- 2n2r5
- Member
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Re: Helix - the $5500 3D printer
I thinking having the best printing FDM is like being the smartest kid in summer school. But to make it cost $5500, that is just... wow.
SD3 w/ mods:
Glass bed with QU-BD heat pad upgrade, threadless ballscrew w/ 8mm smooth rod, spectra line belt replacement, lawsy MK5 extruder, Lawsy replacement carriage, E3D hotend, Ramps 1.4 w/ reprap discount controller, DRV8825 drivers, 12v 30A PS, Acrylic case, Overkill Y-idlers, Filament alarm, Extruder fan + more.
Glass bed with QU-BD heat pad upgrade, threadless ballscrew w/ 8mm smooth rod, spectra line belt replacement, lawsy MK5 extruder, Lawsy replacement carriage, E3D hotend, Ramps 1.4 w/ reprap discount controller, DRV8825 drivers, 12v 30A PS, Acrylic case, Overkill Y-idlers, Filament alarm, Extruder fan + more.
Re: Helix - the $5500 3D printer
One thing to keep in mind is that Kickstarter prices are typically ~25% less than post-kickstarter prices, to cover the risk and "reward backers".
$7k is a lot of money.
Re: Helix - the $5500 3D printer
The print quality is certainly very good, and they even have the lighting at an angle to the print which would show up any layer alignment that is less than perfect. The high price is due to using the screws on all axes and metal extruder and carriages. If it can print at 300mm/s and achieve that quality, then it is worth a premium. However it is possible to get really good prints without spending that kind of money. You can go all out on components but I think there are some diminishing returns there. A lot of the money is also going into the case which is cosmetic, but in the market they are looking at also gives it credibility.
Mostly they are selling it to people that would normally by a Mojo or Uprint but might consider a Replicator too low end. For that price I think they really need auto leveling to make it seem more like the plug and play machines for which this is supposed to be an alternative.