3-D Printer for Sale (@ Aldi)

[Allan_L]

3-D Printer for Sale in ALDI this week. (17-2-2016)

I think that is kind of exciting, although my financial controller needs further convincing. :(

[bojan]

It is a good value for that money.. I build mine myself (with similar performance), for ~$250... putting in considerable effort and time.
The problem will be ALDI - usually their sales of things like this are one-off.. and then never again (OK.. esspresso machine and coffee cartriges are exception it seems)
Let's hope the manufacturer is local, and that their support will last longer than ALDI's interest in 3D printers sales

[04Stefan07]

It's a pretty good deal in my opinion.

As mentioned earlier this will definitely be a once off for Aldi.

[iborg]

Apparently it is a rebadged WANHAO DUPLICTOR I3 V2.

For a pre-release review see

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_G7hEdORfc

I just wish I could justify one!

[GTB_an_Owl]

if they sell you can be sure they will be repeated same time next year

geoff

[bojan]

Sold out.. at least at Barndon Park store.
I wanted the pen only... :sadeyes:

However, the same thing on ebay is half price:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/3D-Stereoscopic-Doodler-Printing-Pen-with-LCD-Screen-Version-2016-PLA-ABS-/222005504179?hash=item33b08f28b3:g: OkQAAOSwFqJWkz1l

[sharpiel]

Heard the following quote on TV the other night:

"I'm going to buy this 3D printer, use it to print myself another 3D printer and then return the original. I'm no fool!"

Wasn't Homer Simpson either.

[bojan]

He will find out that the Aldi price is rock-bottom.
All individual metal parts may cost just a bit less... so there is no point to put that additional effort (printing brackets etc).
If this was available a year ago (and if I knew what I know now) I wouldn't even consider to build mine then.
However, I must admit I had a lot of fun and learned a lot in a process.

[h0ughy]

well there are three available near a aldi near me - i only want one part ;)

lovely gadget to have, but i cant pull the trigger on one right now

[xelasnave]

Go on David you know you need one and think of the money you will save on household repairs.
It is an investment in your families future happiness.

[chardie]

the aldi at stanthorpe got 5. gone in minutes when i checked today perhaps next time :)

[bugeater]

I found one today at Aldi in Forest Hill. Unfortunately it proved too hard to resist. So I now have a 3D printer :lol:

Apart from some trinkets on the memory card it comes with, I've made a tamper for my coffee machine, which works well. I can see how it will be useful for making small parts, though it has a surprisingly large print space.

Some Duplo track sections for my son may be the next thing I think.

Now where is a plan to print a CCD camera....

[PCH]

How costly are the refills for these printers guys? And do you have to buy an Aldi refill pack or is there a generic refill product available these days?

[bojan]

Ebay price is from $30 per kilo.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/3D-Printer-Filament-ABS-1-75mm-1kg-roll-12-colours-Aussie-Stock-Fast-Shipping-/181616869603?var=&hash=item2a493580e3:m:mmetpp2xDmXZb tKtKc722jQ

[DazzaS]

Wonder how many people lined up for Aldi 3D printer?.. Was very tempted but would prefer a Delta. (more fun to watch)

[bugeater]

The Aldi price is ~$35/kg of PLA filament. I went back to Forrest Hill Chase today and picked up another two packs. The local Aldi didn't have any (and I doubt you'll be able to get it in store once it is all gone).

You can pick up filament cheaper on the net, and yes it seems you can use any brand of filament (they simply come in a roll).

I think the Forest Hill Chase Aldi probably had a machine for so long because the demographic in the area seems quite a bit older, plus it is a quite large store.

The printed Duplo track piece I made is quite impressive. Perfect fit and cheaper than the real thing

[julianh72]

For anyone who snagged an Aldi 3D Printer (or has access to any other 3D Printer, for that matter), and is wondering what to make with it after the obligatory key-rings and bottle-openers, here's a couple of good astro-projects:

Check out the Ultrascope - it's an open-source 6" f/4 Automated Robotic Observatory, where you 3D Print and Laser Cut most of the hardware.:
http://www.openspaceagency.com/ultrascope/
The plans can be downloaded from here:
https://www.wevolver.com/osa.projects/ultrascope/hardware/description/

Or if you want something just a little bit less ambitious, how about the PiKon telescope, which is a 3D-printed 4 1/2" reflector telescope which uses a Raspberry Pi camera as the imaging sensor:
http://pikonic.com/about/

(Either design could also be modified to be used as the basis of a non-automated small visual telescope.)

[bojan]

Hmm...
Ultrascope (arduino firmware in particular) is very interesting, especialy remote operability and sharing the data.
I am definitely watching that space..

[Bassnut]

I just did a major upgrade of my scope for which I 3d printed an adaptor (I only needed to tap a thread into the screw holes). The camera is heavy. To my suprise the adaptor is rock solid. It is ABS though, I dont think PLA would cut it.

[bojan]

Fred, this looks awesome.
Let us know how it behaves in terms of thermal stability - I am guessing this may be only area where we can expect issues, but not very likely if f-ratio is above 6.

Couple of days ago I printed tubing for laser collimator (based on thingiverse design, http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:27972).
Works like the metal one.

