I use the tevo tarantula every day! It has a heated bed and can print just as well or better than some printers that cost 10 times as much. The caveat is the fact that you need to assemble it but it does have a huge user group on facebook so there are people who are willing to help and share their experience.
They also have a larger model being released soon, I will probably get that model too since I find myself needing a second unit from time to time.
Which version of the current tarantula should i go for @chaka ? You spoke about some tweaks, is that to shore up the frame to increase accuracy?
Yes you can print a fan duct for better prints. That is the only mod I have done, plenty of other files within the community to do other mods and improvements. The original tarantula has the best price unless you need more space for prints.
Pro metal or standard extruder?
Did you go for the factory auto levelling or upgrade after? Or neither?
I ordered the standard tevo tarantula, no extras. Do some research and be sure you want to tackle the assembly though. It takes about 6 hours.
I have the tevo Tarantula as well. Itās great, but does need care and time spent building and getting it setup right. The facebook group is awesome for help and advice.
Mine looks very different due to the upgrades Iāve done so far. More are planned and on their way.
I would recommend going for the standard model with the larger bed. All the other choices are overpriced and the parts can be picked up cheaper yourself at a later date. I got the auto leveling model and gave up on it as itās hard to get setup right. Manual levelling is so much easier and quicker. I would also recommend getting a piece of borosilicate glass for the bed. It will make things a lot easier to get level and adhering.
I have printed in PLA, ABS and lately PETG. PETG to me is the best of both worlds. The issue with ABS is that it curls, so you need to be careful. PETG has no shrinkage, but it has some stringing that you need to look out for and tune the temperatures. Also, you will need a fan to blow on your print, itās critical otherwise it will just not work well.
Leo
and I just looked at the Folger Tech and Tarantula, If I was looking for a bigger print volume Iād get the Folger Tech FT-5. For $499 itās a great value.
Leo
That is a ridiculously clean build! Much respect!
Thanks, itās still a work in progress. Iām designing a cover for the psu and some way of mounting that to the rear of the printer. That will clear up much cabling. Then Iām mid way through redesigning the controller board box so that the cables from that are less of a nightmare.
i need to take mine apart and swap in some aluminum partsā¦ but hereās the enclosure i built for my PSU:
I got a prusa i3 Acrylic version from folger tech almost 2 years ago and its pretty solid with some alignment every few monthsā¦
I would go with the aluminum version since its about the same price.
But really that new large area version looks like the winner for esk8! 2 x 6s 5200 lipo box just fits on a 8x8 bed.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281960334092
Is this the same printer you guys are talking about? Looks cheeeeep.
I would personally recommend spending a bit more for something with aluminium parts. It will be better in the long run and more flexible.
Is there a good online store for filament?
I just finished setting up my Tevo, respect how sorted yours looks. Did you buy the extra extrusion/brackets as a kit?
No, I designed it myself and got the extra extrusions cut to size on Ali Express. I did it as Iām going for a dual Z setup so I needed better support for the top section. It allows me also to mount a lot more kit without risking putting everything out of alignment. You will need lots of extra angle brackets as well as t-nuts/bolts to put it all together.
Iāve just ordered some carbon fibre bits from http://www.mackers.it/ today as well to make things even more rigid.
Is that carbon kit $120USD? or EUR
Is the dual z to improve accuracy or are you expanding your print space?
Are there any mods that increase the stability of the print bed, Ive noticed the bed can rock cause the screw and springs only provide tension on the z axis and no stability for x and y
Its in $, well it was for me in the UK. Iām using the dual Z to stop the slop on the left hand side of the z and it will improve all over z accuracy. Iām not worrying about print space as Iāve not got plans to print massive things anyway.
Iām going for mgn12h rails which improve the bed stability. With the carbon bits and those I will have made it better. Making the bed really low will reduce the spring issue too.
Iāve done a few upgrades on my Tevo Tarantula over the last few weeks. All the acrylic pieces are now in carbon fibre. Total overkill, but awesome. I also upgraded to linear rails and some new mounting points for the mks board. Iāve added a raspberry pi as well so that I can print using Octopi which makes printing much easier.
Itās printing really well, itās about as good as this kind of printer can get now without chucking a lot more money at it.
