What do you think about 3D printers?

[Adrian "Marvel" Reynolds]

Ok so its 02.30am and my minds wandering again

I'm considering buying a 3D printer. I know nothing about them, but I have seen an increasing amount of models, figures and props done on them. Some of the items on offer are very rough looking I know and part of me feels its cheating having a model built for me, rather than have the joy and sense of achievement at building it part by part.
I do feel that I could get a fair bit of use out of one though especially for those hard to find bits and bobs.
Does anyone have one and what's your experience of it?
I'll most likely get one then after a month it will become another gadget sat in the corner gathering dust.

 

[Steven000]

Hi,
I bought a 3d 'leapfrog Creatr' printer about 5 years ago, although I used it for a lot of DIY projects I would never recommend it for printing model parts. I got disappointed rather quickly, you need very fine layers to print something useful for this kind of hobby...

You need a laser-resin-based printer like a 'stratasys' and those are very expensive...

I recommend using a printing service like 'shapeways', they use industrial 3d printers like the Stratasys etc...

Cheers, Steven

 

[Ian M]

I think to get a 3D printer that is upto the job, you will need to dig pretty deep into the beer token jar. They are getting better all the time and cheaper to but many of them are still a bit on the rough side for the kind of detail we would need.
A search on You Tube, turns up some quite informative videos.

 

[JR]

Think I will leave the thought alone, have enough fights with our normal printer, which has a mind and a will of its own.
Would like to come back say in 50 years to see what has changed, bet there will be some great changes, and some not so good.
John.

 

[Jakko]

Also don’t forget that before you can set the printer to work, you’ll need to draw the parts you need in CAD or 3D modelling software — this is a skill in itself that you’ll need to master. Of course, you can download models made by other people, but IMHO that wastes one of the great advantages of a 3D printer: being able to make what you want/need but don’t have the skills for to scratchbuild in the traditional way.

 

[JR]

Jakko , I agree , and that is why I will leave it to the technically minded guys.
Can any one remember Jim Barry, he was on here some time back, he became a real expert at doing the parts drawings, he then sent them off to Shapeways.
His radial engine detail he got them to produce was incredible, only possible on a top of the range printer.

 

[Neil Merryweather]

I use 3D printers in my job as an architects' model maker all the time, and they are a fantastic weapon in our arsenal.
They have got quite good now ,but you do have to spend some money .The biggest problem for us hobby modellers is the resolution. There is a good resin printer at £379 on amazon, the Anycubic.
But first you have to be REALLY interested in making it work, because it's not like a paper printer. Nothing works first time until you are really proficient in setting up the machine. You also need to be able to use the special software to fix the data to make stuff printable
It really depends on what you want to print and in which material. There is no such thing as an all-round 3D printer. It''s a big subject.There are several methods ,using different materials, and all have advantages and disadvantages, strengths and weaknesses.
As Jakko says first you need something to print- my professional advice is don't put the cart before the horse. I personally know of many abandoned 3D printers, believe me, bought by people who thought it would be neat but didn't have a genuine use for it , and then failed to get one decent print out of it.
Their main strength in our world is as a creator of prototypes which are then subsequently moulded in resin . Many new figures are being made via digital sculpting and 3D printing, rather than the old milliput way. Many after market products are made this way too.

Sorry to be so negative, they are really great, but they are not for the faint -hearted!
Good luck!
Neil

 

[Gern]

I wouldn't like to be browsing through a model shop of the future where all I'd be buying would be a CD containing the build programme for my chosen kit. Much, much nicer to have a box of plastic bits to play around with. Where's the fun in looking at a set of instructions for a computer?

It needs a 'Bill Gates' to create one which doesn't require you to be a CAD expert, but like Neil says, until then, you need an IT skill set which many of us don't have to even get started on the basics.

 

[Jakko]

Where's the fun in looking at a set of instructions for a computer?

Opinions on that differ. I get a nice feeling of satisfaction when I write a program that does what I want it to, for example. (And since, when I need a 3D model, I tend to make it in OpenSCAD, doing that is programming too ).

It needs a 'Bill Gates' to create one which doesn't require you to be a CAD expert, but like Neil says, until then, you need an IT skill set which many of us don't have to even get started on the basics.

Unless you do use something like OpenSCAD for your models, you don’t need to know much about computers or programming to create 3D models. You will, however, need to learn how to use CAD or 3D modelling software — and in general, that kind of software is, to put it plainly, a bastard to get to grips with. I daresay I know my way around computers better than most people, and can use most software I get my hands on after some figuring out, but CAD/3D modelling software tends to be straddled with such incredibly poor user interfaces and arse-backward conventions that it’s exceedingly hard to get anything done in it at all, is my experience. This is why I ended up at OpenSCAD, because at least then I can go:—

module M14British() {
	/*
	Draws the body for the British-modified M14 half-track personnel carrier
	*/
	M14Basic();

	// rear-facing bench between fuel tanks
	translate([8,-15.5/2,0]) {
		WoodenBench(width=15.5);
	}

	for (m=[0,1]) {
		mirror([0,m,0]) {
			translate([8.5,bodyWidth/2-5.6,10.375]) {
				linear_extrude(height=0.8) {
					polygon([[0,0], [1.5,1.5], [-1.5,1.5]]);
				}
			}
		}
	}
// and much more like that //

to get to:



(This is a rear body for a British-modified M14 half-track, for use with the 1/72 scale Plastic Soldier Company M5 kit. I put it up on Shapeways together with an M9A1 conversion, but for some reason I can’t determine, it’s no longer listed even though my shop page there says it should still be available.)

 

[Adrian "Marvel" Reynolds]

If I was to get one I would look at in time creating my own designs, I'm not a geek/techie but I'm bar far no luddite either.
I'm looking into them for help with my newly created S.I.G and putting something be it a stand or display item in-between mine and other members builds such as a helmet, hammer, staff or shield ( there's a clue )
I've looked around a little and ear marked £700 for an entry level one to get me started, I can always upgrade later as and when the need arises.

No doubt I'll post an update once I settle on my purchase and post my first attempts