Quality 3D Printer suggestion for 2016

sn4k3 · 2016-10-11T00:01:35.000Z

Hello,

As a creator and programmer sometimes I face the need to build enclosures, parts, and others. When 3D printers get released I pass them and wait for them get better in print and quality. I think now is the time to get one as I already wanted.

My goals are:

Print Quality
Personal use
Print as a service for others (Prototypes)
Good investment
Durability and performance

Budget can be from 400€ to 1000€, or more if it compensates the difference! As I believe the more expensive don’t mean they are better, simple and cheap printer with right upgrades can worth way more than a expensive one with poor parts.

After some research I come with the following printers:

Wanhao Duplicator i3 Plus
Original Prusa i3 MK2
FlashForge Creator Pro 2016

If I go option 1) Wanhao duplicator i3 Plus I would change bearings from bed, and extruder to a flexionextruder.

About option 2) looks like a good option, but for the price is single extruder, here I want someone with experience to tell me if it compensates, if flexionextruder would give a good update in this case or not. Or what else can I do to improve, or if is already very good out of the box.

Option 3) FlashForge Creator Pro, it catch my attention for good price and dual extruder, reviews seens good but lack a in space, still if it perform well without the need of major upgrade it will be a good choose for me.

What are your thoughts? Please feel free to advice other options, upgrades or whatever you think is best.

Asad3D · 2016-10-11T07:50:00.000Z

Hey @sn4k3, our 3D Printer Guide is a great resource for people looking to buy a 3D printer. You can check out which one is right for you based on your criteria and our community reviews right here!

cobnut · 2016-10-11T09:14:43.000Z

Hi @sn4k3 of the three printers you’ve listed, I’d say the Prusa i3 wins easily. The Wanhao is a clone of the i3 anyway, so all you’re really doing is buying a cheaper copy of a printer that’s already in your list - and the Wanhao is based upon the earlier i3, not the mk2… The Flashforge is also a copy (of the Makerbot Replicator) and I have one, but wish I’d had the option of the Prusa (I bought my Flashforge about 2 months before the i3 mk2 came out).

Dual-colour. For me it’s been a waste of time buying a dual colour printer. I’ve had no orders for any dual prints, I’ve really needed none myself and the penalty in terms of weight at the head (if you’ve got a direct-drive printer) far outweighs any possible value in terms of having two filaments “ready to print”. I’d think really carefully about whether you have enough work of your own to need dual colour, because right now I’m not convinced. IF you did demand dual-colour you could look at the BCN 3D (probably out of your price range) but it’s worth bearing in mind Prusa are working on a multi-filament mod to the i3 so if you bought an i3, you may well be able to dual print before long anyway using that and it already has the handy pause/change option.

wirlybird · 2016-10-11T11:10:25.000Z

Look at the QIDI Tech-1 as an alternative to the Flashforge. I have both and like them equally. When I got my QIDI it was a fair amount less then the FFCP.

I agree on the i3, I just ordered a MK2 - go with the original. Good support forum.

sn4k3 · 2016-10-11T13:35:21.000Z

Hello @Asad3D My 3 chooises already based on that list too

sn4k3 · 2016-10-11T13:40:16.000Z

Hello @cobnut very nice tips. I know Prusa easy wins any clone still does the extrusion upgrade i have mention worth?

Dual extrusion for me is nothing more than convenience and a little future proof, i would use more to print with different colors but not in same piece, just to not have to change colors, so i had always 2 colors ready to print without the need of change the roll.

But as i look more for quality i may go for Pursa i3, still i can only find it on Original Website, does another retailer inside EU sell them?

sn4k3 · 2016-10-11T13:58:45.000Z

Hello @wirlybird I had a look, its like another clone at lower price but thanks for show it to me.

I see that MK2 have lot of supporters and force, i would go for that

cobnut · 2016-10-11T14:04:07.000Z

I don’t think it’s a good idea to buy a new printer knowing you’re going to immediately “upgrade” it with new extruder(s). For a start it’ll almost certainly invalidate any warranty that comes with it, and there’s really no guarantee you’ll get the quality you were hoping for. We all upgrade every now and again, but it should be something you do when you know it’s needed from experience.