[Bassnut]

Thanks Bojan. Whether the whole rig works or not is another thing. Point is, like you say,a 3D print can often be just like a metal one. This application would be a fair test of the limits strength wise. I frigged around for ages trying to find adaptors. Designing this took about 15min, was trivial, the print took about 2hrs. I recently tried a new ABS filament (from 3d systems) that is so stable and strong, no warp, that it replaced an extruded aluminium equipment box (100mm*100mm*40mm) in an application I have for 5 times less cost. It was smooth and slightly glossy, filaments are getting very sophisticated.

[xelasnave]

I am excited about where 3d printing may go when in the hands of near everybody.
Imagination and a 3d printer in the hands of kids could see a fad we can not imagine.
Could anyone here print out a working mechanical clock.. Say a cuckoo clock including the chain.
Maybe a think tank or a add to list as a sticky where members can ask re a clock for example but mainly to list stuff to do with a 3d printer.

[xelasnave]

Being the best astronmy forum we need to lead into the future 3d printing maybe needs a seperate section but I suspect we are at the tip of the future almost like when the tandy 16k hit the deck. Folk laughed at me. My opposition didnot understand. I could run rings around them when I got the osbourne 64k and printer they took years to catch up.
I hope someone understands my points here.. I am not in a good place where I can think without interuption.. Yes other humans nearby.

[bojan]

Watch this space, Alex..
I am finishing work on planisphere design, which will show both local mean and sideral time (in a form of rotating skychart).
Long time ago I had that on my wall in flat where we used to live before we migrated to Australia.. couldn't' bring it with me but wantet to have it again ever since.
Now I can make it..

[xelasnave]

Now thats what I am talking about. Fantastic.
In time we will order our houses cars boats body parts etc and bunnings will print them out.. Sounds bizarre. But I would put money on it or a near similar approach uunder another retailer.
Think about the cuckoo clock possible or not.

[Bassnut]

Funny you should mention pendulum clocks Alex. I saw a utube (cant find it now) of a clock printed with 2 materials, the second a support structure that melted away in a liquid bath leaving gears etc seperated from each other. He pulled it out of the bath, pushed the pendulum and off it went. The design was utterly impossible to produce in any other way, nothing was removable or replaceable, no screws anywhere.

I sent off a simple design off to an online 3D printing service for a quote (a disk basically). 4 pages came back of the materials they could print with. Amongst others were, stainless steel, ceramic, glass, wood, cake!.

Having said that, home 3D printing is still a bit of a toy. Very few ppl other than hobbyists would need bits printed in plastic, AND, its the design of the object you want to print thats the hard part, its not a trivial excerise designing in 3D, its a huge learning curve, and good design software is quite expensive. Sure there are free apps, but as usual, you get what you pay for.

[xelasnave]

Thanks Fred seems the future is here. I think the cuckoo clock could be done chain and all mmm maybe a new obsession to occupy my spare moments.
I could print a mask so I can leave the house.

[xelasnave]

The more I think about it the cuckoo clock would be a snap particularly when you can flush material away.
And a mask that melts in the rain to play a hidious practical joke I just thought of...
Some attachement on legs and arms as old age diminishes ones strenght. Thats doable I will knock up some plans.

[bugeater]

Once you have one of these machines, actually producing intricate items from plastic becomes possible. The next step is altering how you think to factor this into your problem solving. "A man with a hammer sees everything as a nail" shouldn't necessarily be a criticism. Certainly not with a hammer with this much potential.

Problem at the moment is they aren't plug and play. It requires a fair amount of experimentation to work out the parameters of the materials. I'm still trying to print large ABS items without it delaminating.

[xelasnave]

Yes but it wont be long and you will have a simple app on a smart phone and you speak instructions to print a cool chess set (with the queen carrying a working cuckoo clock).
I wont get one until it works from a play station.
Now theres an idea.. A game and you print out the characters.

[drylander]

I made one as well and bought a cheap pen laser and it works well. As for clocks I have printed out 2 so far :) and now in the process of fitting them together (both from 'Thingiverse'
Pete

[julianh72]

Alex,
There are quite a few working clock mechanisms that you can download and print - eg:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:328569
On this design, everything is 3d-printed (even the spiral spring), except for a few screws and pins, the cord, and the lead for the weight.

[julianh72]

From an engineering perspective, 3D-printed PLA is typically stronger and stiffer than 3D-printed ABS, but ABS is typically tougher (more impact-resistant). (Of course, getting your printer settings just right is critical, and just changing to a different brand of filament can make a big difference, let alone switching between ABS & PLA.)

E.g. take a look at https://www.lulzbot.com/learn/in-the-news/measuring-3d-printed-material-strength

In a recent study, Pearce and his team examined the basic and tensile strength and elastic modulus of printed materials in acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polylactic acid (PLA) using a range of open source hardware. They found average tensile strengths of 28.5 MPa (megapascals) for ABS and 56.6 MPa for PLA, with average elastic moduli of 1807 MPa for ABS and 3368 MPa for PLA.

The study concludes, "It is clear from these results that parts printed from tuned, low-cost, open-source RepRap 3-D printers can be considered as mechanically functional in tensile applications as those from commercial vendors."
[My emphasis]

Copy of full paper here: https://www.academia.edu/6209168/Mechanical_properties_of_components _fabricated_with_open-source_3-D_printers_under_realistic_environm ental_conditions

[drylander]

A problem with PLA is that it will degrade in time as its bio-degradable but really shows its ability to break down fast in our weather, especially in the summer sun which also needs to be taken into consideration.
Pete