Printing out robot parts

[thefro526]

Originally Posted by team222badbrad

As a 3d print service provider I have much experience with Dimension/Stratasys machines.

If the uPrint fits or uPrint Plus fits your budget then you will have a great machine on your hands especially if you need end use parts.

If you have any questions about these machines let me know. Email me direct at printo3d ( at ) printo3d ( dot ) com

Don't let the price fool you. All said and done with all the bits you are talking $19 to $24k. They should have educational discounts so don't forget to ask. Also if time isn't of essence you might want to wait until your local dealer releases a demo unit to save some money. Used units from the dealer should still include the standard new warranty.

Exactly how many thousands of dollars do you have? Don't forget to add dozen or so material cartridges into your initial purchase.

I'm going to throw in another good word for Dimension/Stratasys Machines.

We have an SST1200 in my department at work that I use pretty regularly for parts and a BST768 at the School that we can also use for parts. (I prefer the 1200 because it's much, much faster) The school's machine was bought with grant money in 2006/2007, and was somewhere around 25k. I believe they've come down quite a bit in price.

I've found that the printer is great for making spacers and other little parts that don't see much load. I think I made something like 18 spacers for our drive last year and they came out to all of .1lbs.

We're also looking at getting a Fortus Machine at work that can print in Polycarbonate along with some high strength ABS blends. From what I've seen, the Polycarbonate is strong enough for some FRC uses. The machine starts around 80/90k or so.