Buying my first 3D printer..

[athena 0]

I'm considering to get myself an entryticket to the world of 3D printing. Of course, there are many to choose from, but I think I've narrowed down the choice between Ultimaker and the Velleman K8200. For a fair comparison, I probably should compare kit (hence UM1) to kit:

- K8200 is cheaper

- K8200 is much bigger, for a slightly smaller print volume

- The alu frame of K8200 seems more rigid and durable than the wooden UM1

- K8200 has a heated bed

- UM1 claims layers of 0,05 mm, whereas K8200 speaks about 0,2-0,25 mm

- I think the UM1 is easier to assemble

- The K8200 is in stock in a shop in my hometown, compared to weeks of delivery time for Ultimaker.

Choices, choices, ...

I'm sure all of you will tell me that I should go with Ultimaker - but I'm mostly interested in experiences from people who actually have used both.

 

[gr5 2,172]

I'm sure all of you will tell me that I should go with Ultimaker

 

Yes. I know many people who have Ultimaker and something else.. None of them. None of them said UM was worse. Of course none of them had a K8200.

The in-stock thing sounds very nice though. The UM1 kit will probably take a few weeks. The UM2 a few months.

The UM just makes really beautiful prints. Look at this section and see if you can compare that other printer:

http://umforum.ultimaker.com/index.php?/topic/467-post-your-latest-print/page-98&do=findComment&comment=52552

There's 90 or so pages in there - scroll up fast and just look at the thousand or so pictures.

About resolution - nozzle diameter affects resolution the most. The nozzle diameter of the UM1 is .4mm although you can buy smaller nozzles if you want to do really fine work (like ear rings).

Having a best resolution of .2mm sounds - well - pretty crappy. The UM1 can actually go thinner than .05 but doing so is silly if you are printing something larger than a grain of rice.

 

[tommyph1208 55]

I'm sorry to say, this but...

As you pointed out yourself, delivery (and general service level) from UM is horrible at the moment (and basically have been ever since the UM2 was released)...

Based on what I have seen on the forum the last months I would NOT advise you to buy anything directly from them, be it UM1 or UM2..

From what I can tell, you risk ending in a horrible situation where you are waiting several months for your printer, with bad or no ways of communicating with UM... all the while, they have your money and the rest of the world of 3d printing is in fiery development, with new designs constantly being released at ever more competitable prices...

That being said, I have always, and continue to, believe that the UM1 is a great printer... My best advise would be for you to buy a used UM1 in good condition (many will be). You wont do any better than that in terms of price and value for money.

To address some of your other concerns:

- In my experience the rigidity of the wooden UM1 frame is no problem at all, its a great design and a very stable one. I spray painted mine (see my gallery) for a nicer not so wooden look and an even tighter and snug fit...

- There are a lot of HB solutions for the UM1 by now, from the very DIY reprap approaches to very professional nice looking plug and play products

(like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/161157442118?lpid=82%20),%20%20so%20its%20really%20not%20that%20much%20of%20a%20problem...%20UM%20have%20also%20promised%20an%20official%20HB%20upgrade...%20The%20release%20date,%20price%20and%20lead%20time%20are%20somewhat%20uncertain%20though...

- Layer heights are not always synonymous with print quality, a lot of factors have a saying here, and though its certainly nice to have the option and possibility to go down to 0.05 or even 0.04 mm., often I believe it won't be worth the print time or trouble... That being said, 0.2/0.25 sound like a lot... I find 0.1 to be a good default setting, but of course it depends of the object and purpose.

Hope this whole rant helps in some way... its definitely a jungle out there, and getting thicker by the day... Only way to learn is to just dive in, and with a UM1 you'll be off to a good start.

By getting one second hand you'll still have money left for tweaks, upgrades, or maybe even your second printer...)

[zoev89 73]

The velleman printer looks nice and the price difference is quite bit. I don't own a velleman so I can't say how well it is but I have seen one printing in utrecht in a stand from conrad. I was not impressed by the quality of the print output. It was printing something so at least it was operational but the result was not to my liking. I can't say that it was the best that the printer can do. That was the reason to look at alternatives for me. I have a um original kit and I get better results then what I have seen there and I am still a newbie.

This my view:

Pros velleman

Quickly available.

Lower price.

Heated bed

Pros ultimaker

Better quality and don't worry about the wooden frame it is good.

If you like hacking the printer it is the way to go.

Con velleman

what I have seen of the build quality I was not impressed.

If you want to print abs you would need to do something about that open frame, more difficult to close then the UM

Check the forums there are problems with the drive of the extruder though some people found alternatives.

Con ultimaker

Depending on the filament you use spend extra money on a heated bed.

Lots of modifications possible

The long wait for delivery.

For me it was um but that is also why I am here.....

 

[Daid 306]

- The alu frame of K8200 seems more rigid and durable than the wooden UM1

 

In frame vs box, the box wins. The upward frame of the K8200 will have significant wobble at higher layers. And the K8200 has a moving bed, which means your print moves, this also negatively impacts print quality.

And wood is actually a pretty good material, only "bad" thing about wood is that it can warp, which it cannot in the UM design due to the box construction.

Also, software. Check it out. It's usually forgotten to check how well the software support is and how well the software manual is.

 

[athena 0]

Thanks Tommyph1208 for suggesting to buy a used Ultimaker - and thanks of course also to the other posters for their help. I'll go on Ultimaker-hunt.

 

[tommyph1208 55]

Thanks Tommyph1208 for suggesting to buy a used Ultimaker - and thanks of course also to the other posters for their help. I'll go on Ultimaker-hunt.

 

Theres a sales section on this forum (bottom of main page), and check ebay as well

[ejennings 0]

 

Hi athena,

I don’t own one, but my brother has a Peachy 3D printer. 3D printer is a fantastic machine; since my brother has his own small jewellery shop in town, he uses additive manufacturing as an efficient way of producing one of a kind design of accessories like necklaces, rings, pendants, and bracelet and so on. He uses wide range of materials such as ABS, PLA, and nylon filament. And just recently, he’s fond of utilizing rubber-like material like this http://www.3d2print.net/shop/3d-printer-filament/elastic-filament/ which he used for my personalized iPhone case as a birthday present. Now, he’s making big profit out of it (I'm proud of him).