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Input request re: 3D Printers

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tomas

Out of warranty...
Supporting Member
Oct 22, 2012
4,345
4,266
Santa Barbara/New York
I'm about to buy a 3D printer, one of many reasons (or rationalizations for a new toy) is to print thingies for my MS. I've got an awesome UMC holder @uberEV1 printed (thanks!), and I have seen coin holder print on this forum, as well as discussion of various other possible parts. I plan to print:

a) 1/2" thick brake pedal pad to clip over (and thereby raise) current pedal... like many others, I've experienced the dangerous unintentional "coast" that comes if you clip a bit of the accelerator whilst braking. I'm not waiting for Tesla to address, though I think they will have to eventually - hopefully before something bad happens to somebody.
b) additional shelving unit to fit forward in my center trough (below existing shelf)
c) storage tray to provide 2 levels of storage in the hole @ driver's side rear in trunk. I currently find this area useless for storage, because items I put there sink down and often disappear into well.
d) prints other people dream up and make available on forum (that's my next thread if it is not already there by the time I get the printer)
e) whatever else comes to mind

I've done some web research and MakerGear M2 looks really, really good to me. Reviews are great, US company (matters to me), good print size. But, before I order, it occurred to me that I'd probably get useful input if I post a thread, so please have at it!
 
Tomas,

You might want to consider the Printrbot Simple Metal.

This is also a US Company, metal construction, very easy to maintain, and has the unique (so far) feature of automatic bed leveling, which I find to be the coolest feature of any 3D Printer I've ever used. I've built a few of these now, and it's my go-to printer. I'm about to take kits to some local schools and teach the kids how to build and use them.
 
Not that this may be necessary in your case, but my first printer was a printrBot (kickstarter). It was more for DIYers I guess, but I hated having to tinker with it before each build. Instead of trying any other filament-type printers, I backed another kickstarter for the Form1 and love it.

I've had to return it once for warranty work (free), but overall it's a breeze to use and my resin prints come out so much smoother than the filament prints ever did.

It's pricey, but I love the simplicity

Formlabs Form 1+ 3D Printer — Formlabs
 
Sorry, only just spotted the thread, I would recommend Wanaho Duplicator 4/4X or Flashforge. I have a Duplicator 4X, its a clone of Makerbots Replicator dual, it has dual extruders and works really well.
 
@tomas - thank you very much for the nice recognition, very kind!

I think there are a number of good 3D printers out there, but our experience is limited only to the Up! printer (affordable and easy to use). However, we have learned a bit over the past several months that we can share here to help with the learning curve. In choosing a filament-based printer, consider the following . . .

* Choose one equally capable of PLA and ABS materials (different applications will benefit from different filament types). A good summary of filament differences can be found here: http://bootsindustries.com/portfolio-item/importance-of-good-filament/

* Look for a unit with software controllable nozzle temperature (we used an after-market add-on to control temperature, but resident control would be easier).

* Look for a heated print bed, preferably controllable up to 80oC with a preheat option (we modified ours by replacing the thermal limit switch from 50oC to 80oC - helps reduce warping on ABS)

* Buy or make an enclosure for the printer (goal is to stabilize ambient temperature and minimize localized cooling)

* Choose metal frame - want robust platform to keep X-Y-Z motion as accurate as possible

* Of course, you want good granular control of print speed and Z-step resolution. We use mostly Z-step resolution of 0.25mm to 0.30mm for bigger parts and 0.2mm for smaller parts, but some printers go down to 0.1mm.

* There are also a lot of software choices available both for designing parts and for preparing them for the printer. We use SketchUp and the Up! resident software, respectively. There are probably better options out there - key is to find printer software that gives you many choices for if/how raft is made, degree of fill, model corrections, etc. Perhaps some of our fellow members have more insight here.

Good luck! You will find this a very enjoyable hobby!
 
Strangely, although I don't have a model S, and I don't like the colours the guy used, I find this solution interesting:

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:149623

It might fulfil some of your points.

All it takes is a printer and imagination. One of the things to remember is that things do not need to be made in one piece, the plastics used will happily glue together with hot glue or even super glue. You can also upholster the things you make if you so desire, just design it so that it can be done :)