Looking for a hassle-free 3D printer

[MikLast]

We have the Makerbot replicator, Replicator 2x, and their scanner. They love to become jammed with their filament and not printing correctly. Now, when it does print it prints really well, but There are better printers, and I personally would not recommend them if you want something "hassle-free."

[Steven Smith]

3005 has a couple Taz 5's that we've been pretty happy about (~$2200 retail)

They are open software/open hardware, and there are a lot of mods you can add on. If you are "printer enthusiast", you can really stretch the limits.

As mentioned earlier, the Lulzbot mini's will save you a chunk of change if you don't need the larger build volume. Realistically, very few parts we print require the extra build volume, it is more about being able to queue up ~4x the number of parts for an overnight print session (6x6 vs 12x12).

As the printer is open hardware, you can source the parts yourself and build from scratch to save ~40-50% if you want. I know I'll be building one for the house, as well as another mentor, over the summer.

[JohnFogarty]

The Zortrax M200 is the best 3D printer I've ever used. https://www.3dhubs.com/3d-printers/zortrax-m200

(I've used a Taz 5, Ultimaker, 3D Systems Cube, Ecocycle, and a Dremel Ideabuilder)

You load up your 3D model into the software, make sure everything looks right. Save the file to a SD card and then pop it into the machine, select your file and then you can walk away. I've never had any trouble with failed prints on this machine after over 1500 hours of use. The printer prints all sorts of materials too.

If you want to compare 3D printer reviews use the 3D hubs guide. It's the most comprehensive guide I've seen online.
https://www.3dhubs.com/best-3d-printer-guide

[frcguy]

Originally Posted by troy_dietz

My school has a Makerbot Gen 5.

They've started referring to the extruders as "BIC disposable glue guns"

At last count, 5 had been broken beyond repair. They do a lot of printing, but they've only had it for a few months.

So it isn't just us.

I would steer clear of ANYTHING Makerbot. They used to make great machines aimed at hobbyist and makers, but ever since they were bought by Stratasys they're only interested in making as much money as they can selling trash machines. Once you buy Makerbot, you're locked into their proprietary ecosystem. Basic software with limited user customization, extremely expensive parts that commonly break, proprietary file formats, and more. As I said, they're only interested in selling a dumbed down machine with a limited feature set. Don't get me wrong, some of the earlier models such as the Replicator 1 are good, but anything after the Stratasys acquisition stay away from. Our school shop made the mistake of buying a fifth generation Replicator and the 3-D scanner. We've gone through one (soon to be two) extruders, the printer jams at least once every print, etc. And don't get me started about the scanner. It's a complete joke that, according to Makerbot support, "can only scan rounded objects". Same for 3D Systems, steer clear of them too.

Sorry for the rant, I want to make sure nobody makes the same mistake that we did.

[protoserge]

We have a Lulzbot TAZ 4. It has been good oberall, but not without its issues though. We replaced the glass bed with 1/4" cast aluminum after I broke the glass while removing a part. We upgraded the hot end this season to an E3D v5 (it was bought with the printer and never installed). The nozzle works great and I look forward to making nylon parts next season. Just a few weeks ago, one of the z axis drive screws came off the stepper motor and had to be realigned. I had to print a replacement extruder herringbone drive gear last season. If I had a guess, we have 400 hours on the TAZ. It has a great build volume and overall I would recommend it. It is an overall great printer and a lot of the components are 3D printed, which annoys me on a printer of that cost, but is also easy to repair given access to a working printer. Print spare extruder parts right away if you get one.

My OpenBeam Kossel Pro has been a champ for the past 15 months and has over 200 print hours on it. I spent a lot of time in the build making sure things went together perfectly. Something with the latest MatterControl build has rendered it non-operational, but it appears to be code added to the print sequence and not a control board issue. It does need a 32 bit control board since I should be able to print about 4-5x faster. While I love the printer, I'm torn on whether to recommend it based on your requirements.

I have heard good things about the MarkForged printer. It is a very capable printer and can print kevlar reinforced parts.

Most all printers are going to require some level of hassle and fine tuning. Sticking with open source will get you back up quicker and will probably be less expensive. Not to mention your students amd mentors can become experts and create modifications to improve the machines.

I would avoid Makerbot. I "consult" with my state libraries and they have had nothing but issues with them. Their Ultimaker v1s have been more reliable than the v2s.

[Michael Kaurich]

https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...05&oe=57A1ED04

This might be looking into. It is a refurb of the Robo3D R1. There are a few FTC teams in Maryland that use these machines and I haven't heard much negative about it.


