Posted by
Rusty Nicovich on
URL: http://confocal-microscopy-list.275.s1.nabble.com/3d-printers-for-microsocpy-tp7585214p7585229.html
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Our lab has a Zortrax M200 and has used it a good bit over the past ~5
months since it's arrived. Worked straight out of the box with almost no
tuning. Continues to do well with minimal maintenance - just turn it on
and hit 'Go'. A bit higher resolution than the usual filament extruders,
too.
The Zortrax model is more closed-source than others. It only supports the
Zortrax brand filaments, which are whatever their proprietary blend of
plastic is (though they seem to be roughly aligned with the usual PLA,
ABS...). No option to use anything but the (included) Zortrax slicing
software to generate the machine code from STL files.
When we need to go very high-res, or print in exotic materials, we can send
jobs to the workshop run by the architecture school here. They seem to
have one of everything, but the laser cutter and SLA printer of theirs are
machines we've taken advantage of. It's great to have a lower-end printer
on hand for the more every-day and one-off stuff (optomech adapters, sample
chambers, and the like) and then have the option to go for bigger runs with
a local service. Also, bigger machines seem to mean more maintenance, and
we don't have the volume of work to justify anything but the
low-maintenance Zortrax machine.
This is also a good time to plug some work one of my students did creating
3d-printable magnetic sample chambers:
https://github.com/PRNicovich/BenlideChambersThese were originally made on a Up Plus 2 in ABS, plus some laser-cut
silicone rubber and small magnets, for ~$5 USD each. Currently working on
the next round which includes new sizes and a chamber for electrochem +
imaging. Files and assembly instructions all in the repo.
Thanks,
Rusty
On Wed, May 25, 2016 at 5:50 AM, Christopher Yip <
[hidden email]> wrote:
> My lab uses a Solidoodle 2 (which continues to work well) even though it’s
> a couple of years old and the company has, I think, disappeared
>
> I have access to a UPrintSE from Stratsys, which makes really nice parts…
> as well as a FormLabs II, and a laser cutter
>
> the laser cutter is a really nice tool to also have around for prototyping
>
>
> Chris
>
>
> On May 24, 2016, at 3:08 PM, Craig Brideau <
[hidden email]
> <mailto:
[hidden email]>> wrote:
>
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>
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>
> I have access to a LulzBot which can print in PLA or ABS. Out of all the
> low-cost extruder-based models it tends to give the least headaches. As
> Alexander says, be careful what model of extruder you get with any of these
> types of printers. The earlier designs tend to jam up easily and require a
> lot of fiddling. We also have an UltiMaker but the extruder design on it is
> not great and it requires quite a bit of babying to run.
> The Stratasys printers work very well. I have access to a high-end Connex
> 500 that does amazing work. It is extremely expensive to purchase and run
> though so it requires a big budget. You can get limited biocompatible
> materials for it as well which can be attractive for situations where you
> have direct contact between the parts and your sample.
>
> Craig
>
> On Tue, May 24, 2016 at 12:56 PM, Alexander Cramer <
[hidden email]>
> wrote:
>
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>
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy> Post images on
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> *****
>
> While we have 2 fifth generation MakerBot systems that perform reliably
> for us I
> will say in 2016 you can find equal or superior performing FDM printers
> for less
> money.
>
> You'll hear overpriced a lot when researching 3D printers and MakerBot
> comes up.
> That's even more accurate today then it was ~1.5 years ago when we
> purchased
> our just released fifth gen systems.
>
> They had momentum going for them back with the 2X due to a relatively
> stable
> quality product that allowed experimentation and combined it with a sleek
> build.
> The fifth gen however really fell flat relative to the progression of many
> it's
> competitors and even self built solutions. The price unfortunately remained
> inflated.
>
> If I were in the market for a comparable unit today I'd be looking towards
> the
> Ultimaker 2 or LulzBot.
>
> Here is a link that provides breakdowns of many quality printers available
> at the
> enthusiast to prosumer level:
https://www.3dhubs.com/best-3d-printer-guide>
>
>