Originally Posted by
adamflyer
I'm looking at getting a 3D printer for printing direct casting molds for aluminum for small scale prototype work. I'm thinking it will save a fair amount of labor from my current process (making wood patterns for sand casting on the CNC).
[I'm not sure sand-casting patterns made on the Z-310 will really be any better or easier to make than the wooden ones you're making on your CNC. The surfaces won't be as smooth, and the material is less durable. The main excuse for using a machine like this is the ability to have part configurations that aren't machinable, but that doesn't apply here, since a drafted pattern won't have any surfaces that a tool can't reach.]
I found a ZCorp 310 locally for two thousand bucks. The guys does not seem to know much about printing but claims it works. Any advise/suggestions are welcomed. A few questions below:
1. Are there expensive parts on this printer that commonly break / how to test for good functionality?
[Yes, there are plenty of them, and they aren't readily available, since those machines are old and obsolete. The printheads it requires are an example; they aren't made any more, so they've become quite rare and expensive. You can run it to make sure it works, but that's no guarantee it's going to keep working.]
2. It seems the printer has a computer, does this computer run both the software that imports the STL file and processes it as well as controls the printing or just the latter and you need a separate pc with slicing software?
[The same computer should be able to do both the slicing and the machine control.]
3. How does the ZCorp software licensing work - do I need to make sure I have a key and setup files in case I need to re-install at some point? Will ZCorp give you the software for free if you own one of their printers? I would hate to end up with a printer that needs $$ worth of software.
Thanks,
Adam