S2 E30 Geetech Alkaid 3d Printer Review | Bexhill West
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- Опубліковано 5 жов 2023
- Product Links: (these are not affiliate links - I receive no commission from them.)
Alkaid:
www.geeetech.com/link-235.html
Resin:
www.geeetech.com/link-236.html
Hello everyone,
I feature 3d printing in my videos regularly, and one of the most frequent questions which I get asked is what 3d printer would I recommend to a beginner to the hobby. The answer isn't always simple.
When Geetech reached out to me and asked if I would review their Alkaid printer I jumped at the opportunity. At less that $100 or £90 delivered in the UK, it looked as though it might be the ideal starter printer.
You'll have to watch the whole video to see my full thoughts, but suffice to say, this little printer is really very good indeed. I have been surprised and delighted by the results from it. Maybe you might be too.
In the video I show some experimental 3d printed model railway track components. You can learn more about these here:
85a.uk/templot/club/index.php...
And follow the ongoing experimentation here:
85a.uk/templot/club/index.php...
where you will find mention of the Alkaid printer and see examples it has produced.
Just to reiterate what I say in the video, although this is a review, I have received no payment for it, either directly or as an affiliate.
Don't worry, I'm not selling out, but with lost of 3d printing content on the way I wanted to showcase a product aimed at the beginner market.
Thanks for watching, I hope you find it interesting. - Розваги
Thank you for this review. I'm not a model train buff [though as a terrain builder I've learned quite a bit from the model train hobbyists on YT and have loved model railways since I was but a bairn] but I'm thinking of getting one of these printers and was looking for a clear and honest review from a fellow Brit. So glad UA-cam sent your video my way. Thanks again )O(
Very helpful, thanks for your insight!
Thank you, Glad it was helpful!
Thanks James, great episode in this thread you have created
Dear James As usual, an excellent Examination of this very interesting Machine, many Thanks for sharing.
Top Video James! I may consider getting one of these machines as it looks brilliant option to get started in the 3D printing game! Looking forward to the next video! Thanks!
I don't think you'd be disappointed if you did.
All the best,
James
Very impressive machine. And an excellent presentation.
Thank you very much indeed. I'm pleased you enjoyed the video.
My best wishes,
James
Dear James, such a great vid, not just a review, as a matter of fact, you’ve gone way beyond the ‘judging’ part. Anyhow, love the user-friendliness of this machine. Also, will definitely check Martin’s website. Am definitely interested in the printing of the rail chairs. Would love to see you use the different rail chairs and compare the print quality and durability for hand laying track. Cheerio
A very interesting video. I think I prefer this techology to other methods of 3D printing. This Geetech printer certainly seems a cost effective way to give it a try. Many thanks.
James, thank you very much indeed for the review, and insight into this machine. It may help to show others like myself, who are considering taking this step, the process of designing and creating the necessary programmes, such that we can get the best from the investment. Hope to see you in Uckfield.
That is amazing! Steering me nearer to 3d printing! In the same way that Hornby hm7000 has converted me to DCC!
I honestly think this is the best value for money machine out there at the moment.
The reason I was interested in reviewing the printer was that I am making a video about 3d printed track components. This will be an ideal starter machine, and is perfect for the task. Stay tuned, when you see what this machine can do in my next video I think you'll be hooked.
My best wishes,
James
Hello James, for someone like myself who knows absolutely nothing about 3D printers but would like to learn more this was a fantastic and very thorough video. I would have liked to have seen the part where you filled the machine with the chemicals whatever they were and to whatever level, but other than that very well done indeed! Great instructional video for a beginner, thank you!
HI Phil,
There will be a part 2 in a few weeks time after I've given the machine a thorough test. In part 2 I'll cover the whole printing process, from resins to washing and curing.
Stay tuned,
James
Looking forward to it James, thank you
Hi James,
A very good honest review, it certainly looks a nice small printer.
I went on the Geeetech web site and found its for sale ex China for 99 USD. Which is indeed a very good price.
