mill or 3d printer
 

so guys I have a lathe now that I make stuff on, but i want to be able to do other things also. I have been thinking about buying either a mini mill or a 3d printer so that I could also be able to make stuff for my quad copter and maybe other rc stuff too. what do you guys think that i should get which one would be more versatile the 3d printer or the mill? let me hear your thoughts guys thanks.

Re: mill or 3d printer
 

mill hands down. one simple reason, no current personal 3d printer i know of works with metals. from what i've seen, 3d printers mostly work with ABS which isnt the most durable plastic out there. contrast, a mini mill will work with ABS, delrin, lexan, brass, aluminum, steel, titanium (probably not too well, but it will) unobtainium, wood and most any other material.

Re: mill or 3d printer
 

Absolutely a mill.

1] 3D printing is for prototyping where the printed part serves the purpose of visualization and not function, unless its a lite kind of work.
2]3D printer will help give your creativity a boost. You will need to know to work with CAD and CAM programming.
3] The size tolerances and surface roughness on 3D printed stuff is not that good.
4] It takes way more time to 3d print than on a mill.

Go with the mill now and go for the 3d printer in the future. Since you have a lathe now, try to get a Bridge port knee mill. Trust me, the Bridge port will be worth in the long run. You will enjoy working on it.
I think $ 2500 to $3000 is the right price to pay for a used knee mill. Make sure it has a DRO and has not been abused. See if it needs scraping in order to get the accuracy right.

If you have any questions, just ask and I will guide you.

bridgeport knee mill | eBay

Re: mill or 3d printer
 

And you will need a three phase power supply for the mill. I don't know if your lathe works on 3 phase or single phase. You will also need tooling for the mill, but it will be there for a life time.

Re: mill or 3d printer
 

Get the mill and build a 3d printer "thumbsup"

In all seriousness, I would get the mill first to complement your lathe. If you really need something printed, look into Shapeways.

Shapeways - Make, buy, and sell custom products with 3D Printing

Re: mill or 3d printer
 

Mill = tool
3d printer = toy

Re: mill or 3d printer
 

I was reading an article ( I think it was on CNCzone) about someone using a printer to print some of his machining fixtures. I haven't tried it yet, but plan to.

I think printers have their place, but I'll still take a mill first.

Re: mill or 3d printer
 

Not all printers are toys.
For example, you can also make parts on a printer that can be burned out for casting. Parts that would be difficult and in some case impossible to machine conventionally can be printed. Lots of printers are toy like and will end up being available used very cheaply or tucked away and unused until the technology is obsolete. A mill can be used today, put away for twenty years, then pulled out and make parts again. A knee mill will likely last a hobbyist a lifetime. The 3D printer is more likely going to be like a computer in that it will be obsolete. We have some 3D printers that are at end of life according to the OEM. They will no longer have parts available or service. This after only 8 years. Will an after market outfit step in and make the parts and electronic boards needed? Maybe...

Re: mill or 3d printer
 

I seen on the net there starting to use 3-d printers to make human replacement parts, their are people working on a functioning human heart right now, and in future they will be able to replace arms and legs

Re: mill or 3d printer
 

Re: mill or 3d printer
 

ok thanks for the help and thoughts guys. I think that I will try to get me a mini mill first to go with my lathe. and then try to build me a 3d printer later on. thanks again for your thoughts and time.

Re: mill or 3d printer
 

Owning a 3D printer myself, I would recommend getting the mill. Having said that, I disagree with the part about these being toys. I've made 100s of functional parts with my printer (over 5 miles worth of filament), and with the right type of plastic the parts will hold up to some abuse. I have yet to have a report of a broken Nylon RULR, and these have been tested in G6 and TTC events all over the place.

3D printers have their advantages, and I think a lot of people misunderstand or ignore some of the advantages, but as moron88 said, you can work with a larger variety of materials, and that is something the 3D printer can not do (at least the home version you would be able to get with the budget you listed.)

Both machines will take a little bit of skill and training, although I think the 3D printer was a little easier for me; basically just need good 3D CAD knowledge. You already have a lathe, so it will probably be minimal training either way though.

Re: mill or 3d printer
 

Hi again guys I took you advice and ordered myself a mill about a week ago and today I was home sick with the flu and guess what fedex dropped off at the house? Yup my mini mill I will post up some pics of it tomorrow when I get all the handles put on it. Super excited to finally have one to go with my lathe.

Consumer grade 3d printers are still fairly primitive, but have their uses. Some commercial grade (freaking expensive) printers do aerospace quality metalwork. Remember the 3d printed gun panic from last year? The laser sintered barrel on that was good for 30,000psi. The coolest thing I've seen recently is the variable geometry turbos on the Koeniggsegg One:1. The turbine/impeller are made from a different metal than the housing, but are printed in place simultaneously. Anyway, kind of off topic, but I had trivia that needed out. Buy a mill.

Re: mill or 3d printer
 

Make something cool "thumbsup"

Re: mill or 3d printer
 

I will try to make something cool, and I will also try to get some pics up of my mill also I just need to post them up or post the link to the mill that I bought.

here is the link to the mill that i bought.

Mini Mill - 2 Speed Mini Milling Machine

Re: mill or 3d printer
 

@monkeyracer - Have you used Proto Pasta or any other "rugged" PLA filaments with any success?

Re: mill or 3d printer
 

I've used ABS, PLA, HIPS, Taulman 618, and PA plastic.

The Proto pasta is interesting because of the CF reinforcement, although it won't be as strong as a woven CF part (of course) it will be stronger than any PLA part. I don't think it will be stronger than the Taulman though.

I have heard of a lot of print nozzles getting clogged with the reinforced materials (wood, glass or carbon) so I would be a little leery of trying it out. Their site recommends a larger nozzle, so that may be the key to preventing clogs.
I think the next material I want to try is the PC-ABS. My hopes is that it will be a little easier to print compared to the Taulman but almost as strong.