So I need something that will do excellent smooth raw prints in high quality mode for plastic part gears and replacement broken parts on mostly industrial and scientific instruments. Some trinkets and toys and maybe as molds to cast jewelry or small metal parts. One with a wide range of filaments. Have been trying to source a Ultimaker 2 in that 2000 dollar range. Am also open to other brands. Any suggestions?
Look for a Leapfrog Creatr HS ,Chuck
Plenty of great options exist for under $2000.
The Ultimaker 2 is generally considered as one of the best consumer printers available, but if the pricing is too steep you could also look to an Ultimaker Original +. As far as I’m aware the main disadvantage compared to the UM2 is just that the UMO+ is louder.
The MakerGear M2 is also another good option. It’s one of the most loved printers by the 3D Hubs community and ties the Rostock MAX and the P3Steel for highest rated printer in the 2016 Best 3D Printer Guide.
Zortrax printers have somewhat limited materials, but they have excellent print quality and I’ve seen them provide truly phenomenal customer service.
There’s also the option of building something yourself, if you’re technically inclined. With $2000 you could build one heck of a P3Steel or a Rostock.
Really, there are too many options to list out in a single comment. Head over to the 2016 3D printer guide and look around, you’ll probably find something that suites your liking.
-Karl Zhao
I haven’t seen one of those for under $3000.
So I picked up the Ultramaker 2 today for $1999.95 delivered. Took forever to decide and I canceled 3 orders I had placed for the units mentioned by karl. Kept trying to spend slightly less and finally called up 3d Universe and talked to Jeremy. I think it will get me started well and later may build one. After all I have worked in CNC/Robotics for the last 15 years or so. Lol. Thanks all for the input and hope to spend more time here learning from what I am sure is a great source.
Chuck, succes, a good choice
