Replicator 5th Gen

[Tim Wakefield]

Anyone else having major issues with their new 5th Gen?

I printed something last night and the walls were not straight vertical like they should have been.  So I tried leveling this morning.  I have been fighting with getting the thing level for the last 3 hours.  So much for "better leveling" as I was sold!  Now all I get is Homing errors each time.

Also what is the deal with not being able to use the camera at all?  Heck all the extra stuff they say this one comes with is disabled to make it be the same as the Replicator 2.

So dang bummed after the 3 month wait for it...

-Tim

[Au Groups]

Spend more doesn't really means it will yield better result.

Are you leveling the bed after both bed and nozzle are heated to its working temperature?

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[Jetguy]

It doesn't work like that. All previous experience and information from previous models is not really valid for the new 5th gen.

It uses a totally different system of both leveling the bed and setting the Z homing position and yes, it does perform a preheat before the operation.

The new system ONLY has 2 screws that you can adjust of the 3 point leveling system.

That is because again, on older bots like the 2 series, the limit switch for Z was attached to the frame and you were both setting bed leveling and a mechanical offset to the nozzle.

In this bot, all that is required is that the bed is leveled because the Z sensor is based on the tip of the nozzle. So it homes every single time based on bed to nozzle position, not the assumed mechanical offset that could change on the 2 series with changes in the Z arms.

Even though there are some minor issues, I have to say I am liking the 5th series ideas. There are some very interesting and good ideas put into the design.

This particular problem is interesting in that I believe from experience and using a similar motion system that the X or Y endstop is being triggered and that is causing the gradual shift in coordinates. I personally have chased this problem down on 2 of my custom bots. But, in this case, it's so new and we no so little and the firmware is closed completely, it could be anything causing this problem and it's really best for MakerBot support to figure this one out.

[Dan Newman]

Anyone snap a good, high quality photo of the electronics in the 5th gen yet?
If you're willing to and want to send it privately to me (dan . newman @ mtbaldy . us ),
I would appreciate it. I'm not trying to make my own board. Just trying to
figure out what ARM they used and maybe figure out how to mount the root file system
image that is in the firmware. (Jetty is very close to figuring out how to
mount it. We just want to look through it and see what MBI has been up to.)

Thanks,
Dan

[David Kessner]

I found this pic of the insides of the new bots...

Sorry, couldn't resist.

-DK

[Jetguy]

Nicely played!!

[Dan Newman]

On 15/03/2014, 6:26 PM, David Kessner wrote:
> I found this pic of the insides of the new bots...
>

> <https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-mnVhSWtglKE/UyT9z77ceuI/AAAAAAAAAIc/XQQsuMGCY3Q/s1600/radiograph-lg.jpg>
> Sorry, couldn't resist.

We're all chuckling here over dinner.... (Too bad we aren't having chicken tonight.)

Dan

[AL M]

[andre]

That was a fowl attempt at humor, I must say.

On Saturday, March 15, 2014 9:26:58 PM UTC-4, David Kessner wrote:

[Justin Keenan]

Hey, I had one problem last night where during a 7 hour print the system froze around 3 hours in (it might have been my fault since I could have pulled out the usb early and it might have still been downloading the 11mb file). Other than that I've printed a lot of things so far.

A .1mm Heart container by emmett

a sample screw from makerbot

a sample chain from makerbot

and a full planetary gear set (3 stages)

plus I'm printing a iphone case right now.

I won't have access to any of my own 3d models until I go back to school and have my desktop.

Problems I've encountered so far.

You need to be connected to the ethernet to access the camera on the bot or from your computer. You can't use it unless you connect it to your thingiverse account.

The autoleveling sometimes has a homing error, usually if you click it again it will work.

At one point the auto leveling wasn't allowing me to home in my front to back motion (no matter where the base would be it would say it was level. (reset to factory settings and it's working again).

The bot is making some squeking noises from the left and right side of the gantry. They seem to be coming from the 4 little pulleys that keep the belt in tension. I'm waiting to call makerbot to figure out the fix. I'm guessing I will have to apply some lube to the idler pulleys.

