I have been using the Afinia brand printers for going on 5 years now and they have always performed well for us. (In fact, I purchased 2 of them for my own use at home.) The samples that you attached are bigger than their smaller desktop model will print, however, the H800 is large enough to print them.

Ease of use and setup ***** Of all of the 3D printers that I have used, these are the easiest for newbies. The software is very good.

Smell ***** The smell that most folks don't like is from abs plastics. Pla will give off an odor as well, but it is less offensive. This model is enclosed and has a filtration system for the fumes.

Noise **** This model is very quiet. Quieter than the earlier models.

Filament ***** Since you can set the nozzle temp in the software, use of third party (less expensive) filament is possible. I pay about $13 a kilogram of abs or pla as opposed to Afinia's prices for filament. (about $40 for same)

Speed ***** Print preview of the magnet plate on normal resolution indicates that the part will take 3.5 hours to print. The roll cage 4.5 hours on normal settings. More time for fine settings and less for fast.

No heat issues

Hope this helps.

On Mon, Mar 12, 2018 at 9:20 AM, Michael Norkun <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

My science department is in the market for a 3D printer. We are 3D printing noobs. This will be our first endeavor with this piece of tech.

What recommendations do any of you have in terms of price, brands, vendors, sizes, printing times, noise level, heat issues, smell issues...etc?

Attached are two STL files for a project my students are working on that I ended up bribbing a friend to print at his work with a case of Shed's Baltic Porter. How long would something like that take to print on a typical school 3d printer?

Thanks in advance.

Magnet_Plate_v9.stl

Magnet_Roll_Cage_v3.stl

--
Mike Norkun
Science Teacher / Science Coordinator
Bellows Falls Union High School

"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."

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