Ultimaker Clone Questions

Hey All!

I started to work on making my own Ultimaker clone based on the following two designs: [www.thingiverse.com] and [www.thingiverse.com].

I feel like it doesnt need to be a 100% clone, as in Jasonatepaint's design, but I definitely want it to be of high quality. I have already built a frame for the printer using MISUMI 20x20 extrusions (picture attached), and it's pretty rock solid. I am pretty new to the RepRap community, so I just want to make sure I am getting quality parts. Having said that I do have questions:

1) What vendors do you recommend for parts in general? (Electronics, timing belts, pulleys, ect.) I feel like the RAMPS 1.4 version is the way to go, although I can be convinced otherwise.
- Do you recommend any US vendors?

2) What extruder do you recommend? If I use RAMPS 1.4, I will need an extruder compatible with it. I have done some searching, and there are a lot of different extruders out there. Same question as above, what vendor do you recommend? I definitely want a quality part here.

I am sure I will have more questions as I continue to work on it, so I will let you know!



Thanks!

I have had a BullDog XL extruder with E3D v6 hot end on my printer for almost exactly a year and just had my very first extruder clog a couple days ago, due to a foreign object blocking the nozzle. I print almost daily and can recommend that combo for extreme reliability. It has never carved a divot into the filament.

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Ultra MegaMax Dominator 3D printer: [drmrehorst.blogspot.com]

Great! Thanks for the recommendation! Where did you buy it?

Also, the Ultimaker, as well as the clones I am basing my design from, uses a bowden style extruder/feeder, any recommendations for that style?

reprapdiscount.com sells the extruder. Hot end came from Filabot.com

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Ultra MegaMax Dominator 3D printer: [drmrehorst.blogspot.com]