Hello all, I'm new to 3D printing.

Jordan_Cruz · June 5, 2015, 1:38am

Hello all, I’m new to 3D printing. Can anyone point me in the right direction and recommend me a good 3D printer? Thank you in advance.

Andy_Castille · June 5, 2015, 1:42am

@Printrbot has several printers that are nice and start at $550 (I love my Simple Metal)

Carlton_Dodd · June 5, 2015, 1:43am

First time? Printrbot. No question in my mind.
Also, you WILL have to tinker with any printer you get. You WILL need basic tools, a multimeter, digital caliper, and the knowledge of how to use them.

Justin_Nesselrotte · June 5, 2015, 1:51am

What price range are you looking at?

Jordan_Cruz · June 5, 2015, 2:09am

@Andy_Castille @Carlton_Dodd I’ll look into Printrobot thanks. @Justin_Nesselrotte Around $1,500-2,000 max. I also run OS X not sure if it matters.

Justin_Nesselrotte · June 5, 2015, 2:12am

@Jordan_Cruz for that price range, I’d go with the lulzbot mini if you’re okay with the slightly smaller build size (about 6 inches^3) because it has automatic build leveling and nozzle cleaning plus a pei bed which is really effective. It’s the only printer I own that has never failed except when I did something like forget to put filament in or left the extruder assembly open after putting filament in.

Also, I build @LulzBot ’s Cura edition for Mac, so I know it works pretty well.

Benjamin_Engel · June 5, 2015, 2:41am

Reprap.org

Jordan_Cruz · June 5, 2015, 4:06am

@Justin_Nesselrotte Is the Touch Controller worth the extra cost?

Jordan_Cruz · June 5, 2015, 4:07am

What are the CONS and POS with buying one and DIY one instead?

Justin_Nesselrotte · June 5, 2015, 4:07am

@Jordan_Cruz what touch controller?

Jordan_Cruz · June 5, 2015, 4:09am

@Justin_Nesselrotte http://amzn.to/1cB7DHl

michael_salmon · June 5, 2015, 4:28am

I’d recommend ultimaker for ease of use, quality, and reliability.

Jordan_Cruz · June 5, 2015, 4:39am

@michael_salmon Wow! The ultimaker looks amazing. Which model you recommend?

michael_salmon · June 5, 2015, 5:03am

The 2. It’s reliable as all hell. Fast and clean. I’ve had an up, makergear, afinia , robo 3d, lulz bot and a form1. Ultimaker 2 wins hands down

Baczo_Zsolt · June 5, 2015, 5:14am

by DIY you mean to buy a kit and assemble it yourself or build one from scratch? I designed and built mine from scratch and it was a very rewarding experience. Pros would be that you can customize it to your liking, learn a lot about 3D printing while you make it and especially when you troubleshoot it, it is probably cheaper to build your own, especially if you have some hardware lying around that you can reuse, and the satisfaction you get when you look at it after it’s done it’s priceless
Cons would be: it will surely take you longer to have a functional printer, you’ll have to research a lot before beginning and you will have to do a LOT of troubleshooting and tinkering and it might not look as nice as a purchased one.

Justin_Nesselrotte · June 5, 2015, 8:16am

@Jordan_Cruz Ah, no, that’s someone reselling it with an attachment. This is the official product page: https://www.lulzbot.com/products/lulzbot-mini-3d-printer

James_Malenko · June 5, 2015, 11:47am

If you have that much then DEFINITELY a ultimaker. I wouldn’t recommend printrbot.

tucho_mendez · June 5, 2015, 1:48pm

Lulzbot Mini!

Koen_Zaiser_Camokoko · June 5, 2015, 3:22pm

Look at this printer http://wanhaousa.com/products/duplicator-i3-steel-frame

Jordan_Cruz · June 5, 2015, 3:28pm

Thanks everyone. I ended up going with the Ultimaker 2.