By Scottbee on February 3, 2014
To start... I did not buy my 2X from Amazon. I bought it directly
from MakerBot in December of 2013.
Since that time I have run this machine for over 300 hours,
which means I am averaging a little over 6 hours of printing
time every business day.
If this is to be your first 3D printer there are some things to
consider. As stated clearly in the description and product title,
this is an "Experimental" printer designed for tinkerers, those
willing to learn, and those already familiar with 3D printing.
At this price range the industry simply isn't at the "pull it out of
the box and throw anything at it you want and it will print it
perfectly". That's not realistic, regardless of the manufacturer.
Also, if all you want to do is print "fun stuff" and some functional parts that will never see abuse or temperature extremes,
then this is probably not the printer for you. This unit is designed to print with ABS material, which is a "tough" durable plastic
that can handle some decent temperature extremes. But with that comes additional printing challenges. It requires a heated
printing platform, good filament, a decent printer enclosure, no temperature swings in the printing environment, and some
education (or trial-and-error) with printing settings. If you don't need the enhanced capabilities of ABS parts then you might
want to consider one of the "simpler" machines (made by MakerBot and others) that are designed for PLA material. PLA is
considered to be an easier material to print with and it often gives "nicer looking" finished parts. The downside is that they
can be a bit brittle and will deform if exposed to high temperatures (like being left in a hot car).Read more ›
from MakerBot in December of 2013.
Since that time I have run this machine for over 300 hours,
which means I am averaging a little over 6 hours of printing
time every business day.
If this is to be your first 3D printer there are some things to
consider. As stated clearly in the description and product title,
this is an "Experimental" printer designed for tinkerers, those
willing to learn, and those already familiar with 3D printing.
At this price range the industry simply isn't at the "pull it out of
the box and throw anything at it you want and it will print it
perfectly". That's not realistic, regardless of the manufacturer.
Also, if all you want to do is print "fun stuff" and some functional parts that will never see abuse or temperature extremes,
then this is probably not the printer for you. This unit is designed to print with ABS material, which is a "tough" durable plastic
that can handle some decent temperature extremes. But with that comes additional printing challenges. It requires a heated
printing platform, good filament, a decent printer enclosure, no temperature swings in the printing environment, and some
education (or trial-and-error) with printing settings. If you don't need the enhanced capabilities of ABS parts then you might
want to consider one of the "simpler" machines (made by MakerBot and others) that are designed for PLA material. PLA is
considered to be an easier material to print with and it often gives "nicer looking" finished parts. The downside is that they
can be a bit brittle and will deform if exposed to high temperatures (like being left in a hot car).Read more ›
