Model Boat Mayhem
Technical, Techniques, Hints, and Tips => 3D CAD Design & Printing => Topic started by: JimG on December 14, 2024, 12:01:10 pm
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Just checking out Thingiverse this morning and their page header is that Shapeways has re-opened. On checking out the link it seems that the original co-founders have restarted it after it had previously gone bankrupt. I didn't go any further to check out what is available or prices as it was always basically too expensive for me.
Jim
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They need to drop their shipping prices before they come anywhere near a practical trading proposition. Most of the stuff I've got from them cost more to ship than it did to buy! >:-o
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I have always found buying from the USA to be very expensive from as outlets in the USA due to tarrifs and customs imposed on them to ship.............you only have to look on ebay at stuff from there and the costs of sending. However, if you have a friend in canada who will buy from any US outlet the costs of shipping are much lower to canada, and again from canada to the UK.............SAVE ABOUT 50% on shipping.
but then again you have to pay british import customs.
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They need to drop their shipping prices before they come anywhere near a practical trading proposition. Most of the stuff I've got from them cost more to ship than it did to buy! >:-o
Just to send a card to the USA is £ 2.80, card was only 99p.
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For some obscure, and I'm sure greed related reasons, the worldwide postal authorities seem to have multiplied their charges by VAST amounts since Covid.
Shear opportunism if you ask me.
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There are certainly some fantastic fittings available through commercial 3D printing but the prices can be very high. I am not really familiar with the reasons for this. Can anyone explain just where the costs are incurred? Is it the design or the printing process etc.?
Colin
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High prices mainly due to postage rates. I sourced from them a replacement OO gauge drive cog, which was £11, I thought rather dear anyway but on top was £14 p&p. I can buy a 2nd. hand working chassis for less.
Roy
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Much of the high prices are due to the printing method used. The highest quality normally use laser sintering, a polymer powder is kept slightly below it's meting point and a laser heats it until it melts where the laser touches. A new thin layer of powder is put on top and the laser melts the next layer, this continues until the piece is fully printed. The machinery needed to do this is relatively expensive,10's of thousands of pounds so any start up cost is high. The powders must be pure with no lumps although they can use a wider range of materials including metal powderswin the right machine. Resin printers can produce good prints but have a lower range of materials to use and they tend to be brittle once finished. A good resin printer can be bought for under £500 so they are commonly found in homes, few could afford the SLA printers or have room for them at home.Postage and packing could be more expensive as the smaller pieces are fragile and will need careful packing, they don't bend like white metal.
Jim
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Thanks for the info Jim.
Colin
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High prices mainly due to postage rates. I sourced from them a replacement OO gauge drive cog, which was £11, I thought rather dear anyway but on top was £14 p&p. I can buy a 2nd. hand working chassis for less.
Roy
While at the same time the prices for home 3-d printers are coming down and the capabilities are going up. One if these machines is going to be an essential item in a workshop before long...