jstarne1
Just like i did with the Solidoodle I am sharing my overall experience purchasing a new makerbot. I will compare some of the same prints i did on the solidoodle with makerbot. Take in mind 80 percent of the difference is firmware for the "reprap" makerbot controller and the Makerbot slicer is more consistent than the open source SLIC3R. Also I have a used unit that I have had for a week while still waiting on the new one. First things you should know is I like to get the best reasonable deal i can. I discovered a few Promos for Makerbot you can also take advantage of if you call their sales line. Take in mind not all promos work on their website. Currently ( as of April 7 2014) Replicator 2 systems are on sale at 200 dollars off without a promo code as well.
$200 off purchase price PROMO MAKERBOTFRIEND
Free Shipping PROMO LASTCHANCE
( this is emailed to you if you add any item to you cart and don't complete a order)
Filament 15% off BIRDHOUSE
at this time buy any 4 spools of filament get additional 10% off
20% gold conference pass BOT
Alternatively Amazon has makerbot filaments with free shipping if you need them quicker as well.
At this time the filaments i have and price before discounts to use are:
- Makerbot 4 rolls of white ( 8.8 pounds) $48 x 4
- Makerbot 1 roll of clear ( 2.2 pounds) $48
on the way are:
-Makerbot 1 translucent red (2.2 pounds) $65
-Makerbot 1 black filament (2.2 pounds) $48
-Ninja Flex black 1.1 pounds $60
-Ninja Flex red 1.1 pounds $60
-Ninja Flex white 1.1 pounds $60
ironman thumb costume pieces
All these finger segments are 4 sets of the same fingers. Thumbs , index , middle, ring and pinky. They are standard definition pieces. In the future I may try printing on the finest settings but it also drags out print time. Since these pieces will be sanded and primered before paint it is not a issue.
Something I HAVE noticed is the makerbot has banding issues like the solidoodle and a fairly simple mod fixed the problem so i will search for a similar solution for makerbot m it has to do with the Z axis wobble as the bed drops or raises between layers. The white filament color hides this in pictures but it is there.
Just as a reminder we added a 3D printing category a couple of months ago that's perfect for this kind of thread. I have been really enjoying seeing what the community is 3D printing and try and answer as many questions as possible
And thankyou for the well wishes on prototyping
On the bright side I had probably had 12 to 14 prints go perfect so i guess this is part for the course on the error rate.
As for the new makerbot I believe they are finally shipping it out today and I will have a confirmation of that when I email them. They respond to emails usually in a few hours but I have noticed they are not proactive. I did get refunded 200 bucks because the price dropped after I placed my order but before the printer was shipped out.
Unfortunately I cleaned the heck out of the extruder with wd40 and canned air. I did this till canned air and wd40 sprayed right through in a even stream. Then I tried the print agian and the extruding stopped even quicker this time! Ugh. Furthermore I am wondering what these wierd patterns are on my first layer of large items..
each time I restart it's like it gets clogged up even faster. I checked a couple things , first making sure that there were no snagged area of filament or tangles. I also checked temp of the extruder once I noticed the clog which was probably about 3 min after it happened and it was still hot enough to melt the pla. I read online i could put thermal past under the heatsink to the extruder but I don't know if they even makes sense. Any help here makerbot pros?
I always recommend people to use rafts for everything. They can be a real pain to remove sometimes and the first layer is never as smooth. However I have found that rafts help with reliability and warping dramatically. When using rafts everything has more room for error, for example build plate levelness, environment fluctuations, warped build plate, weird wrinkles, etc. I have two recommendations to make your life a little easier when using rafts though.
1) The Makerbot bushiness card is to thin to properly level the build plate (my EZ-Robot cards work perfectly :P). Use a thicker card or just leave more room the best you can.
2) On prints that have a large surface area on the build plate you are going to want to try and separate the part from the raft wile its still stuck to the plate.
The thermistor on the rep 2's are not very durable. If you continue to get air prints I would remove the thermistor and test for faults. It causes more problems them you would think. If its intermittent and the temperature dips for just 5-10 seconds the plastic starts to thicken making the feeder gear work harder which starts a grove in the filament that it then struggles to get out of. That's just one scenario out of an endless list.
After getting many failed prints in a row I always get Jeremie to check the thermistor, most of the time it turns out to be intermittent from a break in the cable. Typically its right at the beginning were its bends to go up and out of the extruder assembly. Be really careful when removing it they are seriously fragile don't take any shortcuts go slow and remove any parts in the way to give you the room you need. We run on a tight schedule so I know how attractive shortcuts are but it will only make your day worse.
I caught the kink before it made its way into the extruder. If there were more kinks like this then I can see why the extruder was stopping up.
Cheers,
Jay
Ps if the nozzle is having trouble hitting the required temp, I would imagine its going to either be a thermistor that is under reading and the psu / hotend is unable reach the now higher actual target temp due to power limitations, or I have seen it where the psu isn't kicking out enough voltage - the control circuit reading accurately but not enough power to hit the target temp.
