3D printing for teenager interested in design
Discussion
Hi folks
My 13 year old has some money burning a hole in his pocket from Xmas and birthdays and he's keen on getting a 3D printer. He has used them at school in design and loves using the 3D design software aswell as using the 3D printer to realise his design.
He has come up with this one below as the one he'd like to get as it's within his price range and he also likes the idea of putting it together aswell.
Anet A8
http://www.gearbest.com/3d-printers-3d-printer-kit...
Can anyone comment on whether this is a good buy / 3D printer ? Anyone used gearbest.....are they reputable. I have no clue on this technology so looking for some feedback that it's reputable supplier and he isn't wasting his cash on that printer !
Thanks
My 13 year old has some money burning a hole in his pocket from Xmas and birthdays and he's keen on getting a 3D printer. He has used them at school in design and loves using the 3D design software aswell as using the 3D printer to realise his design.
He has come up with this one below as the one he'd like to get as it's within his price range and he also likes the idea of putting it together aswell.
Anet A8
http://www.gearbest.com/3d-printers-3d-printer-kit...
Can anyone comment on whether this is a good buy / 3D printer ? Anyone used gearbest.....are they reputable. I have no clue on this technology so looking for some feedback that it's reputable supplier and he isn't wasting his cash on that printer !
Thanks
Gearbest are a Chineese distributor, so lead times may be slightly longer than claimed, and you have to hope the packaging is good.
I've not used that particular printer. There is a review (Google it) that suggests that it's ok, but you need to be careful assembling it (like all printers there are high voltages, temperatures and high currents involved). For the price, I wouldn't expect the best, and he may need to do a few repairs and diagnose odd problems. That's not unusual for any 3D printer though - these aren't 'plug and play' machines.
I've not used that particular printer. There is a review (Google it) that suggests that it's ok, but you need to be careful assembling it (like all printers there are high voltages, temperatures and high currents involved). For the price, I wouldn't expect the best, and he may need to do a few repairs and diagnose odd problems. That's not unusual for any 3D printer though - these aren't 'plug and play' machines.
Many thanks. At that price point, I'm not expecting much....I think he is :-)
It would be a good project for him I think, & saves him spending it on PS4 games !! I guess it's one step up from Lego Technics !!
He's already done one design that he gave to a friend to print out on his 3d printer so it seems he's pretty serious..........however, I just spotted that it seems to support Windows XP / Windows 7 / Windows 8 / Mac / Linux & NOT Windows 10. Anyone know whether there is therefore likely to be a problem trying to run it from Windows 10 PC ?
I guess he can create the 3D design on the PC and drop it onto an SD card for printing ?
It would be a good project for him I think, & saves him spending it on PS4 games !! I guess it's one step up from Lego Technics !!
He's already done one design that he gave to a friend to print out on his 3d printer so it seems he's pretty serious..........however, I just spotted that it seems to support Windows XP / Windows 7 / Windows 8 / Mac / Linux & NOT Windows 10. Anyone know whether there is therefore likely to be a problem trying to run it from Windows 10 PC ?
I guess he can create the 3D design on the PC and drop it onto an SD card for printing ?
Edited by Steve Campbell on Wednesday 26th April 19:54
Just a thought here but have you used www.shapeways.com which is a website matching users wanting to 3D print their own designs with owners of 3D printers.
I uploaded a CAD drawing of a prototype component I was considering manufacturing and within 5 minutes had several quotes back for printing the item.
You can also select different materials depending upon what you are printing, from cheaper plastics to gold, etc.
Might be worthwhile taking a look to see what is on offer.
Could I ask what software your lad is using because I invested in SolidWorks which has proved to be a very useful tool.
I uploaded a CAD drawing of a prototype component I was considering manufacturing and within 5 minutes had several quotes back for printing the item.
You can also select different materials depending upon what you are printing, from cheaper plastics to gold, etc.
Might be worthwhile taking a look to see what is on offer.
Could I ask what software your lad is using because I invested in SolidWorks which has proved to be a very useful tool.
rich888 said:
Just a thought here but have you used www.shapeways.com which is a website matching users wanting to 3D print their own designs with owners of 3D printers.
I uploaded a CAD drawing of a prototype component I was considering manufacturing and within 5 minutes had several quotes back for printing the item.
You can also select different materials depending upon what you are printing, from cheaper plastics to gold, etc.
