High School Teacher Looking to Check Out Your 3D Printer for Research (Page 1 of 2)

Oh wow thanks Manx! That sounds like a really good option! I think ill make a trip.

I would still also like to see a printer that one of the users own so I can ask questions about concerns and see what my students or my students might have.

Thanks in advance!

GoolGaul,

Thank you for the offer to help! I'm interested in getting a 3d printer but i have had trouble in the past with having to build the kit then calibrate it for endless hours and I'm more interested in something that is closer to plug and play. or just a quick calibrate and go.

I assume that you have a Solidoodle? Thoughts on calibration time, reliability (or more accurately how much of a beating can my students put it through?) and any other thoughts?

Thanks,
Shane

Well, what cmetzel said is all true.

I have a Solidoodle.  LOVE IT!  I, like you, needed more of a plug-n-play device, as I am developing a product line of hi-tech clocks, and really didn't want to have to spend the time building a printer.

In all honesty, the SD2 (or SD3 - which I'd recommend since it has a bigger build platform) was surprisingly painless.  From the time I walked in the door and saw the shipping carton on my kitchen table to having my first calibration print, was about an hour, and I had to uninstall and re-install the software as I made a mistake and downloaded the wrong version of (?) Python.

I think the software thing has been addressed and is now virtually foolproof.

Calibration...    I use .3mm layers.  I need speed more than precision, as most of my parts are never actually seen in the final product. .3mm can be calibrated in a few minutes with a digital caliper - which is a absolute must have tool for 3D printing.
From what I have read, .1mm layers require must more precise calibration.  But once calibrated - so long as you do not move the platform around too much - you don't need to re-calibrate very often.  I did my initial calibration when I got, and then I did one other calibration round, when I starting printing on glass. 

Reliability - two thumbs up there...   My SD2 has got to have at least 500 hours of runtime on it - I print almost daily, for hours at a time.  Aside from the typical nozzle clogs - which will happen to ANY extrusion printer - I have had only one issue that actually preventing use:  In the bundle of wire that runs to the extruder assembly, one of the wires to the extruder nozzle heater must've been at a tight flex point, because it had worn through the insulation and broke the conductors in the wire, thus not heating the extruder.   It took me a whole 10 minutes to troubleshoot and locate the problem, and another 5 minutes to repair.  Beyond that, I again have been surprised by my SD2's reliability.

Now reliability and resilience are 2 different things.  ALL 3D printers are precision devices, and any structural integrity they have is intended for what they do, not to be man-handled.  Of the printers I have seen - which is quite a few - the SD's are the strongest framed units out there... that being said, the word to best describe how any 3d printer should be handled would be "gingerly".

recommendations I would make - specific to your teaching application - would be:
1) Glass print bed.   Rather than a 10 minute cool-down, a part removal (putting minimal impact on the calibrated print bed, as mentioned above) of another few minutes followed by a 15 minute bed warm-up, you can just switch out a piece of glass, and in about 5 minutes, your'e printing again...
2) Print/buy as many spare parts for your SD as you can, this way you have replacements on hand and don't lose much lesson time, should there be a failure of some kind.  Better to have and not need than need and not have.
3) Print and build another printer...  2 are better than one, and as a class project, it's a great project.
4) read, read, read...  there are loads of resources on the web.  This forum is outstanding.  It's not full of fluff and the info here is just great...  info about calibration, upgrades, tweaks, tips on improving your prints, post-processing, and so on are all tailored to your machine, so you don;t have to do a lot of guesswork.
5) get TeamViewer or something similar, so you can monitor/control remotely.  If you have a period away from the printer, you can't just pause it while you're gone.  it has to keep going.  I use TeamViewer and a web-cam, so I can actually see what my printer is doing, remotely, and intervene should there be an issue of some sort.
6) practice...  you need to be the expert - and kids these days are pretty crafty.  before you know it, they'll be telling you how to do things, and in contrast to the norm, they'll actually be right.

Lastly, when you are working with your kids with the whole 3d printing thing, keep in mind that you will probably not get a whole print done in one class period...   Y

It's a big project to jump into 3D printing.  But it is also a whole lot of fun.   Even more important, it takes kids from the consumer side of the equation, and puts them on the manufacturing side.  The things your kids will learn may very well make them more employable in the future.

