Confirm Solidoodle Model?? (Page 1 of 3)

How big is the print bed?

If it's around 150mm or 6in it's a SD2, if it's around 200mm or 8in it's a SD3.

yes the model 3/4 has a bit larger frame to accommodate the larger bed . the 3 is a basic open frame design the 4 has an enclosure.

Not sure what you define as complete improvement.

If you are considering every feature improved not likely to happen.
My first machine is a SD4 I found it needed a lot of tweaking out of the box.

My latest machine is a monoprice Ultimate maker.

In most ways I would say the MP is a superior machine but not in every way . the MP was made in china  the sd made in USA.
the adjustable z stop the mp a single screw you need a hex key to adjust. the sd an easily accessible knob.

the mp has the features for an enclosure the sd came with one standard.

As long as you are not burning the material the components released are relatively harmless. The only ones that might be of real concern are when you get into nylons.

I want to consider all variables. Quality of heat bed, speed of print, accuracy, enclosure, potential water soluable support material, multicolor prints, layer height minimums, line thickness minimums, and of course build volume maximum. Price is less of a concern next time around. Machines have improved quite a bit since SD? Like 3 times faster for example?

Speed is not the end all / be all of 3d printing. the faster you run, the more quality of print will suffer.

I run two Solidoodle 4s and get VERY good quality from them, but then again, I took the time to make a few modifications (that are readily available to any one that wants to do them) and took the time to learn how to properly calibrate them and use my chosen slicing software to its fullest ability.
In stock form, the 4 is basically the same as the 2 & 3, aside from the full enclosure. The 2 & 3 can easily be enclosed if that is what you desire.

I have also built 3 vastly different kit printers - a prusa style, a kossel/delta style, and a large format with a 300x300x~450mm build volume. All 3 were successfully built, calibrated and produce quality prints. The most expensive of the bunch was the large format, and even it was under $500 USD. So it is not about cost, either.

Pretty much any 3d printer on the market - regardless of price - is going to have its weak points. be it speed, build volume, being locked in to proprietary consumables, or something else.

Learning to make the most of what you have will get you a lot further than throwing money at another printer will.

As for the filtration thing.. not really necessary for most common filaments. I have COPD, and print with ABS with no problems, sitting an arms length away from the printers. The smell might bother some people, but particulates? No. Over-hyped nonissue.

going back to the speed thing.. i run my SD4s at 40mm/s print speeds - yes, they can go faster, but quality suffers.
the Kossel typically runs at about 60mm/s and the large format does well at about 100mm/s print speeds. I sold the Prusa style one long ago - did not like the motion setup.. but it typically ran at 40mm/s also.

I have one machine that is capable of much faster speeds - 120mm/s being on the slow end. But I don't use it that often because I am also not a fan of bowden feed.. my problem, I know, and I really need to get over it. My workhorses are the SD4s. They get the job done, and done nicely, with little fuss or need of constant tweaking to get things going. They just work.

You may be confused on how 3d printers and 3d printing in general works. You want the previous layer to cool some other wise the layers will squish from the next layer being pushed against it more than they should. There is no issue with the layers bonding as long as your machine is calibrated. Further more there is no printer that prints using multiple heads on the same model. The heads would get in the way of each other. There are printers that have multiple extruders on the same head and will switch from one color or material with in the same print. There are also multi head machines that will print copies or different models under each head at the same time but they are kept within their own area on the build platform.

All the printers on the market now work as they should. Some do it better and some do it worse. You get what you pay for or the amount of work you put into it a bad machine to make it better.

My point is you are making a mountain out of a mole hill and all your concerns are really of no concern as they are not an issue in current technology or in updated machines that are done correctly.

As for finishing before you go to bed, that is going to be hard even on fast machines. If you are concerned about fire the best option is putting the machine in a flame proof area or cabinet where it will just burn it's self down. Honestly though you are more likely to get hit by lightning than have your printer cause a fire as long as all the wiring is the correct size and all the joints are secure.

I have been printing for many years 10+ with the machine in my bed room and I have often run prints that take 12 to 24 hours and slept with it in the same room and leave it going when I am at work. My machine is all metal so there is very little that will burn even if it does have a problem. Not enough of a flame will be generated to ignite anything around it. But as I said if you are really concerned with fire then put it in a place where fire will be no issue. My buddy has his sitting in his fire place that he never uses.

Yes I did mean multiple extruders on the same print head. I definitely want a water soluble support material to avoid destroying the model while removing support so overhangs of all kinds are not an issue at all.

you need to decide what material you want to use and what you want to print as each printer is made for a limited type material and out put. and like an old tech used to tell his customers "you can have cost, Quality, Speed but only pick any 2 but not all" features are dependent on things like this. maybe for your needs a different type 3D printer is needed like liquid resin or powder type which both can do great detail but not strong product for stress use more display models maybe working type for demonstration. stronger materials require lots higher price versions also each style has needed pre/post prep work and maybe lab room etc. people that offer all types of 3D printing services have many different printers to suit each need. there is no all in one or one size fits all. each material has its own hazards or limits cost being one also. so time & material jobs can very greatly depending on all the above. for e.g. a printer designed to produce a working 1911 45cal ACP hand gun can cost near a million dollars and to cover time & material etc plus small profit the hand gun must sell for like $5,000 when you can buy a hand full of Colt 45 auto 1911 handguns like 5 for same price and have them home from local gun shop b4 the 3D printed one is even 1% finished. so... this is why most 3D printer users make R&D models or scale model items like for model railroading etc.

there are two extruders that i would put on my printers the titan aero  is combination of a titan extruder and a built in heat sink with heater block etc. The other is a bond tech. these are the standard on the new Prussia machines. and these can be combined with an E3d hot end or the new high end mosquito hot end. Irrc thes are also compatible with the micro Swiss.

As far as z axis control that is the lead screw. My Mono price ultimate maker has a 10-12 mm ball screw and iirc 12 mm guide rods. is has a specified min layer height of 0.02 mm.
Nozzles are switchable and range from .2 mm to  .8 for the standard e3d system .

if you want a new solid printer take a look here.

http://www.soliforum.com/topic/17534/mo … -for-sale/

even the SD 2 had an optional enclosure like the one I own. and a couple later models also had 8x8 beds after SD4 which had a cutout in rear for exhaust fan to be added after market if wanted. also cooling fans for extruder tip to keep down shift/separation of layers could be added of later models or any as a DIY mod.

all these things & more have been addressed in many old posts on this group which can be searched for and read in topics/threads since group started years ago and mods posted can still be done with proper parts. most of us started with a basic printer like your SD2 and learned what we wanted to do and how/which 3D printer, Mods, Materials to use to get there. give it a try and allow yourself at least 1-2 years learning curve b4 over spending on  something you may not require. about the only 3D printing FDM material you wont need enclosed or maybe vented is PLA, but it too has limits for some items which you need to research or try it to see. this industry is very much a "to each his own" kind of thing. remember all tech gets upgraded often so in a couple years what ever you buy after many hours use/abuse will need replaced too, and likely more affordable then.

http://wiki.solidoodle.com/solidoodle-specs

What is this Tool-less calibration that SD4 has?