Cheap 3D Printer on KS - $347 (The Buccaneer)

[vcoleiro1]

Saw this pop up on KS today, basically its the cheapest 3D Printer I have seen come up - especially for an assembled one. $347 is like 3 times cheaper than it's nearest rival

Check it here:  http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pirate3d/the-buccaneer-the-3d-printer-that-everyone-can-use?ref=category

 

[WizardStan]

Pro: cheap, high quality prints, good aesthetic appeal

Con: small print area, 10x12x15 cm, as opposed to the Robo3D which is 25x25x20cm

Con which they are trying to promote as a pro: cloud based integration. It's a printer guys, calculating circles is not a hard task. Every other system that has come before yours has used a cheap MCU to do the work which you seem to think needs to be pushed to the cloud. This was a problem that was solved elegantly years ago, without the need for an internet connection. You wanted to avoid "having to develop software specific to the multitude of platforms" (another problem which was solved ages ago) fine, whatever, there is absolutely no reason you couldn't be running a webserver on your board (my idea, no stealing!). "The Cloud" is not a necessary step in every technological endeavour! What's that? You've got a "backup wifi" solution which can be used in case the servers are ever knocked out by zombies? IF IT WORKS THEN WHY DO YOU NEED THE FARKING CLOUD!?!? </rant>

Pro: easy to load spools of filament

Con: No, really, that's a pretty good idea, and they don't restrict you from getting filament from elsewhere, it just doesn't look or load as nicely.

Seriously, cloud services for a printer? WTF?

edit: and the system they're using to drive it is a bloody Pi! Seriously, you've got oodles of computing power to slice up an STL model and still have enough to play some MP3s while it's doing it. Leveraging cloud computing is so far beyond overkill. Dropping a nuke on a mosquito might start getting close to half as overkill as this solution is.

edit edit: I have no idea why this is making me so angry!

 

[Binky]

Why does my printer need to be a webserver?

Why use wifi?
Are people in the habit of wandering around the house with their 3D printer?

 

[ekianjo]

The guys on the promotion video look wierd and fake. 

They don't seem like the trustable type, but that may just be my impression...

 

[Binky]

Seems slightly too well marketed to me :/

 

[WizardStan]

Why use wifi?

Are people in the habit of wandering around the house with their 3D printer?

Other way around. Their intention is to make it so you can design on a tablet or other wireless device and print directly from it, regardless of platform. You could design something on the Pandora and just upload the STL to the printer and it would just work. My usage would be to have the printer in one room and my desktop in another.

 

[Binky]

I'd rather setup my own wireless hadrdware if I wanted that functionality, like so:
 


3D Printer_________router_______________________________desktop
| |
| | wlan
| \____________access < < < < tablet
| point
| ^
| ^
| ^
\________________laptop

( Where ____ is wired lan and > > > is wireless lan )

 

[dreamer]

Con: small print area, 10x12x15 cm

Yeah that's tiny.

I'd rather build an i3 (20x20x20cm) so I'll also know how it works and how to fix it.


Shouldn't be that much more expensive either.

 

[hailrazer]

No heated build plate =  automatic fail.

Most prints fail and curl up because of not having a heated build plate.  With this printer a lot of prints will fail. 

It's pretty , that is fine, but you need more than pretty to make successful 3D prints. 

 

[vcoleiro1]

No heated build plate =  automatic fail.

Most prints fail and curl up because of not having a heated build plate.  With this printer a lot of prints will fail. 

It's pretty , that is fine, but you need more than pretty to make successful 3D prints. 

Quote from there KS page:

Will there be a heated bed?


Yes, there will be so don't worry too much about that!

^ Doesn't that mean there is a heated build plate?

 

[hailrazer]

Well there's not one on it as it is in the prototype. And I don't think they can make it with a heated build plate and sell one for $347.

 

[vcoleiro1]

Well there's not one on it as it is in the prototype. And I don't think they can make it with a heated build plate and sell one for $347.

They said there will be , I have no reason to doubt them.  

 

[Neelix]

I'd rather setup my own wireless hadrdware if I wanted that functionality, like so:


3D Printer_________router_______________________________desktop
| |
| | wlan
| \____________access < < < < tablet
| point
| ^
| ^
| ^
\________________laptop

( Where ____ is wired lan and > > > is wireless lan )

Sure...  that makes sense if you already have a network setup where you'll be working.

What if your network is in the study but you want your 3D printer in the workshop at the other end of the house?   Then it makes more sense to make it possible to have a tablet or laptop be able to connect to it directly.

- Neelix

 

[Binky]

What if your network is in the study but you want your 3D printer in the workshop at the other end of the house?

Run a wire into the workshop

 

[Neelix]

That will work only until the wife trips over it and orders you to remove it.

Edit: (and only if you have such a long cable to begin with)

- Neelix

 

[hailrazer]

Well there's not one on it as it is in the prototype. And I don't think they can make it with a heated build plate and sell one for $347.

They said there will be , I have no reason to doubt them.  

Obviously you aren't familiar with the many broken promises that is Kickstarter then..... 

 

[leathco]

*cough* icontrolpad 2 *cough*

Sent from my HTCEVOV4G using Tapatalk 2

 

[WizardStan]

What's happened with the iControlPad2 now?

 

[vcoleiro1]

Well there's not one on it as it is in the prototype. And I don't think they can make it with a heated build plate and sell one for $347.

They said there will be , I have no reason to doubt them.

Obviously you aren't familiar with the many broken promises that is Kickstarter then.....

As for Kickstarter , all projects I backed fully delivered on promised features . As far as I can see its the same with other projects, no doubt some may have under delivered , but the majority have made good. So the odds and benefit of the doubt favor a funded project delivering, all be it very late. Actually KS projects have a tendency to over deliver by adding in features late in the project to entice people to back it . So if you are an early backer, some times you end up with more than you signed on for .

You didn't see that the KS page said it would include a heat bed, and thus said it would fail thinking it didn't have a heat bed. You made an honest mistake , lets leave it at that.


I have just found out after researching these , there actually is another printer with similar specs & price including a heated bed . It can be bought now.


See the Makibox here, heated bed models start at $300: http://makibox.com/products


These 3D printers are coming down in price drastically. They are now at a point where they will appeal to a lot of people. IT's getting very tempting to pick one up. I'm just amazed one of the big players hasn't got an offering whuch is what I have been hanging out for. I would have though Samsung or Canon would have developed one by now.


Here's a list of 3D printers sorted by price. It's missing a few printers (like the Makibox) but still a good list: http://www.3ders.org/pricecompare/3dprinters/

 

[theo975]

Come on guys its $347 which we can all admit is cheap for its quality. The size is an issue for big projects but why say wireless is a con? It may not be a pro but that doesn't mean it's a con.