I would also say that buying a dual headed printer merely to save time changing filaments is a false saving. You only need to change filaments when you have to, and it only takes 2 minutes, perhaps less, but everything you print will be carrying the weight of those two heads and if you’ve got a reasonable range of colours/materials you’ll probably be changing filament anyway a lot of the time.

sn4k3 · 2016-10-11T15:07:35.000Z

Thank you, you clear my mind

I would go for Prusa i3.

Thank you

Lamandesigns · 2016-10-11T17:50:12.000Z

From the studies I have done and talking to others and using about 5 different printers, the Lulzbot line is very nice and very capable. Have you had a look at that at all?

sn4k3 · 2016-10-11T17:58:37.000Z

Hello, didn’t check that Lulzbot still i will read about it and try to compare. His price range also a bit higher

Lamandesigns · 2016-10-11T18:03:47.000Z

Yes, it is much higher in price than the other printers. It does however give you a 2-3" (50-75mm) additional volume in each axis. The older Taz 5 is lower in price now (about $1,800) compared to the Taz 6’s ($2,500).

krosnyak · 2016-10-12T01:17:49.000Z

The Prusa has an upgrade kit to auto calibrate all 3 axis AND a kit for multiple extruders!

i started with a “closed” Afinia 3D printer thinking that I wanted a plug and play experience… once I lost the fear, I started hacking the printer to do other materials, etc.

then I bought a e3d BigBox dual kit.

great machine but still been developed. 100%hands on, tweak till you die kind of deal.

if I could start all over and had to choose just one printer: Prusa I3 with an e3d v6 extruder and a PEI bed mated to Simplify 3D software is the best personal 3D printer you can buy.

cheers!

ps: Formfutura filaments are the way to go.

Honski_Design · 2016-10-12T09:07:37.000Z

I concur. I switch filaments all the time with 1 extruder and it takes less than 2 minutes to do. I haven’t found a need for 2 extruders other than dissolvable supports. Then again, If you have your support settings correct, you shouldn’t need dissolvable supports in most, practical, cases.

sn4k3 · 2016-10-12T13:34:44.000Z

Yes, and by what i have saw Prusa will have a mod that allow 4 color in same head, that will be awesome! Videos are very good

garthvh · 2016-10-12T20:41:21.000Z

If you are producing parts for customers, dual extrusion is a lifesaver. I have probably printed less than 10 two color prints and have only had a couple of dual extrusion orders, but having an extra extruder to switch over to when the feed or nozzle is having an issue is amazing. Having a backup extruder is the real benefit of dual extrusion.

sn4k3 · 2016-10-12T22:35:28.000Z

I will use Prusa by default, still i will buy for sure this mod: Original Prusa i3 MK2 Multi Material Upgrade Release - Dual/Quad extrusion - Original Prusa 3D Printers when avaliable.

4 Color

sn4k3 · 2016-10-12T22:37:48.000Z

Thanks so much for the tips

wirlybird · 2016-10-12T23:08:20.000Z

I just bought the Prusa and the 4 color mod, this will make 5 printers now. I have to say I like dual extruder because I can do PLA on the left and ABS on the right with little headache.

karthikaqpt · 2016-10-13T10:51:29.000Z

3-D printing has progressed over the last decade to include multi-material fabrication, enabling production of powerful, functional objects. While many advances have been made, it still has been difficult for non-programmers to create objects made of many materials (or mixtures of materials) without a more user-friendly interface.

But this week, a team from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) will present “Foundry,” a system for custom-designing a variety of 3-D printed objects with multiple materials.

In traditional manufacturing, objects made of different materials are manufactured via separate processes and then assembled with an adhesive or another binding process. Even existing multi-material 3-D printers have a similar workflow: parts are designed in traditional CAD [computer-aided-design] systems one at a time and then the print software allows the user to assign a single material to each part.

In contrast, Foundry allows users to vary the material properties at a very fine resolution that hasn’t been possible before.

It’s like Photoshop for 3-D materials, allowing you to design objects made of new composite materials that have the optimal mechanical, thermal, and conductive properties that you need for a given task