Dollars and cents

What my printer will look like in the end, hopefully.

After many hours of research I have decided to build the Reprap Prusa I3 (Prusa i3 here after). I chose this 3-d printer over my countless other models for numerous reasons. To begin it has a large print are (8"x8"x8") which was a major factor in deciding which model to build. With a printer this size most practical things can be made. Another reason I selected this printer is its ease of getting parts. Kits, as well as individual parts are readily available on many major online retailers, including Amazon.com and Ebay.com. A bonus of this printer is the network of support available online. It is one of the most popular 3-d printers to build and consequently many step by step manuals and videos are available.

Specifications of the Prusa I3

·         Plastic Parts- 26

·         Other Parts- 337

·         Frame Material- Aluminum

·         Cost- $300-$400

·         Print size- 8"x8"x8"

·         Print Speed- 100mm/s

·         Plastic Types- PLA or ABS

·         Motors- NEMA 17 Stepper Motors

Sourcing the Parts

With the exception of the threaded rods, nuts, and bolts 3-d printer parts are scarce locally. Upon researching for parts I found that the best and most trusted places to source parts from is Amazon.com and Ebay.com. A variety of sellers offer good selection on both of these websites.

Pros

Amazon- Reputable website with good customer service. My Amazon Prime membership merits free 2-day shipping on most items.

Ebay-Cheaper parts than Amazon, trusted by many for 3-d printer parts.

Cons

Amazon- Higher prices, may not have as good of selection

Ebay- Various sellers, various shipping prices and times

Below is a chart representing the lowest cost on the websites.  Note: Prices include shipping as well as the combined price of the quantity of the products listed.

Parts		Amazon Price		EBay Price
Frame:
Printed Parts		$50		$30
Rods		$74.99		$40
Hardware		$17		$25
Aluminum Portion		Not Available		$80
Bearings		$18		$12
Belts		$12		P-$89.99
Electronics
NEMA 17		$83.40		$70.00
RAMPS 1.4		P-79.95		P
Arduino Mega R3		P		P
Hot end		$34.99		$28.99
End stops		$6.99		P
Heated Bed		$18.99		P
Power Supply		$29.99		$30
Motor Drivers		P		P
Optional LCD		P		P
Total:		$346+Frame		$315.99
P= Package

I may end up taking parts from both retailers based on time for shipping or reputability. I would also like to point out my biggest fear for this project. Spending all of this money for a pile of wire and metal that just sits there.

About Me!

I would like to get this out of the way. I am not much of a writer so this blog may come as a disappointment. That being said, Welcome to my blog!

To begin my name is Garrett. This blog, as much as I dislike writing, will hopefully by a all encompassing view in to my experiences building a 3-d Printer for the 20% project. Since I don't have very much other information about myself that is worth mentioning here are some facts about me.

Favorite Quote- Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.

-Thomas A. Edison

Favorite Sports Team- Florida State, and no I didn't just jump on the bandwagon.

Monarchy Rank- Peasant (don't ask)

Grade- 10th

Other things you may need to know- I am a very excellent procrastinator, evident by the fact I'm writing this less than a hour before it's due. I am the youngest person in my family. I despise rap music.

Now that we have gotten through the portion of the blog about my exciting life let my introduce my project. My goal by April is to build a 3-d printer. You might ask what that even is but instead of boring you with various technical talk and monotonous reading here is a picture of how a 3-d printer works.

A 3-d printer with a completed infinite pentagon.

Basically a 3-d printer takes a long piece of plastic, the "ink" of a regular printer, melts it, and stacks multiple layers on top of each other to make a shape. 

The various colors of "ink" of a 3-D printer

With these printers you can make anything your mind, or someone else can conceive. This s what drew me into doing this. The main reason I choose to build rather than buy is both so I can learn, as this project includes electronics, software, mechanics and much more, as well as cost. My plan is to keep the whole project under $350. This amount of money does not seem much to me for the possibilities I see opening up with a 3-d printer.

Although other people are just writing books for there projects, or putting on a concert, I wanted to do something I thought I would enjoy.

Note: I am not very good at endings.