The aluminum used is not rated for flatness. You have to purchase MIC6 which will only be rated for flatness if it comes in 1/4" thickness (which is very heavy and costly). Glass is inherently flat, and cheap, and you can have more than one piece and swap them between jobs.

Regarding the glass bed, whats so wrong with the one supplied? Also i read another thread about the prints not sticking, so people use hair spray or glue to the glass. I don't understand why people use glass, when its a very glossy surface to begin with. Why don't  people lightly sand the glass instead?

Anyway I'm gonna have to have a good read through the site as I'm sure a lot of my questions have already been answered!

Thanks for the reply guys.

@rincewind by casing do you mean just constructing the walls and front door to enclose the frame? This should be easy with some perspex right? Why is casing important though? Do 3d printers work best when the ambient temp is high? I guess also casing would help reduce noise? How noisy are they?

Also when a say "quick" 12 hours is incredible. If i use a company like Shapeways its like a 2 week turn around.

@wardjr how straight forward is the calibration? Is there a method to follow or just trail and error? I've never used a 3d printer before, but I'm quite handy mechanically as i build my own PCs and tinker with old cars, so I'm hoping it's not too difficult to pick up.

So overall for a budget first 3d printer it sounds like the 2pro will give me what i need, and theres no difference in tech between the 2 3 and 4? Then its just a case of building the sides.

Sounds almost too good to be true.

Dean

Based on your stated "handiness"  Calibration is fairly straight forward.  There are plenty of good folks here on the forum that can help if you run into any problems.  As far as the improved extruder of the SD4.  It probably would be worth at least understanding the differences between the new and the old style.  There are plenty of options that you can print out your self to upgrade your extruder.  Most users switch to the MK-5 which replaces the weak acrylic parts that the 2 and 3 come with.  When it comes to enclosure you nailed it.  Shrinkage and warping are reduced greatly with an enclosure.  Temporary enclosure with some Saran Wrap got me through the first few days.
Also there are (my opinion) some things that you will need in order to reliably print.
First is a piece of cheap hardware glass the size of your bed and some Aqua-Net hairspray.  This will ensure you don't get frustrated trying to get your prints to stick.
There are many suggestions that I have for you so I am going to send you a PM
A fan on the electronics is something most users have had to install.  Any old Computer fan works.

Cheers,
Dean

Thanks for the reply guys.

@rincewind by casing do you mean just constructing the walls and front door to enclose the frame? This should be easy with some perspex right? Why is casing important though? Do 3d printers work best when the ambient temp is high? I guess also casing would help reduce noise? How noisy are they?

Also when a say "quick" 12 hours is incredible. If i use a company like Shapeways its like a 2 week turn around.

@wardjr how straight forward is the calibration? Is there a method to follow or just trail and error? I've never used a 3d printer before, but I'm quite handy mechanically as i build my own PCs and tinker with old cars, so I'm hoping it's not too difficult to pick up.

So overall for a budget first 3d printer it sounds like the 2pro will give me what i need, and theres no difference in tech between the 2 3 and 4? Then its just a case of building the sides.

Sounds almost too good to be true.

Dean

There is the matter of the extruder. The 4's have a much improved extruder. The 2's and 3's will get the same one soon, but not for a little while yet.

@rincewind by casing do you mean just constructing the walls and front door to enclose the frame? This should be easy with some perspex right? Why is casing important though? Do 3d printers work best when the ambient temp is high? I guess also casing would help reduce noise? How noisy are they?

Also when a say "quick" 12 hours is incredible. If i use a company like Shapeways its like a 2 week turn around.

@wardjr how straight forward is the calibration? Is there a method to follow or just trail and error? I've never used a 3d printer before, but I'm quite handy mechanically as i build my own PCs and tinker with old cars, so I'm hoping it's not too difficult to pick up.

So overall for a budget first 3d printer it sounds like the 2pro will give me what i need, and theres no difference in tech between the 2 3 and 4? Then its just a case of building the sides.

Sounds almost too good to be true.

Dean

I think you are correct, the main differences are print size (between 2 and 3/4) and casing (between 3 and 4).

SD4s also have a nicer organization of the electronics, which is now contained inside the printer instead of attached to the back, but it's up to you to decide whether it's important.

If you go for a SD2, buy a casing or consider building one yourself (there are plenty of ideas on this forum), it helps a lot with warping.

Print resolution is a tricky factor, and the actual print quality depends more on how well your printer is calibrated (and how lucky you were with the quality of the components).

Ah, and "quick" depends on your definition of "quick". No reasonable print takes less than 2 hours, up to 12+, but this is more or less the same for all 3D printers.

However I'm a little confused between the 3 models I'm interested in, 2 Pro, 3 and 4.

I understand 3 and 4 have a large print size, but in what other ways are 3 and 4 superior to 2 Pro, other than casing and the look of the printers?
From what I've read they all have the same print resolution. Perhaps I'm missing something here?

I'm tempted to go with the 2 Pro, as I want to keep costs down, especially as I see this printer as really seeing what the tech can do, and a quick way to demo to clients, and quickly produce prototypes, rather than using external print companies.

Anyway, perhaps someone can help me understand what I need to know?

Cheers,
Dean