The only thing I would say is, I live in New Zealand and the shipping cost out of China is 259 USD, That is very unfortunate as the combined purchase and shipping cost make it comparable with a 4K resin printer purchased at a retail price in NZ.
I understand that's not the case in either the UK or US. Where Geeetech are holding local stock.
That's a shame. Would you normally have to pay such high shipping costs for imported goods? I wonder what it would cost to ship from the UK?
All the best,
James
Hi James,
From looking at the side by side of the 2 wagons I can see the more expensive unit does do a crispier print, however there really isn't much in it at all! The fact that it's so cheap and does a very good print shows that it is certainly worth it if your starting out and not sure if you want to get really havily into printing or not or working with larger scales. I have always been thinking about getting one but I have no idea when it comes to software for designing or if I'll be any good at that stuff which has held me back. (I like the idea of software that maybe uses touchscreen and a pencil like on the ipad or something and if that would be easier than using a pc with a mouse and keyboard) Anyway thats for another day. Hope the Demonstartion went well the other weekend. Cheers, Michael
Hi Michael, you're right, the more expensive machine produced a crisper print, but the difference is only noticeable through a lens. I'm working on a part 2 video, and have just painted the two wagons and it is impossible to tell which is which. In fact I've deliberately kept the wheel-set out of the Alkaid print so that I can tell them apart. :)
You'll love my next video which will be all about Templot 3d printed Plug Track. You don't need any CAD skills to produce the 3d prints. It's be a game changer for finescale track.
All the best,
James
Excellent demo James. For me, it's not the printer, but learning how to use the 3D software. I just cannot get my head around it. Because it would make printing my own 3d chairs, cheaper than buying from the EM Gauge Society.
Hi Jack, For the 3D track and chairs you don't need to learn or use any 3D software. The files created by Templot are ready to be 3D-printed. Templot track planning software doesn't require any CAD knowledge and is free for anyone to use.
@@martintemplot6765 Yes I'm pretty good with Templot now, after watching your video about it.
Great review, and had a look at the product link out of curiosity, bit of a bargain. Out of interest what was the more expensive printer in the print comparison?Looking forward to part 2.
Hi James - That was extremely interesting and what a fantastic product at the end, very impressed.
Have to say that since my illness there is no hope that I would be able to operate, I seriously have issues with my computer now.
All the same I love to see these things in operation and especially as it is so cheap, have to tell my son about it.
I do wonder how it would be printing N Gauge items, how about stooks of hay in N Gauge.
Regards Chris
Hi Chris,
I hope you are well. This little machine is so easy to operate. If you've got a file, you don't need a computer. :)
I'm putting a video together at the moment about 3d printing track components, such as I showed in the video. I'm going to try printing some N gauge rail chairs, that'll test the machine out. Hay stacks would be no problem for it.
Anyway, look after yourself mate. I'll be demonstrating at the Uckfield exhibition later in the month, if you fancy a day out it'd be nice to say Hi.
All the best,
James
Hi James, As you know, the skill of the craftsman is at least as important as the quality of the tool. This printer appears to be producing amazing results in your eminently qualified hands.
In a follow-up video, I would like to know your thoughts as to what sort of jobs would be better handled by a more expensive printer, such as a carriage that requires a larger print volume, for example. Further, it would be interesting to know what quality a novice might achieve with this printer, as your years of experience permit you to get the most out of virtually any tool.
Hi James,
Nice video!
It's not Dutch, but Deutsch (German for "German") which has of course much more people that speak it than Dutch (the language of the Netherlands)
I was reading from the English instructions. :) I would hope the German instructions would say Deutsch. EWhatever the case, the machine can be set to work in Dutch as well as Gertman along with 10 other languages.
Thanks for watching,
James
Amazing little machine that is! Very nice review and video too. Many thanks for posting. May I ask, what was the name of the other printer you used during the comparison segment? If you mentioned it's name, I must have missed it.
I've bought injection molded kita with similar "flaws", mainly from Airfix.
Really interesting video. What do you think about the thesis that UV hardening resins are not UV stabel? I read this in a manufakturers Statement on the machines he used for producing 3D parts .
