DIY 3D Printers

murfle

murfle

New member
So, I have been thinking about building a 3D printer over the next year or so... I know it would probably be cheaper just to buy myself a kit rather than bit by bit, but I don't have the lump sum of cash needed for such a project...

Does anyone have any experience with these machines? Mainly, if I spec out a design now, will the right parts still be available a year from now? How interchangeable are parts from one design to another?
 
Didn't even realise it was possible to build that kinda thing yourself, although if you're in that kind of industry I suppose it should be possible. Can't contribute any advice though. Good luck and keep us updated! I'll just wait patiently for the ready built devices to become cheaper. Looking forward to one day printing my own Collector's Edition statues :D
 
brendanvb said:
Didn't even realise it was possible to build that kinda thing yourself, although if you're in that kind of industry I suppose it should be possible. Can't contribute any advice though. Good luck and keep us updated! I'll just wait patiently for the ready built devices to become cheaper. Looking forward to one day printing my own Collector's Edition statues :D
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Ya, I'm only starting to do real research on it now, but from what I've heard, once you have a 3D printer, you can even print off the non-electrical components to make another one.
 
murfle said:
Ya, I'm only starting to do real research on it now, but from what I've heard, once you have a 3D printer, you can even print off the non-electrical components to make another one.
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I have considered it and actually found several kits I would rather buy than DIY.

Main reason being whenever I build something it ends up with hidden costs in both time and money as well as frustration.

Maybe look at getting something like this: (R6500 total if bought locally, likely ebay will have much cheaper kits but then you may have to import all your consumables yourself) http://www.3dprintingstore.co.za/3d-printers-upgrades/3d-printers/prusa-i3-3d-printer-kit/

There is also a 2 week course thing that runs twice a year.
You pay a couple of thousand then they supply the material and you build it from scratch with people around that know the principal inside out.
My problem with that would be the time involved though.
 
AstroTurf said:
I have considered it and actually found several kits I would rather buy than DIY.

Main reason being whenever I build something it ends up with hidden costs in both time and money as well as frustration.

Maybe look at getting something like this: (R6500 total if bought locally, likely ebay will have much cheaper kits but then you may have to import all your consumables yourself) http://www.3dprintingstore.co.za/3d-printers-upgrades/3d-printers/prusa-i3-3d-printer-kit/

There is also a 2 week course thing that runs twice a year.
You pay a couple of thousand then they supply the material and you build it from scratch with people around that know the principal inside out.
My problem with that would be the time involved though.
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Ya, I've been eyeing that one actually... Problem is with things like this, I always find something more necessary and practical (like tyres) to spend money on, so having all the cash at once is going to be the problem... I'm not in any rush though. I have plenty of time to do my research.

Thanks for the input.
 
Where in the country are you? The majority of the parts are forever parts, like stepper motors. I'd recommend designing it such that you've got lots of mounting space - that way, if you want to swap out your extruder for a drill, say, it's just a case of making an interface plate. There's obviously a plethora of info on the web of what to do and what not to do.. I'd say your reasonably safe with your plan, though cost and scope creep will be a real concern.
 
Avatar said:
Where in the country are you? The majority of the parts are forever parts, like stepper motors. I'd recommend designing it such that you've got lots of mounting space - that way, if you want to swap out your extruder for a drill, say, it's just a case of making an interface plate. There's obviously a plethora of info on the web of what to do and what not to do.. I'd say your reasonably safe with your plan, though cost and scope creep will be a real concern.
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Sweet, thanks for the input. I'll keep that in mind. I'm around Nelspruit area, since you asked.
 
murfle said:
Sweet, thanks for the input. I'll keep that in mind. I'm around Nelspruit area, since you asked.
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Ah, kk. Unfortunately I could point you to suppliers in the GP, Dbn, Cpt and PE regions, but the ones I'm lacking are Bfn and Nelspruit :/ At least most of them deliver, and some parts should have region based suppliers available, like for stepper motors.
 
