At the risk of offending or appearing to promote something not
Makerbot, I just ran across this design which has been out for a while
was has some pretty cool features.
http://typeamachines.com/
MakerBot has been moving on their progression to non-kit printers and
so has everyone else but the price has gotten ridiculous. The basic
design has not changed in 2 years, the electronics still are failure
prone (heated bed wiring failures and voltage regulators), and the
software (Makerware) is not yet something to brag about. It doesn't
take long in the forum to see users of Replicator1 and Replicator2
have tons of problems and frustrations. Or better, let's bring up the
$350 warranty to cover the stuff that should never be bad in the first
place.
Point being, the community needs competition as MBI is resting on
their name and marketing hype, all while pricing the machines higher
and higher. Yes, they are affraid of HP and other giants, but they
aren't even holding up the market they created in the first place--
the DIY market.
Let me tell you some things that are not listed about the series 1
printer that make it a desirable design. This is based on extensive,
hands on analysis of the design.
Real open source with the CAD files published at release. (They are
missing a few things like the BOM but better than nothing)
Very good software and profile support for mutiple slicing programs.
(MBI has been a Replicator-G only setup forever, and the new MakerWare
is far too Beta.) I'm saying this from a company supported profile
perspective, not what the community has provided.
The basic frame design can accomodate long body NEMA17 motors in all
axis and even the extruder motor spot. The reason why this is such a
big deal is a bigger frame has more mass and thus needs bigger motors
to ensure you NEVER skip steps and ruin a print. MBI designs cannot
fit a larger motor upgrade and are limited to the
2.2kg.cm motors
where this design can take the
5.5kg.cm motors. That's more than
double the torque!Also, for fun, the MK6 extruder motor is also
5.5kg.cm motor (comparing the data sheet behind the Ultimachine
http://ultimachine.com/content/kysan-1124090-nema-17-stepper-motor
and the MK6 motor), and the new MK7 pinchwheel is 5mm bore thus
meaning, you could upgrade the extruder motor, use the 3mm Makergear
hot end, and switch back and forth between 3mm and 1.75mm filament. I
know this as I cut one of these frames today and test fit the larger
motor and had the 3mm Makergear hotend on hand. It will work and I
will have a video up soon.
It uses RAMPS but could easily use RAMBO (basically similiar to
Mightyboard and better built too).
No more limited power supply, go as big as you need. The power bay
could even take more than one if desired for different voltages of
components
http://www.lightobject.com/Electronics-C13.aspx
Again, I've probably offended some people so let me roll this into a
creative discussion.
How can we add these features to the Replicator designs?
Can someone create an OpenSCAD carriage for alternate extruder motors
such that it would be possible to use the larger long body motor and
3mm filament?
An integrated industrial power supply under the machine rather than
the standard brick? This could decrease the voltage sag and heat both
the build platform and extruder at the same time, all while reducing
the wait time for a print to begin.
An alternate Y carriage end bracket system that supports the long body
NEMA17 to better support the weight of the dual extruder head or the
3mm filement (AKA MK6/7 hybrid setup)?
Let's look at where we are today with MakerBot products. The real
improvements have been the alternate firmwares created by the
community. Thanks Jetty and everyone else who gave that to us!!!! The
main reason these work as such improvements is the marginal hardware
design of the machines along with the component choices. MBI is about
making money, not about selling you a perfect machine. That's fine,
most companies need to operate somewhere in that margin to be
successful. The problem is, the MBI machines are locked out on
upgrades. The only major change without redesign is firmware upgrades.
There simply isn't physical room in the design to make some of the
changes I've proposed. I know there is going to be backlash saying
there is nothing wrong with the design, but honestly, wouldn't you
like to see some improvements in the physical bot?
I think this new platform has lot's of DIY oportunity that the
Replicator and Replicator2 simply do not have. It's a big enough and
strong enough design right off the bat. It has more than enough space
for dual extruders and there are some videos on Youtube showing one at
a Makerspace. It could use 3mm filament by changing out a few cheap
components ($19 motor, $7 brass tube, and the PTFE insert in the
Makergear groovemount. That's all it takes and something no other
recent moving head design accomodates that feature.
Again, here is my short list of features I see in an ideal printer.
Dual filament size support (3mm and 1.75)
Larger build area
Extruder must be a direct drive, long body NEMA17 in order to support
3mm filament, but should not be a Bowden due to ooze control issues
that the direct drive solves. ( I have an Ultimaker and love it, but
now like this design better)
Long body, high torque NEMA 17 or larger motors for X and Y (needed to
swing dual extruder or the heavier 3mm filament extruder)
Less than $1500 pricetag
Should be Open source.
Currently, the Replictor2 meets none of that criteria except the build
area. I'm not saying the linked printer is perfect, but a much better
fit to the above design requirements (doesn't come with large NEMA17s
or 3mm filament capability stock). Further, I think the example prints
speek hugely of what the platform is capable of, when compared to the
sticker shock of the Replicator2 or even 1.
I am in no way associated with TypeAMachines, this is just my thoughts
on the machine and some reasons why I haven't and won't buy a
Replicator. I think out of the box, the Type A Machine is more for the
money, will print better and has a far brighter future than a quickly
obsolete MBI product. Even if you spent $100 upgrading the motors and
buying the parts to make it 3mm capable, it's hundreds less than a
single head Replicator. I know this sounds like a sales pitch, but the
intent here is to show the group there are other ideas out there, and
that there have not been many upgrades to the current MBI platforms
other than firmware. I think MBI can do better and as a community, we
should try to make a better printer. My intent is hopefully nudge the
group into coming up with some cool upgrades or just even pressure
MakerBot to release a kit machine at a more reasonable price range
with the features I listed earlier.
I'm not telling anyone they should not buy a Replicator or
Replicator2, just that maybe, they should see some alternative designs
and make an informed choice or demand a similiar design and pricing
from MBI. It seem s to me, MBI just wants everyone to buy a new
machine every year rather than upgrade.