Want a 3D printer at cost?
We are working with Hacker Consortium in Nashville to put together a group of participants from Chatt*lab (represent!) for a 3D printer build party. Essentially, this is a Saturday all day and Sunday morning turbo build of a RepRap Mendel for the cost of the parts and supplies. HC sets this up with the MidSouth Makers out of Memphis and a few more folks in Eastern TN to make this happen. Last year they built 7 or 8 printers in a 36 hour period. It can get a bit smelly by Sunday morning but much fun is had and you can print your own car to drive home in. Okay not really but the fun part is definitely there.
Here are the details which I will update on this post, and eventually on a landing page our our site along with a sign up process. Read the FAQ below, which will be developing as questions are asked below, then if you are interested, please reply on the discussion list linked below and let us know so we can gauge the number of folks that Chatt*lab would be bringing to the build party.
The ever evolving FAQ:
When will this happen? Winterish 2013 (February)
How much will it cost? The costs for the 3D printer parts offered up is $950. This is a real value as there are hundreds of parts that have to be sourced and even produced to build said printer.
What kind of 3D printer is this? An open source one called a RepRap (see Wikipedia) most often some sort of Mendel or variant thereof.
Is there a warranty with the 3D printer? Hahahahaha! You are in the wrong discussion group! Please see: groups.google.com/thingsIcannotbuyatWalmart. Seriously, Chatt*lab’s community is all about supporting one another. That beats any warranty.
What can I print? Just about anything in ABS or PLA. Please see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reprap and http://www.RepRap.org!
Who are these Hacker Consortium, KnoxMakers and MidSouth Makers people? These are our fellow makerspaces here in TN and they have hosted this buildoff with great success in the past.
We hope this is gets the turnout it deserves! Stay tuned for more info as it develops on our discussion group here: TN Makers Meetup and 3D Printer Buildoff
I’m there!
What are the approximate x,y,z dimensions the RepRap will produce? Will it print thermoplastics with very low coefficient of expansion?
180mm x 180mm x 140mm seems to be the dims on the print bed on my reprap. ABS coefficient of expansion is well documented: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/linear-expansion-coefficients-d_95.html and yes it does affect prints with tight tolerances.