Hot-melt 3D printer kit for experimenters, cheap

[Ace-Garageguy]

Early adopters and experimenters apply here.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1650950769/rigidbot-3d-printer?ref=iap_email

[MAGNUM4342]

I'll have one in my sweaty little palms the day they come out!

[Lownslow]

available with heated build plate? neither, pass.

[charlie8575]

I would caution against using this machine if a part is going to require long-term stability.

PLA is poly-lactic acid, also known as "corn-starch" plastic, which as the name suggests, is derived from corn-starch.

PLA is good for short-term projects because it's purposely engineered to be bio/UV-degradable. It also is not paint-friendly from the reading I've done.

This machine would probably be best suited to prototyping and masters for molds.

Charlie Larkin

[Rob Hall]

Interesting... so far, we haven't done too much w/ our Replicator 2 in my office...one guy printed out an Abrams tank in approx. HO scale. Another colleague printed parts for a Stirling engine project. I'm thinking i might print a Dalek.

[om617]

Maby someone could make the 77 Impala/Caprice coupe for me then

Edited April 1, 2013 by om617

[bbowser]

I subscribe to an IT newsletter at work and today it had this article, "3 common misperceptions about 3D printing". You have to give them your email address to become an 'insider' but its an interesting article.

http://mail.idgeinsider.com/t/8525134/1143802440/607158/0/

[TheRX7Project]

Anyone in Milwaukee have access to a 3D printer? I have some things I'd like to print...

[raildogg]

The best advice I can offer as a retired Pattern Maker/Mold Maker is stay with shapeways.com, still the best alternative to suffering all the frustration of having to build it yourself. They are good and very reasonable in price.

[Chuck Kourouklis]

So Frank, you're on the vanguard, man - got me wondering what it is about that heated plate.

[my66s55]

It's very simple Chuck. Without a heat bed, abs will warp, deform and probably not stick stick to the print platform and be a useless glob of plastic. Pla, as a fore mentioned, is not desirable as it is very brittle and not long lasting. I am in the last stages of building my reprap mendal prusa i2 and when it is completely finished and calibrated, I with salvage the parts for an i3. By the way, my total investment in the i2 is a hair over $500. I think the reprap weki explains the invest into a 3d printer best. There are three ways to get a 3d printer. Purchase a built one. buy a kit and build one or build one from scratch. The differences breakdown thus. If you buy a built one, it is immediately ready for use, but it is probably obsolete and when it breaks, and it will, you have no idea of how to fix it. Purchase a kit and build it. It takes time and the kit is probably obsolete to the latest version. When it breaks, you may have some idea on how to fix it. The 3rd option, build it from scratch, is the most beneficial. You gain a complete understanding of what it is and how it works. If you do your homework right, you will know the difference between the electronics and which one to use. You will be able to upgrade to the latest version without having to buy a new machine. When it breaks, you should be able to fix it yourself. Just in case you aren't aware, most of the 3d printers of this category originate from the opensource community and not from the corporate world.

[Chuck Kourouklis]

Not quite so simple for those of us just starting to look into this, which is why I appreciate the response. Thanks!