Looking for advice/tips on first reprap kit.

I'm looking to get a RepRap for personal use/diy projects/general fun. I am relatively new to 3D printing (I have some experience using a makerbot replicator but have never owned a 3D printer) so I've been reading through the reprap wiki, some of these forums, and some of the google groups to try and learn as much as I can before picking one up. I have arduino experience.

From what I've read so far I'm thinking for a first printer I should get a full kit of a Prusa i3. I read that kits can vary widely in terms of build quality and print quality, but I can't seem to find much in the way of reviews/recommendations/comparisons. The kits I've been able to find so far (for sale in the US, cheapest to most expensive) are:

replikeo (I don't think this is US): [www.replikeo.com]
diytechshop: [shop.diytechshop.com]
3dprinterczar: [3dprinterczar.com]
makerfarm: [www.makerfarm.com]
nwreprap: [nwreprap.com]

The prices range from 350 - 750. I was wondering if anyone had any experience, reviews, or general advice/tips about what to look at with these (or any other) printers.


Thanks!

replikeo (I don't think this is US): [www.replikeo.com] ne
diytechshop: [shop.diytechshop.com] no
makerfarm: [www.makerfarm.com] maybe
nwreprap: [nwreprap.com] no
3dprinterczar: [3dprinterczar.com] should work and you can get a melzi

I have been very pleased with my FolgerTech Prusa i3 (my first printer!) that I purchased on eBay for less than $350... It is around $320 now! [LISTING]

I'm happy to provide you some cautions/pointers on this unit's build, as well as provide ready-to-go Marlin firmware for this unit if you need

Check out the photos linked in my signature.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/2015 12:52PM by MindRealm.

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-David

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Check out my FolgerTech Prusa i3 (plexi) at MindRealm.net

Replikeo is in Hong Kong. The shipping might add significantly to the cost.
the last one looks very overpriced.
I am in Austria but have read the forum regularly for the last 18 months and have seen negative comments on some kits. I have not seen a single negative review on the Makerfarm kits.
If I were based over there I think I would go for [www.makerfarm.com]

Ralph: The shipping is the downside of Replikeo, but the price is low enought hat it might still be worth it. I did look at Makerfarm kits and they are on my short list, but they are wood framed, and I've read that they can have accurracy issues due to warping. This is why I was looking at the Replikeo steel frame and trying to figure out why the NWRepRap one was so expensive.

MindRealm: Interesting, I hadn't looked on ebay. Do you know how plexiglass frames compare to metal and wood? Are they rigid or do they warp any?

Thanks for the responses.

I haven't had any problems with the plexi frame, but I would be concerned about using a dual extruder setup with it, due to the extra weight that depends on the vertical structure.

I chose mine due to the lack of a logo (open source shouldn't be branded in my opinion!), and that the clear frame is unobtrusive in my office.



Given the same thickness, aluminum would be the best choice for stability. I would avoid 6mm wood unless your budget is a huge concern. This is only around 1/4" thick plywood, which leads to me being concerned of warping over the long term. (just a concern - I am not aware of anyone having problems) I also don't like the look of the laser-burned edges of wooden frames, but again just my opinion.

So:

Wood = less expensive, laser cut, easy to assemble (and can reinforce with wood glue!)
Plexi = mid-priced, laser cut, easy to assemble, doesn't like a machine in my office
Alum = more expensive, stable

Hope this helps...

---

-David

Find me online at:
Thingiverse
Instructables.com
LinkedIn
Facebook

Check out my FolgerTech Prusa i3 (plexi) at MindRealm.net

Warping of the proper wood or engineered composite wood isn't an issue. The structure of the rod frame holds the wood in place. A three piece sgraber type frame is more stable than either an aluminum or steel frame single plate frames in my experience. There is less vibration particularly as the Z increases in a frame that uses rear supports. On the single plate designs the weak point is only two contacts to attach the plate to the rod frame. Having the rear supports help but adding rear supports to AL increases the cost quite a bit and for this design doesn't perform better than a wooden frame of the same design. I've also prototyped delrin and a few others plastics as well as Dibond (ACP).

There is no technical or structural reason to avoid a wood frame of a proper design and material. A quality 6mm material will work well. There is the issue of burnt edges and raw wood amplifies that but it's less noticable on melamines. An issue with polycarbonate is that it can crack under stress particulalry in places where there are detail or fine cuts. One example would be where the rear supports attach to the main frame. As the heat of the laser burns the material during the process it changes the material enough so that smaller cuts can be fragile. This can be overcome by designing the parts without those small cuts or by taking care not to damage the part during assembly. With an i3 the limiation will be the design of the machine not so much which of those materials one chooses, as long as they are quality materials. For anything more sturdy (and more capable of higher speeds) an extrusion based frame is a good, cost effective option.

Quote
bj0
This is why I was looking at the Replikeo steel frame and trying to figure out why the NWRepRap one was so expensive.
.

One reason is steel is considerably less expensive than AL. At US wholesale for US material the difference in price is about 35-50% with steel being less expensive. With import material the cost is even less. Over here if you can get small batch waterjet for around a buck a minute that's a great price. It's usually two to three times that. It takes 23 minutes on a Flow Mach 2 to cut a part set. Steel is not only less expensive to buy, but is able to use less expensive means to cut. You can plasma cut them and reduce the cutting cost by 80% or so. So my steel part is not only 50% cheaper for the material but 80% less to process the part.

If you are in Hong Kong and have most of your work done across the river in Shenzhen you are going be able to operate at a considerably reduced cost. The labor cost is about 80% less on average for that kind of work. A part that costs me $40 over here probably costs $10 over there once all is said and done. Unless you are over there or go over there it's tough to find people to do that sort of small batch work.