Hi Magicsmoker,
Thanks for your post.
I personally went for option 3 because fellow forum member Toploser offered me the UP! At a very generous discount. Had it not been for his kindness I would have continued using 3d printing companies.
I wanted a 3d printer in order to learn about the technology and software. It also provided an ability to make unusual custom parts without waiting for a 3rd party to make such for me. The down side was the equipment cost. I am retired and could not justify the retail price for the occasional 3D print. Toploser changed that equation by offering me a reputable 3d printer at a fraction of its retail cost.
With regard to 3d printing hardware.....it is a minefield for the newbie. There are an awful lot of 3d printers on the market and many do not deliver on their promises. Some Googling proves that point ! I was very lucky.....Toploser was selling a Mini UP! that had suffered a mechanical fault in transit when it was first sol. It was a customer return for that reason, not poor performance. It was repaired by the agent before I bought it. Other 'customer returns' 3D printers should be treated with suspicion....it can often be due to poor performance. The Mini UP! Has a very good reputation for producing very nice prints with a minimum of fuss and little maintenance. A bit of a Holy Grail in the 3D printing world !
My prints using the Mini UP! Have been far better quality than I had expected and I am more than pleased with its performance. It sits neatly on my office desk, very much like a mini tower PC case. I program it from nothing more powerful than a Sony Vaio netbook running a 1.83GHz ATOM processor. I even draw my Designs using this less than powerful little Netbook PC
When I received my printer, I did some test prints and these were great but they did show slight angles on the verticals. The bed was not perfectly flat and I had not carried out the full printer calibration routine that includes a bed levelling compensation routine. I measured about 2mm of run out on the bed left to right and 1mm front to rear. Whilst the compensation routine would have used the raft to fix this, I realised that the run out was likely shipping 'damage' from its original purchase. All 3d printers need to have their mechanical alignment checked and adjusted when first purchased. The UP! Series are no different. Treat 3d printers as you would a fine Piano and you will not go wrong. The good news is that UP! Printers tend to remain stable in terms of alignment, unlike many other brands of 3D printer. I carried out a full alignment check on the unit and it was only the bed that needed some very minor adjustment via the provided adjustment screws. All very straight forward. The run out on the bed is now minimal and well within the machines automatic compensation capabilities.
The bed on the UP! Mini has been criticised for being heated to a relatively cool 60c. When using ABS it is best to have a bed running at 80C to 100c to prevent warping during the print. I have bought, but not fitted, a stock of new thermostat modules at different temperatures to experiment with. These are simple TO220 format devices fitted to the bottom of the heater bed. I have yet to experiment with these but will likely go for the 80C setting. The heated bed also warms the interior of the printer. This is considered an advantage when working with ABS. I only use ABS filament as I prefer to work in this very versatile material that may be sanded and glued easily.
The UP! Is not perfect however. It has a 100mm x 100mm x 100mm build space which can be too small for some users (not me though). The heater in the bed is not as powerful as is recommended for ABS printing. The motherboard is exposed to the elevated internal temperature of the enclosure. It smells pretty awful when running !
On the smell front.... When printing a large item, the vapours coming off of the ABS filament when melted will make your eyes water and not put you in the good books of your family or pets !
On the usage front, I have used the 3d printer around once per week since getting it. Most prints have been for friends though
Once people know you have a 3d printer, you start getting requests to print all manner of items. To date I have had one failed print due to the raft not sticking to the build platform and so no 'scaffolding' was built in that area, just a mass of very thin filament, like a birds nest ! All other prints have been of excellent quality and the printer continues to impress.
On the software front, I taught myself to use Google Sketch-up. It does what I need of it and is simple to use. There is a full set of learning material and help on line. I have not needed more sophisticated CAD software to date.
From my perspective the purchase of the UP! Mini is a win on several levels
1. I now own a 3d printing capability
2. I have learnt a lot about the mechanics of a 3D printer and its foibles
3. I have learnt about the software needed to create 3D files for the printer
4. I am now in a position to create my own 3D designs for printing.
5. My knowledge of filament materials and their needs has been expanded.
6. I have gained great satisfaction from both learning about 3D printing and creating 3D objects from simple ABS filament. When you open the door and see your CAD design in physical form, it's a great feeling of achievement.
I would recommend anyone to learn about 3D printing, the CAD software and design concepts. You do not need the printer to learn about the design software. Such knowledge is very useful theses days. If the budget or opportunity allows, I would recommend buying a reputable 3D printer. Do not buy cheap printers with unknown, or known poor, performance, you will only be frustrated by them ! Do not waste your money... Buy wisely.
Hope this helps
Aurora