We're stealing the laser thread but it seems we are actually talking all about the same kinds of issues, IE technology modeling.
You MUST read all of the specs about laser cutting and or 3d printing. Remember that ads are written by marketing folks! A 3d printer has size constraints IE build area, that is misleading as what you print is cubic, that is the bigger an item is it grows in all three directions, this means the bigger an item is the longer it will takes to print by very large numbers! The printing mechanisim on most home style 3d printers creates the object using a nozzle that is not unlike a hot glue gun. So the detail is limited by the HOLE in the nozzle, and the speed at which the head moves back and forth.
From the Makerbot manual:
Print Technology: Fused Filament Fabrication
Build Volume: 11.2 L x 6.0 W x 6.1 H in[28.5 x 15.3 x 15.5 cm]
High 100 microns [0.0039 in] so called highest detail
Standard 200 microns [0.0078 in]
Low 300 microns [0.0118 in]
Positioning Precision: XY: 11 microns [0.0004 in]; Z: 2.5 microns [0.0001 in]
Filament Diameter: 1.75 mm [0.069 in]
Nozzle Diameter: 0.4 mm [0.015 in] the hole in the nozzle!
Notice it states all of the different resolutions it can print however the HOLE in the nozzle is the same for all of them. It gets so called more detail by tugging on the plastic like pulling taffy to get a finer line NOT neccessariy detail. IE you can print a small board say 1/8th inch by 1/8th inch BUT you can't print woodgrain types of detail.
Speed wise it ain't no rocket ship! The roof vents I printed are about the diameter of a dime and just a little taller. I print them 4 up and they take about 40 minutes to print. The boiler is about 1 1/2 inch diameter and about 3 1/2 inchs long, it took just about 1 1/2 hours to print. But that is OK because while it was building the parts I was doing other modeling projects. The laser cutting is much faster, I can cut items 10 x 12 inches in just a few minutes depending on how many finished parts there are. Laser cutting is usually timed by the inch, 3d printing is timed by cube,
I know its confusing but if you can go to a store that carries these types of machines and watch a demo, it makes all the difference. You can also just go to YouTube and watch them doing their magic. Russ
