Hi All
I am new to home 3D printing.
Been looking on ebay for a cheap starter FDM 3d printer
Would appreciate any advise
(Engineer so not adverse to getting my hands dirty and fixing/tinkering)
Thanks All
dear stephen, I advice JGAURORA metal frame printer kit model A-3 . at it is enough printing size 200*200*180mm LCD screen and most importantly high precision and durable working http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/2015-hot-sale-JG-Aurora-FDM-3d-printer-kits-Acrylic-print-support-ABS-PLA-filament-LCD/1759640_32320380486.html 3
Hi,
I would suggest the Wanhao i3 v2 its a really good printer with sturdy steel frame and prints fine just out of the box.
I helped out several guys to make their CTC printer up and running, but 2 of 4 ended with sending back the printer to the seller. Extruder issues and mechanical issues (not printing square or round). There is a big community and lot of designs to make the CTC printer a good printer but don’t think its worth the time and money when the wanhao just works great out of the box.
I know a guy who is distributor of the wanhao printers please take a look at his blog, its in Hungarian but you will be interested of the print pictures. No BS there , its just prints so good.
Just look for the posts with wanhao i3 tag.
BR.,
Tamas
Well I can’t compare to the i3 since i’ve never used one, but i’m quite happy with my CTC.
It isn’t perfect out the box, but for me at least, playing with it and improving things has been a great part of the learning process.
The CTC has dual extruders (will you use that?)
Also, the nature of the design lends itself much better to adding covers, which may help in printing ABS (but is by no means essential).
The CTC is based on the mightyboard, which is proven electronics, but old. The i3 is reprap and may be easier to get going with other software ( you won’t have to convert your gcode to x3g format all the time).
Hi,
I do have an i3 so can’t comment on the CTC. I am very happy with my Wanhao i3. The source of the most frustration I’ve had with it was when I used cheap filament (avoid cheap filaments). Oh and the fans are not that great. They get noisy quickly.
I’d go with the wanhao i3 too - kicking myself that I got the CTC when the Australian Aldi version of the Wanhao (rebadged the cocoon i3) came out just a week after I’d purchased.
Don’t think the dual extruders on the CTC are worth the weight of that extra stepper motor on the print head. Only ever find myself using the one extruder anyway. The Wanhao only having one stepper on the main head, along with the ridgidity of a steel frame just makes me think it would kick the CTCs behind. It’s probably not a perfect design by any means, but probably more perfect than the CTC.
When you actually see the CTC run in person it honestly feels like the weight of the print head is a design fault, the weight I think contributes to the jerkiness and sloppyness of changes in horizontal direction.
Only now that I’ve got a borosilicate glass bed and spring loaded filament grip on the extruder that I’m having okay prints, I’ve also built a separately powered 120mm PC fan into a tall MDF stand to cool down PLA on taller prints (had to put a fan filter in front of it to stop it being too strong!), but haven’t done many tall prints to test properly yet.
Looking to do the pillow bearing mod soon (dreading taking the thing apart!, I’m also worried about one of the rods as it looks a little bent!) and the usual lcd/button box mods. Will probably put in a dummy 3d printed extruder to cut down the above-mentioned weight on the printhead too.
Yep, Definitely Duplicator i3 v2. Reliable, good quality prints. Bed leveling is prime important. Tons of video aides on Youtube. Including videos from Wanhao on how to fix certain issues you may find. And their support is best done via email. They do respond quickly to all your requests.
Qidi Qidi tech . ready to go out of the box $650usd, dual extruder, and ready to rock’n roll all metal, as close to plug 'n ’ play as i have found.
