"Printing in ABS" Why No Heat Bed ? "ABS Extruder"

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Why No Heat Bed?

"... was the final question over breakfast."

 

Well ... finally after considering all the options, within our budget and for qualtiy results ... Ultimaker is a clear winner in out book "Except" for the issues surrounding ABS printing.

Why print in ABS. Well for us ... 3D printing is more about printing parts that have some useful function. Most of the real world applications such as brackets, holders, clamps, joiners, washers, spacers and so on, are typically subjected to high levels of stress and heat.

Whilst PLA has characteristics that make it easy to print and give a finer finish, the inability to print in ABS puts a large question mark over practicality.

I am personally VERY impressed with the artistic designs and creations coming forth on this forum with regard to PLA and even the function, some of these are enabled for. The work that some people have put into the finishing product truly shines!

But once again ... I need my creations to handle being left in a car, mounted in a car ... to withstand our Australian Sun ... to have the give needed in order to bear a little weight without snapping and so on.

OK ... many of you guys here, do not need to here the obvious with regard to why use ABS ... So at any rate, having established why it is that our family wants to print in it ... and finally after coming to terms why the Ultimaker is so damn good :

Comes the finally question over the breakfast table ... Why No Heat Bed?

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So I get that it is not easy to print in ABS ... there are also other factors than just the heat bed, however ... the common phrase kind of goes "without a heat bed, forget it!"

(I would also like to talk about ABS specific extruder, but for now more interested in "why no Head Bed")

Building ourselves is out of our technical experience. That is to say understanding the parts involved and how they all work. I have some very basic knowledge .. perhaps variable control of voltage and current with factors on materials with heat distribution in mind and possibly the use of relays, sensors and so forth ... but my dyslexia holds me back with schematics and the finer points of soldering with polarity and all that jazz ... makes such things an expensive failed project.

I really really wish I could do it. I love trying to understand those sorts of things and do build bike lights and have played with some electrical components ... but even still ... I am unable to process the wiki heat bed Guide ... which then makes me think of my friends who would be much more unable than I ...

I can not even find a Complete DIY Heat Bed KIT ... and here lays the problem for us ... or allow me to put it like this:

Many of us that look at your product ... buy into the fact that with the well laid out guide/s, plus your encouragement that we need not be electrical engineers to build this kit combined with the great support of this community ...

That many of us would less technically minded folk would struggle with your said referral into the forums regarding the printing of ABS ... BUT even that aside ... NO HEAT BED ...

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Forgive ... I think I am explaining what I am trying to say wrong ... possibly have reached my limit today ...

How about this ... In a nut shell.

I have to get back to my wife and explain in some coherent way ... WHY NO HEAT BED ... BUT ... OR ... I am hoping I can kind that someone can come up with some kind of mirracle and tell me there is in fact somewhere in the world ... a complete DIY Ultmaker specific/dimensions/compatible Kit with step by step guide!

And I now direct attention to the Ultimake Team ... Would not such a Kit be profitable both with more sales of the Printer itself and yet another upgrade competent sold separate?

I believe the Makerbot Replicator 2X is one of the few reliable that many of us half baked noobs are looking at ... although the price is around $3000.00Au for Us ... surely you guys could come up with something to rival this heatbed issue?

I am not sold on the Dual Head ... I really think the practicality of just being able to Print in ABS is enough to Sell 3D printing as a much more Real World Product.

So how about ... any chance of a Intermediate Heat Bed Kit without the need for schematics, degrees and so forth? A user friendly Kit so to speak?

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Additional thoughts:

Anyone is welcome to let me know if I should buy a separate print head for ABS as well. Or would using the existing one be OK.

As far as that common Phrase (forget it if you don't have a heat bed)

Was the mention of a Printer Head specific to ABS heat requirements. Just thought it was worth noting. Like the Heat Bed will assist with warping issues, but a good Print Head specific to ABS will reduce ... clogs, lumps, drips and so on???

Over all ... If I can just come up with a solution within our level of ability ... regarding just the heat bed for now ... I know I could swing her over. She has been reading up on the other computers ... and she's a smart cookie! Posibly better than I ... OK ... well in fact she is ... anyways ...

 

Thanks for putting up with all my posts.

It's all down to helping us see a way with printing ABS ... hmmm If only the heat Bed ... (The kit does come with perspex sides does it not?)

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Cheers

Dave