My university is currently getting rid of equipment including an Mcor paper 3D printer and I was wondering if it could be a good addition to the Makerspace.
I’m not sure what model it is (I think it’s the Matrix 300+) but if we want it I should be able to get a good deal as I get on well with the prototyping department and they’ll probably like it going to a Makerspace instead of the tip.
I remember seeing them at the 3d print show. Interesting tech.
I’d say it depends on:
member interest
size of machine
running costs
price
that thing looks awesome!
certainly looks interesting we have fdm, sls would be nice, so would a resin printer.
if we can make room for it…
Aren’t SLS 3D printers hugely expensive? (i.e. Several tens of thousands of pounds at the low end.)
I said it would be nice …not necessarily realistic!
This is the one that creates models from A4 printer paper.
Reductive ‘3d printing’.
Potentially this one: http://mcortechnologies.com/3d-printers/matrix-300-plus/
I’ve never been sure what uses / advantages these provide, and I’m aware we’ve taken on a few new toys recently (letter press, press press thing) and its all filling up my under bench storage and this thing is going to impound the problem further…
It needs about a metre width space, plus area in front to operate it.
More pertinently, do we need it? It’s “interesting” and “looks awesome” - is there demand for using it? Not trying to be a party pooper, but got to draw a line somewhere…
1m is a lot of space, relatively speaking.
It can do finer resolution than the ultimaker, and in full colour, but the parts are not as robust.
I’m getting party pooping feelings too :-/
We need to find out from @cjjharries if this is a colour one or just prints in the colour of the paper (Mcor do both).
This is an amazing machine to have, if we don’t want it we should reach out to the OWL network.
Does it suffer from the limitations of the ‘glue gun’ technique of the Ultimaker etc.? ie. temperature sensitivity, drooping…
I don’t think so much, it’s effectively, just gluing loads of sheets of paper together whilst using a blade to cut around it, you then ‘break out’ your model from the paper at the end. - so the paper that isn’t part of your model becomes support for the rest of the model.
It’s super cool.
No, I’ve used one before for a project, it is amazing, just PVA glue and paper.
Update: The printer they have does do colour as well as having a program where you can print colour sheet by sheet then stack it into the machine and have it cut away to have a ‘colour print’.
I talked to the guys earlier and it turns out they already do have some interest in it so unless we want it enough to scrape together a few grand and are willing to wait a few months we’re probably not going to get it, sorry.
Yeah, seemed too good to be true.