3d printed parts

robert_scott_jr_

Rather than putting out cash for the purchase of a 3d printer as well as supplies, learning to effectively use it as well as the real estate it would take up and maintaining printer, is there a reasonably priced service for the hobbyist? - Scotty

owen_sparks

Hi @robert_scott_jr_

The answer (at least in the UK) is, yes sort of.

Many companies (often termed Print Bureaus) will happily exchange some printed parts for some of your money.

The pros are pretty much as you explained, and they'll tend to have expensive industrial hardware.

The cons are wait time and that they'll probably charge in the order of 10 times the material cost.

We started off subbing out, but have now brought most of it in-house.

Cheers,

Owen S.

emagdalenaC2i

There are some options in the App Store https://appstore.onshape.com/apps/Manufacturing
like https://appstore.onshape.com/apps/Manufacturing/FMPGS3MADAVYEWRR2A6XOMF6K4YPZ25L3P6PANA=/description

brian_jordan

@robert_scott_jr_ I am a hobbyist and think I would have given up a long time ago if I didn't have a 3D printer at home. In the early stages I needed to design, save, slice and print my models in the shortest time possible in order to understand the process and I think sending gcode to an outside agency at this stage would not have worked for me. Only this week I was working on something new and discovered a design flaw when I printed a prototype - imagine how frustrating this would have been if I had waited for an outside agency to produce it.

bruce_williams

@robert_scott_jr_

Is there a maker community in your area?  You may be able to connect with other hobbyist near you to get printing.  There are quite a few and I'm sure many would be interested in helping out.

Right now I am waiting (sitting at curb actually) for a Prusa MK3 kit ...now delayed till later May      Although we have professional needs of printing - the sub $1000 printers are really getting good.  We will use if for many first offs like @brian_jordan mentions.  Nothing like getting an actual model in hand quickly.

michael3424

I've never used the service but 3DHubs might be worth checking out:

https://www.3dhubs.com/

It's a sort of consortium of folks (or companies) that sell 3D printing services, with each entity operating independently of the others.  It looks like you can submit a design and get back quotes to compare.  I'm guessing that you can pick local 3D printing services, which might reduce turn around.

brian_jordan

I have a sub $1000 printer, a Flashforge Finder which has one head and prints PLA only. I had a lot of fun on the Onshape/Simplify 3D learning curves and then editing the gcode to stop the machine for filament changes etc. Not to mention the subtlties of bed levelling etc. For one of my first projects I produced a couple of these coasters as a gift for a local fitness instructor when he opened a new studio last summer. Sadly they were lost when a fire damaged part of the studio. I really don't think they would have been made unless I had my own machine.

larry_hawes

robert_scott_jr_ said:

Rather than putting out cash for the purchase of a 3d printer as well as supplies, learning to effectively use it as well as the real estate it would take up and maintaining printer, is there a reasonably priced service for the hobbyist? - Scotty

I would say it all depends on how serious your 3D printing needs are. Do you have a single, simple project that you need to print with few anticipated changes? If so then find a 3D printer/maker that meets your price needs and wait time schedule.

If, on the other hand, you intend to print a lot of different projects, use various different materials, and anticipate lots of custom changes or configurations then you might be better served with your own 3D printer. Decent learning curve but not overly difficult and the flexibility you achieve is unmatched.

You also do not need to break the bank to get really good quality prints. I have 2 of these 

https://www.amazon.com/Anycubic-3D-171-Upgraded-PRINTER-Heated/dp/B074NZPHJ5/ref=sr_1_1?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1524790252&sr=1-1&keywords=anycubic+i3+mega

and this one as well

https://www.amazon.com/Creality-3D-Printing-300x300x400mm-Self-assembly/dp/B078V7MHWY/ref=sr_1_6?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1524790293&sr=1-6&keywords=cr-10s

I print more on the AnyCubic because the bed gets hot enough to print various materials but the CR-10 prints larger models and both are known for their great quality.

matthew_chapman

I use 3dhubs and like it (6 prints so far). Having your own printer is good if you need to iterate a design, but inevitably involves some care/feeding/tuning to get good prints, so it depends on whether you are excited to do that or would rather outsource it. A makerspace can be a good solution too.

larry_hawes

Great to hear a service like that creates a satisfactory result for its customers.