I'm having problems printing without a raft. But the raft is working really nice as in it's very easy to remove from the build platform and also easy to remove the models from the raft. This is extremely better than my old experiences with the replicator 2.

The screen animation sequence glitched out on a 10 hour print for the planetary gearbox (but it still printed fine).

The one time I've used the pause feature to see if it worked, It ended up going back to the print and printing maybe .2mm off to the right in my case.

The filament guide tube constantly pops out of the back when it's printing. Not really a problem, I'm just slightly ocd.

Overall the printer is really superb. It's printing extremely well for right out of the box. The edges of my prints are extremely clean and I'm not seeing any more stringing in the prints. The control interface is easy to use and is surprisingly nice (I love the feature where I can have folders of my 3d printed models on my sd card and still access them, I've been using a 32gb corsair usb stick to transfer files). The light on the build is really nice (I can finally see the first layer it is printing easily), and it helps me make sure the first layer is properly adhering to the build. The bot has very very high quality parts; the rails and everything are just high end. I'm really impressed with the hardware in the device.

On Saturday, March 15, 2014 10:42:23 AM UTC-4, TimW wrote:

[Justin Keenan]

LOL, Poly: hide the Makerbot off camera.

On Saturday, March 15, 2014 9:26:58 PM UTC-4, David Kessner wrote:

[TimW]

Now I have a stuck nozzle.  Not doing anything out of the ordinary and using the MakerBot filament.  I have tried unloading and loading several times to get the nozzle cleared.  I am down again!  Anyone have advice on how to clear one of the new "smart" extruders??

-Tim

[Jetguy]

What's going on with the deleted messages in this thread? Seriously, is it censorship or what?

Kind of spooky really?

On Saturday, March 15, 2014 10:42:23 AM UTC-4, TimW wrote:

[Au Groups]

It is very common on consumer grade market for lots of half baked product.

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[David Kessner]

I know that at least one of those deleted messages was an accidental post where someone hit the post button by mistake.  And it wasn't me (this time).

[Eighty]

For what it's worth, I've noticed a massive spike in deleted posts in the past week or two. Not sure who it is (since I don't get the email version). Anyone have a clue? Black helicopters aside, it's just annoying.

[David Kessner]

Well, I do get the email version (of this thread) and I still didn't get some of the deleted messages.  But I did get one from about an hour ago and here it is in its entirety:

Is there a reason why my post keep getting deleted?
I really could use some help with the new machine.  I had a Rep2 before and I am not new to 3D printing just this machine is killing me.
-Tim

That particular "Tim" is "Tim W", the person who started this thread.  Ignoring the whole deleted message issue, here's my response to Tim:

Tim, unfortunately at this point you are one of the few here with experience using the Gen 5 machines, and thus there are not many (or any) who can give you help.  My advice for you, such as it is, is to be patient.  Monitor what's going on here.  Post your experiences.  And yell at Makerbot for help.  As more people here get their Gen 5 machine, and gain experience with it, there will be more help for those having problems.

Now, as for the deleted message issue I am baffled.  I see no reason why that message should have been deleted.

-David Kessner

[Zik]

Lol, there are almost more deleted messages then normal messages.

Anyone from Europe that has a 5th gen yet?

[Zik]

http://t.co/i2guAXRCpo

Nice pics (and review)

[Adam P.]

The guy that did that review boxes his machine up and sent it back to mbi because it has issues.

[TimW]

Mine will be getting boxed up and sent back as well.

-Tim

[Tiffany Diorio]

 Hi Tim,
 
  This is Tiffany from MakerBot Support.  First posts by new members of the group are always moderated, so they don't go through until someone approves them. I saw your posts in my pending queue today and let them go through, so going forward you should be all set to post whenever you'd like.

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[Jetguy]

Before you guys pack them up, can you perform a couple of simple tests for the group at large?

 

You guys have focussed on the obvious things like basic printing, basic connections and so on.

BUT, there were also advertised features that make or break my decision to buy one of these.

