nathanielcustom - Nathan,

Each time I made sure to attach a sample STL so that the Printer would have something to reference.

I will keep your offer in mind. For now, I am working on a new revision for my models. Once complete, I will try contacting a couple other printers who have shown their reliability i.e. have feedback that demonstrates that they have been active.

Thank you.

raykholo - Nathaniel,
Sorry to hear about your troubles. There's definitely some good people on here (And Nathan, the owner, is pretty great about stepping in and helping out when needed).

I'd like to think I run an honest business, so here's how I would answer your questions:

I charge whatever USPS charges. In most cases, this means I can get a Regional Rate A box across the country for $10 in 2 - 3 days. (I also meet local clients at my local Starbucks frequently for consultations and pickups.) I design and run my own line of printers so I have a pretty in depth understanding of how things work and have even reconfigured printers (1 vs 2 heads, different nozzles sizes based on required precision) to accommodate the needs of the client. This also means that there's a printer ready to start a job as soon as it comes in to get the

On a personal note, I prefer not to print with ABS. I find that it stinks up the place and warps which means that the bottom of your print will not come out flat. PLA, on the other hand, is still a rigid material just like ABS, results in better dimensional tolerances because it shrinks less after it has been deposited. I print PLA constantly with success.

The printer's profile should have pictures of their existing printouts in the body and list their service offerings towards the top of the page. Many offer CAD Design Services and if they have a CNC/ Laser Cutter/ other machinery this will be noted there.
I'm a solid CAD Designer (I designed and printed the machines that I run 24/7 now) and my CAD portfolio is available upon request. I just updated my profile so you can see the quality I'm capable of printing at.

In any case, I hope this information provides a good starting point for your search, and if I can be of help, please do get in touch.

Good luck,
Ray

vinnie90 - That sounds pretty horrible.

Im sure Nathan can hook you up with some good people. I have been knowing Ray for a while now and he is very knowledgeable in everything he does. Maybe a little smarter than me... ha ha ha.

Ill raise my hand and offer my help if the two above can not help you out. Im sure you will get it worked out before it even gets to me.

Vinnie

elpulpo - I second all that Nathan, Ray and Vinnie have said - Except that of course, it takes an expert to make ABS work. :-D

Soz, Ray. Couldn't resist :-D

nathanielcustom - My sarcasm detector is still in the repair shop... what is the truth behind ABS? Is it being suggested that ABS is more difficult to produce an accurate print compared to PLA?

I was wanting to make the switch from PLA to ABS because I wanted a material that was capable of flexing further before breaking akin to many plastic parts found in consumer products. The additional flex makes it possible to assemble certain parts and shapes that I haven't found possible with PLA.

elpulpo - Sorry to hear that. I got my sarcasm injectors bored out and supercharged long ago. Just can't turn 'em off nowadays. My injection's set to "facetious+" so there's no hope for me at all,!

However. I hardly use PLA and print in ABS almost exclusively. Some printers like to print stuff out and ship it. Me? I'm in the hand-finishing end of the biz so the fact that I can vapour smooth ABS and bond it with Acetone is absolutely essential. It's certainly less brittle than PLA and vapour smoothing tends to bond the layers together so that makes it stronger still.

For sure you can get build plate adhesion problems but so long as you have a heated build plate and a good recipe you can keep problems manageable. I'd say shrinkage problems are usually overstated. Yup. It's smellier than PLA but to me that's a small price to pay to get rid of them pesky little striations. My recipe? 100-110 degrees C build plate with BuildTak or UHU Purple on Borosilicate glass. Belt and braces, for sure but it works, so hey! :-)

I rarely print solid but it's feasible for smaller parts. Say around the size of your thumb or smaller. If you make sure you keep the whole print volume nice and warm you'll get fewer problems in general.

Hope this helps. Sincerely. :-)

Cheers,

Andy

Ps: OK. That's enough sincerity for a lifetime. Back to Sarky mode. :-)

vinnie90 - Oh Andy .... Andy .... Andy always a Smart A$$. lol

Andy is pretty spot on with everything. I myself dont like to print with ABS. I like PLA because it is less I have to worry about. It is just really easy to print.

Yes ABS does have a little bit more flex, however, I have heard of some plastic out there that is "Like PLA but softer". Maybe Andy and Ray have more info. I have never messed with the stuff. It is called PET. Matterhackers is selling it, also I seen Taulman come out with some PLAdium. He is usually an expert with nylon, he might have combined the two.

Materials are coming out every day. Someone needs to get with a company to get samples and chart out everything. Strength, flexible, etc.

I got off topic there....anyways ... Summery:
-Need help...ask anyone of us
-Many materials out there that may be better for your situation
-and Happy Easter

elpulpo - LOL! Can't I help it if my a$$ is smart?? :-D

bmmal - I'm located in Madison. It's not exactly local but via UPS most shipments should arrive within 2 days of leaving me. I have a Stratasys machine. It prints ABS parts well with few disclaimers. (I actually haven't printed PLA in years because I find it to be inferior if you have the right machine) Because my machine has a support material and a heated chamber I don't have disclaimers about bonding, smoothing, warping/curling, etc. 99% of the time people send me parts, I orient it in the direction of their preference or that it will print the strongest (can be done regardless of overhang geometry), print it and when it's done I peel the supports off.

I use a material supplier who has some high grade ABS that has noticeably better properties than the stock ABS or other ABS available. I can also print a PC/ABS alloy which is tougher (stronger but can be put under some strain before yielding or breaking) than ABS.

I've been 3D printing for a long time. I originally built my own desktop machine which served its purpose until I acquired the Stratasys machine. My education is in materials engineering but at my day job I'm a mechanical engineer within a product development firm. One of my hats there is to act as the internal 3D printing consultant. We have an Objet (polyjet) machine which I am responsible for keeping running smoothly. I have also dabbled in building an SLA machine both laser based and DLP. Just haven't had time to finish it yet.

Feel free to send me a message if you're interested.

Ben