when there is technology such as 0.1 degree stepper resolution,
steppers ? when will the 3d printing world switch to servo drives ? steppers are stoneage junk. pick and place machines, milling machines have long switched to dc drive motors with optical encoders. way higher resolution, way faster speeds.
sorry if i sound ascerbic but i have grown very skeptical about all these things. every kid and his uncle jumps this 3d printing stuff but nobody makes true improvements to the systems. they are all invariable contraptions made form duct tape, plywood and rusty screws driven by recycled floppy drive motors. i am still waiting to see the first REAL , affordable ( read: +/- 1000US ), easy to use, doesn't need 14 days a month in adjustments to print a small thingie ) 3d printer.
i got one of those printrbots now ( the 600$ one ) and that is about as good as it gets. i've managed to get some very good results using PLA as material. I've sent the same files to people with those 'delta' printers , makerbots and others and their results are all crap compared to the printrbot . curled edges, don't fit right , ragged edges, layer shift, one even clerly had the stepper skip a step somewhere.. there was a clear 'shift'.. not good if you print two pieces that have to mate perfectly.
still. the printrbot output cannot compete with the file i got printed on an objet , in nylon.
so yeah, i'm very ascerbic when i see the umptiets '3d printer' kickstart.... as i'm waiting for the one that really brings and OUTPUT QUALITY improvement, or plug-n-print capability. I don;t need to 'adjust' my laser or inkjet printer. it just works.
when can we have such a 3d machine ?