3d scanner and printer?

[Martin McGrath]

On 21 March 2017 at 08:55, Jon Minton <nate.minton at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I've been interested in printing demographic data for a few years. An
> introduction to the basic idea is here:
>
> https://ije-blog.com/2016/06/27/lexis-cubes-1-from-maps-of-space-to-maps-of-time/
> (basic concept)
> https://ije-blog.com/2016/06/27/lexis-cubes-2-case-study-log-mortality-for-males-in-finland-1878-to-2012/
> (illustration and annotation of a printed cube)
>
> I went to Maklab when they were based in the Lighthouse. There seemed a lot
> of enthusiasm but they seem to steer people away from focus on 3D printing
> to other CAD/CAM techniques. Unfortunately they couldn't offer a precise
> estimate for the cost of manufacture; as I was in charge of a small budget
> to print some of the cubes above I really needed to be able to enter a
> specific amount in invoices.
> In the end I've kept using a company based in London:
> https://www.3dprint-uk.co.uk/
> The quality is very high, with objects produced at very high resolution in
> a durable nylon. Their pricing isn't cheap but is transparent: they charge
> for 'swept volume' - basically the smallest cuboid that could contain the
> structure to be printed; their staff are friendly and their turnaround
> times quite short. I've had one or two objects printed using University of
> Glasgow machines and the quality has been much lower, though the range of
> materials is higher.
>
> I think I've seen somewhere offering 3d printing on Woodlands Road recently
> but haven't been in. I couldn't find reference to this online but did find
> the following:
> https://step3d.co.uk/
>
> Like 3dprint they offer online quotes.
>
> I think in general paying a professional company with a very high end
> machine will be better value than buying a low end machine to use yourself,
> though it depends what you want to use 3D printing for. I can imagine the
> various problems with fabrication - with trying to print something that's
> unprintable and ending up with strings of melted plastic after waiting
> overnight and using up a lot of material in the process - represent an
> interesting challenge, and using the machines is a good skill to learn, but
> I'm primarily interested in the output, and if the aim is to have something
> to exhibit and explore using an online company takes out a lot of the
> hassle.
>
>
> Best wishes,
> Jon
>
>

Podbox are Glasgow based, you can pop in and speak to them:

http://www.podbox.co.uk/

Martin