Thinking of buying a 3d printer

[Missing User]

I'm thinking about buying a 3d printer for prototyping/manufacturing complicated parts for props, projects, etc.

What printers would you guys suggest? I haven't been able to find a buyers guide anywhere I've looked. I'm looking for something that's low-er size, and high precision.

[smha1010]

If you're making props you're gonna want full color and you said you wanted high precision?
It's almost impossible for an average consumer to get such a printer.

[Missing User]

[QUOTE=BlueYoshi;41770630]If you're making props you're gonna want full color and you said you wanted high precision?
It's almost impossible for an average consumer to get such a printer.[/QUOTE]

I wouldn't need full color at all, the printer would mostly be for small fiddly bits (gears on corvo's mask, made-to-fit mask cheek pads, similar smaller stuff) which I could finish afterwards with washes, paints, etc.

[Autumn]

i think you're vastly underestimating the cost, power, needed knowledge and a whole lot more things to do with 3D printers. they're not designed for your average consumer, let alone someone just wanting to make props/models.

[Metallics]

They're expensive pieces of kit, you're certainly looking at into the thousands for what you want, that is prebuilt, set up and ready to go. To get one at a reasonable price you will have to buld one yourself, which you could do for a few hundred £.

I have two I'm in regular contact with, a rep rap mendel built mostly by my dad that cost about £200 (however required a small amount of electronic engineering/programming experience) and one at uni which cost about £10,000. The uni one is isn't much different other than it was provided ready to go and has ever so slightly better accuracy (but is still prone to issues such as losing steps etc.)

[Missing User]

[QUOTE=Autumn;41770766]i think you're vastly underestimating the cost, power, needed knowledge and a whole lot more things to do with 3D printers. they're not designed for your average consumer, let alone someone just wanting to make props/models.[/QUOTE]

I understand that a baseline model would cost just about a thousand pre-built, but as metallics said, they're a lot cheaper if you build them yourself from parts/buy a "kit".

I have used CnC machines before and am on my schools robotics team, so I know a bit about the technology, and while I haven't directly ever used a 3d printer, I have access to people who could teach me more about them.

Also, why should lack of knowledge stop you from doing something? I had to have access to a CnC before I could learn to use it properly, shouldn't the same apply to pretty much any other tool?