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General discussion

I'm interested in 3D printing. Can you help?

Feb 20, 2015 8:51AM PST
Question:

I'm interesting in 3D printing. Can you help?


I'm interested in buying a 3D printer kit and building the unit myself. My purpose is to learn the basics of 3D printing. I'm not concerned about producing any commercial or even personal items of value; the purchase would be solely for educational purposes. There are probably not very many people who own and use 3D printers yet, but I'm hoping there are a few who I invite, with thanks, to give any suggestions or recommendations.

--Submitted by: William J.

Discussion is locked

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Additional help from other members
Mar 2, 2015 1:25AM PST

William,

In additional to these great posts here in the discussion, I have a few members who emailed me some answers for you and they are as follows:

Hi,

We have been running a highly successful program for a couple of public schools in San Jose and are into our 6th year teaching CAD and 3D printing.

I've included a couple of attachments and links if you are interested.

3D Printers: Make Whatever You Want


Dave L.

**********************************************

Try this to learn about 3D printing: http://www.naturalnews.com/048779_Lulzbot_Mini_3D_printer_review_Editors_Choice_award.html

David B.

**********************************************

I've seen several people online using 3D printers, but most of
them were small, and used for jewelry making. They are fascinating to watch
as they manufacture various sized clips, stones, and rings faster than humans
can put together. The jewelers just press a button, and wait awhile until the
necklace or ring, etc., comes out the other side. These machines were not
very big--about 16 inches long and 8 or 9 inches tall. They remind me of those
that make various items out of paper, which have been on the market
for 15 years, at least. In fact, I bought one for myself just for fun.
Those are mostly used for making greeting cards that open up with a paper
doll or an animal of some sort, and you can set them to make various trimmings
and designs. They can be bought at most craft stores. Of course, anything
that's solid like making small tools, or jewelry making machines, would
likely be far more expensive, and difficult to find. I would suggest
that anyone who wants to make one himself, go to a craft store, and investigate
the various paper card making machines, and possibly one that turns out
jewelry if the store carries them. At least, that would be a good
start.

Ginger B.

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re: I'm interesting in 3D printing. Can you help?
Mar 3, 2015 11:30PM PST

There's a lot of information out there, which can be helpful in your quest or it might just be a little overwhelming.

Depending on where you are located, subscribing to 3D printing/rapid prototyping magazines; visiting some exhibitions; or attending local Maker workshops, where some printers are actually running, would help you become familiarised with some of the issues, so that you can make informed decisions on which direction to go, or what to buy first and talk to other enthusiasts.

Another helpful source is the network, 3D HUBS, which allows local printer owners to make contact with those seeking prints in their area and offer their services to get this done.

Their website has an area where users can add to printer reviews. So many different printers and all design types are covered and the best scored. The types are presented in sorted lists, including budget printers and kits. As the results come from actual users over a period of time and are not just magazine-type reviews, they probably serve as a good indicator for making choices.

<https://www.3dhubs.com/best-3d-printer-guide>

Hope that gets you started.

PeterB


https://www.3dhubs.com/best-3d-printer-guide

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Informative Infographic
Sep 14, 2015 11:00PM PDT
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You may use 3D printing services, too
Sep 15, 2015 7:15AM PDT

William,
when talking about 3D printing, we find that often desktop printing is what people are thinking of. This is fun and many helpful comments have been listed before. So as a true 3D print afficinado you have to have your own printer. However this leaves you with FDM printing in most cases. This somehow is a drawback, because there are more materials out there, which are really fun. I recently have ordered a bronze-plated metal sculpture, slightly smaller than a tennis ball, which is a real nice piece of art - for 66 $. However, when it comes to other materials, you have to look for help elsewhere. That is why I would recommend to check with services like Shapeways, Sculpteo, i.materialize or Ponoko. Those online 3D printing services have developed remarkable skills during the past years and offer a wide range of materials.
Sometimes it is even worth checking, whether for simple plastic objects cost of production with those services may even be the better choice versus home printing.

If you want to get a survey on materials and prices of those providers, there is a service, which offers a price comparison for this purpose. None of the printing services can be called the best or cheapest, they each have their own strengths. If you want to check out, you can find the 3D printing price comparison at the link below.

https://3d-printing-price.all3dp.com/