The 3D Printer I chose

[Chris Boss]

Finally chose a 3D printer. One of the best priced DIY 3D printers, under $200.

The Anet A8

http://www.gearbest.com/3d-printers-3d-printer-kits/pp_337314.html?wid=21

The Anet A8 is a Prusa i3 clone. Once You get a feel for how to work with it, it is quite reliable and works well. Lot of good reviews of the printer on the web.

One nice thing is that there are a lot of people using this printer, so you can find a bunch of upgrade parts you can print on the thingiverse website. Just download a part, print it and modify the printer.

http://www.thingiverse.com/search?q=Anet+A8&sa=

I am working with ABS which is more difficult, so learning the tricks to get it to print properly. The Anet A8 has a heated bed, so it can work with both PLA and ABS (need heated bed for ABS).

[Chris Boss]

Link to manufacturer website which gives detailed specs on the Anet A8 3D printer:

http://www.anet3d.com/English/3D_Printer/106.html

[Jon Eskdale]

Looks very interesting - look forward to hearing how it goes and the quality of the pieces you make

[Chris Boss]

The quality of prints is good. I am having a few issues though because I am working with ABS rather than PLA. ABS has issues with warping and I am experimenting with the many different 'tricks" others use to solve such issues. I need to try Kapton tape to put on the heated bed.

ABS also smells a bit, unlike PLA which is safer to work with, so I built my own case for the printer and designed a air filter system for it. The case came out pretty well and makes the printer so much quieter and little or no smell to deal with. I used a bunch of scrap materials I had around the house to build it. It partly dissassembles in case I need to remove the printer completely to repair it. I used a couple of old time PC Monitor glare screens (tinted glass) for glass doors. They slide into a groove so I can just slide them out. The case is mostly of wood, so looks less industrial and looks nicer on my desk than many of the typcal cases used today. I pulled a fan out of an old PC power supply for my air filtering system. It pulls 12 volts right from the printers power supply.

My first 3D projects have been to download upgrade parts for the printer to improve it.There are lots to be found on thingiverse.com .


Picking up the printer on sale for only $150 makes it the least expensive one I have seen. I think it currently sells for about $190 now. I can't imagine spending hundreds of dollars on a 3D printer like most of them are today. The print bed is heated, so it supports most materials and the bed is 8 x 8 inches so plenty large. I would suggest starting with PLA first though, since ABS is very tricky to work with for any part of large size. The big issue is the object pulling off the bed and warping at the bottom. The printer came with just masking tape on the bed, so I think they assume most will be using PLA. I hear kapton tape works well with ABS.

I don't like the screw adjustments at the four corners of the print bed, so plan on replacing them with something better for easier bed adjustment. Getting the bed adjusted to the extruder head is critical for proper printing.

I would like to write some software for 3D printing, but the calculations for splicing are probably pretty complex. Need to find a good online resource on how to write a splicer engine.

I have to say that the smoothness of the prints from this printer are better than average. Can barely see any transition lines between layers.