Recommendation for a kit to build my first 3d printer.

Hi James, I don't have any specific recommendations but some thoughts on the factors to consider.

I think there are 4 key reasons to want to build a kit

• you enjoy building stuff
• you can learn more about the system as you build it
• it might be cheaper (this does not always seem to be the case)
• you want to enhance the system in future.

Based on this these are the factors you want to be reviewing against:

Head temperature (this will affect what materials you can print)

Size?

Time to build (are there any pre-assembled parts or is it just a box of raw materials)?

Price, some of the kits seem more expensive than off the shelf printers?

Linear bearings vs bushes, this affects the quality of prints, bearings are better but a bit more expensive

Features included, end stops, displays, fans

Material (wood, metal, printed parts) this could affect it's long term durability and robustness.

Can it be enhanced/adapted in future?

Does the controller board have capability to add fans or heated beds at a later date?

Does it use proprietary or open software, and specifically does that software work on your computer?

Speed of printing

TweakTown's Guide to 3D Printing: Part 2 - 3D Printer Kit Selection - What to look for in a DIY 3D Printer kit?

http://www.3ders.org/pricecompare/3dprinters/

How to build a 3D printer from scratch | 3D Printing from scratch

I am just finishing building the Vellaman Vertex K8400 and am very pleased, the unit sells for around $1100 (CDN) and the second head kit is under $300. I would recommend this printer.

Here's some test prints

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:533472

http://www.3ders.org/articles/20150410-test-and-calibrate-your-3d-printer-capacities-with-the-3dbency-test-project.html

And some challenges (you might need to tweek the settings to get these ones to print)

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:11759

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:10398

My 3D printer is a 2 year old Printrbot LC, made from laser cut plywood. Building was fun and the result was a fully working printer

Printrbot seems to have moved completely to metal now, but if the original wooden kits are any reference, I'm sure the metal ones will be great.

I appreciate the feedback, i am looking into a good sized build area any idea about this printer? or one of these two one, two? the printrbot seems rather small, is 4x4x5 sufficient? I realize that depends on my project but does anyone know the average size of objects printed? if I choose a larger build area can I print multiple objects in sequence on the larger platform, object a gets done thenthe head moves to other side then prints b, c etc  

It's very nice!

Hi James,

When considering build volume, its worth noting that the larger you go with your parts, the more prone they are to failure, and the larger the part, the more material is lost if a print fails. The Designer of the CEL Robox Chris Elseworthy has written a blog on Size and 3D printing you can find it here; http://www.cel-robox.com/bigger-really-better/

Now of course I am going to be bias towards the Robox, but I have to ask, what is your reasoning for looking at kit printers rather than a pre built unit? Is it because you wish to have the experience of building it, which is probably the best (and in my opinion the only) reason to build from a kit, or to save money? I have built several kit printers myself and found the process very enjoyable, but I am now very glad to have an easy to maintain Robox by my side.

Cheers,

Simon

>if I choose a larger build area can I print multiple objects in sequence on the larger platform

No, you can't as the print head would likely knock the other items off the bed.

However, you can print several things in parallel and potentially save time. However if you have to abandon the print because of an issue then you could loose the lot. Here's an example where I printed a batch of thumbwheels at the same time.

Hi,

  Looks like I'm late to the party, but I thought I'd chime in.  I purchased a makerfarm i3v 8" model at the beginning of the summer.  I went with a kit primarily for the opportunity to build something, but price was also a consideration, as I could not find a satisfactory model below my price point.  The building process was pretty straightforward and the only real problems I encountered were NOOB style (e.g. not tightening set screws).  It took roughly three weeks for me to build, calibrate and get to know my printer sufficiently to print functional parts such as the gears to Greg's extruder.  I've designed a few things ( http://www.thingiverse.com/bobthechemist/about ) and have been able to print a number of basic designs. 

The greatest challenge I've had is bridging, which was only recently resolved by the addition of a cooling fan.  In my case, I was pleasantly surprised that the kit I purchased had all of the non-printable parts for this design, which either speaks to the suppliers forethought or the maker-communities ingenuity.  I can now print this bridge successfully in PLA.

In the several months since I've been printing with a kit-based printer, I've only had one functional problem, where I ended up clogging the hot end during a filament switch from ABS to PLA.  In this case, I ended up applying too much pressure to the filament and the hot end leaked.  Since I built the printer, it was pretty straightforward to remove the problem parts for repair, which required a lengthy soaking of the metal hot end components in a sonication bath containing methylene chloride.  (I have a laboratory outfitted to do such things, and would not recommend this for an at-home user.)  My point here is that I *don't* know if this type of problem would also happen with a commercial instrument that has sufficient bells and whistles to assist the user in changing filaments.

In the end, a major purpose for purchasing a kit rather than a commercial printer was the engineering design aspect of the hobby.  Not only did I want to build the unit, but I wanted a platform to modify, hack, break and repair.  If these tasks sound at all appealing, then I would recommend the kit approach.  (Now, given that I'm replying to your post 2 months late, I suspect you've already made your decision.)