SoliForum - 3D Printing Community — Will 3D Printing Work for Me?

Re: Will 3D Printing Work for Me?

2017-01-22T23:14:58Z

A laser cutter/engraver will be much faster too.

I cut a lot of 1/8" (3mm) acrylic stuff for my hobbies. My kerf is very fine...I'd say approximately .1mm. Acrylic works best: polycarbonate emits toxic gas when cut with a laser, and polystyrene simply melts too much.

Re: Will 3D Printing Work for Me?

2017-01-22T21:22:10Z

I'm starting to think I may be better off with a cheap laser cutter for acrylic if most my stuff is flat...

Re: Will 3D Printing Work for Me?

2017-01-22T21:09:29Z

carl_m1968 wrote:

PETG gives you the best of both worlds but you will still need a heated bed for it to print well.

Carl, I will look into PETG.

Tin Falcon wrote:

Where in the world are you? cutting 1/8 flat panels sounds more like job for a laser. Could even be done with conventional woodworking tools/ hand tools.
Are you in an area with an active maker space ?
how many pieces do you need to make.
what production method are you considering.
Tin

Tin, the final parts are laser cut from steel. These are parts that fit into a final assembly. I would like to take files from solidworks, 3d print, assemble and confirm fit before sending to laser. No maker space around my area. Sending one or two files to laser is cost & time prohibitive, hence my looking into 3d printing.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Re: Will 3D Printing Work for Me?

2017-01-22T21:03:16Z

Where in the world are you? cutting 1/8 flat panels sounds more like job for a laser. Could even be done with conventional woodworking tools/ hand tools.
Are you in an area with an active maker space ?
how many pieces do you need to make.
what production method are you considering.
Tin

Re: Will 3D Printing Work for Me?

2017-01-22T20:59:15Z

PETG gives you the best of both worlds but you will still need a heated bed for it to print well.

Will 3D Printing Work for Me?

2017-01-22T20:45:49Z

Hello,

I'm new to the world of 3d printing but I'm excited to learn more. My specific needs will mainly be printing flat 1/8" thick panels about 6"Wx6"L with 1/8"x1/8" square tabs along the edges that would interlock with other panels to form a box (kinda like a puzzle). I've read about large flat pieces having issues with warping and that would be unacceptable as these need to lay flat. It also sounds like PLA has less issues with warping than ABS would but is not as strong? Any better materials? This would only be for prototyping before going to production. I would like to stay under $1,000 USD if possible... Any recommendations?

Thank you