Thoughts On Offer

[MikeHenry]

Makerbot seems limited to PLA for most of their printers. Apparently PLA is easier to print well but the characteristics for ABS seem a little more attractive to me.

The current Zortrax brochure claims 25 & 50 micron layer resolution "soon", but who knows if they will ever achieve that goal. They have a number of other enhancements to complete as well.

 

[bigseb]

I put this together this evening. It might interest you.

 

[MikeHenry]

Thanks - nice chart. I've got a Zortrax on order and am feeling a little better about that after seeing your chart. 3D printer manufacturers in the $2-3k range seem to be coming out of the woodwork and it will be a crapshoot as to which survive and which don't. I'd have given serious consideration to one of the Cube printers were it not for the very high filament costs. It's a bit of a disappointment that the new Printability feature in GMD only includes profiles for 3DS printers, but I suppose that is to be expected. Maybe one of those profiles is close enough to the Zortrax specs to work fairly well.

Mike

 

[bigseb]

Yeah the Zortrax is in the lead so far, followed closely by the Ultimaker.

Then again the UP Plus 2 has local support so servicing anything with be quick and easy. Extra filament is delivered same day. Should be getting samples from him soon...

 

[bigseb]

Updated the table above...

 

[MikeHenry]

Type A Machines, 2014 Series 1 looks like an interesting printer too, but has a 10-12 week lead time. Looks like they are out of San Francisco.

Mike

 

[bigseb]

Yeah its gonna be real interesting to see how this turns out. Right I'm in the research phase and I'm very happy with the selection in the table. Still getting more information together from the manufacturers and suppliers, possibly some samples too. That should all be happening this week. As I said earlier the UP 2 Plus is in the lead at the moment. Its really very good for the money and the local reseller is extremely helpful. All the others are very far away and getting any help may be an issue.

 

[MikeHenry]

Yep, Zortrax is in Poland and while the folks I've communicated with there speak (or write) English, it sometimes takes a bit of imagination (on both our parts, probably) to figure out what is being said or asked. Throw in cultural differences and differing time zones and things get interesting. A local reseller would be a huge benefit, especially when getting started and Up seems to have a pretty good reputation.

Mike

 

[bigseb]

When will your Zortrax be arriving?

 

[MikeHenry]

I don't know as the order hasn't shipped yet. I'm guessing another 2-4 weeks, maybe more. I'm in the US and it is shipping from HK. Small packages from there have been shipped in a few days to a week, but this one could take a bit longer in transit. Hopefully at least some of the filament will be in the same delivery as the printer.

 

[bigseb]

I don't know as the order hasn't shipped yet. I'm guessing another 2-4 weeks, maybe more. I'm in the US and it is shipping from HK. Small packages from there have been shipped in a few days to a week, but this one could take a bit longer in transit. Hopefully at least some of the filament will be in the same delivery as the printer.

Its probably safe to say we won't be seeing you for a while once its arrived. :wink:

Still, keep us in the loop. Really keen to see what it can do...

 

[MikeHenry]

Well, whatever I print will probably go through GMD 1st and things like loft are new to me, so I'll probably be here for questions of that sort and reading this forum daily is kind of a relaxer for me anyway.

I did use GMD 16 on a basic part and tried the Printability feature using a CubeX as the destination printer. That went fine. It would be nice if profiles for printers from other makers could be used in GMD. That topic came up in a recent GM webinar and the official response was to find a 3DS printer that was close in feature set to the one being used. I haven't looked at it the issue in enough detail to see how useful that will be.

Mike

 

[bigseb]

When I export stl's for 3D printing I've only gotten positive feedback regarding the models. According to the 3D printers here in Cape Town the stl's created in GD are exactly right for printing. It seems that stl's from other software need extensive reworking.

 

[bigseb]

Updated the table again. Red squares are ones with the best option for that category.

 

[MikeHenry]

Nice enhancements to the chart. A question though - would more machine weight be better than less? That's assuming machine rigidity is related to weight.

Looks like Makerbot is moving up on the list. Can the 2X print both PLA and ABS? I thought you had to go to a more expensive Makerbot model to get ABS.

Mike

 

[bigseb]

Can the 2X print both PLA and ABS? I thought you had to go to a more expensive Makerbot model to get ABS.

The MR 2 does only PLA; the MR 2X does PLA and ABS. But have a look here.

The Airwolf crowd never answered my email. Same goes for the Zortrax crowd. Real pity 'cos they look like good machines. My concern though is if they can't be bothered to answer me now what happens when something goes wrong...

The UP Plus 2 still gets raves reviews everywhere despite its size. I have googled this one extensively and can't find anything negative about it. Its well built and easier to use than toothpaste. Small print volume and slow print speed are its main downfall. That said slower printing makes for accurate printing.

The Ultimaker looks good too. Alas no local support. And then there's that odd filament size... 2.85mm.

 

[MikeHenry]

Zortrax seems to be in crunch mode as they are supposedly scrambling to fulfill back orders. They are reportedly also trying to raise funding. If they are as small a company as I think, they are probably completely swamped. That's probably no comfort if you want a sample print from your own design, but might suggest why they just can't be as responsive as they'd prefer. They did just come up with a software update, so they are actively enhancing the product.

 

[bigseb]

Just discovered FlashForge.

XY positional accuracy: 11 microns
Z positional accuracy: 25 microns
Minimum layer height: 0.1mm
Build size: 250mm x 150mm x 150mm
Nozzle dia: 0.4mm
Dual Heads!!!
Material: PLA and ABS
Heated bed

$1399!! :shock: :lol:

 

[bigseb]

Updated the chart again... :idea: Added another printer and a new row for No. of extruder heads...



And before anyone mentions it, yes, I like to do my homework before spending money... :mrgreen:

 

[MikeHenry]

Dual heads would be nice, using one for dissolvable support material and the other for part material. Or 2 colors, though that doesn't appeal to me too much. Who do you go to for support if there is a problem?

If you keep finding new printers, you are going to need a wider monitor to see your chart in one shot