Quote:
Originally Posted by xelasnave
Hi Julian
I will put my hand up.
I do not have one but certainly would love one.
My concerns are cost and if a mug like me could run one.
It will be interesting to see what interest is expressed.
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For most people, getting their design ideas from their head to a paper sketch to a printable 3D CAD model is the biggest challenge. If what you want to make is a common design, there are several on-line "repositories" of ready-made model files to download - which is fine for your initial tinkering, but eventually, you'll want to create your own designs.
There are several free CAD modelling options available, which can be used to create your designs. My two recommendations are FreeCAD
http://www.freecadweb.org/ and OnShape
https://www.onshape.com/ . They're both free for hobby use, and can produce very accurate, printable models. If you've ever used any 2D or 3D CAD system, you shouldn't have too much trouble getting up to speed.
Alternatively, if you CAD skills aren't up to it, if you can find a friend or colleague with basic 3D CAD skills, they will probably be able to create your model files for you. Basic "Mechanical" parts are usually not too hard to model, as they tend to consist of combinations of prisms, cylinders, etc, which you can add together to make more complex objects, or cut away from each other to make cut-outs and holes. "Artistic" free-form designs tend to need a different "clay modelling" CAD system, and can be a lot more challenging if you are not very artistic (like me!)
The industry standard which pretty well all 3D CAD packages output are STL files, which the 3D printer software can convert into machine-code instructions. Once you have your 3D printer set-up well, printing 3D models isn't much trickier than printing a paper document - select the model file, set your printer settings, and press "Print". (It does take a bit longer to print a small model than a 10-page document though - my printer will knock out a hollow part that is about 50 mm x 50 mm x 50 mm in around 30 minutes to an hour, depending on how much plastic is in the model. By and large, print speed is dictated by the amount of plastic required, rather than the overall dimensions, or the complexity of the geometry.)
As for the cost of a 3D printer - as in most things, the more you pay, the more you get (generally). You can buy consumer-grade ready-to-run 3D printers at Harvey Norman and OfficeWorks for around $1,000 these days, so they are starting to enter the real consumer marketplace. That may still be a bit of a big risk if you're not sure what it can do, or whether you will be able to use it effectively. You can get smaller 3D printers for MUCH less if you shop around - e.g. how about the TinyBoy which you can get ready-to-run for around AU$330 (including delivery):
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...t_AU_230V.html This thing only has a build volume of 80 mm x 80 mm x 80 mm, so it can only make objects that you can hold comfortably in one hand, but it's a very affordable introduction to the hobby.
If you have something in mind that you'd like to see printed, let me know, and I'll see what we can do. (Happy to carry on this conversation in this thread to share ideas with a wider audience, or we can go of-line if you prefer - PM me if you wish.)
