And this is on a personal finance blog, why??
It so happens, that’s how I keep busy during my early retirement. You could say it’s a symptom of Personal Finance. Symptoms which exhibit itself entirely different for each accomplished PFr. Some travel, some deal with chemical toilets, from under their tiny houses (they never seem to mention that touting, tiny houses) and some build 3D Printers.
There’s no real lesson in here on how to retire early but I do keep getting amazed about how I could save more money. The savings mentioned below go beyond building 3D printers but for this article I’ll stay close to what I learned this time around.
The Printer I built has been published on instructables.com and GrabCad.com. If you want to build one yourself, feel free to download/look it up. As part of the exercise, publishing this build, I created a complete bill of materials and links to all the places you can buy them. Yes, I’m an affiliate, so do click the links below and buy a refrigerator; I get commissions whether it is printer related or not.
Personally, it didn’t cost me this much as most of the parts, I already had (leftover from previous builds). Still, for those who want to build it, it’s good information to have (especially considering you can buy a complete 3D printer for less).
The total cost of building this printer, with most materials purchased from Amazon.com is $430.87
Here is the entire bill of materials:
| Linear Rail | $50.25 |
| steppers | $51.99 |
| Idlers | $17.98 |
| belt pulleys | $21.98 |
| V6 Hotend | $15.98 |
| KFB 2.0 | $19.95 |
| LCD 12864 | $14.99 |
| bed | $12.84 |
| end stops | $8.99 |
| Netgear Box | $14.99 |
| MK8 extruder | $8.33 |
| cables | $9.99 |
| power brick | $22.50 |
| PLA | $23.00 |
| GT2 timing belt | $8.99 |
| USB connector | $6.79 |
| Aluminum Extrusion | $17.10 |
| Circuit Board | $6.99 |
| DRV8825 Stepper Motor Driver | $11.99 |
| square nuts 2 | $6.99 |
| t-nut (m6) 3 | $13.99 |
| Hex nuts (m3) | $7.05 |
| t-nut (m3) | $7.35 |
| screws m3 30mm | $8.72 |
| Hex Socket screws M3 | $13.99 |
| JST connectors (2.54) | $9.99 |
| Cable Wire Tidy Wrap | $6.18 |
| 3030 Corner Bracket | $10.99 |
| total | $430.87 |
That’s hefty price to pay but most items will be in your mail box 2 to 3 days after ordering. No shipping either when you have a prime account (get a free trial here: Join Amazon Kindle Unlimited 30-Day Free Trial
Now before you think I’ve totally sold out, here is why I wrote this article. YOU CAN GET IT CHEAPER FROM CHINA!!
The same items listed above can be bought directly from China via AliExpress.com. Total cost: $249.18
That is almost $200 less than buying from Amazon. Funny thing; in many cases it’s the exact same product! All you’re paying more for is faster shipping.
So, if you have patience, consider buying from AliExpress.com. Generally, it takes 2 to 3 weeks for your product to arrive. If you’re not in a hurry, that can certainly pay off.
Good luck reaching your financial goals.
Wow, Maarten. I’m sharing this with the hubby. He would love to get his hands on a 3-D printer, and your hint about Chinese sourcing might make him decide this is doable.
I get most joy out of building them but there are many 3D printers (assembled) available for less than $300. If he has questions, he knows where he can reach me.
We invest in 3D printing but that’s as far as our talent extends. I’m impressed, Martin. I knew you’ve built these previously but I didn’t realize how much detail was involved.
BTW, did you see the video about the little girl with a 3D printed hand who threw out the first pitch at the World Series game in Houston?
I did See the girl. I joined the group that provides these hands. While waiting for my first certification for the hand I build, I started building this printer. I do need to start selling some of these builds. I’m running out of space ( and discretionary funds).
Why! That’s a big difference. Never heard of AliExpress before. Nice tip, Maarten.
They’re like the Amazon of China. Most stuff you buy from Amazon 3rd party vendors, I believe comes from there (just packaged in smaller quantities).