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@Brad do you recycle the waste product? (the break away material)
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Yes the waste product is ABS and can be recycled. For now I just keep the scrap in containers.
I cannot recycle the scrap into usable product again though.
The machine takes two cartridges of material, one is support and the other is model material. Each cartridge contains over 50 cubic inches of material in .07" diameter wire and costs nearly $300. I do not know why, but Stratasys does not recycle these cartridges. Also each cartridge is regulated to by a microchip so that you can only use the alloted amount of material before it is "spent".
In other words each cartridge has a lot more material in it than what you can get out of it. This microchip basically keeps other suppliers from making usable material for the their printers. It would sort of be like buying a "knock off" a HP printer ink cartridge.
The machine is about the size of a refridgerator, weighs 300+ pounds and about 1/3 of the height of the machine is a storage/stand.
The machine does not have to have an operator while printing and is made to left unattended. It does have is problems though. If the power goes out in the middle of a 25 hour build you lose the entire model. Also if something breaks off of the model while printing it will just print a mound of plastic, unless you cancel the build.
You can see an example of this here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnANG53o9SM
The resolution, accuracy, strength and finish you want comes with a price. The higher end machines are much more expensive than the machine I have.
This first picture is a "spent" cartridge according to the regulating microchip, but still has lots of usable material.
http://app.onlinephotofiler.com/imag...761.JPG?v=6fb4
This second picture is the backend controller!
40GB hard drive
http://app.onlinephotofiler.com/imag...491.JPG?v=56ca