Take my CubeX 3D Trio PLEASE!!!

[Maurice Tedder]

Considering the $4000 price I paid for my Trio I am very unsatisfied with the print quality. I just want to get rid of this thing because it is totally useless for my requirements. I'm not expecting to get what I paid for it but I'll take  whatever best offer I can get just to get rid of this thing. If you want to buy it from me it's yours. Here are are some of the issues I encountered.

I ordered the CubeX trio and after a month of frustration trying to get it to work I wanted to return it but customer support told me no refunds only exchanges. Issues encountered: replaced motherboard after it burned out after electrical spark during installation of print cartridge in bay 2. Bay 2 & 3 "cartridges not found" message. Filament jams inside cartridge and finally, replaced cartridge reading sensor and the print quality is awful. The three color print is a cool idea but I had so many problems getting one color to work I never used the other colors. It's cheaper to buy another brand with a single color and paint the other colors.

[Peter Gregory]

I've had some trials with my Cubex as well.
I finally have it printing to my satisfaction - as long as I design to the the strengths of the printer.
It sounds like you got past the initial hardware issues with the Cubex and now have print quality issues.
I've been lucky so far and only had 1 cartridge bind on me.
Thanks to the support from this group, I was able to finish the roll as an external spool.
What sort of issues are you seeing?
Parts not sticking?
Poor print quality? Stringy or layered prints?
Support structures not working as expected?
Maybe we can get the print quality issues minimized....

[tshul...@gmail.com]

I had a CubeX Duo and had a bunch of issues. I was able to send it back due to some special circumstances. Since then I've bought a Lulzbot TAZ and a MakerGear M2. The TAZ had lots of issues too but its working okay now. The MakerGear is the best of the three in terms of print quality and it requires the least amount of tinkering to print well and to keep it going. None of them are trouble free.

There's a new software out now called Simplify 3D that I use with my TAZ and M2. I see that it has the option for the CubeX printer on the menu so I assume it would run a CubeX. You'll have to contact the mfgr to be sure. If it will work with the CubeX then you will be able to have a LOT more control over your print settings which will allow you to control the quality a little better.

The main problems with the CubeX printers are:
1. Filament costs are 5x as much as printers that don't use the proprietary cartridge system. That's a huge ripoff. It doesn't take that long to go through enough plastic on a CubeX to pay for another printer.
2. The print platform is not designed well. It requires constant re-leveling and Z axis offset resets. If you don't start with the right z axis offset or if the bed isn't really level then your chances of success are near zero. Also, the leveling process is very cumbersome. Its a very poor bed frame design.
3. Very little control over your print settings. They do this to try to keep people from screwing up the settings, which is easy to do. However, it means the CubeX prints at 25mm/s max when it could print quality prints at over 100 mm/s with the right software. Simplify 3D also lets me define custom supports and apply different settings to different parts within the same print.

If they didn't rip you off with $100 for 0.6kg of filament I would have considered keeping mine and I would have just used the Simplify 3D software to create the G-code. You can get the same filament for around $35/kg for all other printers. That's $21 for the same weight of filament you get from Cubify! RIP-OFF! Also, I can print flexible materials (Bendlay and EcoFlex PLA) and even nylon and Polycarbonate with an aftermarket hot end. CubeX printers lock you in with no control and outrageous prices.

The TAZ prints a 11.5"x11.5"x10" volume. The M2 prints around 7x8x8. The quality of the TAZ and M2 prints at 100 mm/s (4x the speed of the CubeX) are as good or better than the best CubeX prints I made. The CubeX has better hardware than the TAZ but I've found that prints aren't as sensitive to hardware as I thought. Setup and software are the biggest part of the equation once you have a decent hardware platform.

[Peter Gregory]

Yeah, the cartridge issue is a real problem.

I use my printer for prototyping, not bulk printing, so the impact is not to the point I want to switch to another platform.

I don't want to rant on the cartridge situation, we already have several posts that do it much more eloquently than I can.

Hopefully Cubex will decide it is better to have an affordable solution so users stay loyal instead jumping ship.

[Maurice Tedder]

On Sunday, September 22, 2013 2:50:52 PM UTC-4, Maurice Tedder wrote:

UPDATE!!!
I think I blew out the motherboard AGAIN while trying to insert a new cartridge to test if the chip reader was bad. I'm done with this product this thing is toast. For sell on ebay for $2150 as spare parts.

[jeronc...@gmail.com]

I've been trying for 2 days to get this new CubeX Duo past the halfway mark of the setup procedure.

Problems I have are the print base "stuck" on the bottom. Won't raise up or down, just makes a grinding sound when trying to move it.

