threads to say the same thing. From 2000-2003 I did IT support for a lab with SLA, FDM, SLS, LOM, and Z-Corp machines (and wrote some supporting software for many of them). In addition to your list: * parts often need some type of post processing to be viable long term (it depends on the process, support removal, sanding/bead blasting, resin injection, curing, etc.) this can take many additional hours. * different machines have different tolerances That said, I'm surprised overhang is an issue. This is a solved problem. Machines like FDM use a non-binding support material; support is intrinsic to SLS, Z-Corp, and LOM processes; SLA is the worst since the support material is the same as the building material. To the best of my memory, in these big commercial machines support creation was done as part of the slicing process (or some other solid model preparation) in software before the part was sent to the machine. That said, this is the first home 3D printer that I've been excited about, and the price point is killer. Also, if they haven't licensed tech from 3D Systems, how long before they are sued.

huuu 12y ago
Well I think overhang is still an issue for single extruder FDM printers (like the Dremel one). The slicer can generate supports but in my experience this will cause some of these issues: * Print times will double or triple. * Sometimes its really hard to remove the support material. * You will need a lot more material. * Support structures can break while printing because they are thin. * The slicer doesn't create the right support. So most of the time I end up designing support structures myself.