As a 3D printing/laser lab technician I am constantly bombarded by questions from people curious about our rapid prototyping machines. There are 3 different (just recently 4) 3D printers available and it can be difficult to decide which 3D printer is the right option. Each one has its own unique characteristics, print with different materials, and vary in price. To help people decide, the lab usually has printed models from each machine which we lay out to encourage people to play around with. Those models are “dumb” models, however and can only represent so much information. The most they tell someone is what the material feels like, but they have to ask a technician about other things. I created 3 parametric models – each model with 7 variables, including material. Price, Print time, durability, flexibility, material and resolution. simply by comparing the model to a key, people can understand what each printer has to offer, helping them make a more informed decision.
