bigseb said:
Does anyone here have any experience with this 3D printer (the basic one)? How does it perform? How is the quality of the printed article?
I think the key word here is "experience" when it comes to selecting a 3D printer. Before I would lay any money on the table I would want to see a live demo, preferable printing my own design. Be prepared to wait a day or a week or whatever it takes for the thing to finish so you can examine the results. It would probably be okay to submit a design, and even pay to have it "printed" on a likely candidate, rather than to be there in person. This kind of "field test" is more likely to be available through a solid printing service rather than from a vendor. You will probably have to outsource a few trials to find a printer that works for you.
Personally, I have seen only one 3D printer in operation, the morning I attended a SolidEdge demo. It was still doing its thing several hours later, but there were examples of previous "prints" available for inspection. Bear in mind that this was about eight years ago, before I purchased a license for Alibre Design, and before I discovered that SolidWorks and SolidEdge are not affordable for casual hobby use. I was not impressed with the speed or the quality of solid printing then, but I am sure there have been some improvements. Still, if this is to be a part of services you offer to the public, be certain that the quality of the final product always places you in a good light.
My employer is just now considering the purchase of a 3D printer, but I am not involved in the selection process. It seems there is a lot of interest in the concept of rapid design and prototype construction among our government clients, and their pockets are relatively deep compared to ours. Unfortunately, the emphasis also seems to be directed toward working prototypes rather than just models you can hold in hour hand. For example, a turbine blade manufactured with a laser metal sintering process rather than a plastic surrogate is where they want to be. This is quite expensive. The people really driving progress in this direction are manufacturers of medical devices, especially custom-fitted prosthesis. I would investigate vendors in this market first and then work my way down to something affordable, rather than starting at the bottom with hobby printers.
RepRap and its progeny are important in that they bring real engineering design and prototype production to the mass market. More engineers makes for a better society IMO. Before RepRap, if you wanted to make a prototype of your design you needed a small machine shop... drill press, metal lathe, milling machine, workbench and bench vice, lots of hand tools… you get the idea. With a RepRap plastic squirter sitting next to your keyboard and monitor, it’s plug, chug, and go! Start it up and take off for your day job. Come back home to find a finished prototype part. What’s not to like about that? I wish I had the time to build one for personal use. :mrgreen:
Hop