Affordable 3D Printers

[ouellet348]

As a recent graduate from a team I recently received a job offer from a team sponsor. The job is a great one working at a solutions engineering firm, we do everything from firearms to child safety devices.

In working we've come to the conclusion that a 3D printer could greatly benefit the team and the shop. We have some budget constraints obviously but there are a few key items we'd love to have.

1. Affordability i.e. $300-600. Total cost excluding extrusion/printing material

2. Durability. These parts will be used in everything from robot wheels to paintball guns. Breaking and excessive wear is a deal breaker (pardon the wording)

3. Work space. We'd like a minimum of a 6"x6" printable area. The larger the better.

4. Precision. We'd like the capability to objects with a tolerance of +.001", as well as decent regularity in circular and irregular parts.


If you know of a printer that fits any or all of these criteria, or have any suggestions, please join the discussion and post info and links! Hopefully this can help quite a few teams!