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| davew Member Since: 02 Jan 2012 Location: North Yorkshire Posts: 888   
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I've been trawling through the information available and I think I know which way to go now but wouldn't mind any advice from more seasoned users !
I'm not looking to go into mass manufacture, just want to be able to design and print simple parts, mostly one offs, for projects. For example, a docking device for my Brodit iPhone holder, a replacement joint for an Oz chair, a surround and mount for the battery and fuel monitor LCD display... stuff like that as and when the need comes up ! I'm looking at something cheap that will do an OK job with the aim of upgrading it over time either through printed parts or buying upgraded components. I've been looking at a number of Reprap designs as well as the "ready to print" Chinese CTC printers. Some of the cheaper riprap kits are now available for under £200, admittedly using some low end components but most of the reviews would suggest that they do actually work. The Chinese Prusa i3 models available as DIY kits look good value and, with the caveat that the components are likely to be towards the lower end of the specifications, it seems that these kits are still cheaper with upgrades than trying to put a kit together from scratch. The CTC 3D printers seem good too, albeit a bit more pricey and, again will need some fettling to get consistent results with changes to the Z axis support, travel microswitch mountings and so on. At around £270 with dual extruders and a heated bed they seem OK but maybe not as upgradeable as the Reprap ones ? I guess the 3rd option would be a Prusa i3 from one of the US companies like Folger Tech who, you would hope, would be using better quality components... Any thoughts/experiences with any of these options or any I may have missed ? Budget is less than £300 and I don't mind DIY as I suspect it will be a better way to understand how to get the best out of it as well as keeping the cost down. http://www.yorkshireoffroadclub.net/ |
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25th Mar 2016 11:49am |
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| Cupboard Member Since: 21 Mar 2014 Location: Suffolk Posts: 2971  
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I should be interested to see how you get on. I was looking at 3D printing some enclosures for a project we're doing but it worked out much cheaper to get them made by a box maker, and the finished product was much higher quality.
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25th Mar 2016 12:58pm |
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| davew Member Since: 02 Jan 2012 Location: North Yorkshire Posts: 888
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Finally took the plunge so will see what happens when it lands. In the end I plumped for one of the cheapest options as it seems to be pretty well thought out. I plumped for a Prusa i3 simply because it will have more options when it comes to updates and upgrades going forward. It also has a glass heated bed rather than aluminium.
I chose the Geeetech I3 pro B at £173 delivered. I'm not sure about their combined controller and RAMP board but, worst case, I can always change it out for a normal setup if I have issues with it... eBay Item No. 231830320795 Assuming I can get the thing running OK the first planned upgrade will be to change it to a twin extruder but nearly all the items I plan on printing at the moment will be fine with a single extruder setup. I'll try and remember to update this as and when it arrives, likely to be a week or so as it's shipping from Hong Kong. Might get stung for import duty too which will add to the cost. http://www.yorkshireoffroadclub.net/ |
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26th Mar 2016 8:07pm |
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| davew Member Since: 02 Jan 2012 Location: North Yorkshire Posts: 888
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Well, the printer arrived on Monday and, as expected I did get stung for import duty so the delivered price was £200 in the end, still not a huge amount of money.
It's taken a couple of evenings work to put it together. A couple of the acrylic parts needed minor adjustments (a bit of filing) to make them fit better but I didn't come across any "show stoppers" during the build, just a case of taking it step by step using the .pdf build manual. Building the kit is a slow and steady process but it does mean I have a pretty good idea of how every aspect of it works and that should help with any problems and later upgrades. I had to reload the firmware to change the movement of the x-axis that was initially reversed but that was a good thing in some ways as it means I now have the source code that matches the firmware and the Arduino IDE is all up and running should I want to make any further changes. I was surprised how quickly I got it up and running and first prints have already been done, early days while I sort out temperature and speed settings but the first few prints were all successful with no issues. The first "real" job will get printed tonight. http://www.yorkshireoffroadclub.net/ |
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6th Apr 2016 3:32pm |
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| Enid_Puceflange Member Since: 25 Oct 2014 Location: edinburgh Posts: 1172  
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Looking forward to your first prints!!
 My confidence has been writing cheques that my abilities can't cash for years. |
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6th Apr 2016 7:31pm |
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| Mark y Member Since: 24 Mar 2014 Location: Warwickshire Posts: 37
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Certainly interested to hear how you get on and any photos of your projects 👍
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6th Apr 2016 9:16pm |
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| davew Member Since: 02 Jan 2012 Location: North Yorkshire Posts: 888
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A couple of successful projects now done, the first was a pretty simple one, an anti-pigeon device for our seed bird feeder... need to design a mk2 though as, out of the 5 wood pigeons that tried it today, 1 of them managed to get past it.
The second project was a far more complex design and print. When we are competing in challenge events and not wearing a helmet, we use military style head sets linked to a Bluetooth motorcycle intercom. The problem is in actually securing the bluetooth units to the head sets. I've now designed and printed an adapter that has a suitable receptacle for the bluetooth unit to fit into and then clips to the head set. The printed item before cleaning but after the support structure was removed...  Click image to enlarge In situ between the bluetooth unit and the head set... Click image to enlarge Hopefully that will resolve the previous issues we've had with them coming "unstuck" during competitions. http://www.yorkshireoffroadclub.net/ |
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7th Apr 2016 6:10pm |
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| Mark y Member Since: 24 Mar 2014 Location: Warwickshire Posts: 37
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Always wondered if it would be possible to 3D print a miniature working differential, so that when I'm explaining how it works I could get small version and show how it works ?
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9th Apr 2016 6:03pm |
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| davew Member Since: 02 Jan 2012 Location: North Yorkshire Posts: 888
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Yes, you can download and print any number of different designs if you don't want to design your own...
http://www.thingiverse.com/search/page:1?q=differential&sa= http://www.yorkshireoffroadclub.net/ |
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9th Apr 2016 6:39pm |
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| Mark y Member Since: 24 Mar 2014 Location: Warwickshire Posts: 37
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So you can download one of them and print them on the smallest of machines ?
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9th Apr 2016 9:35pm |
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| mk1collector Member Since: 17 Sep 2009 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 6769 
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Why not just use a Lego technic one? Ray
My build thread http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic17615.html |
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9th Apr 2016 11:05pm |
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| davew Member Since: 02 Jan 2012 Location: North Yorkshire Posts: 888
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Yes, most of them can print anything up to 200mm x 200mm x 200mm or thereabouts. Most of the projects on thingiverse are designed for that size of printer because that's what most people have access to. http://www.yorkshireoffroadclub.net/ |
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9th Apr 2016 11:22pm |
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| Mark y Member Since: 24 Mar 2014 Location: Warwickshire Posts: 37
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Good idea, just looking at them 👍 |
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10th Apr 2016 8:07am |
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| sako243 Member Since: 08 Jul 2014 Location: Wales Posts: 1218  
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One chap I know had built up a full off road buggy out of Lego so he could illustrate diffs, suspension, castor angles etc. Ed
82 Hotspur Sandringham 6x6 95 Defender 110 300Tdi |
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10th Apr 2016 8:27am |
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