RepRap G3D

Hey Guys,

I'm a newbie in the world of 3D printing. I did tried to read a lot of material on this forum and other websites. I work at a school which is going to invest in some 3d printers but I also want one at home.

For a while I'm looking for the right DIY kit. I have a hard time picking the right model. I really like the apeal of a Rostock (or Deltaprintr. I don't know why!!! They are just a little to expensive for me.
I can't really get my fingers around the difference between a Mendel or a Prusa i3. Which is better?

I have around 500 euro to spend (before my wife gets mad). So I found this one [gadgets3d.eu].
It's just a Reprap Prusa i3 but with almost everything on it. Only thing missing is a powersuply (which I have here) and a heated bed to also print ABS (which is not difficult to buy).
Why I think this could be the deal for me. Low cost, good looks, no tax or import costs and a good manual for a noob .

Some tech specs

Print Area Dimensions 200 mm x 200 mm x 200 mm
Print Volume 8000 cm3
Printer Dimensions 450mm x 460mm x 420mm
Supported Filament PLA, Nylon, PVA and Laywoo-D3
Usable Maximum Print Speed 1800 mm/min
Usable Maximum Movement Speed 12000 mm/min
Layer Height 100 - 400 micron
X & Y Axis Resolution 0.0125 mm (12.5 Micron)
Frame Highly-precise laser cutted black acrylic parts
Power Requirements Switchable AC-DC adapter 110-230VAC to 0-25 VDC
Hotend G3D HotEnd v1.2 pre-assembled with 1.75-3mm filament support
Electronics Complete soldered RAMPS 1.4 with 4x A4988 G3D Drivers with dual extruder support


What do you think? Should I keep on searching or is this a good price for a noob??
Thanks in regards.

Look good. The only thing I don't like is the hot-end. I can't tell without reading the manual but I would want to make sure
that this printer could accept a J-Head or other common hot end.

Read the assembly instructions make sure you are comfortable following them.

I'm not sure I trust the bit that says the max printing speed is 1200mm/s
Really you need a heated bed for PLA too.

To be honest there are hundreds of new printers popping up, they're all the same tech really, they all boil down to a hotend and a way to move it in 3 dimensions using the same controller software.

Heated bed and Jhead or E3D is what's missing.

I bought a Huxley, am printing a Mendal I2 now. I understand what I'm doing now, there are no commercial printers yet, they are ALL complicated and manual set up and calibrate, it's just where they're at. So my Huxley prints better than the £3000 printer they just bought at work, because I've calibrated it properly and took time to understand slicing and the adjustments and their effects.

Anyway, if your workplace is getting some...

PRINT YOURSELF ONE !!!!

All the STL's / build instructions are available, it ain't hard.

EDIT: oh, it's 12000 mm/min
that's 200mm/s
sounds standard.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/08/2014 07:33PM by DaveS.

Wow, thanks for the fast replies!!

My workplace is going to buy in a few months. I want to be ahead of them.

I understand that the kit is oke but is lacking a few options. My main problem is the higher price for importing stuf outside the EU.
So I will ask them if they provide the hotend or if it is compatible. A heated printbed shouldn't be a problem either.

That hot end is a Budaschnozzle clone. I'm quite happy with my original Buda, but this one is a clone, I have no idea if it follows the specs (for one thing the original is not painted black). One thing for sure, for PLA it needs a fan directed toward the cold end, which doesn't seem to be the case (hard to see on the pictures). I would be worried about that.

The Buda does not mount in the same way as the J-head, so the extruder probably won't be compatible with it or with an E3D. The Buda (and the J-head for that matter) are not all-metal so they cannot print high-temp plastics like nylon. I'm not saying it's a must, I've had my printer for a year and I haven't felt the urge to print with exotic materials yet.

There are so many bad kits out there at the minute, I'd steer clear of anything without personal recommendation.

Where are you exactly ? You say you have a shipping problem, *most* of a 3D printer can usually be sourced locally.
The instructions that are out there are pretty complete these days.