If you want to hang out or use the restroom at Starbucks, you’re going to have to buy something.
Starbucks on Monday said it was reversing a policy that invited everyone into its stores. A new code of conduct – which will be posted in all company-owned North American stores – also bans discrimination or harassment, consumption of outside alcohol, smoking, vaping, drug use and panhandling.
Starbucks spokesperson Jaci Anderson said the new rules are designed to help prioritize paying customers. Anderson said most other retailers already have similar rules.
There are several designs for (partially) 3d printed printers.
The original RepRap was one, and Prusa printers have quite a few 3d printed components. Aside from the electronics, hot end, motors, screws, and aluminum frame, that’s entirely possible.
Obviously that’s still a lot you need to buy, but probably over half the actual parts are printable.
Did you forget about the pinnacle of printable DIY printers, the Voron 2.4 (and it’s siblings)?
As someone with only a casual interest in 3d printing, are the open source 3d printers worth the effort it takes to make them vs buying one?
No.
You can get a factory new A1 Mini for $199. Nothing you can DIY for that price will ever come even close to beating it, and that doesn’t even take into account the amount of time spent building it.
It used to be worth it when cheap and good consumer printers didn’t exist, but nowadays building a DIY printer is not something you do for cost savings, you do it because you enjoy building it
It’s like anything else. There are super high quality mass produced printers for like $200, so if you want to make some prints for the lowest cost possible, that’s the way to go.
If you want a hobby about learning and tweaking the printer itself, then yup, the open source printers are really good and fun to work with.
If you want to make super strong, high quality prints for prototyping, or industrial applications, then you’re probably going to need to get a serious, real manufactured printer.
The nice thing about 3d printing, is that there’s options for anyone’s interest level.