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3D printer


SgtMaximus
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So I've been kicking around the idea of getting a 3D printer. There's a ton of files available to print random things. I thought it would be cool to have one to play with, and possibly make a few things for my costumes. I'm trying to get feedback on who has one and what brand it is. So if you have one you would recommend, please chime in here. Also where you got it would be helpful too. There's so many on the market it's hard to know which one to buy. 

Thanks guys

 

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So many good options out there. Monoprice makes a couple good ones. Wanhao Duplicator is good as well.

I have a couple of Flashforge Creator Pros, and they have been great for me. There are some good clones of that machine out there as well such as Powerspec 3D pro. 

They all vary in price. I would read all the reviews you can and watch some youtube videos on how to work them to see what you are most comfortable with before buying. 

 

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I have a PrintrBot which I love, but buying today, I'd second the recommendation for the MonoPrice printers.  Avoid the bottom one if you can, but if that's all you can do, even that can do some amazing things, for the price.

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So would the Maker Select Plus  be a good choice to print things such as armor, accessories, etc. or would I need the more expensive Maker Ultimate? Both of these options are much cheaper than some of the other ones I was looking at on Amazon that was in the 1-2k range.

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6 hours ago, Airborne Trooper said:

So would the Maker Select Plus  be a good choice to print things such as armor, accessories, etc. or would I need the more expensive Maker Ultimate? Both of these options are much cheaper than some of the other ones I was looking at on Amazon that was in the 1-2k range.

I would debate whether most Star Wars armor is well suited to 3D printing... I don't think it is, really.  Otherwise, the main determiner is build plate size: How big a part you can actually print.  The biggest measurement is around 8" on the both, Ultimate is 7.9" x 7.9" x 6.9", a hair less than on the Select Plus (7.9" x 7.9" x 7.1") due to the enclosed design.  That's pretty normal in this range... the printers with substantially larger print areas get stupid expensive really fast.  So if you think about a helmet or chest plate, you would need to slice your model into many pieces that fit in that print area, and then sand the edges and bond the pieces together to make the whole section complete.  THEN you get to start sanding and finishing them.  Same applies with larger props like larger blasters (esp rifles) and such, but that's pretty normal, and it's simpler to stack pieces of a long tube than the complex curves of armor.  Small parts are simple with either.  You CAN print armor, I just don't think it's an especially good application for it.  The amount of filament to print a full set of armor gets pretty expensive, and it's heavy compared to vacuformed ABS sheets, and less durable.

All that said, they're both good printers that are pretty well regarded.  Either would likely do well for you.  There are some nicer features that the extra money gets you, which are pretty much laid out in the product website.  But they're not really NECESSARY features.  There's nothing you "can't print" with the Select Plus that owning the Ultimate would enable, unless perhaps you want to print insanely detailed miniature figures (Warhammer and the like).  Both have the critical features that you really need.  Both have heated build plates, both print PLA or ABS or most other normal 3D printing materials.  Both have similar size build platforms and similar resolutions and capabilities.  The Ultimate might print faster?  A bit quieter?  The Ultimate is higher resolution (100 microns (0.1mm) vs. 20 microns (0.02mm)) but for most Star Wars props it's rare that you would use the extra resolution.  The Ultimate's enclosed frame design is more rigid than the open design of the Select, which helps reduce shake while printing and theoretically produces a bit cleaner prints as a result, but I suspect the real world difference is not substantial, especially since your average SW props aren't going to use anything approaching the highest resolutions the Ultimate is capable of.  (most common resolutions tend to be 100-200 microns for average props like blasters, blaster parts, and various greeblies, which is well within the capability of either)

Hackaday has a pretty good review of the Ultimate:

https://hackaday.com/2016/08/30/review-monoprice-maker-ultimate-3d-printer/

 

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10 hours ago, dutchy said:

Troops, I'ved moved this thread to the Off topic section.

:salute:

IMO it's not actually off topic, since these printers would be getting used to print armor and Star Wars props (like blasters, binoculars, pack parts, etc.), but since it it actually could go in any number of subforums governing any of those, I guess it really doesn't matter where it ends up.  You da boss! :)

 

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From what I've seen, guys will 3D print armor and then send them off to a vacuum former. I doubt I'll ever try to do something that big of a project. Printing things out to help my garrison mates and doing side jobs for a quick buck would be my focus area. These days I can't drop several hundred on a new toy without a good justification for the wife. Now a new toy that has potential to pay for itself is more likely to get the wife seal of approval. 

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I 3D printed almost my entire Shoretrooper armor, and its pretty durable. It is possible, it just takes lots of time and patience. I spent maybe $250 on materials for printing vs the 700-900 it typically costs for armor. It just has taken me months to complete it. 

Mostly my 3D printer is used for props, blasters, backpack parts etc. My build platform is only 9x6x6, but it works for me. 

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Yeah, armor is certainly possible, I didn't mean to imply it's not.  It's just not as ideal and simple as some people seem to think: 3D printing is not really the magoc solution to all problems that some people imagine it is.  Just in terms of time alone, think about how much more you've spent 3D printing to save $450-650, and then how much extra finishing work was needed compared to a "normal" kit.  If you have LOTS of free time, I suppose it could be worth it, but for me, 3D printing is much better suited to the smaller tasks: Props, blasters, parts, just like we both said.  You can do a LOT with even a small printer like mine (6x6x6) so the nearly 8x8" platform seems pretty luxurious to me. :)

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Time alone. Good god hahah so much time. It has been worth it to save the $$ but I agree, 3D printing is totally not a magical solution. It's frustrating at times, especially after spending hours filing and sanding PLA.....my arms hurt thinking about it. Also dealing with failed prints and clogged extrudes and leveling build plates and troubleshooting for different filaments, and all of the other super fun things you have to do when you printer won't print correctly. The end result is worth it though. 

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1 hour ago, henselmonster said:

Time alone. Good god hahah so much time. It has been worth it to save the $$ but I agree, 3D printing is totally not a magical solution. It's frustrating at times, especially after spending hours filing and sanding PLA.....my arms hurt thinking about it. Also dealing with failed prints and clogged extrudes and leveling build plates and troubleshooting for different filaments, and all of the other super fun things you have to do when you printer won't print correctly. The end result is worth it though. 

Heck yeah!  I love my printer.  I can't imagine printing an entire set of armor, though.  That's some masochism, right there. LOL

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  • 3 weeks later...

I started with a FlashForge Dreamer a couple years ago; it does a really good job. The major downside is like kman said, the build plate was only 9"x6"x5.5". To build a blaster, it took several times to get everything done. As far as quality goes, it depends on how dialed in your printer is. I've done blasters and lightsabers that required very little sanding, because the walls were smooth, and the detail was on point. Having aspirations to print my Fett helmet, armor, and weapons, I went with a Folgertech FT5. It's a kit you put together yourself (not horribly difficult), has a 12"x12"x15" build plate, and allows for a lot of customization...all that for $499. Not gonna lie though, I've dropped an additional $500 in upgrades, but it's not necessary. There's a great FB forum of peeps very willing to help and guide you.

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Interesting printer, Michael.  That's an impressively large build space for $1k (or less).  I'll have to look into it!


It actually works really well at the base cost/configuration. Most of us chose to upgrade parts of it to be able to print a wide variety of filaments, like carbon fiber, ninja flex, and nylon. Some of the variations and upgrades that people have done with this printer is amazing.
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