Also look at http://diyelectronics.co.za/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=35_83&products_id=112

What's Included:

6mm Aluminium Laser Cut Prusa i3 Frame - much more rigid than perspex. (We pre-drill and tap all the holes in this frame for this kit to make your assembly much quicker and smoother with less chance of a small mistake ruining your build!)
Prusa i3 Printed Parts - ABS
Our own in house extruder , a remake of the Greg Wade with major improvements.
Assembled J-Head Hotend with 40W heater cartridge and 100k 1% thermistor
Modular power supply with ramps connector plugs installed - 240W
RAMPS 1.4 Printer Electronics Kit (RAMPS 1.4 board + Arduino Mega + 4x A4988 stepper motor drivers) -assembled and tested.
Prusa i3 Stepper Motor Kit (5x NEMA17 609 Stepper Motors)
GT2 Timing Belt Kit
Bearing Kit for Prusa i3 (11x LM8uu, 3x 608zz, 2x 624zz)
Stainless Steel Smooth Rod Kit
Threaded Rod Kit
All Screws/Nuts/Bolts needed for assembly
MK2B 120W Heated Print Bed
200x200mm Glass Print Bed Top (Pre-applied Kapton tape) + Springs (If you plan to print with ABS, we suggest adding a roll of Kapton tape to your order)
Instructions, Advice and Support from our experienced friendly team of electronic and mechanical engineers! :)

It's easier to upgrade a kit than to build from scratch and then upgrade.
 
Avatar said:
Ah, kk. Unfortunately I could point you to suppliers in the GP, Dbn, Cpt and PE regions, but the ones I'm lacking are Bfn and Nelspruit :/ At least most of them deliver, and some parts should have region based suppliers available, like for stepper motors.
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Could you PM me some details for GP? I sometimes have people coming through from there.

PsychoFish said:
Also look at http://diyelectronics.co.za/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=35_83&products_id=112

It's easier to upgrade a kit than to build from scratch and then upgrade.
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Ya, that i3 build is at the top of my list at the moment. I've read ABS warps more easy than PLA though, so I'm not sure I'd want their kit... Plus I've already got an arduino and screen. Basically what I'd be doing is buying the parts from the kit separately a bit at a time.

Or I'll just wait and never do this :)
 
Ya, I have about 20 tabs open on rs-online already. Plus they have the 3.5mm adapter I need for my headphones for R18, but I'm not gonna spend R99 shipping on that alone... :)

Thanks!
 
What are you going to use the 3D printer for when its done?

I do 3D Renders for a living and 3D printers are like my wet dream... I would love to have one to print things i model...
 
Tom said:
What are you going to use the 3D printer for when its done?

I do 3D Renders for a living and 3D printers are like my wet dream... I would love to have one to print things i model...
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What do you do "3d renders" of?

Just curious as we do quite a bit of 2.5d/profile/XYZ cnc machining.
 
[MENTION=22985]AstroTurf[/MENTION] o awesome! where abouts are you? JHB? One thing iv always wanted was a cnc machine "whistling:

Here is an example of something i did the other day

porte cochere.jpg
 
I use https://www.robotics.org.za/ for a lot of components for our machines, they're close and really helpful.
AC DC works as well for more general electronics.
http://netram.co.za/ is in CPT, used to be in Hillcrest, quite a good rep.

There was another bunch in Dbn or Ballito, I think they were called Open Hardware, but I can't seem to find them now. Then there're all the makerspaces, like House4Hack in Centurion and Makerlabs in Pinetown, they'd be able to help with advice, especially on upgrading a kit.
 
I read an article a while back that said in the future every home would have a 3D printer, and when ever you needed something you would just "buy" a plan for it and print it at home... Very interesting concept...
 
Tom said:
I read an article a while back that said in the future every home would have a 3D printer, and when ever you needed something you would just "buy" a plan for it and print it at home... Very interesting concept...
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Yea, only I think that it will be more a case of "rent" a plan, more likely the plan will remain in the cloud, your printer will receive an encrypted file and once done wipe it.

Kinda like renting videos online works.
 
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