One question I often receive from our readers is whether or not it’s worth purchasing an already assembled 3D printer, or if building a machine from a more affordable kit is the way to go. My response is always the same, and is in the form of another question: “How much time, know-how and patience do you have?”
Building a 3D printer from kit form is not necessarily difficult, as much as it is tedious and time consuming. With just a little bit of mechanical know-how anyone can do it, and if that means saving a few hundred bucks, it’s certainly worth in many cases. Just ask South Jordan, Utah-based company MakerFarm, which is in the business of selling kits and components to help 3D printing enthusiasts build, maintain and enjoy reliable machines. The company is known for their affordable parts as well as multiple kits to build RepRap 3D printers.
This week MakerFarm introduced a new kit which will allow you to build a 3D printer they call the Pegasus 8″. Unlike many of the 3D printer kits that we have seen in the past, this kit, priced at just $375, can be assembled within a few hours, according to MakerFarm. Once assembled you will get a machine which is entirely capable of printing accurate, medium-scale objects at relatively quick speeds. Let’s have a look at some of the key specifications of the Pegasus 8″:
- Printer Size: 20″ x 18″ x 27″
- Build Envelope: 8″ x 8″ x 7″
- Minimum Layer Height: 50 microns
- Electronics: RAMPS 1.4
- Extruder: Lite6 E3D Hot end for 1.75mm filament, with direct drive extruder
The machine, once assembled, will be equipped with automatic bed leveling capability, a built-in spool holder to help manage filament consumption, and a heated build platform. The mounts for the heat bed will be made from wood unless you wish to upgrade to aluminum for an additional $20. Also there is an optional LCD interface for easier control of the machine if you choose to pay the extra $40.
Because of the machine’s use of a V-Slot extrusion system, prints are both smoother and faster than many of the machines out there on the market, and if you’re a person who’s obsessed with speed, the lead time of just five days should not be a major turnoff. Customers will need to purchase their own 12v 30 amp power supply, insulation, USB cable and glass to complete the assembly of this machine. The entire manual and build instructions can be found here if you’d like to look it over prior to making any decision to purchase this kit.
Let us know if you have purchased and assembled this new 3D printer. Discuss in the MakerFarm Pegasus 8″ forum thread on 3DPB.com.