 

For example, one of the key apsects that sold me on even buying one was that the new extruder was built to the 9s with sensors.

So, 2 simple tests should be done by someone to PROVE that the advertising is true.

The spool jam test, simply grab the filament coming off the spool before it feeds into the guide tube while printing and see if the printer detects and extruder stopage.

The out of filament test, simply cut the filament as it comes off the spool and let the printer "run out"

 

Neither of those should damge the machine in any way, those are specific tests we tell users to do (the filament stopage) on the current series.

 

I think the machine is good, I think the build QC is good.

[David Kessner]

Tiffany,

Do the moderators work on weekends/evenings?  It would be easier for us to be more patient if we knew, for example, that new posts just wouldn't be dealt with until Monday morning.

-David K

[Tiffany Diorio]

Hi David, 
  We have moderators approving messages from 9AM to 6PM Monday through Saturday.

[Maria López]

We ordered one the 29th January and still waiting and I hope they solve this stuff before start shipping in europe because having to send it back it would mean a lot of paperwork with customs

[TimW]

Maria

I would recommend you ask MakerBot to hold off shipment.

-Tim

Mari

[TimW]

I would test these items but I cant flow material right now.

As for things I have learned:
-the leveling only tells you to move the bed up not down.  So if you are too high already it doesnt realize it
-if you clog the printer will keep printing
-the camera only works if you are connected to Ethernet
-if you fail homing you have to re-slice the print
-homing does not work well because the extruder sticks in the carriage
-there is no lifetime print clock like before so you have no idea how much print time you have into it
-the belt near the extruder rubs on the extruder carriage
-the z-axis is very noise and squeaky
-the new spool holder is a pain and can not accept any old spools no matter what you do
-the filament tube does not stay attached to the tab on the new spool holder
-the extruder pops off pretty easy
-loading filament is not easy as there is a small hole you have to hit hidden down in the extruder
-homing and leveling is painfully slow
-overall the unit is much louder than my previous R2
-the extruder is "sealed" and does not come apart for maintenance
-still no wifi

-Tim

[Maria López]

I dont know whether to do that or just cancel the order and getting a replicator2 or 2x

[alexklym]

Hey, I got a few decent prints from mine yesterday and now today I had filament get stuck in the extruder, I removed it by pressing the lever on the side of the extruder and pulling it out with a screw driver (makerbot supports advice). Now all I get is homing errors.....

[TimW]

How do you use a screw driver?  I am confused? 

[alexklym]

Haha oh man I meant pliers, I'm a little flustered this morning. Not very happy with the problems piling up..

[TimW]

So your filament was still sticking out the top?  Mine is stuck somewhere inside and I am screwed.  The way it looks to me is you can't hardly even pull the nozzle off anymore.  I haven't tried because I don't want to void the warranty.

[Brian33433]

As I don't have the new machine i am shooting in the dark, but how about bringing up the temp to like 260 and completely melting the jam? But then again if the new extruder casing is plastic that may be to hot for it. All and all I wouldn't go shipping them back so fast, these are all problems you should of expected, most of them will be fixed with firmware updates. I still think the real question is what were you thinking spending that kind of money on a machine that the company wouldn't even show printing? but hang in there, it sounds more like they just rushed it out and plan to work out the bugs as they are reported.

B.

[TimW]

Well I am very disappointed that the media gave all these awards to a machine that they never saw print...

Besides that..

I would turn up the temp to try and melt it down but the new controls dont allow you to change the temp unless you do a print.

[alexklym]

I halfway tried to take the tip off but I felt like it was just going to break, after that I asked Makerbot if I could take it off and I was told in an unsure way that it isn't designed to be taken off.

My filament was stuck in the extruder. It wouldn't come out when trying to remove and wouldn't go further in when trying to "add". The motor would just click and grind either way. I cut the filament from the spool and removed the extruder. I pressed in the lever and pulled on the filament with the pliers and it came out.

I just reset to factory settings and leveled the build plate again and had one more homing error and now it seems to be printing well. Hopefully for awhile ha.

