3D printers - need input

[dayold]

FTC community,

Our engineering pathway is looking at investing in four 3D printers. We already have a Makerbot Replicator2, which works really consistently, though when we've had problems with them around our district, we know they need to be shipped in for repairs in most situations. Rare, but a pain when it happens. We also have a Printrbot Simple Metal, which i like for its price and print quality, but it takes a lot more calibration time to get it running well.

From what you know, what printers do you recommend? We want to get four of the same printer and we're looking at spending up to $3k on each. That opens up to a lot of options. Weight in please.

Thanks,
Dave Larson

[ViperMentor]

FTC community,

From what you know, what printers do you recommend? We want to get four of the same printer and we're looking at spending up to $3k on each. That opens up to a lot of options. Weight in please.

I really like the MakerGear M2. It's under $2K, well built, accurate and large build volume. Their customer service is great and they will just send you parts to repair your own printer if you have a problem (i.e. they wont make you send it back unless you really have to).

The M2 is more "hands-on" than some printers out there (bed leveling calibration for example) but nothing that should be a challenge for an FTC team.

MakerGear has also demonstrated support for FIRST by hosting a booth at the World Championships.

[5294-jjkd]

I've also got a Printrbot Simple Metal, with the X upgrade, heated bed and Z upgrade for a print volume of 6x10x10. I originally bought the kit version when it was cheaper, and I wanted to better understand how it went together so I would be able to fix it if necessary --- there should be no real challenge to DIY fixes. I have had no issues with calibration, I suspect that initial setup calibration will vary from machine to machine even on the same model from the same manufacturer. You could buy four base simple metal printers, add the x/heated bed plus z upgrades, four Rasberry Pis to run OctoPrint and still have plenty of money left for filament, spare parts, displays, etc. If the funds can only be spent on the printers themselves, that's probably a less attractive option.

[Team++]

We highly recommend the Ultimaker 2+. It's 2.5K/each, so it should be fit nicely within you budget.

[dmssargent]

FTC community,

Our engineering pathway is looking at investing in four 3D printers. We already have a Makerbot Replicator2, which works really consistently, though when we've had problems with them around our district, we know they need to be shipped in for repairs in most situations. Rare, but a pain when it happens. We also have a Printrbot Simple Metal, which i like for its price and print quality, but it takes a lot more calibration time to get it running well.

From what you know, what printers do you recommend? We want to get four of the same printer and we're looking at spending up to $3k on each. That opens up to a lot of options. Weight in please.

Thanks,
Dave Larson

If you have a team of fairly advanced 3D printer people, I would recommend the Lulzbot TAZ 6 (the next generation of our printer - TAZ 5) with FlexyDually Tool Head which is right at $3000. However, the free programs it works with are not the best (specifically lacking a good way to quickly generate support material that the printer well still be happy with), I hear numerous recommendations to get Simpifly3D to use with the printer (but I have not tried it yet). Be sure to read the documentation correctly and thoroughly. https://www.lulzbot.com/store/printers/lulzbot-taz-6

For those teams which are fresh to 3d printing, the CraftBot Plus, https://craftunique.com/item/craftbot-plus-gentian-blue, maintains similiar quality (at least when comparing out-of-box) is a simpler to use than the TAZ 5 3d printer, however it lacks dual extrusion support (OEM or afterstock), and so other features. I will note that our team got this printer for free (not due to sponsorship however).

[FTC11722]

We don't have beefy budgets like yours, so we been using Prusa I3 printer. While it does require calibration, it definitely gives your freedom of fixing it with spare parts. With budget of $8,000-$10,000 you can almost treat them as disposable

[4106Coach]

Purchased Ultimaker 2+ last fall and used it all season. Wanted a tool, not a science project. It was flawless with minimal learning curve. The only one we've used, so no idea how it compares to other vendors.