Hi all,
Here are the slides I put together to suggest getting a transportable 3D printer. I think this is a realistic small project that expands our capabilities. This obviously isn’t a thing that is going to happen in the near future as we can’t do much irl at the moment! But we can keep it on the back burner.
A couple of links to the proposed printer and handle:
Any questions on my slides or anything else, please let me know!
Thanks for the specific recommendation @Joe. To what degree is this MINI machine compromised for portability? Just thinking, for a purchase life of two or three years, would the i3 type be better for printing, and we could (perhaps) worry separately about non-portability? Although as I write this, I might have persuaded myself, as any printer we had in the forseeable wouldn’t live forever on one table, it would come in and out of storage.
It’s smaller - 18x18x18cm. Perfect for 98% of prints. Some large parts would benefit something bigger but can normally split up. The MK3s is sometimes considered a smaller printer as well!
It’s less rigid - print quality is comparable to the MK3s and I would still describe it as bullet proof.
Reduced filament options - it uses a bowden system and doesn’t have an all metal hot end. Basically it can’t get as hot and will struggle with flexible filament. Again good for 98% of prints. I’ve never used a a filament that couldn’t be used on the MINI
Upgrades - I would recommend buying various nozzles for it for different detail and print speeds. It is not compatible with Prusa’s multimaterial (MMU2S) upgrade. OPINION I am also doubtful of hardware upgrade (maybe extruder upgrades down the line) as it is so compact. Whereas the there has been upgrade path from the MK1 to the MK3s. Although the MK3s may have peaked.
It’s lighter - linked to rigidity/damping but is a benefit to transport.
Laptop power supply - less power but more than powerful enough. Makes the chassis lighter as its separate and more flexible
Control - 32bit for the Mini vs 8bit for the MK3s. The MK3s is reaching the limit for functionality. The Mini also has a WiFi upgrade and ethernet where the MK3s requires a Raspberry Pi for networking. So the Mini is BETTER in this category
New Prusas!
TLDR: New bed sensors and slightly easier to assemble MK3S+ and MINI+. New satin bed for MK3S+. MINI+ price has increased to £370 in 3 piece kit (available to buy now, 8 weeks lead time) but has new fully disassembled kit option for £340 (not available until early 2021)
Very nice, and good timing too!
Filament supplies: a good time to buy discounted filament too. Any ideas on what’s good and what’s not good?
Also perhaps:
https://www.reprap.me/filament
