3D Printing using inventor

[Anonymous]

i am looking for a compatable 3d printer to use with inventor 2017 aor 2018, waht machines are out there or ecommended?

[JDMather · Accepted solution]

Any 3D printer will work.

The important question is how much do you have to spend and what are your expectations for the prints?

[Anonymous]

THANKS. The company will be purchasing, I estimated allowed cost of 5,000 to 10,000. I would like one to produce good quality for prototypes. Any recommendations ?

[TheCADWhisperer]

Use max budget - do not skimp.

[hosford]

Take a look at this.

http://au.autodesk.com/au-online/classes-on-demand/class-catalog/2015/inventor/cp11801#chapter=0

[kelly.young]

Hello @Anonymous I see that you are visiting as a new member to the Inventor Forum.
Welcome to the Autodesk Community!

It really depends on what your requirements are.

Do you need single, dual, quad extruders? Meaning 1-2-4 different filament types/colors being able to switch between.

There are some that have PLA extruder(s) and a Water Soluble Filament extruder for the support structure and when done you submerge it and then have your shape which without wouldn't be able to support.

Water-soluble support material

Depending on the material you are using there are different requirements. Some materials come in different thicknesses and have nozzle, bed, and temperature prerequisites.

What I learned from reviewing 30 different filaments

For generalized 3d printing I bought one for $130, put together myself, and remade simple car parts and plastic things around the house. Worked great but for commercial use like yours it wouldn't hold up.

Comparing 8 Affordable Printers

For creating good prototypes, what is your definition of good; strength, smoothness, accuracy, multi-color, material?

Are they for visual conceptualization or use prior to final mold injection? For plastic prototypes of metal final manufactures? Scaled reproductions?

Do you want to 3D print in plastic, flexible, wood, metal?

Prints Wood, PLA, ABS, TPU

Have you looked into Continuous Liquid Interface Production (check it out just for fun, looks promising for speed)?

What Is Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP) 3D Printing

Without defining what you're looking for it's difficult to suggest anything. Analogy would be having 5-10k to buy a car, but not specifying for off road, hauling, commute, travel, or leisure. I'd suggest you a 1973 Volvo P1800 ES but if you have a family of 6 you're going to hate me.

There are many experienced 3d printer users in the community so the more information you provide the better we can narrow down your search!

Please select the Accept as Solution button if a post solves your issue or answers your question.

[Frederick_Law]

The simple answer is any 3D printer will work.

Export your part to STL file and use any slicer program to create G-Code for the printer.

It is more important to know what you want to print.

First size:

Desktop printer goes from 4"cube to 10"cu.  You can buy larger industrial printer.

Second resolution:

How much detail do you need for your parts?  FFF printers are usually 0.4mm due to nozzle size.  You can use smaller nozzle but print time will increase.

Stereolithography will have better detail but different material choice.

Laser sintering is another high detail printer.

Third Material:

Do you need nylon or metal?  For prototype only PLA is cheap and good.  If need stronger parts, you'll need to use better material.

PLA soften above 60C.  Not good in hot environment.  ABS is better but more difficult to print.  Advance PLA could be pretty close to ABS.

Nylon need a 350C extruder.  Most printer are below 300C.

Forth Slicer:

I consider this as most important for FFF printer.  It determine how easy and good a print will be.

Powerful slicer which keep up to date will allow better, faster and easier print.  Simplify3D, Sli3lr, Cura are good example.

I had printer with their proprietary software which don't get updates and it really limit potential of the printer.

A commercial printer is great if their support works.  You're limited to use their repair service.

A Reprap or DIY printer have no support but parts are easy to get and sky is the limit on what you can modify the printer to do.

So you'll more questions then answers.

[mcgyvr]

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@Anonymous wrote:
THANKS. The company will be purchasing, I estimated allowed cost of 5,000 to 10,000. I would like one to produce good quality for prototypes. Any recommendations ?

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10,000 US dollars? Rubles? Pesos? sterling?

You really need to put together a comprehensive list of the requirements YOU need.. 

There has been some good information posted so far to get you started on that list..

But we can't do it for you and have zero ideas of your specific needs so this is a question that only you can answer..