3D printer

[oil pan 4]

I would like to get one.
I see a lot of them and see a lot of reviews and forums that appear to be over ran with early teens with no money and who are easily impressed. I need something that is more than a toy but not thousands upon thousands of dollars super high quality.
Don't have to have real high speed.
Accuracy is good.
Software that is user friendly.

Something more than just ABS. Some parts will need to be as strong as possible.
To make:
Small vehicle parts
plastic bushings
plastic hardware such as washers
Colored bulb covers
Control panel
Knobs
Air compressor air filter boxes.
Small electronic enclosure boxes.
Rail gun separating sabot
Battery tab connectors

Just normal stuff.

So the parts made would mostly be simple solid objects, but some could possibly have complex internal cavities.

[Daox]

ABS is the norm now. All the low cost machines print ABS and PLA. Once you start getting away from those two materials you're in less known and more expensive territory as far as I know.

On top of having the machine, you also have to have software to model things in 3d. I believe many people use google sketchup to model things. It is free last I checked.

[oil pan 4]

Yeah software is what I know the least about.

I think I could make pretty much everything out of ABS or PLA, more options would be nice but I guess I don't absolutely have to have it.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Is it possible to make reinforced (with either fiberglass or carbon) plastic parts with a 3D printer?

[seifrob]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

I would like to get one.
<snip>
... Something more than just ABS. Some parts will need to be as strong as possible. To make:
<snip>
... Small electronic enclosure boxes.
Rail gun separating sabot ...
<snip>
Just normal stuff.

I mean, rail gun sabot is not a thing you would be expected to have at home. Would you like to tell us more? Hobby? Profession? Nasty aliens littering your backyard?? Joke probably?

[Daox]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Is it possible to make reinforced (with either fiberglass or carbon) plastic parts with a 3D printer?

You can typically pause a print and put whatever you want into it, and keep going. I've never done this myself. But, you could model in a cavity and put steel into the part if you wanted.

[oil pan 4]

The rail gun is only a power supply do far because I did not want to build the rest of it until I know what I was going to use for ammo.
Been working on it since 2005 on and off.

[seifrob]

I always thougt power supply is something like 90% of the railgun. Isn't the rest just two conductive rails? What do you use? Capacitor bank?

[oil pan 4]

Yeah that is why I figured I would take my time on the power supply.

[freebeard]

Daox -- I see you're already in the thread but I'd already found this, so:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ter-30670.html

cRiPpLe_rOoStEr -- The local Motors' Strati is 40% carbon fiber and 60% PLA. If they could reverse the proportions they might have some thing.