Might be worthwhile taking a look to see what is on offer.
Could I ask what software your lad is using because I invested in SolidWorks which has proved to be a very useful tool.
True, but it's not quite the same thing as watching a print head wander about on its merry little way, spending hours cursing a slicer program and fiddling with retraction settings, temperatures and print speeds. Also the time to iterate a design can be quite a bit longer this way (yes, I know, we're talking about a teenager here, but even so).I uploaded a CAD drawing of a prototype component I was considering manufacturing and within 5 minutes had several quotes back for printing the item.
You can also select different materials depending upon what you are printing, from cheaper plastics to gold, etc.
Might be worthwhile taking a look to see what is on offer.
Could I ask what software your lad is using because I invested in SolidWorks which has proved to be a very useful tool.
I agree with the posts above that you may need to keep an eye on iffy Chinese wiring practices. Have a look at r/3dprinting on reddit for feedback on the A8. I think I've seen some but don't have time to check
Steve's son maybe able to get an educational version of SolidWorks or even a free copy of Fusion or Inventor. Don't pay for a full copy, whatever you do. (I've just picked myself up off the floor after receiving a quote to upgrade from SW Pro to Premium
)Steve Campbell said:
Many thanks. At that price point, I'm not expecting much....I think he is :-)
Well, from the looks of it that kit seems to be on a par with the Mendel kit I bought from RepRapPro (the British company which pioneered these type of fused filament printers) four years ago for well over £400. Sadly, RepRapPro eventually went out of business when they realised they couldn't compete with kits and complete printers flooding in from the Far East.As has been noted, there will be a lot of fettling to get a kit like this printing well, but it will be a great learning experience.
RepRapPro championed the concept of self-replicating printers - and I used the Mendel to print the plastic parts for a subsequent Huxley - but the truth of it is a mass-produced Chinese metal printer with no 3d-printed content is a lot cheaper to produce and easier to set up.
Both the Mendel and Huxley have had a lot of use, but are fairly knackered now - bearings worn out, some plastic parts have aged badly - so yesterday I took delivery of a £250 all-metal Malyan M150. Took 45 minutes from opening the box to have it calibrated and printing, and it's printing at least as well, if not better, than either of the RepRapPro kits ever did even when completely dialled in.
I have a Prusa clone from China. I bought one which is perspex and metal construction (with no 3d printed parts) and it is pretty good! They are far from plug and play and will need some tinkering and a few minor modifications to get good prints, but with a bit of time and patients you can get some good results.
Mine cost £190 from ebay. I had Z axis wobble (like most) so a bit of tinkering and printing anti wobble parts from Thingiverse and all is good.
Printing stuff off Thingiverse and My mini factory is all well and good, but designing your own parts is where your son needs to be. If he can do that and has some ambition then go for it!
Any printer should work on Windows 10 - mine (using reprap firmware) can interface with Windows 10 and Linux no problem. I have it plugged into my linux server running octoprint and can remotely send files to it from windows and linux machines (and I think from my smartphone, but not tried that yet).
Edited to add - the one you linked looks like a Prusa clone like mine. If it runs reprap firmware then windows 10 is no problem. Something like Repietier host will slice the 3d model and send it to the printer. If it has an SD card slot, then Slic3r will slice the file and then copy it to an SD card. Pop that in the printer and off it goes (which is handy for long prints).
Mine cost £190 from ebay. I had Z axis wobble (like most) so a bit of tinkering and printing anti wobble parts from Thingiverse and all is good.
Printing stuff off Thingiverse and My mini factory is all well and good, but designing your own parts is where your son needs to be. If he can do that and has some ambition then go for it!
Any printer should work on Windows 10 - mine (using reprap firmware) can interface with Windows 10 and Linux no problem. I have it plugged into my linux server running octoprint and can remotely send files to it from windows and linux machines (and I think from my smartphone, but not tried that yet).
Edited to add - the one you linked looks like a Prusa clone like mine. If it runs reprap firmware then windows 10 is no problem. Something like Repietier host will slice the 3d model and send it to the printer. If it has an SD card slot, then Slic3r will slice the file and then copy it to an SD card. Pop that in the printer and off it goes (which is handy for long prints).
Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 26th April 22:41
Steve Campbell said:
There's some really neat stuff in the 3d printer section on that website.No idea what I'd do with it .... but I want it anyway
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