The print pad won't "recede" on the print base. The white plastic front is too close to the back to let it sit down where the aluminum "nub" and magnetic "nub" will fit in the holes in the print base.

I haven't even gotten to the point of trying to install a print cartridge.

The user guide says the factory levels the print pad and the print jets before shipping. No way that happened with mine.

Been reporting the plethora of problems for 2 days and the only response has been from their email server complaining that it can't deliver the email their web page is generating.

Quality assurance is definitely not 3D System's strong point.

I wish I had known about the no refund policy before buying. It is my experience that the only companies that do not stand behind their products with a money back guarantee, pretty much don't believe in the quality of their own products.

[j...@stefanoconstruction.com]

Double check the support address you are sending to. I have had a few problems and they responded right away. The plastic front is adjustable loosen the screws underneath and move it so you can drop the bed in place then adjust it back so it touches. This info is available on line. Stick with it once you get these things worked out you will enjoy the printer.

[CubeX 3D Printman]

Jeronc...

I just replied to your other post. Hope that helps.

Do you still have problems with the printbed stuck on the bottom?

Can you "home" or move it with the "move" command.

When turned off, can you move the printbed up/down by turning the z-motor spindle (in the back of the system)?

 

Rick

[jeronc...@gmail.com]

I tried turning everything that looks turnable at the back of the print pad. My best guess is that you are talking about the big silver "screw" and/or the black plastic "barrel" at the base of the screw. Neither will budge. At this point I would have to take pliers or vice grips to try to turn them. I'm sure doing that would crack the plastic piece or ruin the grooves of the "screw".

Of course, I am still waiting to hear back from from my request for support to clarify their "turn the z-axis" one sentence response to my description of the problem.

[Peter Gregory]

I hate to ask, but you did remove the packing restraint around the Z Axis motor?
Is is a plastic housing that is screwed into the mounting bolts for the Z Axis stepper motor.
It is designed to immobilize the base during shipping.
If that is still attached, the base will be locked in place.

Can you upload a picture of the Z Axis motor area?

[jeronc...@gmail.com]

That is actually a great question! I did remove that :)

I will take a picture and upload it when I get back to the printer.

[jeronc...@gmail.com]

Sorry for being such a Google Groups noob, but I'm not seeing where to upload this picture :(

My brain is fried after struggling with this printer for 3 hours (after writing software for 12 hours), so I know the way to upload a picture is probably staring me in the face....

[Peter Gregory]

I usually create a 800x600 image and drag-drop it into the message.

[tshul...@gmail.com]

I feel your pain. I'm not sure where my last reply went but its gone now. If it disappears again I'll assume that Cubify is moderating this board and I'll start my own CubeX group with detailed accounts of my experiences.

I owned a CubeX Duo. It came with some broken plastic parts. It took weeks to get a replacement part. The bed was out of level by about 1/8". I had multiple cartridges that the machine would not recognize. The extruder jammed and I had to take everything apart to get it unjammed. Eventually the control board died and they sent me a second machine.

The second machine ripped both extruder hot ends off on the first or second print. I don't remember which now. I sent it back.

I bought a Lulzbot TAZ. It did better but I had a roll of defective bad filament which drove me up a wall until it ran out. When I started a new roll the printer worked pretty well. The TAZ has inferior components compared to the CubeX but it prints much more reliably and with equivalent quality. The print bed is larger. CubeX cartridges cost $100 and come with about 0.6 kg of filament. Non proprietary filament costs $21 for 0.6 kg ($35/kg) so for every 10 kg of plastic you print you spend about $1300 extra on proprietary Cubify filament. CRAZY. The TAZ prints nicely at 125 mm/s. The CubeX prints at 25 mm/s. WAY too slow. I saw a video of a Lulzbot A101 on Facebook and asked it they had sped up the video it looked so fast to me. They had not. That's when I knew it was time to look beyond the CubeX marketing hype.

After the TAZ I bought a MakerGear M2 with Simplify 3D slicer/control software. Its the best of the bunch and I get over 80% success rate for prints and I do some complex shapes. It will print reliably at 150 mm/s and will go as high as 200 mm/s if you don't mind a rough draft part. It produces even better results than the TAZ with higher quality components. The bed is smaller so I kept the TAZ to print very large parts. The TAZ bed is HUGE.

By the way, I noticed that the Simplify3D software has a setup included to produce Gcode for the CubeX. I highly recommend trying it so you are not stuck with almost zero control over your prints.

At the time I was struggling with my CubeX there was only one guy answering ALL of the technical questions for Cubify. He was very courteous and kind but he simply could not keep up with all that was on his plate so responses were few and far between. I can imagine he hated his life. Hopefully they've hired 20 more to cover tech support void by now but I don't know. Mine is long gone.