I would imagine that the paint finish would protect it from UV, in the same way that putting photos behind glass or UV spray protects inkjet prints
UV stability is/was certainly an issue with water washable resins, especially the cheaper consumer grade varieties. I now use ABS like resins and find them to be stable and not subject to embrittlement over time. As has bee said by @michaelmiller641 a coat of paint seems to do the job and stabilising the prints.
It is possible to by engineering grade resins with a variety of excellent mechanical characteristics, but they are not cheap. Indeed a litre of top quality resin can cost more than this printer.
Hi James. For absolute beginners watching, I would have liked to have heard a mention of the ancillary equipment needed to run a resin printer. I *do* realise you may believe this to be outside your remit for this video. I also realise that you don't consider yourself to specifically be a model railway channel, but as I model in N gauge, it would be good to see an example of how this printer would cope with such small items.
Hi Paul,
This video was a review of the machine rather than the whole process. There will be a second video in a few weeks time, in which I will run through the whole process including the ancillary equipment required to get started. It will give me the chance to properly put the machine through its paces and see how it does over time. It will also give the the opportunity to run through replacing the FEP film which can present challenges for the novice. Hopefully, the two videos will sit together as a good basis for those willing to explore the potential of 3d printing.
Hopefully, you saw the 4mm scale rail chairs which were printed in this video, the parts of which are incredibly small.
I will include an N gauge print of the wagon shown in this video next time too. I think you'll be impressed with just how good they are.
My best wishes,
James
Wow - that is cheap, and once I'd worked out how to ship from GB instead of Canada the postage reduced from £147 to £7 😊
This is undoubtedly an excellent value printer. I'm seriously considering buying a second one before they sell-out.
Hi James,
As a beginner user of templot who is hand laying his trackwork, your videos on 3d printing are proving invaluable. My friend recently picked up the Geeetech Alkaid after we watched this video and subsequently have printed a few objects without issue. However, the problem comes she attempting to print plug track chairs. It seems the print clings to the FEP layer and not to the plate as expected. I wanted to ask, how have you setup your chair prints? Currently we have tried with default settings without success.
Cheers, James
Is she printing the chairs on a raft? To create a raft, draw a rectangle around the chairs using the background shapes tool, and be sure to check the background rectangles as rafts option under the supports tab in the export settings. It is turned on by default, but may have inadvertently been switched off.
Other than that, I'm not sure what to suggest. I print using standard settings from Templot, and using the default Chitubox profile with no issues at all.
Beware that factors such as ambient temperature and FEP quality can also affect things.
If you can get back to me with more detail, I'd like to help further.
Best,
James
@@BexhillWest Hi, yes, we are attempting to print on a raft with default Chitubox settings. Using Black Geeetech (perhaps the resin colour is a factor). Just an hour ago I set up a new print with longer exposure time and base layer exposure, a minute amount of resin in the tank and the print was better but still didn't fully complete. (half chairs were missing and the rest were not fully completed.
Could I perhaps send you the file to see if it's something we have missed? I am going to attempt a new file tonight and see if that is also the case.
Appreciate the help.
@@BexhillWest I am under the impression that the issue stems from the Resin being black in colour and requires a much higher exposure time... Alas I cannot find any information on printing in black on the alkaid :)
Hi, do please send me the file, and I'll happily take a look at it Email it to makeitminiature [at] outlook.com.
You may well be correct with regard to the black resin needing a longer exposure time. I've not printed black on the Alkaid machine but do find that black requires a longer exposure time generally and is more problematic.
I use grey resin for almost all of my prints as I've found this to be the most stable in terms of exposure time.
Also, with all resins it is essential to ensure they are thoroughly mixed, these seems even more important with heavily pigmented resins as the chemistry simply will not work otherwise.
Let me have a look at your file, hopefully we can discount it as the source of your problems, and get you closer to a solution.