[Brian33433]

Tim, 

So try with a new print, and when it goes to heat up the extruder it will heat it up to the temp of the print you entered, or if it is possible to do on the new machines, in the settings of the r2 you are able to adjust the temp of the preheat that would be easier if its still provides on the 5th gen

[TimW]

Only place so far to change the temp is in the "improved" software.  You can only change the temp during a print.  I also heard that the machine has an overtemp warning for the extruder.  I am not sure what that temp is.  With this thing being connected to the internet I am not going to change the temps from the original settings.  I ran everything with their default settings and I plan to keep it that way so the warranty is valid.

The menus on the machine itself are extremely limited compared to the R2.  Honestly I am not even sure why they put a screen on the dang thing.

[andre]

Can you just edit the machine.json file in the /things folder and modify temperature settings at will?

[TimW]

Well sorry guys but I put mine back in the box. I didn't pay 3300 for something that is still in development.

Needless to say I am going to step back to a Rep2

[Adam P.]

good for you, Tim. I agree and wouldn't stand for spending that much money on something that doesn't work. A bit of fidgeting is probably to be expected but the kinds of problems we're seeing doesn't bode well for the 5th gen.

 

Before seeing one print and reading of all these problems, I had a coworker hoooked on buying a 5th gen Rep. Now I am strongly advising her against it and steering her towards other makes/models.

 

 

On Mon, Mar 17, 2014 at 10:40 PM, TimW <odinh...@gmail.com> wrote:

Well sorry guys but I put mine back in the box.  I didn't pay 3300 for something that is still in development.

Needless to say I am going to step back to a Rep2

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[andre]

You bring up an interesting point regarding price.  If I had paid $600-$900, I would probably not mind issues, as long as there were potential solutions to resolve them, and at that price range, I wouldn't care about voiding the warranty by disassembling and "improving" where necessary.

But, at $3300, that is a steep price to pay for something that still needs development and tweaking.

[TimW]

So it is done.  I am going back to a Replicator 2 and getting a glass build plate for it.  Hopefully I can get some good hours on it to catvh back up.  I have a ton of people asking me to print parts for them and I have a lot of my own parts to print.

-Tim

[Jamie Laing]

I'm glad I read this thread.  I was at Makers Faire Denver recently and heard about difficulties with the R5th.  Some nice guys exhibiting there had to send it back.  I have an R2, and an R2x, and was about to pull the trigger on a R5th, (shouldn't that be R3?).  Looks like I'll be getting another R2, which has been fine.  I'd get another R2X if it could do PLA reliably.  I wish there was a dual print head R2 model.

On Saturday, March 15, 2014 9:42:23 AM UTC-5, TimW wrote:

Anyone else having major issues with their new 5th Gen?

I printed something last night and the walls were not straight vertical like they should have been.  So I tried leveling this morning.  I have been fighting with getting the thing level for the last 3 hours.  So much for "better leveling" as I was sold!  Now all I get is Homing errors each time.

Also what is the deal with not being able to use the camera at all?  Heck all the extra stuff they say this one comes with is disabled to make it be the same as the Replicator 2.

So dang bummed after the 3 month wait for it...

-Tim

[Ryan Carlyle]

Jamie, you can always upgrade a Rep2 for two extruders. It's not terribly difficult.

[PlasticMan]

or, get a Flashforge creator X.

[scott spencer]

Hey Jamie, I have a 5th Gen and the only issues I have had here a Clogged extrueder (because 230 is too Hot for CLEAR PL:A) and Homing issues.  The homing issues are fixed the just removing the filament and reloading it.  Besides that it works Great!!!! 

[scott spencer]

Tim what Color are you using? I find that the Clear PLA  Clog's if you leave it set for 230c.

On Sunday, March 16, 2014 4:20:21 PM UTC-4, TimW wrote:

Now I have a stuck nozzle.  Not doing anything out of the ordinary and using the MakerBot filament.  I have tried unloading and loading several times to get the nozzle cleared.  I am down again!  Anyone have advice on how to clear one of the new "smart" extruders??

-Tim