Hi. New to this amazing group and I’m more of a designer than a builder so please be kind! I’m designing a touring theatrical show which needs a very compact & reliable 3D printer. Since I can’t find anything off the shelf* I’m wondering if anyone here can build me one? Or perhaps you know of something which already exists? I’m based in the UK but happy to collaborate with anyone anywhere who’s up for it. Rough spec: - 80 to 100mm cube print size - 180mm cube max overall size - high speed, capable of a straightforward print in under an hour - low weight around 1kg ideally - high quality components & well built - moving parts can be secured for travel - as reliable and idiot-proof as possible - would love flashing LED’s etc that make the print look exciting to the audience I don’t have any experience of 3D printers but I’m learning fast. I’d rather a really well built homemade one that’s right for the job, it seems the components are readily available. Alternatively could possibly also adapt an existing model and shrink and ruggedise it. This poor printer will live inside a suitcase and travel the world so needs to be super solid! I have a small budget for this and I know electronics engineers if anyone can point me in the right direction although I’d prefer someone who’s has previous printer success. Also keen to hear where they usually fail and whether I’ve missed anything. I want the printer to be a show highlight rather than a let-down and I promise it’s a fun project to be involved with. There may well be other niche miniature requirements but this one is currently my main headache! Thanks in advance - Robin * the closest I’ve seen is the PrintM3D from a few years back but apparently it’s way too slow. There are a couple of cheap Chinese ones too but the build quality looks crap!
Have you considered just buying a Bambu Lab A1 Mini? Im assuming you don't need to print ABS or ASA? This would be the simplest option as you don't really sound like a tinkerer. However, if I'm wrong, a Voron v0.2 kit is a fairly straight forward build and if you bought the LDO version, well documented, good quality and fully enclosed so you can print ASA/ABS if needed.
Thanks, yes I found this on my quest - it’s very cool and minimalist but still too big unfortunately. The max assembled size is about 180mm cubed, it doesn’t fit it it’s any bigger sadly.
Hi. Thanks for the reply. The Bambu one looks amazing but it’s way too big. I can see a size anywhere for the completed kit, do you know? The 180mm overall size is absolutely critical, I really do mean compact! The M3D one I mentioned is small enough it just doesn’t seem to be very good (see M3D Micro 3D Printer) and is discontinued. Amazon sells the WEEFUN TINA2 Amazon.co.uk but they look very fragile and I think they’re too slow. And yes I have a tinkerer on the project so not afraid of building one but hoped someone here might have previous experience! Like I said, maybe there’s a kit which we could adapt to make the dimensions smaller?
This looks a bit more like it, could it be made within the sizes I’ve stated fully assembled? And is it fast? If not, maybe you have some other ideas? Please see the links I posted in earlier reply for some comparisons. Thanks
As a DIY project, You should be answering those questions (; - use it as inspiration then do your own thing Its as fast as you make it...
