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
"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.
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.
I found one today at Aldi in Forest Hill. Unfortunately it proved too hard to resist. So I now have a 3D printer
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.
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?
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?
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
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:
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.)
Hmm...
Ultrascope (arduino firmware in particular) is very interesting, especialy remote operability and sharing the data.
I am definitely watching that space..
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.
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.