And they will surely get all fired up about it.  Your club might even grow to be bigger than the football team...

Who do I talk to about getting someone banned? 

I've known a couple people with Replicators all of who were not able to get theirs to just work out of the box like I did with my Solidoodle.  The Replicators will have a large community for support and Make has done some preliminary curriculum design work at curriculum.makerbot.com.

Personally, I'd rather have 3 Solidoodle 2's then 1 Replicator2 in my classroom and it would still be cheaper.  This way you aren't relying on 1 machine and more hands on time with the extra machines.

Thanks for the input! I will definitely emulate that process that you gave! What is the operating temp of the bed?

1) get 1/8" thick glass,  cut to 7" x 7" (or 9"x9" if you get the SD3 with it's 8x8x8 printspace), get some Kapton tape on the glass, and most importantly - line the edges with some kind of painter's tape, so the kids don't get cut.
Then you adjust the Z homing screw, to compensate for the thickness of the glass.

2) no files come with the printer.  they are available on www.thingiverse.com and many SD-specific parts can be found here as well.

3) thingiverse.com or the website for the printer you want to build.  I am probably doing a MendelMax, and scaling it up to a 15x15 build platform...  but I need to print up to that size.

Also I concur with Nickythegreek.  3 SD's are better than 1 replicator...

there is a big of a shipping lag on the SD's.  order sooner than later.

Operating temp of the bed is 85-100C typically.

And during this time how many changes did Solidoodle make to their machine to address problems (keep in mind there are still problems with the current machine)?  I completely agree that an SD2 will print fine right out of the box (unless you get one of the 15% that is broken right out of the box).

Clogs are generally caused by user error or low quality filament.  I worked with a Dimension for 4 years and in that time had Zero clogs on a printer that ran practically 24/7.

Its good to hear SD took care of your issues.  My arguments with the whole support issue are that SD puts no guarantee and offers no warranty on their product.  For a school district this could be a problem.  MakerBot actually offers a service plan.

no. that is a terrible way to look at it. 

I own a Solidoodle 2. My good friend owns a Makerbot Replicator 1.  He acquired it while working in an internship with Makerbot for 6 months when he used to live out there.  I have printed on his replicator 1 a few times and I was very impressed. My only complaints about the machine was
that it was made of wood which they have addressed with the Replicator 2 along with making a bunch of other improvements.

I'm not trying to say that Solidoodle doesn't make a good printer.  I like my SD2 very much but if I had the budget to get a Replicator I wouldn't hesitate.

I can't see how makerbot is better. Sure their support might be better but you pay more for a support contract with makerbot.
Unless you're a very well funded school I can't see maker of being a good solution.

On top of that you'll still see the same problems with clogs and all. Unless you are technically capable to clear them you'll always be waiting to someone who is.

At the moment there is (in my opinion) no 3d printing tech that's a good fit for a school.

Fused filament takes too long and is too prone to clogs, it's unclear whether maker it's thousands of dollars support/maintenance program will cover a guy coming out to you, (or indeed whatever caveats around materials and suppliers Etc their may be.
Smaller players like solidoodle are much better on price but lack comprehensive support. -you need to clear your own clogs.

Powder based printers are stupid expensive. But by most accounts pretty foolproof.

Laser lithography/uv resin printers use expensive materials, and you may also run into issues regarding powerful lasers in school. (If one kid even jokes that their eyed are hurting and exposed to laser you're going to be in a heap of bother)

Give it a while and hp's prices will come down. They would probably be a good fit for schools (huge company guaranteed support etc).

Keep in mind, his primary target is with high school students that have no experience with 3D printing. The printer will get clogged. Not to say that is a bad thing, a few sharp students will learn quickly the proper procedure for clearing clogs and repairing the machines so they can print again. I was a teacher for 13 years so I understand student mentality. Some will get it, some will not be interested in the technical stuff and some take the class because they think they can play around. I think the Solidoodle is appropriate for the classroom since it is an easy, open machine to work on. With a little guidance from these forums and Solidoodle, this machine would certainly add to the instructor's classroom teaching tools. If the school competes in Robotic competitions (FIRST Robotics, etc.), the printer could be a big asset for that group as well.