Just in case you want to purchase one on this deal:http://store.robo3d.com/products/r1-...first-robotics

[Kelium]

The Lulzebot mini is a great option. it prints in high temp nylons and PET polymers which can actually stand up to the forces of competition, as well as printing normal prototyping plastics like pla and abs. For the slicer it users modified cura and it just work out of box.
https://www.lulzbot.com/

Another option if your willing to put down the money is the Zortrax M200, which is simply the best FDM printer on the market unless you go full industrial and buy a stsratasys model.

In terms of price/performance ratio, the Wanhao 13 is the strongest. IT is 400$ and with about an hour of set up it is the best quality printer I have ever used.
http://wanhaousa.com/products/duplicator-i3-steel-frame

https://zortrax.com/printers/zortrax-m200/

[troy_dietz]

Originally Posted by Kelium

In terms of price/performance ratio, the Wanhao 13 is the strongest. IT is 400$ and with about an hour of set up it is the best quality printer I have ever used.
http://wanhaousa.com/products/duplicator-i3-steel-frame

https://zortrax.com/printers/zortrax-m200/

The same printer is sold by Monoprice for $350 with a different logo.
Because of where I live, It was shipped to me overnight for free.
Monoprice has amazing customer support and even better prices.

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=13860

[Thayer McCollum]

Originally Posted by coalhot

Also on team Lulzbot here, we purchased a Taz5 in November and it's been a great addition to the team. Having used Makerbot and Ultimaker products, I can say that if I were spending another ~$2,000 on another printer, it would be one of the Lulzbot line (though I might wait for the Taz6)

I'm going team Lulzbot as well. My school has a number of 3D printers and I would say in terms of ease of use Dremel 3D printers are good for $1,000. But if you're willing to spend and extra ~$2,000 for a Lulzbot Mini or ~$4,000 for a TAZ you'll definitely get your money's worth. I have also used a Formlabs Form 1 and Form 2 and both although good have had rather high failure rates and other mechanical problems. So yes Lulzbot all the way. High print quality, variety of available filament, low failure rate, and really easy to use. Plus I've been to their factory/offices in Loveland, Colorado and they are AWESOME!

[Dale]

Thanks for all the great replies. It's good to hear such support for the Lulzbot printers. I was assuming we'd have to spend over $10K for a printer that would be hassle free.

To that end, are the Stratasys Dimension or Objet printers worth the money?

[cadandcookies]

Originally Posted by Dale

Thanks for all the great replies. It's good to hear such support for the Lulzbot printers. I was assuming we'd have to spend over $10K for a printer that would be hassle free.

To that end, are the Stratasys Dimension or Objet printers worth the money?

I would send a PM to Evan Hochstein (ehochstein). He works at Stratasys and has a whole bunch of knowledge about all their printers. He's also on of the FIRST Senior Mentors for Minnesota and is a FIRST alum. Hopefully some people here can give you a good idea, but I'd definitely reach out to him.

[Dale]

I PM'ed him to see if he would like to drop in on this thread.

[gurellia53]

I would also recommend the Lulzbot Mini. I bought it from amazon and 2 days later I was printing - no hassles at all. I have used it with PLA and ABS. ABS was very good for low impact FRC parts this season.

Print volume was a bit of an issue for all of the pulleys I was making this season... I would recommend the Taz 5 if you have the budget... it has 4x the print area of the mini (6x6 vs 12x12).

[Michael Hill]

Originally Posted by gurellia53

I would also recommend the Lulzbot Mini. I bought it from amazon and 2 days later I was printing - no hassles at all. I have used it with PLA and ABS. ABS was very good for low impact FRC parts this season.

Print volume was a bit of an issue for all of the pulleys I was making this season... I would recommend the Taz 5 if you have the budget... it has 4x the print area of the mini (6x6 vs 12x12).

FYI, the Taz 6 is available for preorder (ships later this month)

[Metalcrafters]

To that end, are the Stratasys Dimension or Objet printers worth the money?[/quote]

We have been using stratasys machines for over a decade. We have two uprints and now a Fortus.

The two uprints have made an enormous amount of FRC parts for our bots since 2010. Most are load bearing and we have had very little problems with the parts or the machines. We purchase an education package for materials that gives you a very good amount of materials I don't feel the prices are crazy. Yes is there cheaper alternatives, we have them and honestly they are not turn key. I do not have the time to baby sit prints. Our machines are truly lights out manufacturing.

We have also told our industry partners that we have the machines and offer to become a vendor for their prints and they pay for our material packages and my students get work experience helping prep, print and post process the parts.

If you want to know more let me know. We purchased our first Zcorp machine in the early 2000's not long after we made the switch to stratasys.

Team 207