3D Printers?

[DarkBlade2117]

My mom is very artistic and one thing she'd love to have is a 3d Printer. My stepdad, grandpa and I are all gonna pitch in some money to get her one. It doesnt have to make things bigger then 12/12/12 inches. No more then like $750, I live in the U.S.. THANKS in advance.

[givingtnt]

12" gonna be hard to find for that price

how bout this : http://www.solidoodle.com/Solidoodle4

[bob345]

is she good with technical things? because there is no 3d printer out there that is a simple press a button and it works solution yet. If she is and has some 3d modeling skills, i would look at the printrbot simple metal. http://printrbot.com/shop/assembled-simple-metal/

[werto165]

I think 3D printers are a gimmick at the very moment. 

Sure, they can do some epic shit already, but I think it'll take AT LEAST 10 years before they really become a big thing like smartphones did in 2008 or so.

If you do decide to get one, perhaps get one that Barnaclus got or whoever that chubby guy is

You spelt his name wrong shock horror, I'll let you off, it's technically based of barnacules, because he was running late on time or something along those lines and he called his friend and he said rub those barnacles off you, I'll try and find the video as my memory is failing me.

somewhere in here, really can't be bothered finding the specific time stamp.

[bob345]

I think 3D printers are a gimmick at the very moment. 

Sure, they can do some epic shit already, but I think it'll take AT LEAST 10 years before they really become a big thing like smartphones did in 2008 or so.

If you do decide to get one, perhaps get one that Barnacules got or whoever that chubby guy is

they are not a gimmic, they are just looked at the wrong way by most people. They are a tool just like a milling machine is a tool. Its something that can making your own things given you know how to use it. The media really overhypes what they can be used for. Things like food 3d printers are stupid, but standard ones are usefull for things like rapid prototyping where similar solutions may cost thousands whereas 3d printing a part will only cost from a few cents to a few dollars depending on the scale

[givingtnt]

nope

[DarkBlade2117]

12" gonna be hard to find for that price

how bout this : http://www.solidoodle.com/Solidoodle4

  

I like the look to it. And the max size on it is just fine I like it.

is she good with technical things? because there is no 3d printer out there that is a simple press a button and it works solution yet. If she is and has some 3d modeling skills, i would look at the printrbot simple metal. http://printrbot.com/shop/assembled-simple-metal/

I think she'd prefer something that didn't look like it belongs in a factory.

[bob345]

  

I like the look to it. And the max size on it is just fine I like it.

I think she'd prefer something that didn't look like it belongs in a factory.

you wont find anything better for the price. you could go with a robo3d, but the quality of prints will be lower. Unless you are paying a ton for something like an ultimaker or makerbot, that is the best you will find in your budget. I would not recommend a solidoodle as they are built very poorly

[Hackentosher]

Going back to what has been mentioned before, 3d printing is a very hands on, technical thing. You have to be able to work your way through a technical problem or you're screwed. I personally have an Ultimaker original, that I got as a kit and it's basically a dream. Put it together in about 11 hours and it prints beautifully... when it prints. Even for a high quality machine as the ultimaker, there is always going to be something that will take away from printing your part because you have to fix a belt or something minimal that ends up screwing with everything.

 

As for actually using it, it's one thing to go on thingiverse, download a model, and print it, but it's something else entirely to be able to design something of your own and bring it into reality. Just being able to draw doesn't mean that CAD will come naturally to her. I would suggest having her poke around at some software from autodesk (you can get all of their software for free right here, just create an account and type in the name of your high school, college, or "Techshop" and you get a perfectly legal license of any software you want as long as you don't use it for a design firm or something) or something basic like google sketchup or even tinkercad. All of this software can export a model as a .stl file (what you send to a slicing software where the model is prepared for printing) and they range in simplicity and functionality. 

 

You mentioned she was artistic, well barnacules did a tutorial on how he made some coin from photoshop then extruded it into a model using 3ds max, that sounds like something an artist might be interested in. 

 

All in all, I am a firm believer in the 3D printing revolution and I think it is a great thing to be a part of even in its infancy. For printers, may I recommend the printrbot (again) but a coat of paint could go a long way towards making it look at home in a house. Since a printer requires a lot of maintenance, building a printer is a really good option in the long run because when something goes wrong, she will know her way around the machine and have a pretty good idea on how everything works. Many of the kits are RepRap's, which in my personal experience are a pain in the ass. Buying a RepRap kit is a gamble, as you don't know how much time and effort the seller has put into making the kit. You can learn more about that world here.

 

Lastly, if you go through with this, she's going to need material. Buying material can also be a bit of a gamble, so buy material either from the manufacturer of the printer, or from these guys. I purchased a kilo of their material that they make in house and have had a lot of success with it, and it's about half the cost of more common material. She should probably go with PLA as it is really easy to print with, and smells like waffles instead of ass when you use it. Not even kidding about the waffles part, the plastic is based off of corn so it's kinda smells kinda sugary when it's melted/burned. Hope my two cents helped!