3D Printing

themoneycollector · 04-01-2013, 12:20 PM

I've been playing around with a Replicator 2 3D printer for about a week.

So far I have mixed feelings. It was the first time I ever used one or saw the outputs in person.

They have some serious flaws that I think ruin them and from what I've read, almost all models have these problems, not just this one.

They print onto an acrylic base, but the design gets stuck to the base when it's done. You have to pry it off and that results in a lot of broken or warped designs. Most people recommend using blue painters tape to help the design peel right off, but then you have a problem of the design not adhering well and that results in even more warping problems.

I'm on my 4th try for a case for an RPi and each one has had its problems.

This one prints down to 100 microns, so I thought that would be pretty small, but the finished result has that ugly "layered" look. And you get tons of filament whiskers and blobs. I expected a lot more refinement from a $2k+ machine. I understand that it's quick to make rapid prototypes and such, but I can't see how anyone could do any precision work with it for prototyping or any type of mass production that could compete with injection plastic.

Anyone have any experience with current 3D printers and find anything "fun" to print?

04-01-2013, 12:20 PM	#1
themoneycollector Nicotiana Tabacum Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Hill AFB, UT Posts: 1,258 Trading: (108)	3D Printing I've been playing around with a Replicator 2 3D printer for about a week. So far I have mixed feelings. It was the first time I ever used one or saw the outputs in person. They have some serious flaws that I think ruin them and from what I've read, almost all models have these problems, not just this one. They print onto an acrylic base, but the design gets stuck to the base when it's done. You have to pry it off and that results in a lot of broken or warped designs. Most people recommend using blue painters tape to help the design peel right off, but then you have a problem of the design not adhering well and that results in even more warping problems. I'm on my 4th try for a case for an RPi and each one has had its problems. This one prints down to 100 microns, so I thought that would be pretty small, but the finished result has that ugly "layered" look. And you get tons of filament whiskers and blobs. I expected a lot more refinement from a $2k+ machine. I understand that it's quick to make rapid prototypes and such, but I can't see how anyone could do any precision work with it for prototyping or any type of mass production that could compete with injection plastic. Anyone have any experience with current 3D printers and find anything "fun" to print?