Experiance with Rapman 3D printer
- Thread starter bigseb
- Start date
No experience with a "RapMan" http://www.rap-man.com.au/Rapman_Aus/Home.html , but you do realise that you can build one (e.g. a Prusa Mendel RepRap http://reprap.org/wiki/Prusa_Mendel ) from scratch for about 1/3 of the price?
RCH_Projects
Alibre Super User
Please!
Keep us informed :!: :!: :!:
Keep us informed :!: :!: :!:
Regarding jhardy's comment, it is true you can purchase kits for less than the cost of the RapMan. However, keep in mind the RapMan is far more user friendly (in terms of service and software) than what you find by purchasing one of these kits online. In my opinion... it's worth the additional cost to know you can find replacement parts and you won't have to constantly battle with open source software. It's also a huge benefit to have access to support when questions come up during your first few prints.
Just my two cents :lol:
Just my two cents :lol:
All good points - but if you are buying a ready-made 3D printer, make sure you are dealing with a supplier who REALLY provides a complete product (whether fully-assembled, or as a kit), and who REALLY provides support. There are some horror stories with some vendors on the RepRap forums: http://forums.reprap.org/ (RapMan is based on an older generation of the RepRap design http://reprap.org/wiki/Rapman , so is inherently an out-of-date model, but is reportedly well-supported by the manufacturers, and you can also ask for advice from the RepRap community at large.)Pace said:
I would just caution anyone who is looking at sub-$2000 3D printers - this is very much a "hobby industry" at present, so be prepared to spend a lot of time hands-on with your printer, whether you buy it ready-made, or as a kit, or "cloud-source" one of your own. These things aren't yet "consumer products" like ink-jet or laser printers, although some are getting closer.
If you want a 3D printer that "just works" out of the box, or which is "mission critical" for your work, you might want to look at the models which cost a LOT more than the RepRap-derived printers. If this is for a hobby, and if you are reasonably good with your hands, think about building one yourself. At least if you build one yourself, you will really understand how it works, and how to tune it and improve it, and you can call on the RepRap community for advice and support. If your proprietary printer fails to meet your expectations (print quality, print speed, reliability, etc), you are pretty much in the hands of whoever sold it to you.
MarcusWolschon
Senior Member
I have a RepMan 3.1 later upgraded with 3.2 electronics and a number of custom replacement parts over the years.
Nowadays I'm more using my ToM due to lots of traveling.
What do you want to know?
Nowadays I'm more using my ToM due to lots of traveling.
What do you want to know?
Hop
Senior Member
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.bigseb said:
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