Hope things get sorted for you quickly
The best filament is RepRapper filament. No question! I had a lot of problems when I was using Makerbot filament; air prints, extruder problems. It's way cheaper too.
I have found that to get things to stick to the build plate it must be level and it needs to roughened up a bit. The plate gets scraped up over time from prying builds off the plate and that's a good thing. I never use painters tape. Also, make sure the plate is clean before you start a print. I use those handy wipes.
My extruder runs at around 227 degrees as well when printing , Most filaments have a temperature range they melt at, so a couple of degrees shouldn't make a difference.
Some kinks in the filament can be caused by the user. Make sure you never let the loose end get lost in the spool.
I hope some of these comments help.
@Jaultman - is it worth it? That depends more on you than the machine. I have had a couple minor hiccups but overall the new customer experience is stellar over the acclaimed competitors. My last printer was a solidoodle 2 and it required a ton of manual tweeking and had very limited resources if how to do that. Just a forum full of users with the same problems making suggestions but having trouble attaining their goals of great prints.
Buying used may get you a better price , but I wanted to get the new warranty and the support.
It is up to you if you get your monies worth.
1. I would recommend learning to use 123d design or similar program so you can learn to make your own objects.
2. Buy yourself a flatbed scanner and a micrometer caliper to measure stuff. It makes it easier to draw a part with the right size if you enter the correct size in mm to begin with. The flatbed scanner allows you to enter a flat shape into a 3d program then use "extrude" to give that item physical thickness you measured with your calipers. It's a neat cheat I hear people use often.
Once you do that make the 3d printer your first go to for any new or alternate parts in your projects. People use them around the home to make trinkets but that's up to you. I noticed once I bought my printer friends and family came up with all kinds of ideas. Cup holders , custom candle molds , cookie cutters , keychains, Christmas ornaments and other widgets.
Later today I will post my failed prints as well.
If you have a background in 3d design then you already are a step ahead from everyone else. Email me at kandyred@gmail.com and we can have a better discussion.
How much would it take in order for the printer to pay for itself? That's the biggest question I have always running through my head. I know there would be benefits of having the printed item in 14 hours or however long it takes to print rather than having to wait a day for it to be delivered but that doesn't outweigh the initial costs, maintenance costs, hassles etc. you get with owning a printer.
Recently I've had a fair amount of things printed up and have a lot more to go too so watching this one (and any others about printers) closely.
On the same token though, re-printing must get pretty expensive too. I haven't worked it out but it's something I plan on doing when time permits, that's to see the difference in cost between the material cost of the PLA/ABS/Nylon/whatever plus whatever power is required for the few hours it takes to print a part and the cost if a service prints it.
Then there is always the option to lease a printer too, smaller initial outlay, repairs and servicing taken care of but it's paying for something and not owning it after 5 years.
Anyway, I digress and don't like to hijack topics
Don't print anything just to find out though, I'm sure the answer is on the internet if I take the time to google it
I have the printers in a closet that has a vent. Unfortunately I think when the ac kicks on the closet temp drops causing the print to peel up on the edges. So as a remedy I made quick work to find a metal utility cabinet for the fair price of $10
Tommorow I will pickup some brackets and shelves to mount the makerbot inside and also a overhead rod over each machine to hold a few spools of filament each. Maybe 4 or 5 each. There is a key lock so maybe I can buy a new mechanism with a key for security in case of a break in or whatever 4000 in makerbot don't walk off.
sorry about pictures being sideways , this is the first time I have had this problem.
So instead of spending a couple hundred dollars making plexiglass cubes to go over the machines I went with a different route. It serves the same purpose and also allows me to save some space by stacking the machines in one cabinet. Total cost was 74 dollars. I used closet hardware to mount it all. One adjustment able shelf and two spool mounts to store filament and also feed from overhead reducing snags and overall resistance. One of my problems was temp instability inside my downstairs closet due to a ac duct that passed through it. If temp drops even 4 degrees suddenly I notice the edges of the print peel right up. It's also a good idea to keep the machines away from vents and windows all for the same difference. Overall the machines like to operate in higher heat than room temperature. Being in a cabinet will help shield from drafts too.
Very clever idea, you do what you gotta do and well it looks good :-}
I did several ironman hands. One pair for each of my friends going to Dragoncon. That is our version of comic on in Atlanta Ga. A couple came out perfect but the rest had several layers screw up. They are usable though. Just glue the layers and fill with body filler. All printed from the same machines and same files. I printed them one after another. I wonder if I need to turn them off in between prints? It seemed strange the same printer with same gcode would render different results every couple prints. I will post the screw ups too.
This is a 5 inch "ironman style" ARC reactor I was printing and the ring and center pieces call for a semi transparent material that I thought the clear PLA would work well in. I have two rolls of clear makerbot pla filament and found the filament to be brittle and like in the picture has a yellow discoloring to them. I will just use it to test fits from now on as it is useless unless I want to print a honeycomb.
I placed a large order online for these rolls. I only ordered 7 rolls but they sent an extra two white rolls and a coupon code for 20 percent off and free shipping for my next order. My only complaint is the hole in the center of the spools is tool small to fit onto my original spool holder so I can ONLY use these smaller rolls in a hang over the top feed position. No guide tube is used for this position but there is always a risk of filament tangles. To reduce this chance I Butt a couple rolls of the same size on each side of the spool being used.
