Any 3D Printer people here? :)

[SuB]

So to me, this is hardware.. and it's electronics, so screw it.. I'm asking in here!

So, after what was a long and drawn out wait (and still is) for the 2 printers I've backed on Kickstarter (both of which have failed)... I've gone and picked up a cheap one from China.

When I first wanted to get into this hobby, around 10 years ago.. the pricing was extremely restrictive, and when I backed those 2 printers (one for $180, the other for around $350) the entry-level price for the market was around $1500~$3000 depending on what sort of quality you wanted from your prints.

The idea of RepRap was relatively new, and the first "self replicating" printers were starting to appear in relatively small numbers at a very specialist and still quite expensive level.

Fast forward 2.5 years and you can get a kit from China, posted for 135 of your Great British pounds that will print at the same kind of quality/resolution/speed as something worth 10x that 2 years ago...

Parts are easily available, the tech is becoming super accessible to regular Jo's now, and you can take one of these cheap kits and upgrade it into something far more precise and capable by either printing your own upgrades, or accessing things like GearBest or AliExpress for parts. China seems to have taken the 3D Printing hobby and driven the prices allll the way down.

Now, onto what I bought. I picked up an Anet A8, and have only done a couple prints so far, a 20mm cube for a quick feed test which went fairly well, and a 3DBenchy boat.

Personally, I'm properly impressed with how that came out, considering the cost so far.. I'm astonished.

I haven't tweaked *anything* on the printer yet, but I've got a whole host of things on order to upgrade it, and a Kilo of filament on it's way to print various upgrades too.

Anyone else got one? Got experience? Got tips? This is a hobby I've wanted to get into for 10+ years, but life and the price just got in the way for me.. It would be good to find other fellow Makers

 

[AlienALX]

Boaty McBoatface

I want one but they take up room I don't really have.

 

[SuB]

Ha, that's literally what my other half has named the printed boat lol

Yeah space is a thing for sure, there are really small ones available now, but that leaves you quite limited in terms of what they can do. Then of course there's the whole fumes from melting plastics thing...

There's just something... awesome about getting a 3D Model from a computer and from a spool of plastic.. it can be a real physical thing. That's just so cool to me.

 

[WYP]

I think I have backed the same 3D Printer as your. The Tiko? Ugh, stupid of those people not to look for external investment alongside their kickstarter funding.

I'd be very interested in seeing what you can make with this printer, as I might pick one up myself.

 

[SPS]

I didn't know about the A8, the print looks good. I was going to get the Monoprice Mini after the pile of turd that is Tiko finally canned it.

 

[SuB]

@WYP : Yep, the Tiko is one of them, super frustrating.
If you have the cash, go grab one http://www.gearbest.com/3d-printers-3d-printer-kits/pp_337314.html

@SPS : Yeah with M3D offering the discount for Tiko backers (did you get that?) it was tempting, but I wanted to hold off until I knew what was going on with XMachines, I'm in talks with their CEO about them trying to buy the remaining parts from XMachines, but it's slow going, there's a glimmer of hope but it's SO small right now

But yeah, if you fancy it, definitely grab the Anet A8, it's a kit, you'll learn a bunch of stuff and so far I've been hella impressed with it. Once I run off some more prints I'll update here for sure

 

[WYP]

Have you printed anything recently sub?