I hope the moderator of this forum has enough integrity to leave this post up. Until Cubify can compete without marketing hype these stories should be told to let people objectively decide what printer is best for them.

[Jeron Coolman]

They need to quit advertising the CubeX as being a "Consumer" product. IMHO that is false advertising. My definition of a consumer product is one my mom could buy and use. In their defense, I doubt ANY 3D printers are "Consumer", though.

They need to put their money where their mouth is as provide a money back guarantee if they won't quit with the "false advertising". If 3DS believes they are selling quality products, then it should be a non-issue.

I did send a support question discussing how the web site where you report issues says "9-5 Mon - Fri", yet the paper in the box said "Cubify Experts available 16 hours a day" and asked which it was. Thinking in my mind if it was 16 hours a day, that ONE guy is waaay overworked :) They ignored it... probably was too snarky.

I have heard from more than one guy, but mostly just one guy. Where they are polite, they are verse terse and sort of dismissive. I haven't had to repeat myself too many times but contacts that go like this are annoying; e.g. "On page 8, of document X it says do Y. I can't do Y because of Z." the response being, "Down load document X and refer to page 8 on how to do Y."; Then I have to figure out how to say the same thing in different words and hope the person reads for comprehension this time.

I'm trying to keep the attitude of my questions and posts as positive as possible, to get help AND to help someone doing their research to be informed of the nightmare I'm going through.

I did enough research up front to know 3D printing would take up a lot of tinkering and tweaking time. Knowing me, I knew I would end up wanting a unit to learn on, then turn around and build one with the parts I want or buy a "tinker and tweak intensive" one that has all of the specs I want.

Yeah, the cartridge issue has been beat to death. In fact, that was the only issue that made be really ponder if I should get this one. The only reason I can see is greed. If it wasn't, they could create a "refillable cartridge". I'm sure most people would rather give up the "automatic" monitoring of filament for even half the price of the cartridges. Or I guess ones that work for that matter.

Typically, when a company that doesn't host user forums like this one for their users to share info, that is another red flag that they know there is a problem with customer satisfaction with their product.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will eventually get it working and be one of the people who are happy with their CubeX. I get the impression there are some happy CubeX OWNERS out there and not many happy 3DS CUSTOMERS.

[Maurice Tedder]

I'm wondering how they expect to make money selling the cartridges if the machines don't work. My motherboard blew out again I'm not going to waste my time trying to get it fixed again just to have it blow out sometime later. They're not making any money from me buying cartridges because my machine doesn't work anymore. Since I'm stuck with this machine, I'm planning on converting it to open source with RepRap parts.

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[Jeron Coolman]

I don't think 3DS has intentional "nefarious" intent to rip people off and make their customers unhappy. The Cube and CubeX are very small product lines compared to the entire company's business and product lines. One of the reasons I chose the CubeX was because when I researched the company and saw all of their "industrial strength" products, I figured they knew what they were doing.

I think they intended (probably still intend) for the Cube and CubeX products to be the best consumer 3D printers on the market. Unfortunately, I think that they basically just failed to hit that mark and any behavior by them that is perceived by unhappy customers like you and me are more damage control than anything.

I think 3DS is used to selling huge fabrication/3D printers for tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to large corporations and they are basically clueless to the "consumer/home" market.

The optimist (dreamer?)  in me believes...

...that they really think the design of the cartridges is a good idea and is worth the amount of money we pay for them. That they just haven't ironed out the kinks.

The pessimist (realist?) in me...

...doesn't really "get" the marketplace on the cubify web site. It makes me feel like 3DS doesn't really want us to manufacture creations on OUR CubeX printers and sell them. That they make the cartridges ridiculously expensive (maybe even make them no work?) so that we are forced to just prototype any marketable creations, then upload them to the cubify web site and have 3DS manufacture and sell them for us. That is one way they could make money on selling flaky cartridges.

[plep...@dohacollege.com]

Can anyone help me I have a problem with the initial set up for my CUBE trio 3d printer. The print bed is stuck down and keeps making a grinding noise when it tries to move. Is there anyway to fix this?

[Peter Gregory]

First, I know this is a stupid question, but did you remove the shipping constraints around the Z-Axis motor?  It should look like this:

You can position the print bed by manually rotating the black piece near the top of the motor.

As you spin it, the bed should lift and drop.

I've heard of some machines getting the bed wedged stuck during shipping and they can be hard to move initially.

I think the shipping people think "fragile" means "slam against wall really hard"

[Roberto Gehlen Oliveira]

You can install the CUBE 3D FREE device, that allows the use of non-original cartridges, saving a lot o money .... www.cube3dfree.com