All the best,
James
Interesting James. Thanks for showing us this. It does seem to me that 3D printing has revolutionised modelling of all types, and even beyond modelling to other components for stuff. Obviously if it's something you can't get commercially, then 3D printing is the answer, but (and I'm probably showing my age here now) how does it compare to injection moulding in terms of quality and price. E.g. if you wanted to print some milk churns for Bexhill West, assuming one already has a printer, is it cheaper to print your own, or go and buy some from Peco or another manufacturer? Would the home printed ones be better or worse quality in terms of detail than the injection moulded plastic ones?
I've seen 3D printed figures (e.g. the Modelu ones), and they are superb and much more realistic than commercial plastic or white metal figures, but I wonder if that's because most of the traditional commercially available figures are from moulds that are 30 or 40 years old, and not well modelled in the first place.
I sort of get the impression that if 3D printers are already sub £100 (and I remember when 2D printers cost many multiples of that!) , a lot of traditional manufacturers of models must be getting worried about their future.
Hi Andrew, If you already have the printer the only cost is the resin. Which costs about £30 per Kg. Very little electricity is used because no heating is involved in resin printing. A 4mm/ft milk churn would use about 1p worth of resin. The track chairs in the video cost about 40p for 200 chairs. From this printer the quality and detail is on a par with injection moulding. For a more expensive printer the quality can exceed injection moulding. Injection moulding only wins if you are costing your time, and you want 50,000 milk churns.
How does a "2 k screen" translate to millimeters in the 3d-print?
HI Rodolf, this 2k printer has a resolution of 2560 x 1620 pixels across a screen size of 130mm x 82mm. I'm not sure how that relates to mm as per your question. In practice the printer is capable of reproducing detail which only shows up under magnification. 4k, 8k or even 12k resolutions are available, however they tend to have larger screen sizes and so the increase in resolution isn't linear.
Another factor to consider is z axis resolution, as this also factors into the level of detail that is possible to reproduce.
It has been my experience having owned 6 resin printers that as the screen resolution and size increases, the LCD screens become more fragile. This little machine seems bomb proof, just like my original Elegoo Mars, I expect the LCD screen will last indefinitely. Given that the LCD's are considered consumable parts and are expensive to replace there is a good case to be made for sticking to 2k. I may get some negative feedback for saying so, but I think it's worth mentioning.
Ok, so that's about 0.05 mm - not bad!
You didn’t mention curing the resin, is it essential?
Yes
Hello, I know very little about 3d printing so this maybe a stupid question but do you not have to buy a washing/drying machine to go with it? All the best Anthony.
You do require a curing device, in it's simplest form this is just a cover with some UV LED's and a timer, some companies have produced "wash and cure" stations which automate the wash proces, you then take out the wash tub and use it to cure the resin, but you can wash by hand using an old ice cream tub or similar container.
The process is very simple, print the 3d parts, let them stand a little while for excess resin to run off, wash in either IPA (ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL also called ISOPROPANOL) or for water washable resins, water, this gets rid of any uncured resin from the surface. Allow to dry completely and then cure under the UV lights, or you can actually just use sunlight but this is harder to judge.
For tiny parts it is often easier to cure whilst still on their "sprue" for larger parts removing the "sprue" first is better as it leaves smaller marks and ensures the UV light can get to the whole model
This is the process in 3 paragraphs, there are plenty of YouTUBE videos showin the process in full in far more detail
Technically, no. You don’t need the "official" curing station. As the other comment mentioned, you just need a uv flashlight and isopropyl alcohol (Rubbing alcohol) you can buy both from Walmart and amazon for like 30 bucks and they'll last forever. A little turn table might be nice if you want to get a more even cure.
Hi Anthony,
I didn't run through the resins, washing or curing because this was a product review. However, there is going to be a part 2 and I'll run through all those things in greater detail.
Thanks for watching,
James
Thank you David. :)
Hi James, followed the link, could not checkout, UK purchaser, Aware not your responsibility but thought you should know
Is the Mac/Apple compatible?
100 quid for a resin printer thats nothing my mk4 prusa cannot print that small with the same quality
shipping 167 pounds lmfao lost my sale