Re:Ask HN: Do you own a 3d printer? What has been your exper...
by georgemcbay on Monday April 28, 2014 @03:55AM
(#7658740)
Like a few other people here I've got a RepRap Prusa i3.
I use it mostly to complement my photography hobby. Need to adapt lens XYZ to my Sony A7? (Even in situations where I might have no idea what kind of screwball mount lens XYZ is using?) No problem, I'll just calculate the flange focal distance differential (may involve some eyeballing/fudge-factoring on unknown mounts), measure the bayonet screws and print something up. I print primary in ABS, though I've messed around with some other materials.
I don't think I would recommend one yet for people who aren't keen on the idea of having to fiddle with it constantly; my experience is fairly limited to user-built Mendel-style cartesian reprap designs but from what I understand even the retail versions of these types of printers (like the Solidoodle, Replicator, et al) require just about as much tinkering as my RepRap to keep in working order as they are basically the same innards just with some fancy enclosures and such.
Also you should really consider how much you enjoy doing 3D design before buying one; I've heard of quite a few people who got 3D printers, never really got into 3D modelling and ended up just printing some trinkets from thingiverse until they got bored.
I use it mostly to complement my photography hobby. Need to adapt lens XYZ to my Sony A7? (Even in situations where I might have no idea what kind of screwball mount lens XYZ is using?) No problem, I'll just calculate the flange focal distance differential (may involve some eyeballing/fudge-factoring on unknown mounts), measure the bayonet screws and print something up. I print primary in ABS, though I've messed around with some other materials.
I don't think I would recommend one yet for people who aren't keen on the idea of having to fiddle with it constantly; my experience is fairly limited to user-built Mendel-style cartesian reprap designs but from what I understand even the retail versions of these types of printers (like the Solidoodle, Replicator, et al) require just about as much tinkering as my RepRap to keep in working order as they are basically the same innards just with some fancy enclosures and such.
Also you should really consider how much you enjoy doing 3D design before buying one; I've heard of quite a few people who got 3D printers, never really got into 3D modelling and ended up just printing some trinkets from thingiverse until they got bored.