Buyer's Guide and Test Coupon 1

thingiverse

Download this free Buyer's Guide for low-cost 3D printers containing performance testing results on various systems at http://www.thingiverse.com/download:14377. Unfortunately, the PDF rendering seems to be an issue; any advice is appreciated. The guide also features a test coupon in STL format for additive manufacturing (3D printing) performance assessment. It contains specific features designed for easy measurement and revealing system limitations. This coupon was utilized in the low-cost 3D printer comparison tests documented in the Buyer's Guide. To use it, build the coupon, measure its features, and share your results at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3d_printer_performance. The guide provides more details on measuring the coupon's features. It encourages users to employ this coupon as a standard for comparing their system performance with collected data, suggesting that multiple large datasets from consistent coupon designs are more beneficial than numerous smaller datasets from various designs. Feel free to modify the coupon design but remember that consistency is key to learning. The NextFab Studio Team invites suggestions and critiques on the coupon and measurement technique, promising annual updates to keep up with advancements and use the best available test coupon designs. For further information, visit http://nextfabstudio.com.