This shows the overhang spool position works great for the bottom printer.
even with the cabinet warmed to 80 degrees the thermocouples are still struggling to maintain temp.
So far this filamex branded filament is doing much better than the makerbot. It's not as brittle and so far I am not seeing yellow.
BTW, what is the best way to contact you about a possible 3D printing project?
This parts are just pressed together here. I must add in several leds to light the unit. 5mm holes are already in the bottom of the clear centerpiece for leds. One piece snapped as I was separating the raft from it. The black pla is much more brittle than the clear Filamex PLA. Anyways overall it looks pretty good.
I'm new to 3d modeling so i am getting practice making stl for my hulkbuster costume. So far I have rendered the exhaust stacks on the shoulders and the afterburner for the center of the back. Both i believe I will have super bright color change leds. I cannot take the credit this build is a community effort as far as the 3d design goes.
A 3 dollar pie knife with sharpened edges , my secret 3d printing weapon!
I am wondering if you have noticed that as you add shells to a print, the shells are added to the outside of the print, thus making it bigger than designed.
@bhouston , yes rating the number of shells adds to the horizontal x and y axis walls. This is importantly mostly when printing items with strong curves. You can adjust the infill percentage but if you need your item solid then use 100 percent infill. My hulkbuster smoke stacks I printed over the past couple days had 10 shells and 15 percent infill. They are very very sturdy. I needed them that way so I can mount them with screws to the costume later.
Personally speaking, and I am old school, I hand code all websites I build using raw html, css etc. However, I have used some programs in the past and in my professional opinion DreamWeaver is the best of the bunch.
A lot of hosts (myself included, however I'm restricted to the UK only) offer browser based website builders. It'll be listed as a feature.
Also there are a lot of pre-made backends such as Wordpress, Buddypress, Drupal, Dragonfly, Nuke (a whole lot of them). Some hosts offer one click installs of these (again, it's something I offer on my packages) but if not then they aren't difficult to install. They do have downsides though, mainly security.
There's no substitute to having a professional build your website though. Sure, you can get the tools and build it yourself for $20 and a whole load of hours but you get what you pay for. People wouldn't pay me what I charge if it wasn't worth it. Even EZ-Robots have an in house developer. Do yourself a favour and hire a professional developer who works strictly to W3C for cross browser, multiple OS, mobile browser compatibility.
I don't know what Anthony uses to build the website however a quick look at the code has indicated whatever it is hasn't done the best job. No disrespect to anyone but a lot of bad practice and errors are in the code from things such as having the css in the html rather than a css document, no correct doctype defined, meta tags aren't great... I could go on and on (and on)... All of these things will mark the site down on any search engine.
So anyways , back to 3d printing..
messing around i decided I would like to make myself some souvenirs. Some are little 3d printed robots but I tried printing a 3d starship Moya from Farscape and on the other printer I did another ironman ARC reactor scaled to 3.25 inch wide for Justins War machine suite.
Your flowernow site (homepage only);
Website does not display correctly on mobile devices.
Website does not display correctly in Firefox at 1024x768.
No robots.txt
No sitemap.xml
SEO report score of 52%
Google pagerank of 0
I could continue but there's no point as it seems you have taken offence to my comment where it was meant as advice. I don't dispute the site loads and brings in sales however, from a web development point of view it isn't great and gives a very poor google page rank.
XLRobots falls to the same issues. Unless people are given the link in one form or another it's difficult to find the site.
Basically I have been printing practically non stop except maybe 2 to 3 hours between prints in some cases. I am printing the hulkbuster helmet is several segments I cut up from another 3d model a friend gave me. This was the progress in dark grey.
I wanted just to get a tip buy they wanted to sell an assembly. Maybe they were out of tips? Hmm. Your feedback is appreciated , I'm looking for a supplier that makes perfect direct replacements for the makerbot rep 2 and I will order a few of them for future use. Agian thanks
E3D
It may even fit, I have never seen a Makerbot up close, just coveted it for a long time.
Also I found a cleaning tool set as well for easier cleanings in the future...
Personally i prefer to hang the spools overhead about 16 to 18 inches on a wooden rod. It makes storage easy , feeding filament is effortless since you no longer need to use the guide tube when feeding from an over hang. I have used about 6 spools of makerbot filament and they have a thin but long spool which helps keep the filament from unspooling on accident. I have been using alternative filament without an issue. Every clog i have had was with makerbot filament.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/291017053164?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
store is faveprices
14.80 plus 7 shipping per spool , a little better price than makerbots 60.00 per 2.2lb spool plus shipping and 9 dollars insurance.
It totally rules, but I wish I new that the Surface 3 was coming out so quickly.
BTW, Surface was introduced with RT on the ARM model and WIndows 8.0 on the Pro model from the very beginning and at the same time: The first-generation of Surface devices (Surface and Surface Pro) were both announced on June 18, 2012.