How good is it with printing small mechanical parts like gears?
179492
This isn't exactly a straightforward question to answer because the printer does not ship with its own software, instead it can be run by many open source software packages - and the software used to run the printer has a drastic effect on part quality. If you don't mind printing the same part multiple times and iteratively adjusting the 3d model it I'm sure you could end up with something that is workable no matter which software you were running. That being said I don't think it would be great at printing a gear that was less than 10mm in diameter, but this is true of most fdm printers. Also PLA might not be an ideal material for gears, if possible I would make them out of nylon and if that was not avalible I would go with ABS. That doesn't mean you can't use PLA for gears, you could, but they might need to be replaced often if it's a torque application.
1694299
YES You will be very satisfied. Be sure to choose BEST when setting up print. I am a graphite artist and can print larger prints.
1198022
Plastic gears they work fine though. The spaces to adjust are large, so it makes pinning a bit hard. It's worked good for what I've done so far
1223805
I've owned my printer about 5-6 months so far & not had any problems with it. It's small sits on a small table beside my desk. It's fast printing, clear type, no smears,uses a USB port to hookup to the PC. I'd recommend buying it, I'm sure you'll like it as much as I do..
406596
I find it to be VERY efficient. It also depends what quality you print, I use draft a bit so I use less toner.
2052912
Not to good unless you really know electrical. Printing in manual is very, very small and hard to read unless you have 20-20 vision It doesn't explain the different functions for new users.
1751271
This is a really good printer and it does come with a drum unit ready to install. I think it is one of the smaller capacity ones though.
177877
This printer is provided specifically with tools which allow easy scanning of 35MM slides and film. No tooling is provided for other sizes. Although I supposeyou could rig up something. I mean if it can handle 35mm slides, then somehow it should be able to handle 4x5 negatives. Sorry for not having a more definitive answer for you.
1320311
Yes. The printer has the capability to print many different sizes including legal.
7707
Yes you can print just about anything on it, just like a regular printer. If all you are looking for is a regular printer there are other printers out there you can buy that are cheaper than this one.
1906776
That I don't know, sorry. I use it for document printing/scanning/copying on a small scale.
1070959
It depends on which flashforge machine - but the important bits are: this machine has been utterly dependable for me. I run it day in and day out in a university lab - I actually use a Raspberry Pi running octoprint so I can manage things remotely - and to be able to do that, I need to know that every time I click print from a remote computer, that the printer is going to *work*. That means perfectly - the 1st layer height should stay put, the machine must heat reliably, etc. The M2 does that for me. In addition its very beefy frame means that it can hit pretty scary looking print speeds (seriously. get a strong table.) while maintaining a very high standard of quality. M2 also has MakerGear behind it - their support is unbelievably good - Josh, who handles most tech support, responds quickly and helpfully. I have broken a handful of parts on my machine - mostly my fault, not the printer's - and MakerGear usually has a replacement shipped same day. When a part on another M2 at my school failed unexpectedly, MakerGear shipped the replacement parts less than three hours after we emailed them, for free, and talked us through proper reinstallation. Buy once for the speed, the reliability, the quality. Buy again and again for the support.
464964
It could be, but I wouldn't recommend it. It's not fast enough nor powerful enough and forget about printing anything other than letter size documents. It would be an ok printer for home use. I had it here at work for a short while to replace my HP LaserJet, but it just didn't cut it for me. It looks and feels really cheap and flimsy.
1255556
Hi: Actually it does pretty well. Even down to the size of a drivers license, although I'm not sure how many pieces you could feed at one time. It is a very good machine, the software is simple enough. I copied a book, 8.5x11, 50 pages, in a little over a minute. (front and back)
1472021
I have not but I did print a mold for one of the parts I need mass produced. This printer prints very well if you put it inside an enclosure to keep the temp nice and warm. If you don't then you're asking for a ton of frustration. This is true for any 3D printer without an enclosure.
1842556
Smallest? The NOZZLE calibration makes fine little squiggle lines on the build plate. They are the size of a thick thread. So your little people in reality are not that little and should not be a problem at all. I have printed some very fine parts for mechanical projects and have been very pleased. The software has adjustments to allow a very fine print. Not unlike a DOT MATRIX printer. The difference being instead of a dot of ink it leaves a dot of PLA or ABS. You can SCALE larger in any or all AXIS for taller or shorter as well. Now, for something like your little people, I'd start out using a RAFT (I almost always use a raft) and set the INFILL at 100% with a .05mm Layer Height and just one Shell but 2 would probably be okay too. I would suggest using PLA if possible for finer prints. I have always noticed a nicer finish with PLA on both the Makerbot and the FlashForge. Now, if you are going to paint them, I have also found that BLACK gives me the best overall for fine quality. I hope this helps!
207926
Printer does very good print quality. It's not photo quality but works well for most applications. It's a great printer.