Lord Geordie Posted April 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 Can I thank ALL the people who kindly offered help, and extend an invitation to you all, that if your EVER passing Newcastle down or up the A1 I am a stone throw from the westerhope turn off, if you wish to call in for a coffe or a toilet stop! Thanks you once again, This forum is full of AMAZING people! I am truely honoured to walk among such genuine caring people! Martin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted April 27, 2016 Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 I've dipped in and out. What was the make and model number of the printer please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Geordie Posted April 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 I am awaiting a reply from Buze, I want to see if the one Chris chose is actually any good before I let him spalsh out! I don't want him to buy twice when he can get it right first time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buze Posted April 27, 2016 Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 I am awaiting a reply from Buze, I want to see if the one Chris chose is actually any good before I let him spalsh out! I don't want him to buy twice when he can get it right first time! Sorry i also been lapsing in following the thread/forum, and I missed the make/model as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martyn2233 Posted April 27, 2016 Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 (edited) Sorry i also been lapsing in following the thread/forum, and I missed the make/model as well! i think it this one mate https://bigbox-3d.com/ Edited April 27, 2016 by martyn2233 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Geordie Posted April 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 i think it this one mate https://bigbox-3d.com/ Yeah it was a big box, the one he was looking at was the wood one as it was slightly cheaper! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buze Posted April 27, 2016 Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 To be fair, I don't know /that/ printer in particular, but it shares the same DNA as many many others for the last few years. At first glance it actually looks like a nice piece of kit, the tech specifications appears to show all the things I'd like to see in a printer so so far, so good. It seems you'll be able to use the easily sources PLA/ABS and so on so you are not 'tied in'. Only little concern is their 'slicer' -- there are EXCELLENT existing open source slicers, not sure why they want to sell another one for £99... As far as value goes, it's also more or less what I'd expect give it's sourced in the UK, and that you will have UK support; also it's very likely to be better sourced that cheaper alternatives from oversea. So I think the price is 'fair' to borderline 'good' for the specs. Were you planning to buy the 'kit' or the 'fully assembled' ? As I mentioned before, 3d printing with that style of printers requires quite a bit of tinkering, therefore having /built/ the machine would help a lot in understanding how it works, and therefore be able to tweak as necessary. I know I spent more time tinkering than printing 'real things' really, it's part of that activity! One thing I could mention is that you don't always /need/ the biggest print bed in the world... That printer has a large bed, but I've printed quite a few larger pieces myself -- the key is to cut them into pieces, print them separately and glue them afterward! That way if your print 'fails' (it does happend!!) you haven't wasted 12 hours of energy and a hundred meter of filament... So bear that in mind. Large print take a HUGE amount of time; if you got for high quality, it can take a whole night, or more to get a print... And a lot of things could go wrong, so 'segment printing' is quite a good idea. Anyway, I've asked around my mates for specifics on that printer, I'll report ASAP if I hear anything. It is an expensive bit of kit tho... I'd consider this an 'investment', but /personally/ I probably would try to buy a smaller, entry level kit to get my teeth into the problem, and then upgrade later on (if needed). There is also the second point I'd like to make is that the real /skill/ regarding 3d printing is how to design pieces to be printed. I think the real 'skill' I picked from dicking around with 3d printer is how to design mechanical bits that are elegant and printable. You can't just go and say 'oh I'll just print another of that <door handle, table foot, adapter> etc -- all you will get with a 3d printer is a way to print large number of semi accurate models you find online, unless you spend the time learning to /design/ for printing... Hope this helps :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marki Posted April 27, 2016 Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 Personally I think that it is edging on the good to average for the price it is pitched at. My bigger concern would be that it is an crowd sourced project still in the early stages. Despite the good intentions it could easily all fold up and you are left without support. Look at Makibox. I'd also question anyone that is selling slicer software. The two biggest and most used are free and work exceptionally well. I'd still suggest that a Prusa i3 or other established printer is the safer option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buze Posted April 27, 2016 Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 Actually I might have a bit of news a bit later about that printer, might even be a little bit exciting ;-) @Marki, that's why I asked about 'kits'... The good thing about this printer is that they seem to derivate from 'known' printer bits. The extruder seems pretty standard for example... Basically it looks quite familiar really, and should be serviceable, as long as you take the time to understand how it works... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marki Posted April 27, 2016 Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 @Marki, that's why I asked about 'kits' Good point. The Pro or even dual as a kit actually are a good price. I always think that the assembly is really fulfilling, it gives you a feel for the machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buze Posted April 28, 2016 Report Share Posted April 28, 2016 (edited) Got some feedback from my mates: E3D are fairly local (Chalgrove near Oxford) and came to rlab last year to demo the BigBox. I have no direct experience but it looks a very capable machine and is open source. It is a kit though so additional effort would be needed and as Alex said much would depend on the youngster's interest and abilities though frankly this is true of anyone.The autolevelling and Titan extruder will make the mechanics easy to manage so as always the complexity will be in the software and getting the interconnection set up properly. Do you have a view as to whether he would be comfortable with the common toolchain (3D design, slicing, print control)? E3D include the option to have Octopi and Simplify3D which make for a more approachable setup.My son is also autistic and also fascinated by the 3D printer though while quite able to use a PC to browse etc is not capable of using design software or a toolchain (yet) so he relies on me to run the system and make stuff for him, would his parents be able to do likewise?I could contact Josh Rowley at E3D and see if a demo could be arranged if you are interested. And: The E3D BigBox.............various options, Lite, Pro, Dual is available either as a kit or built. The "two days" build for the kit is a little optimistic but the build isn't difficult if you have reasonable DIY skills, electrical, electronic, mechanical and basic computer skills to setup and connect to the Pi. Some bits are quite fiddly though, ok VERY fiddly.(as are most 3D printers) getting a first print out is anything from "It worked first time" to "Twenty attempts and I still get Thermal Runaway". The Titan upgrade is worth having to make day to day operation and maintenance a lot easier, plus the X-Carriage is lighter so potentially faster printing, but regardless of speed Titan is the way to go. If they want a printer that just works the BB isn't for them, if they want to work on different techniques of printing, updating firmware, understand how the slicer (say Simplify3D) works etc. and tinker with lots of parts and settings then it's fun. There could be, but in general isn't a "standard" BigBox printer. It all depends what they would like to do.. Build it themselves? Have hackspace people help them build it (happy to help having done it once) Buy it built Spend time hacking it or Just have it work Edited April 28, 2016 by buze Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Geordie Posted April 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2016 Thanks for that Buze! Having just read about the titan extruder! It appears Big Box will come with this as a standard fitting soon as for VERY fiddly! I strip and repair antique watches as a hobby! So fiddly is fine Chris is quite adept at picking up and running when it comes to things like programs etc! He was found coding and stuff himself! I gave him that program for CAD design to have a play with! And I am handy should he need to have help with a build! He has a Raspberry Pi already, he was using it for some silly bitcoin program! But he seems to do OK with programs and hardware! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teal Posted April 28, 2016 Report Share Posted April 28, 2016 This topic has moved on to the 3d printers on the market, and the various models and merits thereof. As such it is best for a new topic to start on 3d printing, and this one can draw to a close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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