interesting interesting. i hadn't seen the delta systems, but there's very much a mill vs lathe thing going on here.
i don't know what your plans are regarding your printer, but we should do some same-model assembly tests and comparos to see how the two methods stack up. on the one hand, you have much bigger bounding box. otoh, your servos have to move things around that have variable mass over time and could potentially be pretty heavy.
I'm building a
Rostock (not a Max), which uses an external feeder and moves mostly just the nozzle and a bit of plastic as opposed to the entire bed, and extruder, because of that, my mass to move around is actually a whole lot less. This comes at the expense of added noise, especially if you go cheap on the bearings and alignment rods (which are expensive).
Being newer (only about a year really), there really isn't anything quite like a Makerbot yet available in Delta style. The closest thing is the
Rostock Max,but it's nowhere near the professional looks (and build quality) of the Makerbot. If GraberCars releases the
Cerberus, that might be comparable, but I don't know when or if that will happen. It's just too new of a design for manufacturers to really jump on yet.
As for distances things move, motor speed and distance isn't really the problem on any of them and it only plays in when building something tall regardless. Speed/Accuracy is actually more a matter of inertia. The heavier and faster you go, the sloppier things get, every bit of slack, becomes more and more exaggerated, so a lightweight head, pays off more and more as speeds go up. Deltas inertia is so low, that some of the latest ones are using fishing line instead of belts or threaded rods to move the sliders.
I'm planning on doing a GH60/GH60+ case, maybe a tkl case, I also want to make plugs for SP caps that allow o-rings to be used. There is a lot of random stuff I want to make, nothing in particular though. I also want to print some PLA to help make molds for casting aluminum, but that is a ways off really (PLA evaporates at those temps, so you print it, toss it into sand, and pour your metal). I got into it partly to get into this while it's still new, but it's also just for a new toy/project.
As for comparisons, when setup properly a modern Delta will outperform a Cartesian (axis based) printer in speed and quality. It just takes
a lot more effort to get there. Deltas are barely a year old, so it's still under heavy development and lacks the documentation (they even lacked good software until recently). I can't see anyone really faulting your choice, it's an established, solid system, and one of even fewer with dual color. It's kind of like buying Intel, it's a safe choice. I went Delta mostly for the build volume and I fell in love with watching them work. I also enjoy a challenge and so far, just getting the parts, has been a challenge. Shady sellers, bad parts lists... It's been a hassle and I have yet to assemble a single part, not to mention being about 40% over the designers estimated costs (I did add some improvements, but I also got some things cheap or free).
Regardless, the more of these we have available, the better off we are, and having two different styles available is even better since each style has it's pros and cons (your sealed chamber is a definite plus and you get some nice proprietary software).
Couple things...
I didn't know this until recently, but PLA needs to be kept extremely dry (no humidity!) or it will not print well. Apparently some Chinese manufacturers are not shipping it in sealed bags. So you need to watch where you get it from, and be prepared for storing it. ABS is fine out in the open, however dirty filament is always an issue (even straight from the factory). Many make sponge holders to clean it as it comes off the reel. Shop around, Makerbot plastic is EXPENSIVE, I paid $28 shipped (from the US) for what they charge $48 plus shipping for (3d printer store prices vary greatly!).
Due to the cost of Kapton tape, you will probably want to invest in a glass plate. Glass tends to hold PLA and ABS, but you need a certain type of glass. Otherwise it can break from the heat. If not, you will be buying lots of Kapton tape and blue masking tape (for PLA). Glass and hairspray is a better solution (Aqua Net is the recommended one I think).
Another thing you may want to look into soon is a Lyman Filament Extruder, these let you recycle plastic or buy plastic in bulk for half the price. Considering your plan, you could go through a lot of waste and this would recoup a lot of expense. At $30-$50 per Kilo of filament, it won't take long to recoup costs on one.
There is now wood grained (pretty impressive stuff actually) and soft/silicone style filament available. There is also plans available for making a Sharpie holder that colors the filament before you melt it. This isn't as bright as colored filament, red Sharpies on white tends to create pink, but works to alter color slightly. The results are better than you might expect.