First Thoughts on 3D Printing

I started this blog to share my experience on personal 3D printing systems.

Now I am gathering information on available 3D printers.
My initial analysis stopped me from buying a printer now.
I will wait for a couple of months more.

As a result of my analysis, I decided on buying one of these printers:
- Replicator (MakerBot)
- Ultimaker
- M2 (MakerGear)

My criteria on selecting a 3D printer are as follows:
1. Easy to assemble and use
2. Firm and Community Support
3. Reliable performance
4. Quality of print
5. Speed of printing
6. Low frequency of servicing

I was initially thinking of hacking a 3D printer. However, I decided to do it after I start using a more reliable system. Here are my thoughts on the printers based on my criteria. As seen there is no clear winner.

Criteria	Replicator	Ultimaker	M2
1. Easy to assemble and use	I can order the product fully assembled (+++)	I have to assemble to printer myself (-)	I can order the product fully assembled (+++)
2. Firm and Community Support	The firm has a well established support and the customer base is the largest among others (+++)	The firm has quick responding support. Customer base is small (+)	The firm has only IRC based support. Customer base is small (-)
3. Reliable performance	Hard to conclude from forum and blog posts however it seems a steep learning curve. (-)	Hard to conclude from forum and blog posts however it seems a steep learning curve. (-)	Metal frame is an advantage. However it is recently released therefore needs several months of user feedback (?)
4. Quality of print	Not that much impressed compared to Ultimaker (+)	If everything goes well, the results are outstanding. The biggest negative is stringing!!! (++)	No sample printouts yet (?)
5. Speed of printing	Slow compared to Ultimaker (-)	The fastest among compatitors (+++)	The speed is unknown (?)
6. Low frequency of servicing	The wooden frame may require frequent maintenance (-)	The wooden frame may require frequent maintenance (-)	The metal frame looks more reliable hence requiring less maintenance (++)