Greetings

I have been seeing 3d printing templates online for various transformers items (parts for unicron, guns, etc) and I have been debating on either purchasing a 3d printer or searching out someone who can print the templates for me. What I wanted to ask the community is:

What do you suggest for a 3d printer and do you use it a lot? I don't have a lot of space and not sure if the cost is the best option. I am thinking of just using it to print off some custom guns and such for my transformers and I don't have the skillset or patience to design my own. I can't even draw a stick figure properly so creating my own is out of the question.

Being from Canada, if I were to outsource the production does anyone have any suggestions on some companies that can do this. I had a look online for some pricing and a few were over 400usd which sucks for us Canadians right now with the dollar. I know it's not going to be super cheap but I have no clue what pricing is going for and looking online has me on the fence.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

I was in a similar situation and I ultimately decided to pass on getting a 3D printer for now. In all the research I've done, the technology just isn't intuitive and consistent enough yet for a part time hobbyist like me. There seems to be a learning curve for both using the printer and creating the files needed to print anything, and I'm too lazy to drop $400 to $700 on part time hobby that requires that much effort. Also, the print lines bug the hell out of me. Yes, I know they can be sanded and painted but you can still tell and it never looks as good or feels as sturdy to me as something that was factory made or resin cast.

On the flip side, there's a really active and growing community for printing and the technology seems to be getting better, cheaper, and easier to use every year. When 3D printing becomes easy and cheap enough for me to test it out without investing too much up front and when the final printed product can damn near replicate a factory made item, that's when I'll likely pull the trigger (if that time ever comes).

 

An ender 3 is around $200, solid and easy to use - you'll spend more than that on paying a service to do it after just a few prints. You do have to learn how to use the printer and software and be able to tinker with it sometimes - it's not for the lazy or severely non-technical, but as far as value goes, you aren't going to beat having your own printer. There are whole communities online of people that can talk you through any issue you have with it.

 

Thanks everyone
I am a old school desktop/AV tech so I am sure I can figure it out and I have the files saved from the unicron kit and I am keeping my eyes on that 3D printer MegaMoonMan suggested and if it goes on sale, I might pick one up. I will need to keep my eyes on this (got a small condo and would need to install this in my office where I work).

 

Official Creality Ender 3 3D Printer Fully Open Source with Resume Printing All Metal Frame FDM DIY Printers 220x220x250mm - Newegg.com

You won't find it cheaper than this. $150 + tax with free shipping is an insane deal.

 

I'm very tempted to get into the 3D printing game as well. Havent pulled the trigger yet primarily because I have always hated the print lines as well. Now I've seen resin printers do some very very clean prints and that seems like the way to go. From my casual research it seems that a resin printer is only slightly more expensive? Can anyone share their thoughts on pros and cons of resin printers?

 

From what I've heard resin is messy, expensive compared to filament, smelly and requires prep work and finishing work on parts that filament printers don't require, as well as having to maintain a vat of resin goo that you can't just leave sitting there for any amount of time between prints. You also need to cure parts with a separate UV lamp, not to mention wear protective gear since resin is toxic.

It looks better but I'll take a fine tuned filament printer any day, not a fan of all that hassle. I can walk away from my printer for a couple months, come back and turn it on and start printing again in seconds. Can't do that with resin.